Since going Paleo my family has fallen even more in love with our grill. Paleo and grilling just work well together. The past couple of years I've even been stepping outside my grilling comfort zone more and more. Grilling things I'd never thought to have grilled before and trying new flavor combinations. I have to say I'm pretty thrilled with the results of most of my flavor experiments. In the past I'd never have thought to grill fruit, but it's amazing. Grilling fruit and adding it to traditionally savory dishes? Brilliant. Oh yes, and? New rule: every burger recipe for the rest of forever must contain grilled pineapple. OK, maybe more of a guideline. It's a seriously delicious combination though. This Smoky Grilled Pineapple Burger is always a crowd-pleaser at my house. It's not only Paleo, but Whole30, glutenfree, lower carb, and clean eating friendly. I promise you won't miss the bun! paleo, grilled pineapple burger, smoky
I was reading http://losingmybehind.blogspot.com/ this morning and her post about numbers on the scale. It got me thinking...I have had the most victory at this weight loss thing when I didn't focus on the scale so much.
Instead, I focus on the choices. Weight loss is all about choices. Most of us hop on the scale to see if we've succeeded for the week. If it went down, success! If it stayed the same, darn. If it went up, fail. Yet we all know that the scale is a fickle creature during the process of weight loss. So why do we do this to ourselves? What if instead of looking to the scale for that feedback, you looked back at your day and your week and at your choices?
Yesterday:
I remember a time that I had been obsessing so badly over the scale that I had my husband hide it. I was literally stepping on that crazy contraption multiple times a day. It was affecting my attitude, my outlook, and how my day went. If I got on it and it said 'good' things my attitude was good, my outlook was positive, my day went great. However, if I got on it and it told me 'bad' things my attitude was rotten, my outlook was negative, and my day went rotten. Finally, I realized this couldn't be allowed to continue and asked my hubby to hide the scale from me for a month.
It was a very tough month. Sad to say, I even looked for the stupid thing when he wasn't home! It was like I needed validation from that silly metal square. As if all my efforts meant nothing if it wouldn't tell me they meant something. Nuts. Whenever we went to someone's house I was so tempted to hop on their scale!
Towards the end of the month things got better. I talked myself through all the scale craziness and began to notice my body for the first time ever. It seemed to me that I had obsessed about my body my whole life, how could I be noticing it? But I never really seemed to see it. I didn't really see it as it change. I'd gain weight and not really notice until I was large. I'd lose weight and not really notice until I was in my skinny jeans. But that nutso month I got something back: I saw myself, I noticed. I felt when I gained or lost weight.
This may sound crazy to some, but it was huge for me. It was a victory. Easter came, I indulged a little, and I could feel that I'd gained a little. Went back on plan, and I could feel when I lost it. This was life changing for me!
Since that month I've been able to have a more balanced approach to the scale. I weigh once a week, on Sunday (helps keep me on track through the weekend, wink). Most of my focus goes to my choices all week up to that weigh in. I also focus on how my clothes feel, but mostly I celebrate the good choices as success. When I don't make good choices I forgive myself for the bad choices, while at the same time trying to look at why I made them to avoid that in the future.
The choices will bring me true success, not the scale, it's a rather dumb inanimate object. OK, inanimate objects can't be dumb, lol, must not be totally over my scale issues. But you get my point. Whenever I feel myself slipping and caring too much about getting on the scale I think about all I gained that month with NO scale. That scale-less month I lost 10 lbs. The choices I made did that. Success is in the choices.
If we focus on the process, on the choices, rather than obsessing over the scale, we will get to the same place. Or maybe even a better one! But we will also have more fun on the way.
What choice have you made lately that was success??
Instead, I focus on the choices. Weight loss is all about choices. Most of us hop on the scale to see if we've succeeded for the week. If it went down, success! If it stayed the same, darn. If it went up, fail. Yet we all know that the scale is a fickle creature during the process of weight loss. So why do we do this to ourselves? What if instead of looking to the scale for that feedback, you looked back at your day and your week and at your choices?
Yesterday:
- I worked out, success.
- My calories were 1306, success (there can even be numbers involved if that's what we need, lol)!
- I chose apples for snacks, success!
- Got some sunshine and exercise playing outside with my boys, success!
I remember a time that I had been obsessing so badly over the scale that I had my husband hide it. I was literally stepping on that crazy contraption multiple times a day. It was affecting my attitude, my outlook, and how my day went. If I got on it and it said 'good' things my attitude was good, my outlook was positive, my day went great. However, if I got on it and it told me 'bad' things my attitude was rotten, my outlook was negative, and my day went rotten. Finally, I realized this couldn't be allowed to continue and asked my hubby to hide the scale from me for a month.
It was a very tough month. Sad to say, I even looked for the stupid thing when he wasn't home! It was like I needed validation from that silly metal square. As if all my efforts meant nothing if it wouldn't tell me they meant something. Nuts. Whenever we went to someone's house I was so tempted to hop on their scale!
Towards the end of the month things got better. I talked myself through all the scale craziness and began to notice my body for the first time ever. It seemed to me that I had obsessed about my body my whole life, how could I be noticing it? But I never really seemed to see it. I didn't really see it as it change. I'd gain weight and not really notice until I was large. I'd lose weight and not really notice until I was in my skinny jeans. But that nutso month I got something back: I saw myself, I noticed. I felt when I gained or lost weight.
This may sound crazy to some, but it was huge for me. It was a victory. Easter came, I indulged a little, and I could feel that I'd gained a little. Went back on plan, and I could feel when I lost it. This was life changing for me!
Since that month I've been able to have a more balanced approach to the scale. I weigh once a week, on Sunday (helps keep me on track through the weekend, wink). Most of my focus goes to my choices all week up to that weigh in. I also focus on how my clothes feel, but mostly I celebrate the good choices as success. When I don't make good choices I forgive myself for the bad choices, while at the same time trying to look at why I made them to avoid that in the future.
The choices will bring me true success, not the scale, it's a rather dumb inanimate object. OK, inanimate objects can't be dumb, lol, must not be totally over my scale issues. But you get my point. Whenever I feel myself slipping and caring too much about getting on the scale I think about all I gained that month with NO scale. That scale-less month I lost 10 lbs. The choices I made did that. Success is in the choices.
If we focus on the process, on the choices, rather than obsessing over the scale, we will get to the same place. Or maybe even a better one! But we will also have more fun on the way.
What choice have you made lately that was success??