11/02/2006

no scale?

Another item in the list of things that the Remys don't have in their house: a bathroom scale. A few months ago (maybe even a year ago?), John tossed out our scale. It gave completely unpredictable readings. Like how could you really have gained 10 lbs as you brushed your teeth?

It's weird not to have a scale. I really don't know how I'm doing weight-wise except by how my clothes fit. I can't tell if my more regular workout schedule is impacting my weight. It's all a mystery.

But there's something quite liberating about not having a scale. I can eat 5 cookies and realize that I won't be weighing myself later to see if and how they've added to my hips. Hmmmm...this brings an added sense of freedom but also an added weight of accountability.

What about you? Can you imagine life without a scale?

2 comments:

Brooke said...

No scale for us. I like to go by how I feel about my weight. Not by my actual weight. It's also about how my clothes are fitting. I sometimes contemplate getting one, but can never quite give up my current lifestyle.

SoCalSingleMama said...

Hmmm...I'm a daily weigh-er and have been for a good decade. I like the idea of not having one, but it is such a habitual way for me to keep my eating/exercising balance in check that I sometimes feel lost without it if I'm away from home for too long. My parents have always jumped on the scale on a regular basis and I suppose I learned it from them.

This discussion got me thinking, though, and I would love to get rid of mine someday before I have kids. I remember jumping on the scale as a five year old for the sake of imitating my mom (even though I didn't really understand what I was doing) - probably not something kids need to be picking up in a society that is already overly obsessed with body size. Using a scale to monitor eating/exercise seems to take away from the intuition Jana and Brooke express regarding staying in tune with your body and how you feel. But there's something comforting about knowing today's number is the same as last week's and the week before. I suppose it's my tendancy to value the objective above the subjective. :-)