Liberation is abandoning the scales

Being without the scales hasn’t been as hard as I thought.

For a week or so after allowing my boyfriend to dispose of that instrument of mental torture, I knew they were in an anonymous wheelie bin in the back ginnel (northern term for alley). I considered having a quick rummage in the hope of retrieving them, but thought that would seem a bit desperate.

I lasted until collection day had passed (yippee!), so now, if I want to replace them, I’ll have to go out and bloody buy some. I don’t think I can be bothered with that. But, late last week, my jeans felt tighter and I went into a minor flux of panic.

Although it says in Beyond Chocolate that you may put on a little weight at first, while dumping the old rules and trying to get over your forbidden food ideas, this bit I definitely didn’t want.

Thinking rationally, however, I know that it wouldn’t have made any difference whether or not I still owned that hated day-dictating weighing contraption. I’d have just seen a number and felt miserable, but it would be unlikely that I’d have jumped on my unused trampoline as a result.

Clearly, the dieting wasn’t working, and let’s face it, you only have to try your clothes on to know if you’ve gained weight or not. Do you really need to see if you’re within one or two pounds of where you were the day before?

Anyhow, amazingly enough, for the last couple of days I’ve been fastening my belt on a notch tighter. Weight loss? Water loss? Big spare tyre loss? Who cares! I’m just happy not to have ballooned.

There is something quite liberating about being without the scales, and I’m feeling a smug sense of satisfaction. It’s early days, and a small victory, but a heartening one.

Comments

[Linda]

I keep telling myself I will weigh myself on certain days. The next milestone will be the girls' birthday, apparently by which time I hope to have dropped a modest half a stone (it's four weeks away.)

As I was told I looked like Jamie Oliver in his 'fat' ad today by Melissa, was feeling a bit hopeless. Then Emily told me she couldn't see the Maria programme because my chest (my word not hers) was in the way!

Have had a few tears and need to get sorted :)

[Andrea Wren]

The perceptions and honesty of children can be a killer sometimes. Are you doing a diet at the minute Linda?

[Keris]

I put a stone on when I got rid of my scales, but I still don't regret it because I know it doesn't matter what I weigh. Now I just need to learn how to stop obsessing about food.

[Linda]

No I'm not doing a 'diet'. I'm just trying to stop eating when I stop tasting it. Also the food touching the sides of my mouth would be good.