Weighing in on bathroom scales

For my entire adult life, I did not keep a bathroom scale in my house. A little over a year ago, my husband and I actually bought one--but only to weigh our luggage so it would comply with international air travel guidelines for a trip we were taking. The bathroom scale lives in the closet the rest of the time. I'm not even tempted to use it.

20+ years ago, when I was in the throes of an active eating disorder, I let the number on the scale control my life far too much. You weigh less in the morning, and your weight can fluctuate by several pounds on any given day for any number of reasons. I allowed that number to not only ruin my day or give me false hope, but to define my worth as a human being. For many years, I stated I would take my life if I reached 200 pounds, and at the time, I actually believed that I meant it (which is frightening).

For me personally, I find it more constructive to assess (a)how I feel physically and (b) how my clothes fit. I know when I'm making healthy diet and exercise choices and when I'm not. I don't even want to think about what the scale number is most of the time--it can be overwhelming and ultimately just lead to discouragement.