R2 VLCD Day 26

Why Do We Care?

[Danger: philosophical rant ahead]

BizAdventure wrote:

Why are we all so set on the number on the scale?

Why, indeed?

Because it's quantifiable: it's something that's concrete, measurable, and true. It's useful for comparison between where you were, where you are, and where you want to be. It's scientific and it works.

But the real question is, why do we allow it to rule our minds and emotions more than other factors?

And here we go into the realm of psychology, where nothing really works in straight lines, where causes do not produce effects in a linear fashion. It's a lot like chess. Some pieces move directly, but others move in a more indirect path, like the Knight--to move forward, it must move to the side as well.

I want to feel better about myself. I can't do that directly, so I attack the causes of my feelings--I'm fat and out of shape, and I look bad to myself and others. So I need to get rid of the fat, get fitter, and maybe then I will look better and feel better. I can't just cut the fat off, so I need another indirect approach--eat less and do more. I do that, but how do I know if it's having a result?

We're remarkably adaptable as a species, and we have the ability to quickly adjust to changing reality, making almost anything "normal" within a few hours or days. We just don't have the ability to notice and hold on to small incremental changes. So we look for something that's quantifiable, something we can observe that tells us in detail what has changed. Enter the weight scale.

Could we do the same with pictures, measurements, and other methods? Of course, but those are imprecise and only show large changes. Nothing else matches the precision of the scale for small changes.

And there's the rub: what happens when you do the right thing, and the scale does not cooperate? Then, the beauty of measurement turns into a curse, and we feel like the laws of the universe are conspiring against us. Emotions turn ugly, the mind clouds, and the day is cold and gray.

Of course, we know that weight is just a combination of unseeable factors: water balance, time of month, metabolic changes and body composition. Fat loss is only one factor of many...but the number is real, concrete, and insistent. It does not lie.

Now, even the thing I depended on to tell me the truth (how much fat have I lost) cannot be trusted. It, too, does not tell the whole truth. So, how do I know what's real? My emotions and my mind demand an answer, and there is none readily available...only a trend, and imperfect, incomplete answers. The tools available only work indirectly, partially. We are not satisfied.

So, in the end, we must have faith that it works. We have some signs: looser clothing, the scale trends down, we feel and look better. But...the number on the scale is insistent, real. It's hard to argue with a number, even on a good day. And therein lies its power.

We can argue with others, we can argue with ourselves. But we cannot argue with a number. It just is, and we must deal with it on its own terms.

[rant concluded]

Have a terrific Thursday!