I’ve really struggled with whether or not to do the scaleless summer again this year. I started the scaleless summer challenge back in 2011 as I was tired of allowing the scale to determine my success over the summer months. I wanted to live freely, while still working towards my health and fitness goals.
In 2011 I started my summer weighing 217 pounds and was hoping to get close to 200 pounds 3 months later. Saying that now is just crazy because I SO desperately want to be back at 217.
Mid summer I saw my weight at a doctors appointment and was thrilled to see 213! I was excited that in about a month I had lost 5 pounds… but 2 months later, on the last day of summer, I weighed in at 226 pounds.
Although I was free of the scale that summer, gaining almost 10 pounds in 3 months was just depressing and made me question going scale free.
In 2012, I decided to do the scaleless summer again. Although it was suppose to be a scaleless summer, I ended up weighing myself a few times because of my wedding and honeymoon.
|
June 11, 2012 |
July 9, 2012 |
July 24, 2012 |
September 24, 2012 |
|
225.2 |
227.2 (up 2 pounds) |
229.8 (up 4.6 pounds) |
220.2 (down 9.6 pounds) |
At the conclusion of the summer I had lost 9.6 pounds from my highest weight after my honeymoon, making it a successful summer! The summer of 2012 made me realize that you can enjoy life, weddings and all, and still be successful in your weight loss efforts.
I wish I could have maintained that loss this past year, but as I shared on Friday, the first day of summer 2013, I weighed in at 228.8.
Looking back over the past year, one thing I found fascinating was the comparison of my weight and my inches from June 2012 to June 2013. It’s just interesting to see how my body has changed over the past year…
| June 3, 2012 | June 21, 2013 | |
| Neck | 14.5 | 14.5 |
| Bicep | 12.5 | 14 |
| Bust | 43.5 | 45 |
| Upper Waist | 37.5 | 38 |
| Waist (across belly button) | — | 40 |
| Abdomen | 41.5 | 42 |
| Hips | 45.5 | 46 |
| Quad | 23.5 | 23 |
| Calf | 15.5 | 15.5 |
| Body Weight | 225.2 | 228.8 |
So here we are, 5 days after the first day of summer 2013 and I am truly at a loss as to whether or not to go scaleless again this summer. On one hand, I’d LOVE to not weigh myself and to just see how I do in 3 months but on the flip side, I really want to know how I’m doing and if what I’m doing is working.
As a middle of the road compromise, I have decided to weigh myself just a few times this summer. This will give me a sense of how I’m doing, while still giving me the freedom to live life without the scale. On the following days I will both weigh myself and measure myself…
- July 1
- August 1
- August 29
- September 20
I want to challenge y’all to think about whether or not you need the scale in your life this summer. Maybe this summer you need to take a leap of faith and free yourself from the scale!?! On the other hand, maybe using the scale this summer will help you to stay on track !?! Either way, I think you should really think about whether or not the scale helps you to reach your goals.
I know for me, I can become consumed by my scale. Some weeks I’ll weigh myself every day, which really isn’t a good thing. There’s just nothing worse than having a great day and then weighing yourself the next morning only to see that you’ve gained 2 pounds. It just messes with your brain and the reality is, sometimes the scale just doesn’t make sense.
