How many measuring tapes?!



When you move, you find a lot of things.  One of the few things I found was my measuring tapes! Did you catch the plural? I say that because throughout the move I lost count just how many I have. Why? Because I always thought I had to have one! I always thought I had to know my measurements.  Because well, if I couldn't weigh myself every day or wasn't suppose to use a scale constantly, how else was I suppose to determine my progress? Why did I have so many, there a little easier to misplace than you'd think sometimes.  If I couldn't find mine, I'd simply buy a replacement.  During my move Elizabeth and I found at least 5, maybe more! Now, I see that having that many measuring tapes is a problem.  Then I considered them lost, considered my need to have one more necessary, and didn't think twice about having so many.  I almost always knew and had constant access to two. And kept a running note on my iPhone of my measurements and kept them logged on my tracker app.  To me, this was normal. For me, dress shopping and clothes shopping became easier online because I had my measurement memorized. Again, not what everyone else knows. But for me, it was. For me, this was how my brain worked. I had to see progress, I had to know what I was doing was working.  I had to see the numbers, even if/when the numbers weren't on a scale, but were on a measuring tape.  I haven't slowly started to quit taking my measurements as well.  I've already broken up with the scale, but I relied on the measuring tape that much more when I did.  If I didn't like the numbers I had to exercise that much harder (without eating any more), I had to cute back on the food, on the fat, I had to drink more water, etc.  This was my instant reaction to seeing any number I didn't like.  I didn't stop to consider the different things that could effect my measurements.  I didn't always give my body the proper time to process anything before I immediately reacted negatively.  As much as I'd love to see some progress in numbers.  For me my progress tracking now looks like, did you increase your weights from two weeks ago? How do your clothes fit? Can you see muscle? Etc.  These are the things I look for.  These are the things I see.  I see my chart and how I'm slowly improving my weights, how I'm slowly getting back to my pre-accident numbers.  It takes time, but I'll get there. And I'm doing so slowly. I'm focused on the healthy ways to measure my progress. NOT on numbers. Not on numbers that are going to cause me to have more issues and difficulties than I ever realized before.  I look now and see how sick I was. I never saw it then. I thought owning 4 or 5 measuring tapes was "normal." It's NOT! I know that, now. But then, I had a reason for why I needed them. I had to instantly replace one, it was better than trying to find one. For me progress looks like NOT taking measurements or stepping on a scale.  For me progress looks like eating, even if the snack is slightly unhealthy.  For me progress is all about finding a healthy balance of working out and eating. Right now I have 4 or 5 measuring tapes put away and one is out.  I need to throw them away. I don't need to hang onto.  For me the next step is getting rid of them. It's not keeping them.  It's moving on and being the healthiest me that I can be!


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