Tell The Scale to Shut Up

Scale

My weight didn’t vary a lot in my thirties and forties. There was a brief period of time around the turn of the century when I was consulting, which meant I lived on the road and ate out and drank more than usual, where I puffed up like a blowfish. When that gig ended and I got a job in Connecticut, I got on the scale and was aghast that I was thirty pounds heavier and exceeded two hundred pounds for the first time in my life. Around that same time, K asked how I would feel about going on a diet together, which was fortuitous timing. I lost seven pounds the first week (she lost 2 and hated me), and within three months I lost all the weight I had gained, and then some.

Since then, I have been able to maintain that weight for the most part. There might have been an occasion where my work clothes felt snugger than I liked, but I would fetch my diet crutch (WW) and get back to where I wanted to be in a reasonably short period of time.

My battle of the bulge took a different turn when MS dug it’s hooks into me. During the summer and warm weather months, I could still work in the yard and generally not sit around as much, which meant I was more active and ate less. Winter was a different story, where other than snow removal, I would come home from work, get into my sweats, plop myself in from of the television, and snack. Thus began the viscous cycle of gaining ten to fifteen pounds of winter fat, and losing most of it between April and October. Keep in mind I said most of it, which means that each year I was a little heavier than the year before.

This past winter was no different, and by the time April rolled around, buttoning my slacks and the collar of my shirts became a struggle, so back onto WW I went. The only problem is once I shed about half the amount I wanted, my clothes became comfortable again. I lost my mojo, decided that counting points and weighing food was more of a pain in the ass than it was worth, and started to wing it, which never works.

So I am currently in no-man’s land. I have not reached my weight goal, but am not invested in the process of getting there. Meanwhile the scale has become my enemy.

While K would argue this point, it isn’t that I eat badly. Other than coffee, I don’t eat breakfast, and lunch usually consists of a large Tupperware container of cut up vegetables, sunflower seeds and cheese, followed by a piece of fruit. I also don’t pig out at dinner. My problem is I like to snack at night. So it is not necessarily what I eat, but when.

Part of this struggle I’m sure is age. As the stench of 60 gets closer, my metabolism is slower, and my energy isn’t what it used to be. It’s getting to the point where since it is so hard to shed the weight and so easy to put it back on, part of me that thinks, why bother anymore? I’ve reached a stage of my life where I shouldn’t have to worry about this kind of stuff. It’s not like I have to get leaner because I’m on the prowl to find a partner in life, or want to get naked with some chickie to get my rocks off. So what if I’m a little heavier. I wear it well. All I have to do is buy some new clothes and not get huge.

If it were only that simple. First of all, I’m self conscious about the way I look, and am harsh on myself in that regard. If you saw me I am sure you would ask what the big deal was, and tell me I’m being too hard on myself. And you would be correct. The problem is I think I should have the body I had in my thirties and forties. Hey, I never said I was rationale.

Secondly, I have a hard enough time dragging this carcass around, with the MS. Having to carry excess weight makes it that much harder, so it behooves me to find a happy medium. As sedentary as I have become, I know that eating well, and maintaining a healthy weight is important for my overall health, MS not withstanding. The problem is that what medical professionals consider a healthy weight for someone my age and height is simply not going to happen.

Lastly, I am cheap when it comes to spending money on myself. The idea of buying new clothes because I don’t have the discipline to lose weight and consistently maintain it so I don’t feel like I am putting ten pounds of sugar into a five pound bag pisses me off.

So, I’m not going to say fuck it and let the weight chips fall where they may. I will try to be a good boy at night and eat healthy snacks. Perhaps I need to listen to what K has long been preaching, which is to eat more during the day so I am not as ravenous at night. I’ll also stick to water and seltzer for weeknight beverages.

I can be a real stubborn guy when I set my mind of something, so I’ll try to keep my weight within a range I can live with. I know there will be rough patches where that is easier said than done, but if those will become fewer and fewer if I follow this plan.

Meanwhile, I will continue to scream at the scale when I don’t.

Author: Steve Markesich

I am loving husband, a doting father, a Red Sox fanatic, an aspiring novelist and MS advocate. Feel free to check out my stevemarkesich.com web site.

