Breaking the scale

Ok, I am sure that many of us have wanted to break the scale because it didn't show us what we wanted to see, or we thought it was broken because it didn't us tell what we thought it should.  Right now, breaking the scale habit is where I am.  I admit it, I am a peeker when it comes to the scale, have been for many years.  If the batteries in my scale died, I had to replace them immediately.  Last week, at the urging of my trainer, I need to break that habit of stepping on the every morning.  Weighing in at the gym once and work once is more than enough.  No need to stress myself out about the scale any more than that. How am I going to do that?   My morning stop at the scale us part of my morning ritual, just as much as getting dressed and eating breakfast!

I can proudly say that I have survived week one!  In the last seven days, the only time I have stepped on a scale was last Friday morning at work (Biggest Loser weigh in) and then tonight at the gym, witnessed by my trainer.

Why did the scale become such am integral part of my daily routine? Back in my Weight Watchers days, I had convinced myself that it was a way to keep myself accountable.  Did this really work?  I thought so. If the scale was up, it motivated me to eat better, exercise more etc.  If the scale was down, I knew that I was doing the right thing and needed to keep working. However, there is a downside to this.  There are so many factors that can make "peeking" daily a negative.  Most bathroom scales are very temperamental- are you sure it is in the same spot on the floor?  Is the floor actually level? That is just the scale itself.  Are you wearing the same clothing?  Shoes? Is the sodium from last night's Chinese dinner helping you hold on to more water than usual?  In the end, the number on the scale was became the most important thing in my journey.  It was at the forefront of my mind everyday, whether I would admit it or not.

Spinach Artichoke Tart
Original Version

I have learned over the years that the scale is not the only thing that matters in the journey to my ultimate goal - a strong, healthy body... and of course be able to go shopping because nothing in my closet will fit me anymore!  The food choices that I make are just as important as everything else in this journey and we have been working to find more new, exciting recipes to try!  Today was one of those days that we tried something new!  I found the recipe for this Spinach Artichoke Tart that I just had to try!  I actually bought some of the ingredients for it a a few weeks ago, but had to wait until I could get my almond flour from my mom (best deal I could find was through her food coop!)  This morning we finally dove in and made is, and I am so glad that we did!  It was phenomenal!  My apologies for the not so brilliant photo - it was tough to get a good shot before it started disappearing from the pan! I did realize that since I used almond meal instead of almond flour, the crust did not have the same texture as the original  but it was still wonderful.  I actually had 2 pieces with lunch just because I wanted to eat it when it was still warm!  I was going to make a quiche to bring for Easter Brunch, but I think this just may be replacing the quiche!  It was the equivalent of spinach artichoke dip, in a crust!

Oh, before I forget... the scale at the gym tonight?  Yup, down 2 pounds from last week!  Was this because I didn't stress myself out over the scale?  Hard to say.  I guess we will have to see what the next week shows!