Thanks to all of you who offered your support for my decision to hide the scale for a while. Even after just a few days I can tell you that I really like not having that burden hanging over my head. The first two days I had a very intense desire to weigh myself, and I’m so glad I had Stephen hide it so I wouldn’t be able to give in to that desire even if I wanted to! However, I haven’t felt such a pull to the scale the last few days, and it feels great!
For me, the biggest challenge of this no scale experiment is knowing how to measure my progress. From day 1, the scale has been my primary measurement of success, so I am having to revisit what I consider success and progress and find other ways to measure that. So here’s what I’ve come up with:
1. I’m going to take measurements of key body parts and track the inches lost. I took measurements before in my weight loss journey, but I haven’t done them consistently since Charlotte arrived, so I need to get a picture of where I am to see where I need to go. Tonight I’m going to measure my arms, thighs, calves, waist, chest, hips, and neck. I’ll post updates once a month about what progress (or lack thereof) that I’m making.
2. I’m going to set daily goals for myself to meet and track them with a “Healthy Habits Checklist” that I’ve created. I think if I can focus on making good choices day by day, then there is no reason for the weight not to come off! On days when I meet all of my goals, I will give myself a sticker on the calendar. Here is my Healthy Habits Checklist:
- Exercise 5 times a week. The tentative plan is for me to run 3 times a week and do 30 Day Shred the other 2 days, but as long as I move my body 5 times a week, I can check this off.
- Drink at least 64 ounces of water a day. I don’t anticipate this being very difficult except on the weekends.
- Eat a minimum of one fruit with breakfast, a fruit and/or veggie with lunch, and a veggie with dinner. I’m terrible about eating veggies, so this is a baby step for me to take to encourage more veggie consumption.
- Consume at least 25 grams of fiber a day. I’m all about the fiber, so I don’t think this will be too difficult.
- Eat no more than 1600 calories a day. I’m not giving myself a minimum target because let’s face it, eating the minimum calorie allowance has never been my problem. 🙂
The healthy habits on my checklist are very basic, and there should be NO REASON why I can’t succeed at meeting those goals each day.
Measurements and my checklist are the two main ways I plan to track my progress. I also will be able to gauge my progress by the way my clothes fit, but I don’t expect to see changes in that area for a while. I think the checklist will help me to focus on living healthy and not use this hiatus from the scale as an excuse to slack off. I do well within defined parameters, so I’m hopeful that these guidelines will lead to a healthier life free from dominion of the scale!
If you were creating a healthy habits checklist, what would be on it?
Erin Mount 
Good for you for getting rid of that scale or for Stephen hiding it! It was clearly a burden on you. And like your last blog said you don't want Charlotte to see you be a slave to the scale and having that number bring you down when it isn't one you want to see.
I love your healthy habits check list. What a great idea. That's something you could write down and have it everywhere, on the fridge, pantry, in your car, at the office, etc to remind you of your good goals and helping you achieve them.
Many successes!
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Agree with Ginny, get rid of it girl!! Numbers aint a thing, only thing that matters is how you feel and how your clothes feel 🙂
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I have been having my husband measure me regularly and I have also been taking photos. You know, the ones with the biker shorts and a sports bra that you sometimes see? While I haven't done the whole bicep-flex photo yet it is helpful to see how much difference there is! No one will probably ever see the photos but me. . . but I have enjoyed making side-by-side comparisons.
Healthy habits for me would be very similar to yours. My dr. gave me info that eating pretty much exclusively protein for breakfast (turkey sausage+eggs) can get your fat-burning going better than having carbs or even carbs+protein. So I am trying to make that a habit (and I think it does work).
One of my simple habits that I have gotten away from is preparing a healthy meal at night for the family. This summer we'd often just do sandwiches or something easy, but I am eager to get back to a square meal in the evening where we all sit down and discuss the day.
Good job on the inches lost! I lost eight inches in August and I was totally shocked by that.
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