When I first start losing weight after a period of stagnation or of gaining, it's a small thrill.  I see the blue digital numbers of my bathroom scale between my toes and ooh!  Look!  It's lower than it was before!  My focus and self-control and abstinence from mindless snacking and hard work have paid off!  Look - it says so right there!  I'm validated!  I'm losing weight!  Victory is mine!

And inevitably soon enough I step on the scale again, and I don't get that thrill of accomplishment, orfvalidation.  Maybe the number has ticked up a little because of dietary indiscretions, or better hydration, or constipation, or the phase of the moon.  Maybe the number has stayed the same because it's only been one day and a woman my size should not expect to lose weight every single day - that wouldn't be safe or reasonable.  Maybe the number even has gone down, but not as fast as before.  For whatever reason, that number doesn't make me feel victorious.

At those times, I try to remind myself of the many reasons why that is so OK.  That number is OK and I am OK.  I try to remind myself why that one number today on the scale carries very little meaning and I should not attach too much emotional weight too it.

Sometimes I feel like I'm acting a little bit like an addict, needing bigger numbers to achieve the same feeling of self-satisfaction.  This got me thinking, maybe dieters (any maybe particularly dietbetters who combine the success of weight loss with the thrill or gambling) could take a page out of addiction therapists' books.  

So here I propose a modified prayer of sorts for myself and people who like me could use some help maintaining perspective as we journey towards better health, physical and mental fitness, and sense of peace (rough draft):

Please grant me the serenity
to accept the weights and measurements I cannot change; 
courage to change the things I can; 
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; 
enjoying one moment at a time; 
accepting challenges as a pathway to peace; 
taking, as we all must this human body
as it is, not as I would have it; 
trusting that with good intentions
and hard work, always trying to do better;
by treating myself and others with forgiveness and respect
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and in this body, which is a gift. 

Amen.