Breaking Up with Numbers

When I say, "breaking up," what I really mean is, "taking a break from..." I don't like numbers. They confuse and sometimes discourage me. The scale is a major number, though I am not taking a complete break from that. The real numbers that have been bothering me lately have been on My Fitness Pal. The calories. The minutes exercised. The number of steps. The burned calories. The macros... O, the macros. All this to say that I know I need them to lose, but I have been maintaining for a solid month by simply writing down what I am eating.

This month, I'm going back to the weights and measures, but still holding off on the calories. Probably until January. Without judgy red or over-achiever green numbers staring me in the face, it has been easier to work on other habits and not be distracted. For example, I have been more consistent with sitting and eating my food off of a plate, as opposed to grazing while cooking or impulsively bingeing on whatever passes me by.

This has been more empowering than having over 1000 days streaked in logging on to MFP. I never knew that I could track progress in such a different way. No, the scale has not gone down, I have been maintaining within a 1 pound range (207-208). Technically, you could say that the scale has gone up almost a pound, BUT if this were 5 years ago and I was tracking my progress by the scale, macros and calories - I would have binged up 5 pounds out of frustration and discouragement. I am mindfully working on my habits and my body is still in recovery from having our son.

With constant transitions and inconsistent sleep patterns, I am doing really well.

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