Recently a client asked me “how often do you weigh yourself?” I found this such a great question with a really complex answer. So let me tell you about my relationship with the scale. This is by no means what yours should be, because let’s be realistic, everyone is different and everyone’s weightloss journey is also extremely different. Some people are trying to put on weight, some are trying to maintain, but most are trying to lose weight and my hope is that people in the last mentioned group are doing it in a healthy way without extreme dieting.

So back to the question- how often do I get on the scale? The truth- never. But that hasn’t always been the case. In fact prior to my 2 pregnancies and throughout them, I would weigh myself every single morning. And during the pregnancies, I wrote it all down in a chart and compared the two pregnancy’s weight gains. Why? I don’t know! I think I read too many “preparing for baby” books that talked about what the recommended weight gain should be and why. It didn’t make a bit of difference though, I still ate when I was hungry and I ate a lot. And I knew the number would go up each week, I just didn’t know how rapidly so I liked being able to monitor that. It gave me a sense of control in an experience that is completely out of our control. Like I still had a bit of control in what was happening with motherhood! Then what? Well, post pregnancy I lost the baby weight rather quickly. Nursing and running after the baby and my already fanatical fitness tendencies helped the weight to come off. And I continued to weigh myself daily until I reached a number I was happy at.

And now I am at a place in my health and fitness where I have realized that the number on the scale doesn’t matter that much. What is more important to me is how my body feels. I know exactly how much I weigh based more on my clothes and my emotions than that number on the scale. I know without a shadow of a doubt in the past 10 days I have put on 5-7 pounds. From heading to Chuy’s for Tex-Mex the minute the airplane landed (yes, after 4 hours on the airplane with 2 toddlers by myself, a beer was imperative!) to an absolutely beautiful wedding weekend with the best lemon wedding cake I’ve ever tasted, to girls dinner at Rise, to a Friendsgiving wine tasting at Times Ten Cellers, to Good ole Thanksgiving Dinner, brunch at Taverna, and of course pizza night atCane Rosso and a few other Mexican dinners thrown in the mix, this girl is ready for some serious clean eating! I wouldn’t trade any of it for a second but I know how my body feels when my diet is cleaner. I’m craving that feeling- the feeling when I’m not as bloated in my stomach and face, and when I’m not tired and lethargic. I need all the energy I can get to chase after my boys! So back to clean eating, December will be hard enough to stay focused with all the holiday parties and get-togethers so I’ll be starting off right with my December Graduates Challenge Group that begins today. We’re going to help hold each other accountable and stay focused all month long.

So how often should you weigh yourself? There’s not a one size fits all answer. If you’re the type of person who is motivated by the numbers, then by all means weigh yourself everyday. But if those numbers are going to make you crazy and you’ll not eat for a day because of the number, then weighing daily is definitely not for you. Once a week would be a better option. And please don’t think I’m suggesting that you never weigh yourself. Your weight is a total picture of your overall health, and it’s important that we keep good tabs on it.

I’m very curious, how often do you weigh yourself? Do you weigh yourself at the same time everyday? Can you tell what your weight is based on your emotions or by how your clothes fit? Let me know!

Have a great week,
Meryl

December Holiday party ideas

For a beautiful and scrumptious  addition to your holiday party this year, try this salad of persimmon, pomegranate, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts, served over arugula.

1 packet of arugula
1 pomegranate (seeds removed)
3-4 persimmons cut into wedges
1 small log of goat cheese
3/4 cup of walnut halves, toasted

Lightly dress the arugula with a bit of olive oil and balsamic. Layer on the bottom of a large serving tray. Next assemble the persimmons, pomegranate, goat cheese, and walnuts on top. That’s it! Enjoy!