129 – Scales, Weight, and Lies

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Welcome back to the David Madow Lifestyle Show. This is the show where I help you live stronger, thinner, healthier, and happier. Today, I am out on the street in one of my favorite cities in the world – New York City. I am broadcasting live on the streets of Manhattan today. And I am going to get right into today’s show!

Be sure to follow my LIVE daily broadcasts on Periscope at www.periscope.tv/davidmadow.

Today’s topic is about your weight, the scale, and whether or not you should weigh yourself. Should you care if you gain weight? This all started a few days ago when I was on a Facebook group and some woman wrote into the Facebook group for help. She is trying to eat right but she has noticed over the past few months she has gained a lot of weight. And as a matter of fact she weighs the most she has ever weighed. So she wanted advice on what she should do. I have to admit, I was appalled by some of the responses that were coming in. And I know we’re living in a world today, at least in the U.S., where everybody is a winner and everybody should get a medal. But the responses were something like “oh don’t worry you are still a great person inside” “the number on the scale doesn’t mean anything”, and “don’t worry about the scale, you’re beautiful inside and out”. And I am thinking this is making me sick because this woman is getting such horrible advice from people saying not to worry about the number on the scale. Not to worry that you are the heaviest you have been in your entire life?! That is such horrible advice. I was in disbelief.

Let me back up for a second because I want to be very clear. I do believe this woman was probably a great person and she probably has a great heart but to have someone say to her not to have somebody say to her “don’t worry about the number on the scale, it doesn’t mean anything.” That’s crazy advice and you are not helping that woman out. It is a fact that when you are overweight or obese you stand a much greater chance of getting diseases like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, knee problems, and joint problems. I can say this from experience. I have two parents who are both up in age right now but they are both overweight and they are seeing the results of being overweight for a long time. They are experiencing health problems and let me tell you something, it’s not fun. So for someone to tell this poor woman who was reaching out and asking for advice, “don’t worry about it the number on the scale, it’s only a number. You’re still beautiful” Ok she probably was a beautiful person but she needs help.

If I were to tell you not to worry about the number on the scale, I would be doing you a disservice. I am here to help people. I am here to teach people. I am here to inspire people. I want to make people feel good but I also want to tell the truth. And the truth is being overweight kills. I am not God and I don’t try to play God. But it’s been shown in study after study that if you are overweight you stand a much greater chance of getting diseases. Does that mean that every overweight person is going to get a disease? No! It’s just the same as every smoker does not get lung cancer. I don’t know about you but I like to play my odds. I know that being thin, and moving my body, and eating plant based foods, and not eating processed foods, and limiting salt, oil, and sugar; it’s not a guarantee of a long life and it’s not a guarantee that I will be free of disease. I realize that.

It is almost like an insurance policy. First of all, you will look and feel better. Again, I am not against obese people but I would challenge anybody to tell me that an obese person looks better and healthier than a thin person. I would challenge that. I just don’t think it’s true. There are so many problems that come with obesity.

When I was growing up, the winners were the people that came in first place. The people that were the best in the class, they are the ones that got rewarded. It wasn’t everybody. We’ve gone too far in this country to make sure everything is politically correct, we have to watch what we say, and everybody’s a winner. We’re afraid to say it like it is.

So I am going to tell you right now. First of all, I appreciate you being my listener! No matter what kind of health you are in, no matter what you are eating, no matter what your weight is, I love you! But for me to say that you’re doing it right and that you look great at 500 pounds, I’m just not going to say that. I still love you but I am not going to say that. And you know as well as I do that if you’re 500 pounds you could do better than that.

I just did a Periscope broadcast a few minutes ago and I had people from all over the world. I was talking about these things and people started asking me if I am a racist? If I hate people? And why I am so angry? The funny thing is that they don’t know me. I am not angry. And I am not a racist. What I have to say has absolutely nothing to do with someone’s skin color, religion, or sexual preference. If you are a friend of mine or a listener of mine and even if you don’t agree with me, I still love you.

I really do apologize for the background noise. It’s a totally different world in New York City. I had a show a few weeks ago (Episode # 127) and I talked about how I love Colorado and how it’s so peaceful and beautiful but I like a lot of different things. And although I don’t love the noise, I do love the hustle and bustle of New York City. I think it really is one of the coolest cities in the world. So if you are listening to me in another country and you have never been to the U.S., I am going to recommend that you come pay us a visit and come to the coolest city in the world – New York City.

I use the scale as an instrument. The scale is a valuable instrument that I use practically every day. If and when I see the pounds creeping up a little bit, I know to back off on something. Whether it be that I am eating a little too much or that I am eating the wrong things. I use the scale as a guide and it has worked for me for many years. I know there are schools of thought out there that say eat the best foods, exercise, and don’t weight yourself. This is because they think you are going to be too obsessed with a number and I see their point but I disagree having done it the other way and using my scale as an instrument that gives me information about my body. And these days I have it hooked up online so it records all the weight, BMI, and percent body fat and then I can go to an app and check that and see how I am doing over years. I use the Withings Smart Body Analyzer. It was one of the best gifts I ever received.

If you’re screwing something up in your life, not just your weight, for example I know there are people who have spouses in their lives who are alcoholics or drug addicts and they just keep enabling them thinking it’s going to be ok. It’s not ok! You need help if that is the case. Let’s not sugar coat it! Tell it like it is!

As I am out here on the streets of Manhattan, a lot of people are walking by. I am seeing people who are all different shapes and builds. Unfortunately, the heavier people are going to be more prone to disease as they get older. There is no doubt about it. If I was a betting man, I would say that the thin fit looking man will live a longer life than the overweight couple I saw. Love me or hate me, I am just being honest.

Let me just tell you one more thing before you leave today. I love you and appreciate you as a listener. No matter what you are trying, let’s do the best we possibly can!

I can’t wait to see you next week! Until next time…