21st Century torture device-the bathroom scale!!

Twice in the past month I have had to think about the dreaded bathroom scales.

I recently went for my hip check up as I will be having my pins removed in January. As part of my  pre- operative assessment I needed the usual health checks, blood pressure, height and Weight!!!

The look on the nurses face was a picture when I asked to be weighed backwards. :)  I didn't feel the need to explain myself........
Some of you may have read about my Mum-In-Laws recent hip fracture and illness.  A consequence of this was that she lost a fair amount of weight and this needed monitoring. the local dementia unit were responsible for this until I recently found out they had no scales as they were broken!!  There answer to this was to ask me to purchase some for Mum to use at home.
I thought this a perfectly reasonable request until I started to write the word 'scales' down on a notepad.
I was filled with absolute dread at the thought of being in a house each day where I could get easy access to  a small platform which you could shatter your day in few seconds.
I was taken straight back to 'those days.'

Bathroom Scales.

Rules for use.

1.  Step on them several times a day including; upon waking, before and after bathing, before and after dressing, undressing, before and after eating, drinking, peeing, pooping!!

2.  Move around the bathroom floor if they give you the wrong result, try moving them to another room if that doesn't work.

3.  If the number is too high let it ruin your day. Cry a lot, feel really guilty about yourself and then restrict your food intake .

4.  If the number has gone down feel really good for about 2 minutes, then continue to restrict your food intake until it goes down even further.

5.  Don't even bother trying to go away from home, on holiday or anywhere you cannot gain access to these dreadful machines.  You will be tied to them to tell you how you should feel.

After a brief pause of silence on the phone I suggested to the support worker if she needed me to give her managers a push to purchase scales I would, but I was not willing to buy any for the house.  

Its not that I don't trust myself, I just do not want to be put in a position of temptation or failure.

One of the most empowering feelings I ever had was smashing up my bathroom scales with a hammer, I do not need them to tell me how healthy I am or how much worth I have. I know my weight will fluctuate, the waist band on my jeans will tell me that!!