The Scale Is Not The Same As Working Steps

Work steps. Because steps are all that is, all there was, and all that ever will be. If you didn’t work the steps, don’t get on the scale. If you did, don’t get on the scale. Scale is not steps.

All of the daily practices and behaviors which benefit you are the steps.

Work the steps. Or don’t work the steps. But do not expect to be atop a staircase if you didn’t climb the stairs.

I know people who are upset or happy because of the "grade" they receive from a scale or a doctor's visit. That is precisely the most ineffective and immature manner to handle data. If you did everything "wrong" but receive a "good" grade, you are merely emboldened in your foolish behavior. If you did everything "right" and receive a "bad" grade, you are merely discouraged from doing the proper behaviors. 

I run into this a lot actually.

Morbidly obese people proudly proclaim their "bill of good health." They'll say, "my blood pressure is consistently low," as if that's a good thing. Low blood pressure in an otherwise unhealthy person is not a magical mark of hidden healthiness. It is confirmation that their body systems and organs are so annihilated that they can't even muster the high blood pressure that they should have for a body mass that great.

Or someone who has 150lbs to lose proudly proclaims his "rockstar A1C," as if that means he isn't diabetic. I have been warning people for over 10 years that a low A1C when you are extremely obese is merely confirmation that you are so unhealthy that hemoglobin are dying off faster than you can support the accumulation of higher count. Taking two post-meal glucose readings tells us far more about your insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance (you should be able to return to a glucose of 75-85 within 30-60 minutes after a peak) than the combined information we get from A1C, lab tests for insulin, AND repeated morning fasted glucoses. Moreover, people who are anemic also have a shortened red blood cell lifespan. So, generally, an anemic diabetic CANNOT pull a high A1C, because he can't accumulate enough living red blood cells to do so. Add to that, nowadays even mainstream medicine now recognizes that full-blown Type II diabetics can consistently pull 5.7 or lower A1Cs, even though the "official" diagnostic cut off is 6.5 or higher: https://www.endocrineweb.com/news/diabetes/61790-hemoglobin-a1c-not-reliable-diagnosing-type-2-diabetes.

Or someone who can't make it up a single flight of stairs without gasping for breath will proudly proclaim that she has low cholesterol. Again, this is BECAUSE the body is so unhealthy it cannot synthesize the NECESSARY material to keep you alive. Cholesterol is the precursor to all vital hormones and is a building block in every single human cell. Low cholesterol is an exhausted body breathing its final breaths. Most heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170412105837.htm.

Or skinny people who have zero strength and athleticism proudly announce their "healthiness." Being a waif who will break her hip or get a concussion with the slightest little fall is not healthiness. That's frailty, which, by the by, is the leading risk factor for the elderly. That frailty which so many people have confused with "great bodies" is a strong indicator of a weak immune system, reduced bone density, endocrine disruption, cancer risk, and neurodegeneration. Being underweight assuredly compromises immunity (https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/advice-for-underweight-adults/), which ought to give everyone pause in this era of freaking out about Covid-19 and other infections.

Stop it with the patting yourself on the back or shaming yourself with scales and checkups. Work steps because it's the right thing to do. Get strong. Be active. Eat clean and light. Get nutrient dense food. Sleep, rest, and recover.