How much should I weigh is a question that I asked myself this week.

As I was filling out the admission forms for hospital last week, I came to the following questions: What is my height? What is my weight? Now, height I can easily tell you, I’m 5ft 8in (173cm). My weight however, I don’t really have a clue. I don’t own a set of bathroom scales, I never have. I can tell you that I’m a size 8 and that’s about it. I sat there thinking, How much should I weigh?

When the nurse was settling me into my room she asked me what my weight was (I’d put a number 58kg with a question mark after it because I wasn’t sure). I told her that I didn’t know because I don’t weigh myself. She was amazed, in fact she just couldn’t believe that I didn’t know how much I weighed, she called a nurse to bring a set of scales and was ‘can you believe she doesn’t know how much she weighs?’ (For the record I am 59kg). But is that the right weight for my height? I have no idea!

I believe in being healthy and to me that isn’t defined by a number. You can be grossly underweight and not healthy or overweight and not healthy, you may even think you’re a healthy weight and not be healthy! There are so many factors that need to be taken into consideration, height, bone structure, family history all of those things and none of them are defined by a number on a set of scales.
We as women, no as a society need to stop defining ourselves by a number on a set of scales. Don’t think “I have to get down to 56kg” instead think, “I am going to start exercising and eating healthy” get into the groove of it because as you start exercising you build your muscles up and your muscles are more dense than fat, so if you are weighing yourself, you will not necessarily weigh less but you will be healthier, you will have removed unhealthy fat and become leaner but with increased muscle.
Please, don’t be a number on a set of scales, focus on being healthy and enjoying life, don’t stand on the scales each morning feeling down because you’ve crept up a kilo, get out there and live life, enjoy life, play with the kids outside, run around and kick a ball, go for a walk, walk the dog, join a gym, go swimming, whatever it is that you enjoy, do that!
Please, please don’t define yourself by some stupid number on a set of bathroom scales, instead listen to your doctor, dietician or personal trainer, do your own research, know what size is where you feel happy with yourself and healthy, where you have the most energy, know what foods make you feel good and what ones don’t. That’s what matters.
Better yet, throw those bathroom scales away.