Weigh In

It is time for my weekly weigh in! This day is a bit of a ritual for me, fun and frightening at the same time. I usually lay in bed thinking why the hell am I awake when I could be asleep? but then I remember! Weigh in!! So I jump out of bed and rush to the bathroom. Not my parent's bathroom (which has the medical scale... a much more trusted device than any digital scale), but to my own. I use the bathroom (because as we all know, waste weighs a lot) and then I do some stretches to get the muscles moving.

Lactic acid build up makes me feel stiff and heavy. Stretching eases the stiffness and makes me feel lighter. I wait until my muscles are limber before ever stepping on the scale. Whether it's a proven fact or just a theory, I'm not going risk weighing even .25 lbs more than I already do due to lactic acid.

I head to my parents bathroom and lock the door then use the toilet again... just in case. I remove any article of clothing that could add weight, including my hairband. I have another strange belief that I weigh more when my hair is piled on top of my head rather than just down. This one probably isn't as scientific as my last theory, but any girl can tell you how light her head feels after a major hair cut... so I know it must weigh something. And I feel better when its weight is dispersed around my shoulders rather than pushing down on top of my head (think surface area and its effect on psi).

Lastly, I set the scale to well above my current weight. I love sliding the heavy metal pieces down millimeter by millimeter... each number I pass makes me feel like I've really achieved something.

Now, without moving any more than is necessary, I step gently onto the scale. The balance wobbles a bit and then slams to the bottom (meaning the weight is too heavy!). Using my sliding method, I ease the metal piece to the left. Slowly, vveerryy slowly, I test each inch and half inch. Holding completely still to make sure there is no wobbling.

Eventually though, the balance does wobble and lifts minutely off the base. My efforts slow down even more, this time stopping on every quarter inch. I do this until the balance unfortunately slams into the top (meaning you've gone too far, come back). I have to slide the weight to the right again until the balance is neutral - suspended mid air between the top and bottom base.

But miraculously! On today of all days! After a week of watching my caloric intake! I see results!! I've lost 4.75 pounds!!! This could be water, this could be because I've eaten less than usual, this could be a fluke... but right now, after a week of hard work (and it was hard work), I have lost weight!!

Based on new calculations, I am only allowed 1730 calories per day. And reviewing my log from this past week, I can see I need more protein, vegetables and water. Also, I've given up on marking hunger/satisfaction... it's just too annoying.