177 lb Me

My blog mentor wrote about the memories associated with the numbers on the scale here. I found it interesting, so I thought I'd do something similar. A couple of weeks ago I got down to 177.6, and it triggered this memory -

In my early 30's my weight had crept up to 177 and did not want to budge. I realize now that my attempts at dieting where half hearted at best, but then I felt like I was struggling. I was engaged to some one that wasn't J-boy. We agreed that we both wanted to lose weight and decided to diet together. I don't remember the specifics of the plan this far removed, but it was something like, I'd lose 10 lbs and he'd lose 20 in a set amount of time. He did not trust me to tell him that I'd lost weight. He had to see the scales for himself. I was quite resistant to actually confessing my real weight to him. He would not agree to the friendly competition any other way, so I finally gave in and allowed him to see me standing on the scales.

At that time I had some digital scales that weighed to the nearest whole pound. The display was the type that if it was showing an 8 all the red bars lit up. For a 6, the upper right bar would not light up but all the others would. Get it? So, we went in my little bathroom where the scales were kept. I stepped on the scales and they chose that moment for the light in the top middle number to go out. Instead of reading 177, they read 117. Clearly that was an error, so he made me get off & back on the scales; still 117. Then he decided that the tile floor must be making it too light and moved the scales to the kitchen floor. which was linoleum; still 117. Then the scales were moved to the living room, carpet, 117!! This was too good, and I was keeping my mouth shut. I realized from the beginning what had happened, but I was not about to tell him! He weighed himself and got an accurate reading. Whatever his weight was, the very top bar was not in that number, and I really don't remember. He was so convinced that the scale was not working properly that we did not have the competition. It was probably a good thing, because then I would have had to explain a big gain when the scales went from 110, to 169!

Needless to say, I dodged a real bullet when that relationship didn't work out. When J-boy and I got married, I weighed 160-165. He never said anything as I packed on the pounds, and was/is always supportive of whatever I choose to do. I am thankful every day for him and our love for each other.