To Weigh or Not to Weigh, That is the Question

Hamlet never contemplated this dilemma, what with obesity being a modern epidemic. Plus, his weight was the least of his worries. He was too busy plotting Claudius's murder to bother with counting calories or making sure he got in his daily hour of jousting.

My life is much simpler than a Shakespearean tragedy, so whether or not to weigh myself is exactly the type of question that occupies my mind.

In a very unscientific poll, I asked several girlfriends what they thought about the scale. Did they weigh themselves or not? What I discovered is that people are passionate about this issue and they fall decidedly into one of two camps—either they love the scale or they hate it. There is no gray area. It's like dog people versus cat people, Republicans versus Democrats, creationists versus evolutionists. 

I’m a scale-lover. I find comfort in knowing exactly what my weight is. The daily reminder not only keeps me motivated to stay on track, but it also allows me to make immediate adjustments if I notice the number starting to creep up.

There are downsides of course. For one, my weight is never steady. It fluctuates daily which can be frustrating. Since the human body is two-thirds water this is a natural occurrence. Too much salt in my diet, “that time of the month” and certain medications can make me retain water, which will increase my weight for a day or so. To take this into account and make sure I don’t obsess about each ounce, I allow myself a 4-pound fluctuation range. As long as my weight bounces around within a four-pound range, I don’t worry about it. But if I gain five pounds and it doesn’t drop within a day or so, I know it’s a sign that I need to take a look at my lifestyle. Chances are I’ve allowed a bad snack habit to infiltrate my life or I’ve slacked off on my exercise routine and it’s time to take action before things get out of control.

These daily fluctuations contribute to the second biggest downside to a daily weigh-in. Weight loss does not happen in a straight line. There are ups as well as downs and that can be very de-motivating.

Which is why most of my friends are scale-haters.

When I asked if they weighed themselves they gave me the universal scale-hater response—lurching backward and wincing they shrieked, "Oh my God no! I NEVER weigh myself." 

You'd think I just asked them if they'd ever killed someone.

“Well then, how do you manage your weight?” I asked.

“I can tell by how my clothes fit and how I feel,” was the average scale-hater response.

And that’s perfectly valid. Weight is not the perfect measure of health.

While I respect my friends' opinion and feel their position is reasonable, I will say that research has shown that people who weigh themselves frequently lose more weight and keep it off versus people who don't weight themselves regularly. 

The point of all this is that measurement is an important part of any weight loss program, (it's the "M" in the SMART goal methodology) but you have to find something that's comfortable for you. If you're a scale-hater, use your clothing as a guide or a tape measure to keep track of inches lost.

If you do choose to weigh yourself follow these tips:

•      Weigh yourself in the morning before you eat breakfast

•      Remember that daily fluctuations are normal

•      If you’re female recognize that your weight will fluctuate monthly with your menstrual cycle

•      Plateaus are common. Keep up your exercise and healthy eating plans and if you can’t break through the plateau seek advice from your physician to help diagnosis the problem.

No More Excuses

It’s over. Kaput. Finito.

The holiday grind has come to an end and so have my excuses for not hitting the gym.

November and December are unique in that most of humanity understands and even sympathizes with you when you say, “I just don’t have time to workout.”

While mingling at cocktail parties, dining with friends and shopping with family members, everyone I talked to was overwhelmed, and like me, had dropped their normal workout routine. Coconspirators in our boycott of the gym, we toasted our busy-ness at restaurants and parties around town. We certainly had time to eat. I mean, you have to eat, right?

But now, it’s a new day, a new year and no one is going to come to my defense when I say, “I’m too busy.” Nothing happens in winter. No major holidays, no month-long celebrations. And no matter how hard I try, no one sympathizes with me when I say, “You know, I’d workout but with Martin Luther King Day right around the corner, I just don’t have the time.”

No time. That's the most common excuse for not exercising. Sure, I’ve used it. And I’ve also invented a few others. My favorite excuse was concocted during the baby-making years. Specifically, the years after the birth of my second child.

