121—
Meditative Munching
40—You will be...
40
Weighed & Measured
I'm weighing in on scales
I work a lot with people wanting to achieve a healthy body weight.
When I ask them how much they currently weigh, very few can tell me this figure. However, what most have no problem telling me is that “it’s sacrilegious to keep scales in the home”. So, aren’t they “very good” for disposing of this evil device (and for not actually knowing their weight)?
I couldn’t agree less — this is not something I award ‘Naturopath Points’ for. Bathroom scales are a must-have for those who have difficulty maintaining a healthy body weight.
Note: if you’re currently disagreeing with me, you’re probably either:
a) a slender person who simply uses an alternative device to monitor your figure – your clothing1! (unfortunately some people just buy bigger clothes!), or
b) you know you’re overweight, and you don’t like the scales telling you something you already know.
You need to check yourself — before you wreck yourself
Generally speaking, you only become overweight because you’re not paying attention to, and therefore doing anything about, the ‘kilos’ that gradually ‘creep up, on, and around you’…
If you’re someone who tends to get easily distracted from their health (by their food!), then it would definitely pay to make weighing yourself a daily ritual. This way you can closely monitor yourself and take steps to correct things before it (and you), becomes a big issue!
Hormonal Havoc? Weight-loss hell!
If you are someone who is consistently eating well and exercising, but the bathroom scales are still refusing to acknowledge your efforts… You might like to check out my three-part blog-post on ‘Hormonal Havoc — Weight loss hell!’:
Lisa says:
What's really weighing on you?
Clearly it’s not the scales fault if it offers up a figure that you’re displeased with (pun intended!) If stepping onto the scales upsets you that much, perhaps its time to do something about it. And, no – I don’t mean that you should deal to the scales with a hammer!
I recommend you contact your Naturopath. They will not only devise a healthy diet & exercise regime for you, they will also check to see if anything is confounding your efforts i.e. you may have a thyroid, liver, or hormonal concern, or you may be on a medication that has weight gain as a side-effect (for females; ‘The Pill’).
Note: You may be unaware that you have some psychological issue surrounding food (and/or your weight). We can recommend, or refer you to someone more appropriate to help you with this issue.
Aim to be 'Peed, Pooed and Nude'
Weigh yourself first thing in the morning (before breakfast). To ensure an accurate, consistent, reading — ideally you’ll be ’Peed, Pooed, and Nude’2.
Don’t weigh yourself at night. This is because by this stage you may be up to 2kg heavier than when you started that day (due to eating 3 meals + 2 snacks, and due to drinking around 2L of water).
Note: Weigh yourself daily until you establish (and can maintain) a healthy weight based solely on the opinion of your favorite pair of jeans1.
Allow yourself a small indulgence
Why go to all the effort of losing weight, to simply go back and put it all on (and perhaps, more)?
To this end, create yourself a ‘2kg weight buffer system’ to be employed in ‘times of feast’ e.g. a holiday, wedding /silly season, or other celebrations. For example, if you’re usually 77kg in the morning, but start hitting 79kg (also in the morning) this becomes your ‘trigger’ to refocus on the ‘straight & narrow’.
Your Naturopath and your scales are your true ‘Weight Watchers’.
Make an appointment with Lisa
Lisa Fitzgibbon is a degree qualified (2006), experienced and registered Naturopath & Medical Herbalist. She runs her own private practice – OOMPH in Grey Lynn, Auckland, New Zealand.
Lisa has been involved in the Natural Health industry for 16 years. She draws on her professional training and experience, as well as her own personal experience to bring you realistic, holistic health advice.
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