I’ve been a Registered Polysomnography Technologist (sleep tech) for 11 years and I’ve been running a doctor’s office for about 10 years. Part of my job at the doctor’s office is to do vitals on patients, including weighing them on the scale. It’s the first thing I say as the step into the room: “I’m going to have you step on the scale please.” Do you know how many times I’ve heard “Do I have to?” Let’s just say that if I got to lose one pound per time I’ve heard that I wouldn’t need Keto and I would probably need to focus on GAINING weight. So many people are scared of the SCALE. Why?

I had a patient a couple of weeks ago who was afraid to get on the scale. Unfortunately, it’s important for the doctor to have this information and I explained this to the patient. It’s not always about the BMI or the exact amount you way. It’s mostly about the difference in weight from the last time you were weighed and this time you were weighed. If you have gained a large amount of weight in a short period of time, it could be a fast growing tumor. If you have lost a large amount of weight, it could be something life threatening (I’ve seen this happen to someone I knew – they had died within two months because of an undiagnosed disease). Should our weight be the end all? Of course, not, but it is a tool to help us and our medical team. The patient was in tears after coming off the scale and I gave them a hug. And then I pointed out that since their last visit they had lost five pounds. That’s huge! The patient said that they don’t like the scale because it just tells them how much they are failing. I pointed out that today, it tells you how far you have come.

We can’t be afraid of the scale. It’s an important tool. But it’s not the only tool we have. There are many tools and bio-markers that can help us through our journeys. I get angry at that scale. There have been times I’ve yelled at it, “You lie!” But there are also times like today that I give it a big hug and kiss. Today, I weigh 242 pounds. That’s huge. Especially since I was stuck at 246 and 248 for quite a number of weeks. Let’s look at what this means. Since my heaviest at 306 pounds, that’s a total of 64 pounds I’ve lost. Since being diagnosed with diabetes in 2016 at 280 pounds, that’s a total of 38 pounds lost. Since starting Keto at 259 pounds, that’s 17 pounds in four months. That is something to be really proud of. I will not be afraid of that scale.