DIARY: Girl, Step Away From The Scales!

So, what exactly is the best way to measure weight loss? I must confess, I'm a complete scale-addict. I tend to hop on 2-3 times a day - completely unnecessary and very unhealthy, I know, especially considering the vast power it has over my mood. If I've shifted a pound, I'm ecstatic, but what happens if I gain one? Or TWO?!

So you can imagine how anxious I'm feeling - it's the end of week 1 of the "15 weeks until jollys" challenge and my scales have been out of action all week. Due to being female, I am completely incapable of changing the battery, so I haven't managed to weigh myself since Monday, eek! (Must buy weird flat coin-shaped battery tomorrow!)

It has got me thinking though, about the importance and relevance of weight. I know almost everyone has a goal weight in their head, whether it be a milestone they've never reached before, or an idealistic figure based on someone else's figure or weight, but how relevant and realistic are these goals?

I've been mulling over this idea all day and imagine my surprise when I hopped in the bath this evening with this month's issue of Cosmo and discovered an entire (and very informative) article dedicated to the relevance of weight (thank you Cosmo!). The article features 5 girlies who all weigh 9st 7lbs, yet have completely different, equally fabulous figures. I know that given the option I definitely wouldn't have labelled them all with the same weight. They're all different heights, dress sizes and body shapes, demonstrating to all us weight-obsessives that weight really isn't everything.

So girls (and boys!), I've decided that our new weight loss friend shall be, wait for it, the almighty tape measure! We're starting our relationship off slowly - we'll see how things progress. Taking measurements can be a really useful and relevant way of keeping an eye on weight loss and your changing body shape, so today I enlisted the help of my sister (thanks Em!) in creating a silhouette of my body, and to the left is what she produced.

We took a quick photo of me and cleverly edited it into a lovely silhouette (a little easier on the eye than my underwear shot, although a little less flattering without the contours!). The purple lines show where you should measure yourself. But for the record here's a few handy hints:

1. Bust: As tempting as it is, don't squash yourself -- measure all the way around your boobs and back right at your nipple (ugh, hate that awful word) line.
2. Chest: Measure under your boobs but as high up as you can go, keeping the tape measure parallel to this line when you reach it around your back.
3. Waist: Measure wherever it is the smallest (mine wasn't much lower than my chest measurement). If you have "no waist" go around yourself right at the bellybutton line.
4. Hips: Measure at the very widest part .
5. Thighs: Measure wherever they are the biggest.
6. Knees: Measure just above the knee.
7. Calves: Measure at the biggest point.
8. Upper arm: Measure wherever they are largest above your elbows.
9. Forearms: Measure wherever they are biggest below your elbows.

It's not the most elating of images compared to my fully clothed wearing-sucky-in-body-shaper photos, but it's definitely a good way of monitoring my progress. I'm going to take another shot in 14 weeks time to compare - we should get a little comparison collage going, what d'ya reckon?

This is what I need to get into my head - weight and measurements are just a way of comparing your current self to your previous self, a way of monitoring your progress, not a way of comparing yourself to your friends, that jealous-inducing girl on the high street or Beyonce. Weight can't tell us whether we have a big bum, tiny waist or bingo wings. It's just a number, and it means bugger all.

Don't forget to check out this month's Cosmopolitan magazine for the confidence boosting 'Guess what we all share?' article - it really is an eye opener.

Much Love, Lady Gluttony xx