Just A Little Sunbeam

Let me introduce you to Sunbeam. Since that just happened to be the brand name on my scale, I just went with it and call her that. Yep, there's more than a little irony going on there. Recently I noticed that my parents' scale is named "Health-O-Meter". That's right, step on me and I'll tell you everything you need to know about how healthy you are. I have no doubt a scale can be a useful tool, but I've come to believe it is but one tool, one indicator of the health of the person climbing aboard, not the whole picture.

When I step onto my little Sunbeam, she tells me I am obese. However, she does not tell me that my cholesterol, blood pressure, etc. are great. She can't tell that I have RA that is one of the chickens that came before the obesity egg. She has seen me through diet pills, Weight Watchers, and Thrive and can tell you that my weight has gone everywhere from 170 up to 197, but keeps settling down at 183-186. Same weight I was 10 years ago when I married James. She can tell you that I basically battle the same 3-5 lbs. monthly over and over. Most importantly she can tell you I have stopped stepping on her every morning and cursing her!