Michael and I debated for two-years about whether or not to have a third child. During this multi-year back-and-forth regarding the optimum size of our family, I didn’t exercise at all. My reason? Why do all that work to get in shape just to get fat again during pregnancy? It was easier to stay fat.

Eventually we decided to have another child and a year after she was born, I was ready to make a change. We were done expanding our family. I had no more excuses.

I joined a gym with a day care center and focused on a simple goal—drop the baby weight, once and for all.

I started slowly, attending yoga and pilates classes, nothing too extreme or demanding. To my surprise I lost five pounds the first month. While I was ecstatic with the weight loss, I gained something I hadn’t anticipated. Me-time.

With a kindergartener, a preschooler and an infant at home, I was consistently putting the needs of my family before mine. Getting back to the gym gave me back a sense of self-importance. I stretched my hour-long class into a two-hour stay at the gym. Bringing my clean clothes and toiletries I’d use the facilities to take a leisurely shower. One where my toddler wasn’t banging on the glass door begging for mommy to please get his truck off the shelf.

For a few hours a week I was focused on me. I worked out for me. I showered alone for me. I put on make-up. I even blow-dried my hair.

That’s when I realized exercise wasn’t just about losing weight. It was about taking care of myself. Making me a priority.

That renewed focus on health and wellness transferred over to my eating habits and changed my life for the better.

If you’ve got your excuses lined up about why you can’t possibly workout, eat better, get fit etc., what you’re really saying is you’re not a priority in your life. Everything else is more important.

I challenge you to change that thinking. Make health a priority this year. Make yourself a priority.

To get started, you need a goal. It doesn’t have to be big. You don’t have to run the New
York Marathon or complete an Iron Man competition. But you need to shoot for something.

Here’s a goal setting methodology I like. It’s called SMART.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. It’s a thoughtful and detailed approach to goal setting.

Step One: Be Specific.

Goals like, “lose weight” or “eat better” are too vague to be helpful. Instead a goal should be something like, “Lose 30 pounds by exercising 4 times a week, eliminating sugar from my diet, watching my portion sizes, and increasing my intake of fresh fruit and vegetables.”

For example, my new goal is: “to increase the lean muscle mass in my legs by completing two strength training sessions a week and two cardio sessions a week.”

Step Two: Make Your Goal Measurable

How are you going to measure your progress? How will you know when you’ve been successful?

If your goal is to lose weight then measuring your success will be easy. The scale will tell you how you’re doing. Likewise if your goal is to decrease your cholesterol then a blood test at your next physical will let you know how you’ve done.

My goal, increasing muscle mass, is a bit trickier, but I will be able to tell how I’m doing by measuring the diameter of my legs and of course by looking in the mirror. I’m intimately familiar with the look of my legs. That’s why I don’t like wearing shorts. I’ll know when I’m making progress.

Step Three: Make Sure Your Goal Is Attainable

While goals should be challenging, you shouldn’t set yourself up for failure. Your goal should be a stretch for you, but reachable. If you’re unsure how far to push yourself healthwise, ask your physician for guidance.

Step Four: Make It Relevant

Your goals should be relevant to your current situation. For example, in the past losing weight was my primary goal but now that’s not relevant to my health. I’m already in a healthy weight category so my focus is on overall fitness and muscle tone.

Think about what’s important to your health. Maybe it’s losing weight or maybe you need to lower your cholesterol or blood pressure, quit smoking, or reduce your alcohol consumption. Whatever it is, your goal has to be aligned with what you need now.

Step Five: Select a Time Frame

The last component is a deadline. We’re all motivated by them. Just notice the flurry of activity before a big presentation or the jammed parking lots before Christmas. Pressure isn’t always a bad thing.

My deadline is June 1. That gives me five months to get my legs in shape for shorts season. (Yikes. I’m already panicked.)

In the end you should be able to write your SMART goal down in a concise statement or two. For example, here’s mine:

I am going to increase the lean muscle mass in my legs by completing two strength training and two cardio workout sessions a week. I will know I am making progress because the diameter of my legs will shrink and my legs will (finally) look okay while wearing shorts. I will complete my goal by June 1.

Okay people, no more excuses. Make your health a priority this year.

Write down your SMART goals for 2011 and get moving!