There’s a certain stigma attached to the weight scale. It tells you that you’re too fat or too thin. It makes you panic and the numbers adjust to what you may or may not weigh. Worst of all, it makes you feel uncomfortable in your own body.

I have lived scale-free for years. When I lived with my dad, he had a scale, but I tried my hardest not to use it. All I feel is paranoia when I step on the scale.

My weight seems to fluctuate around the same mark since I graduated from high school. I’m blessed with good genes and no one in my family is overweight, just big boned thanks to our Chinese heritage (My biceps are abnormally large compared to the rest of my body!). But that scale? I hate it. Kyle’s mom has one and whenever we visit and I always cave and weigh myself.

When I was in high school and played soccer, I weighed around 115lbs. About a year and a half ago I weighed about 127lbs. Sometime around (Canadian) Thanksgiving was the last time I weighed myself, and I think I was somewhere around 123lbs. Today, I have no idea.

Which brings me to the point of this post: Should I buy a scale of my own or should I just “wing” my weight? Part of me says to keep winging it. Part of me says to keep on track and don’t get too crazy since I want to be able to fit my wedding dress properly when I get it altered next week. I also don’t want to exercise and watch what I eat only to have the scale not budge an inch, especially an inch in the wrong direction.

I think the scale only brings more pressure onto ourselves. I believe in the “If it feels good, do it” mantra: I’m going to do what I like and eat what I like, when I feel like it. I also believe that you should take everything in moderation, which is why you won’t catch me doing one-hour workouts at 6:00 a.m. in the morning, or crash dieting on celery, boiled chicken, and egg whites. You will, however, catch me accidentally eating a carb-loaded energy bar after a workout instead of loading up on protein. Live and learn friends, live and learn!

What are your thoughts on weight scales in the house? Are they a demon that glares at you everytime you look their way, or are they a blessing that cheers “Way to go! Only x more pounds to go!”

From now on, I think I’ll answer the question, “How much do you weigh?” with, “Enough to feel good about myself.”