October Week 2: Is the Scale Broken or Am I?

A funny thing happened when I got on the scale Monday.  We were having someone work on our bathroom and the scale had been put away so I had not weighed myself for a week.  I admit, when I get out of the routine of getting on the scale, it’s always harder to get back on.  That’s why I do it every day, to keep it a mindless habit I don’t even think about.  Part of being in the weight mastery cycle for me is just doing what works for me. Weighing myself and not making it a big deal and  just staying in touch with reality helps my brain and weight stay stable.

So, my thoughts walking to the bathroom to get on the scale were, "just get on.  Yes you ate (and drank, it was a fun Sunday!) more calories than you usually did but overall I bet you are fine because you didn’t overeat enough to gain" (BTW this is a huge benefit of tracking while you are away: knowing for certain where you stand when you get home) "and you exercised. So just get on the scale, get the number, and then get off.”

HAVE YOU EVER WEIGHED ZERO?

I got on the scale and I weighed…nothing.  Nothing! as in Zero  Huh?   I got off and got on again.  Nothing!  Okay, now I know my weight has been stable for years (a miracle I never thought possible before I made my own Shift) but this is ridiculous!  I turned the scale over - no battery!  Huh.  I looked around and could not find the battery anywhere.  It must have gotten carried away by the scale fairies? Or construction workers?  Okay,  I got to weigh nothing for a day until I bought a new scale battery.

Now I know this is a silly story but I wanted to reach out to those of you who may be trying to release weight and the scale has somehow gotten stuck in one place.  When I struggled, there were many times when I felt stuck and I really did think my scale was broken because I was convinced I was doing everything right.

Often though, I was not tracking my food or exercise accurately so my “doing good” was in my head and not in reality.  Other times, I was convinced my body was broken and I just could not lose weight.  When I made my Shift, I realized that what was broken was my relationship with myself when I was standing on the scale!

So I wanted to give your Inner Coach - that part of you who can lead you effectively to your ideal weight - some good coaching material so that you can get the scale going again, not get frustrated, and stay in the weight mastery cycle.

3 REASONS THE SCALE HASN’T BUDGED
…and how to Shift back into weight release

1. Your weight may be stuck but your original Shift vision is gone! The scale isn’t stuck –your mind is! Remember how easy things were when you had that red-hot vision burning a clear path of what you wanted to look and feel like at your ideal weight?  Remember how you absolutely believed you could achieve it?  Maybe you achieved an initial goal or released a chunk of weight but now the day to day of life is settling in and it’s hard to get motivated.
   
   Get that honeymoon feeling back with creating a brand new and powerful vision.  Think of a new vision that will get you excited to achieve.  Maybe it isn’t just a weight goal but a health goal too.  I imagine throwing those medications in the trash - that would be exciting!  Imagine what you could look like by the holidays if you released a pound a week…nice!  See it, believe it, you can achieve it.
2. You are not burning enough calories. Too often when we lose sight of our goals, the ability to follow through on all the essential habits of weight release get sloppy.  We stop writing down our food.  We average calories instead of knowing exactly what we put in our mouths.  It is easy to burn calories during the week and then fill up the calorie deficit created with going overboard on the weekend.  Re-engage the loving scientist within, start really tracking and even weighing your food.  Get clear on the exact calories and think through challenging situations ahead of time.  Start really burning the calories and see the scale hop back into action in the downward direction!
3. Has your Inner Coach been locked in the closet by your Inner Critic and Rebel? You will know if this is happening because you will have slipped into Fat Thinking again - “Oh I blew it!” and “I’ll start again on Monday” on or off, all or nothing thinking that leads to weight gain and struggle.  Start listening to your hypnosis sessions and get your Shift head back on…

Okay have a great week - even on the scale!

Get that Inner Coach out of the closet!