The scale, that is. It isn't judging you, your value and even your success at your eating plan are not determined by whatever number happens to pop up. And it certainly doesn't determine your self worth.

There are so many new dieters on sites like 3FC I wish I could explain this to. This scale is a tool, that is IT. Don't give it more power over your life than it deserves.

Friday I happily weighed in at 209.2. Today I weighed in at 210.4. I ate completely on plan all week, and all weekend as well. I was less than 300 calories off my target for seven days (that's good, I promise ;). So why the discrepancy in numbers when my overall trend looked so good? Well I'll tell you, it isn't about being bad, its not about cheating, or even an unpredictable scale. The scale tells the truth - it tells me what I weigh. But that requires context. Yesterday, for example, I ate within my calories and did very well with that. I ate healthy food, prepared from scratch at home. But that food included pasta with dinner and a potato with lunch, and even an ounce of Rum with my husband. These foods lead to water retention. I also may have had more food in my digestive system, an extra drink of water in the night while nursing, or any number of other things. My body may be recovering from two weeks of losses by trying to hang onto some weight and hit equilibrium, before dropping again.

All of these things affect the readout on the scale, but none of them have to affect ME. My value isn't determined by that number, neither is my successful weightloss. Today was a reading, just like any other day. It happens to fall on the day I record in my sidebar, so it gets written down whether it is the most representative of my weeks' progress or not. Likely, the number will be much lower tomorrow. Either way, what matters is the overall picture of how I am doing, not just the small day sampling given to me by the scale. A lower loss week in and of itself might be concerning on a diet, which is why the picture of what I was eating and how much is important tl determining whether I need to tweak something to create more of a calorie deficit (I don't.), or whether the value was just an outlier and I'm doing well at what I set out to do.

One more positive note that lets me know I am going the right way, even if the scale isn't cooperating: a skirt that was way too tight across my hips last week and rode up? As of Saturday it fit again. Inches are a heck of a better barometer than just a scale, and combined with my food journal I am confident in how I am doing and eagerly look forward to another solid week on plan (and yes, with the occasional pasta and alcohol mixed in - these are not forbidden foods as long as they don't make me binge).

How was YOUR week?