One of my good friends from high school (a guy) sent me these links from Everyday Paleo, Attention Scale Addicts and Attention Scale Addicts, Part 2, after I tweeted out yesterday’s post about whether or not I should buy a scale.
He vehemently said no. I read them and chuckled at the first link and was in awe by the second.
Check them out and let me know what you think when you see Deb’s transformation and read about her weight before and after she began her fitness regimen. The results are nothing short of incredible … and a pretty glaring reminder that the number on the scale isn’t everything.
I remember at my thinnest (unmaintainable) weight/size, I wore a size 6 (sometimes a 4 in dresses) and was generally 140-142 lbs. Friends and family were shocked to find out “how much” I weighed because I looked slim. But I was very fit at the time, and so I carried it well (if I do say so myself). So there’s no doubt in my mind that physical fitness matters more than what a scale reads.
That said, I like the accountability of having a scale and still think I will buy one if for nothing else than to have it and know it’s there as a barometer of progress … but certainly not the ONLY one.
Let There Be Light 
Great post. I’m a scale addict, even having read similar success stories (here is one I came across recently: http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/). Its unfortunate that we’re taught to observe and obey the almighty scale. If we all had to throw them away maybe we’d be better off!
It is a shame–but it’s also a learned behavior and one, I believe, we can get past — there has to be, like with everything else in life, a moderate approach to the scale. I used to let it determine how I felt about myself … but I see it more as a tool now. But I DO remember the days of being a slave to it … and I don’t miss them one bit! I’m not thin anymore, but I’m also not obsessed anymore – and that trade-off (for me) has been one I’m willing to make. But it IS hard to break the habit!
I own a scale and actually keep it out of my bathroom because I know that if it is in my bathroom, I will get on it every morning and I dont need to weigh myself every morning. BUT I also find that if I do not weigh in once a week, I am HARDER on myself because I dont know and I dont want to have my weight getting out of control! đŸ˜€
Good for you, Lindsay!! Once a week seems like a reasonable WI schedule.