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    1. Health and Fitness

    Fitness blogger teaches us to #ScrewTheScales

    Weight's just a number

    By Marie Claire
    Published 27 July 2016 In Features

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    Sweat Life
    Sweat Life
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    Because weight is just a number

    A US fitness blogger has gone viral after she shared three pictures of herself at different weights, to prove that the number on the scale really doesn't say much about your body composition.

    Kelsey Wells, who runs the blog My Sweat Life, posted three pictures of herself, on at 145lb, one at 122lb and another at 140lb.

    Fitness blogger my sweat life screwthescales

    Image: Mysweat.life

    Obviously Kelesy looks amazing at all three weights, but she wanted to make the point that a lower number on a scale doesn't mean that your body looks 'better', and that despite weighing more Kelesy feels more beautiful as well as stronger and fitter.

    Kelesy wrote under her post:

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    'I figured it was time for a friendly, yet firm reminder. YOU GUYS. PLEASEEEEEE STOP GETTING HUNG UP ON THE NUMBER ON THE STUPUD [sic] SCALE! PLEASE STOP THINKING YOUR WEIGHT EQUALS YOUR PROGRESS AND FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING PLEASE STOP LETTING YOR WEIGHT HAVE ANY AFFECT WHATSOEVER ON YOUR SELF ESTEEM, like I used to. To any of you who are where I once was, please listen to me.

    'I am 5' 7“ and weigh 140 lbs. When I first started #bbg I was 8 weeks post partum and 145 lbs. I weighed 130 before getting pregnant, so based on nothing besides my own warped perception, I decided my ”goal weight“ should be 122 and to fit into my skinniest jeans. Well after a few months of BBG and breastfeeding, I HIT IT and I fit into those size 0 jeans.

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    Well guess what? I HAVE GAINED 18 POUNDS SINCE THEN. EIGHT FREAKING TEEN. Also, I have gone up two pant sizes and as a matter of fact I ripped those skinny jeans wide open just the other week trying to pull them up over my knees.? My point?? According to my old self and flawed standards, I would be failing miserably. THANK GOODNESS I finally learned to start measuring my progress by things that matter — strength, ability, endurance, health, and HAPPINESS.

    'Take progress photos and videos. Record how many push-ups you can do, etc. And if you can, your BFP — there is only a 5 lb difference between my starting and current weight, but my body composition has changed COMPLETELY. I have never had more muscle and less body fat than I do now. I have never been healthier than I am now. I have never been more comfortable in my own skin than I am now. And if I didn't say #screwthescale long ago, I would have gave up on my journey.

    'So to the little teeny tiny voice in the back of my head that still said ”?wtf is this- not 140!???“ last week when I stepped on the scale, I say SCREW. YOU. And I think you should probably say the same to your scale too.'

    We're with you Kelesy. Whether it's because you're building muscle or you don't want to know what that last 'Two For Tuesday' did to you, we're all for #ScrewTheScale

    Marie Claire
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