An Epiphany About Numbers

Most of us have our "ideal" number (the weight we'd love to be if a genie granted us our wish) and our "goal" number (the healthy number we'd like to get to, even if it's not thin-thin). Sometimes, we also have to learn, by experience and trial and error, that we can get to a happy weight that is neither the ideal nor the goal weight we originally envisioned. And it can still work.

Jennette of Half of Me has gotten to and, most importantly, accepted her happy weight:

When I started this journey back in...the stone ages? The bronze age? Okay, maybe it was just 2005. I set 160 as my goal weight because I wanted a number to aim for, 160 fell in the "normal" BMI range and it ended in a 0. Since June of 2007, I've been hovering below or above 180. Sometimes I've been really psyched to get to 160, charting out how many months it will take if I lose a pound every week. Sometimes I've looked at 175 on the scale in the morning and thought, "I'll have a chocolate éclair for breakfast!"

So, let's scratch out that "160" next to my goal weight because I. AM. DONE. 180 is my happy weight. I can run 3 miles without stopping. I can buy normal clothes. My health is pretty damn good, most things considered. My weight is not the first thing people notice about me...unless I'm walking into a book signing. Life is good and I haven't given a shit about getting to 160 for months

Yay for Jennette!

(Coincidentally, that "160" is my goal weight, too. It is a sobering observation that my weight goal is one that would send most women howling wildly to grab diet pills if they saw it on their scales, especially women in Hollywood or South Beach!)

I, being not at all close to my happy number, goal number ideal number (and etc), should never ever get on a scale the day after eating Chinese food. I should learn this lesson by now. It's fricken scary.