7 pounds. That’s the answer to the question I’ve been asking. I lost 7 pounds this month.
But, here’s the most interesting part: I was waiting and waiting to get on that scale. 48 and I are VERY accustomed to measuring our health by that number. But, then I stepped on the scale, saw the number, and thought, “Huh. 7. Okay.” It simply didn’t change anything. I knew I had lost weight because my clothes fit differently. I knew I had lost weight because my stomach wasn’t so much in the way when I painted my toes. I already knew – but I needed the confirmation of the scale. I even wrote in my health journal last night. “I think I’ve lost between 5 and 10 pounds. It just feels like about a pants size or so.” I already knew. But, the simple bathroom scale held all kinds of authority. Perhaps the most important thing 48 and I have learned about ourselves is agency.
We get to choose our food.
We have all sorts of power to refuse foods that hurt us.
We actually know our body. And we are learning more about it every day.
We are surprised at how fantastic our body is, how it responds to food and sleep and safety and laughter.
We started this journey with an interest in being gentle with ourselves, to stop believing that we simply have no will power, that if we were simply more disciplined we would put down the Pepsi. We were ready to figure out how to silence the voice in our head that called us “weak” and “loser” and “gluttonous” every time we ate Doritos. And we did it! 30 days with no sugar, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no additives, and no alcohol (the last of which was zero difficult for me) means we are powerful and strong and capable. So, we intend to listen to that voice, the one that tells us we are powerful strong and capable…even when we are choosing a slice of cheesecake.
The number 7 is exceedingly important at the end of this Whole 30 journey. But it’s not the 7 pounds. It’s the 7 hours of sleep I get each night. It feels like a miracle. It feels like healing and wholeness. So, sorry, Bathroom Scale, you are not king of my health. Sleep Number Bed is king.
Be Gentle With You 