I gained 2 lbs this week.
After eating one red velevet cupcake.
Man it was delicious – light and fluffy, and the cream cheese icing was perfection.
A perfectly worthwhile Joy eat,
Which I savoured wholeheartedly.
Yup. Next day, the scale told me that that cupcake cost me two extra pounds.
And here’s what I made it mean:
I gained two pounds today.
That’s it.
I decided not to make up any stories about those extra 2 pounds.
I could have told myself things like
“I shouldn’t have eaten that cupcake”
“I worked so hard to lose those 2lbs”
“I’ve lost a whole week of hard work”
“It’s so hard to lose and so easy to put on these days”
“Perimenopause sucks”
And, you know what, I could probably find the truth in all of those thoughts.
But, even if they may be true
I choose not to go there in my mind
Because every one of those thoughts would make me feel dejected and regretful.
And, while all of us feel that way sometimes,
I believe that there are always different ways to look at the same situation,
And each perspective will lead to different feelings about it.
Most of the time, we forget that we have this amazing power to decide how to look at our situation,
So we automatically choose the perspective that makes us feel less than and shameful,
Especially when it comes to eating and our weight.
That’s why I am especially vigilant with my mind around my weight and eating.
Before I step on the scale, every morning, I remind myself that
It’s just a number
It’s simply a reflection of what I ate and how I moved over the past few days
Unless I make it mean more than that.
The number has nothing to do with my worth, my future, or my love-ability
(yes I invented that word – it’s a good one huh)
Unless I make it mean that it does.
So, no matter what the number says,
I feel neutral.
Would I rather be 2 lbs lighter?
Yes.
In the same way that I would rather be $1000 richer,
Even after I reserved my Model 3 Tesla (squeeeeeeee).
In other words,
If you told me I could eat the cupcake and pay the deposit
And the next day my bank balance would be full and I’d weigh less,
I’d take that option.
But I don’t spend too much time in make-believe land
Because the land I live in – my reality – is too full of wonder and love and fascination and joy.
Which is never affected by how much I weigh
Unless I think thoughts that block all my wonder and love and fascination and joy.
So before you step on your scale tomorrow,
Notice how you feel.
If you feel anxious, it’s only because you’re making that number mean something
about you and your worth or attractiveness, or your potential.
Remind yourself that, as a measure of your body’s weight,
all it reflects is how much you’ve been eating and moving.
Nothing more.
Until you make it mean more with your thoughts.
Which are optional.
Are you plagued by negative and shameful thoughts about your weight? You should really join my Hunger Games class, which starts May 18 @12pm EST. We’re going to lose weight while we look at all the mean things we tell ourselves that cause the shame and negativity. I’ll help you blast those thoughts into the ether. That’s my superskill.