Standing on the Scale: a Recap and a Request

I'm gonna say something, and I want you to think of the first word or phrase that comes to mind.

Are you ready?

standing on the scale

So what came to mind? Ugh. Terrifying. Evil. No. No way. No thank you. Not unless I have to.

Or maybe the doctor's office came to mind. Aside from entering the army and entering prison (and other rare circumstances), it's the one place where standing on the scale is a requirement. Hell, I know someone who avoided going to the doctor's for years so he wouldn't have to see the numbers on that scale. Because if you don't see them -- then they don't exist ... right?

Wrong.

But standing on the scale doesn't have to have a negative connotation. My sister stood on the scale this morning, a month after deciding to take a long look at her diet (particularly her dairy consumption), and saw a number that she was PLEASED with. She saw a change she was PLEASED with. For her, this morning (just one month after making a simple, reasonable, feasible change ... after doing a little research and reading some labels and honoring her body's needs), standing on the scale was a positive experience.

And now I need to hear from you. I need to hear about your positive experiences and your negative experiences and your mixed emotions.

If you've been reading, I need to know what new recipes you've been playing with lately (I made vegan cheese for the first time last week -- what about you?). Which of the at-home exercises have you been doing, and which have you been struggling with? What spin class are you taking? (Charlize Theron walked into the class after mine this morning. She wasn't born with that body.)

How long can you plank without dropping? And what song are you using to get you there? I'm using CeeLo's F*** You followed by Incubus' Adolescents. 

Stand on the scale tomorrow morning and own that number, realizing that it can change and that (more importantly) it doesn't define you. What number would you like to see? What positive experience are you looking to achieve? Last year, all I wanted to do was be able to take my shirt off at the beach and not feel completely awful about myself. And through a vegan diet and a strenuous exercise program, I accomplished that and more. And then I found a new goal, new direction. 

What is your goal? And know that, if you don't have one, then you really can't move forward.

I need to hear from you. You can post a comment here on the blog, or you can send me an email if you prefer not to share with the world wide web. Just tell me what progress you're making, how you're changing, what you're learning, what you're still having trouble with, what food you just can't seem to give up. Send me photos of new healthy homemade dishes you've made. Anything. Just don't read this post and say tomorrow. Worry about tomorrow tomorrow. Do this now. So that, a month from now, you can look back and say you're glad you did something.

I'll be waiting.