23 thoughts on “Tell The Scale to Shut Up”

    1. I eat a LOT of raw vegetables and fruit. I think the truth is I my metabolism has slowed down. The only way to test that theory is to go one week without having anything after dinner for an entire week and see what the scale has to say on Saturday

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      1. That too. Eat earlier, at 7, and finito.
        And you have to start eating breakfast.
        My friend was shocked to see me eat 10x per day without gaining weight whereas she eats only dinner, late and heavy, and has problems shedding pounds. I read it’s a killer since our body, not knowing when it’ll eat next, starts pilling fat where it shouldn’t to protect itself.
        To sum up, 3x per day (nth fried) with a snack in between, raw veggies or fruit or a smootie and once you’re done with dinner, you’re done. It becomes a routine with time.

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        1. That makes a lot of sense and sounds like a plan, but I think I am also going to stop weighing myself and let my clothes be my guide. Funny this is my wife has been telling me that for years

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      2. I saw the best results by not eating anything with calorie value (kilojoule) after 4pm, and not eating or drinking (except water or black tea) before ten am the following day – a daily fast regime that dropped a lot of fat from my body (not fast, but not slow; ten kg over 6 wks). However, if you take drugs that need to be taken with food, or at specified intervals, it won’t be the way for you.
        But we don’t need three meals a day, so two would do, and as our body can’t metabolise fats and proteins while it sleeps and does maintenance tasks, don’t eat after the last meal of the day (and finish it as early as possible).
        There are so many things out there, and it’s taken me years to understand what works best for my body, but now I’ve found it, I’m sticking to it (which is lots of vegies (fibre), a couple of fruits, and the protein/fats early/mid of the day, and 18 hours (of which 8 should be sleeping) of no calorie intake).
        Just an opinion shared. I hope you find what works for you.

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  3. The after dinner snacking and in my case, wine, is my problem as well. I am heavier now than I have ever been and having a hard time changing my wicked ways. I still have this adolescent voice in my head telling me I shouldn’t have to give up the things I like to eat and drink. Considering I will be 50 next year, perhaps I need to shut that adolescent up for good!!! This motivated me a lot, Steve. Thank you!

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    1. Well, we see how good at how I am I. The practice what I preach department. Bojana offered some good advice that I think I will begin trying. Eat breakfast, eat more often and stop eating in the evening unless it’s fruits and stuff like that. Will have to limit the vino to weekends

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  4. My scale is finally working in the right direction again (going down) slowly but surely. My biggest problem is the late night snacks, so I made a rule that eating ahs to be done at the table. I don’t know if I told you, but I signed up for ww +the meetings. I was hoping to find new friends to workout/walk with, but even though I am working my way around the room, I haven’t clicked with anyone yet.

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      1. I have seen people do great on ww and I can see how it works, the problem is that I always try to “beat the system” if that make any sense. Picture Scarlett Ohara saying, “I will never go hungry again” here. Pretty sure even though chicken, eggs, and veggies are “free” I still need to find moderation

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  5. There’s a whole lot of truth to this post, wonderfully written by the way, and I have some observations.
    Your health will always benefit from carrying less weight. Mine as well. My Dr’s want me as light as possible pre-transplant.
    But your body changes and you are not in your 30’s anymore.
    As you become less active a few pounds is inevitable.
    Eating at night in getting of the TV is out of boredom and reaction to all of the food commercials on TV. I’m not sure that eating more during the day has anything to do with it.
    But I hope you win the battle of the bulge

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  6. I have always hated scales because I find them a little rude! My entire family are all very overweight, so I was always very aware of what I ate and always feared what the scale would say. I never want to be like my family because they are unhealthy. However, even with that said I remember when I first hit triple digits and was horrified! Now I do battle with my weight, but from what I am told I am not logical! As I have gotten older, I think as long as we are feeling okay our weight does not matter in the grand scheme of life! Being a little over weight won’t kill us, but being too far overweight isn’t a good thing. Personally, I think no matter what you weigh, you are perfect! My doctors and family want me to weight 105 and I am 10 shy of that, but I feel fine and will do as I please with my weight! I hope your weekend has been pleasant and i hope you are feeling well!!

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          1. You and everyone else says the same thing! I wear the same size clothes as I did several years ago. My pants are always a little long and maybe baggy around the waist, but I feel okay. I always get my clothes altered because I am vertically challenged. The only store that has pants that actually fit me is Express! I love that store and it is fun going there because the adorable little gay guys love to dress me up in things I can’t afford!!

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