Happy & Healthy
4 crazy things we do to avoid stepping on the scale
“I haven't been on the scale for a long time.” Those are the words of the first soloist of the Dutch National Ballet Igoné de Jongh in NRC. Not surprising, because research (yes, scientific, yes) shows that regularly stepping on the scale actually stirs up weight issues. If you raise children without a scale at home, they would maintain a more balanced relationship with their bodies later in life (by the way, read about how strange we act when we do step on the scale). here And let's be honest, how hysterically annoying is it when you haven't looked at a carbohydrate for two days, walked around that latte, drank water instead of wine, and still gained half a kilo? As a result, the next day you can only think 'I don't care' and 'f*ck it'. It's just so unfortunate that the scale doesn't suddenly show half a kilo lighter after a day of snacking and munching. That doesn't happen. That's just ridiculously unfair.
That's why (and because we probably allow ourselves a much lower body weight than we have) many women throw out the scale. But honestly, we keep our measuring points so that it doesn't all get out of hand. Here are a few, and one is mine. Let me start with that.
1. The ‘shall I make you something to eat, darling?’ from my mother.
Then I know I'm doing well when my mother (not such a huge cooking fan) rushes into the kitchen to prepare something for me. Followed by a ‘Honey, you really mustn't forget to eat.’ Really, better than a scale that shows 54 kilos.
‘Losing weight isn't just about your belly and thighs, but everywhere’.
”2. The wobbly watch”
Losing weight isn't just about your belly and thighs, but everywhere. In fact, you usually lose weight first in all the unimportant places before those problem areas finally give in. The wrist is one of those spots that immediately says ‘okay, I give in’ when a few fewer calories come in. I have a friend who always shakes her watch in a certain way to measure how loosely it fits around her wrist. That way she knows if she's on the right track.
3. The top of a muffin check.
I always stand in profile in front of the mirror in the morning to see if there's no little edge of comfort (well, I don't find it all that comfortable) peeking over my underwear. And when I'm in a place where there's no fitting room mirror (for example, during vacations in a rented house), panic sets in after a while. Then I just have to know how the flag or actually the fat edge is hanging. I've sometimes struggled in poses that would make the Chinese State Circus raise their eyebrows just to take a good side selfie. That way I could check the state of my hips on my phone.
4. The ski pants.
I know someone, I won't name names, who uses ski pants as a gauge. Even if it's thirty degrees outside and all the sparrows have fallen off the roof, she still pulls that particular pair of pants out of the closet to see if they still fit loosely around her hips.
Everything, in short, to avoid stepping on that scale. And then find it strange when men sometimes can't quite follow us...
“I haven't been on the scale for a long time.” Those are the words of the first soloist of the Dutch National Ballet Igoné de Jongh in NRC. Not surprising...
