To Weigh or Not to Weigh

I read an article recently written by a woman which was entitled “Why I Weigh Every Day.”  She gave all the reasons why she does that.  They are numerous and completely logical.   She loves that assurance, structure, pattern, knowledge.  She did say:  “There are probably people out there who should not weigh every day.  You know who you are.”

 She also went on to say how she wished that all recipes were given in weights by the gram, because she loves to weigh everything in her kitchen, also.  I’ll admit that it does strike me a  little bit obsessive compulsive,  but I do not want to get into any kind of critical territory, because my husband is one of those who weighs every day.  He is always struggling with those two or three pounds.  (never much more than that)  And somehow, weighing every day keeps him on track.

I thought the other side ought to be heard from---those of us who definitely ‘should not weigh every day.’   After having a weight problem for much of my entire life,  the scales became the evil enemy who was going to deliver the Horrible Daily News of what a Horrible Person I am.  From the weight -struggle perspective,  weighing can become nothing more than a daily dose of worthlessness.   And I will readily admit that for many years,  I gave to the scales the power and the ability to determine my mood,  my feelings about myself, and whether or not I was going to have a good day, or go into a deep depression.

The number on the scales never did motivate me to lose weight.  Quite the opposite.  It served primarily to feed the fire of self-hatred.   I have been motivated on several occasions in my life to lose a large amount of weight,  but the motivation came from inside,  or from some non-numerical goal---never from the scales.  

You may wonder:  how do I keep track?  My clothes tell me clearly what I need to know.

There are countless other numbers by which, from which, through which my worthiness has been measured.   Number of people present in a worship service.  Percentage of  Shared Ministry paid.  Amount of salary.   Number confirmed, baptized.  Grade point average.   Number of books sold.  Cholesterol number.  Number of states visited.  Number of children, grandchildren.  Test scores.  Number of blog hits.  And on and on it goes.  Infinite are the ways by which my worth can be gauged by the numbers.

While the numbers may not lie,  there are certainly things they cannot tell.

I am happy and love my life.  I am healthy and free from disease.   I have loving relationships, free from conflict.  I am creative and occasionally make a difference in the world.

One cannot measure any of that by the numbers.