To Weigh or Not To Weigh?

For years I have ridden the roller coaster of dieting and trying to find the ability to maintain a clothing size that makes me feel good.  My closet is a Greek tragedy of sizes spanning a range from 6 to 14...very disappointing and expensive.  One thing I know for sure is that four of my closest friends, who have not ridden the crazy diet train...all have one thing in common...they weigh daily.

I have avoided the scale like the plague, convincing myself that if I wasn't 130 lbs I wasn't there yet (please note I am 5'9" and the last time I weighed 130 lbs I was in junior high school)  I wasn't even that skinny on my wedding day (I was 137 lbs and someone asked me if I was anorexic).  So, that is the crazy I am talking about.  The rational side of me knows this number is both ridiculous and unrealistic, but that ideal kept me from weighing for years.

Here is the kicker...while doing some research last week I realized that not only is 130 lbs crazy, but it is not even in my target zone.  I spent some time trolling the internet to find some resources that could help me identify my ideal weight and found Health Check Systems, and what I discovered was very surprising, if not a little depressing.  Apparently I have spent most of my life in my ideal weight zone without even knowing it.

In order to get your ideal number you must first determine whether your are a small, medium or large framed person.  You do this by measuring your wrist and height, then enter those numbers at Health Status, which will determine your body frame size.  Once you have that you can find your optimal weight range at Health Check Systems.

Thanks Gary for this one!

Now I am convinced that the scale could be my best friend...if I let it.  Liberated with new information I am willing to face my body image issues head-on, which means rethinking the dreaded numbers that I see when stepping on the scale.  A variance of a pound or two a day is a lot easier to manage than letting it sneak into the crisis range of 15 - 20 lbs.  Daily maintenance may be a lasting means to getting off the roller coaster of disappointment and self-loathing.

So here it is...I'm scared to start the process and see my current number...worried that it will make me feel upset, angry, and defeated.  My inner voice encourages me to try.  Hmmm... I find myself facing a familiar choice: FEAR or FAITH?  Knowing this has worked effectively for four women I really respect, I choose faith, and will try it for one month.

The 'good news' here is it might be the thing I have been praying for all these years.  Worst case, I cry a little or a lot.  Anyone who wants to join me can email me at c@cjblake.net and we can support each other through this experiment.

Thank you Lo for all your loving support (through my up's and down's...literally) and for encouraging me to try... and most importantly for convincing me 130 lbs is not my number which led me to my real number somewhere between 149-170 lbs...wow have I been off!

I will weigh in on my findings in a month.

In another act of faith (and by popular demand) I have added the comment section to my blog... in an effort to open up the conversation among my amazing followers.