esrosedotblog

WEIGHT A MINUTE

I used to weigh myself once a day. I have been told that this is unnecessary; a complication of weight control; once a week is just fine. My e-diet asks for a weekly weigh and measure. They must think that it is OK too. That is not enough for me. I am the kind of guy who wants to know the latest news, the current temperature, the latest stock quotes. Why would I stint when it comes to personal data? I want to know today's situation.

Furthermore, I have learned, that my weight varies from day to day! There can be as much as a two pound swing from high to low and back again in few day's time; water, undigested food, I will not elaborate . That has intensified my interest in the day to day data. The more I know, the more I am compelled to discover.

A year or more ago, we got a new scale; one of those models that measures your body fat. I was told that body fat is a more informative number than weight; especially if one works out regularly and intensely (my hand goes up here). There is a difference between lean mass and, well, I guess you call it 'fat mass'. I discovered that this number is much more stable; it does not vary much even week to week. It takes quite a while to take the number down a point or even half of one. This is, somehow, more comforting. Dependable. Stable. I can be gaining weight that's all lean! That means that there are muscles in there even when you cannot see them. Good news. And mine is pretty good. This photo-scale has an average guy my age on it: 18.4%. My body fat percentage is about 13.5!

When we got the new scale, I took the old scale and put it in the guest bathroom. Without thinking too much about it, I started stepping on it when I used the guest facilities early in the morning and didn't want to disturb anyone. I discovered that my weight swings back and forth during the day! I weigh more at night than in the morning. I got interested in this phenomenon. The next thing I knew, I was weighing myself two times a day. I had become a micro-manager of weight.

Some might view this behavior as compulsive. There are a number of my daily behaviors that might be so judged. But, I make an appeal to a higher court on this one. Self study leads to self understanding. Self understanding leads to personal improvement. Isn't self improvement the goal of living? Don't answer that!

All of this is a way of saying that both scales now tell me that I have gained five pounds. It is five pounds more in the morning and five pounds more in the night. Not only that, my body fat has gone up one percent. It is not lean mass resulting from my new workout regimen. Like all getting fatter, it comes from stuffing more calories in than burning calories out. Self study; understanding; self improvement. Of course I have to change my behavior at some point to improve the self. Hmmmmmmmm. I can think of some reasons that I could delay this but i am putting them aside. I am starting in on a reduction of intake. I will watch the pounds melt away two times a day and observe the percent fat plummet before my eyes each night. I will compulsively reinforce my changing behavior with positive results.

Oh. About the compulsive part? I worked with a personal trainer once who would weigh himself every day before he and I worked out together. Well, I worked out; he weighed himself. He would always read his weight, step off the scale, then get back on and weigh himself again; twice in one weigh-in. I commented on this once and told him he was exhibiting compulsive behavior. He said "No I am not" and stepped back on the scale to check it out a third time. We both looked at each other and laughed. I guess everyone has their own weigh of doing things.