The Scale Never Lies To Me

I weigh myself every Saturday. It is a sterile accounting of calories consumed versus calories burned. If the former is greater than the latter, the number is higher than the week before. If the latter is greater than the former, the number is lower. There is something comforting in this cold math. The scale does not care how your day was, if your boss was a jerk, whether you skipped a work out, or put that pint of ice cream in the grocery cart. Those excuses are reserved for the lies we tell ourselves when we do not like what we see. It also does not care if you ran that extra lap, did that extra push up, or ate that extra vegetable. Those are the things we quietly pat ourselves on the back for doing and when the number is one we like, encourages us to do more of. 

 

There is a reason the weight loss industry (sorry, I think it’s now referred to as the “wellness” industry) is a multi-billion dollar a year business. It sells cheap fixes to people who either do not have the time or the inclination to do the boring work of eating right and exercising. That is literally all you have to do. But instead of the Occam’s Razor, most people prefer baroque, Rube Goldberg solutions that inevitably fail.  

Want my advice? Have your daily step count look something like this: 

Should you walk 10,000 steps a day? The science is iffy, but is it bad to do it? No. Eat that daily recommended allowance of fruits and vegetables (my favorites are grapes, oranges, and apples for the former and red pepper, carrots, onions, and avocado for the latter). Opt for lean proteins (I can't bring myself to eat tofu, sorry, or ~ plant based ~ meat fakes, so I just stick to chicken and pork. I gave up red meat last year.) Don't drink alcohol (sorry!) or soda (sugar water). Drink lots of water. Don't smoke. Avoid the snack aisle at all costs. Everything in that aisle is literally designed to be addictive and it's all bad for you. Limit the sweets. WORK OUT. Not some breezy amble in the hallway for 5 minutes. Get moving. Sweat. Find work outs that are that sweet spot of challenging and fun that you will be excited to do. Stop making excuses for not working out. And finally, do not get discouraged if that cold math on the scale is not always to your liking. This is not about dieting, it is about making a lifestyle change and committing to it. 

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