The past few weeks I haven't lost lbs but have lost inches. Why is it I fixate on the number and not my loss of inches. My doc told me not to weigh myself but of course I did and am now mad. I am down 5 sizes but seem to still be focused on the weight. How do some of you not let the number rule your life?

I don't know - I wish I could help. I'm in the same boat.

If my scale doesn't move for a few days, I totally freak out. One of things that we're going to have to face one of these days is maintenance versus losing - that will probably drive us crazy. LOL!

Hopefully someone else has better advice for us.

G

For me the scale is judge and jury, my mentor and friend. I will explain.

I KNOW that I vary day to day with Water and misc. SOO, if it goes up and down a few lbs each day I do not sweat about it. but I do keep track of "trends" if it goes up then not down as far then up and not down as far I know I have to get my crap together and re-dedicate get back on program. IF it goes down and not up as far the few times before I feel encouraged. and try to do even better.

I also take into account fit of clothes, if they are getting loose but no move on the scale I figure it's redistribution and is good but lbs is lbs. unless your going for muscle mass, it's got to come off and I am still putting in more cals than I am burning.

So the moral of the story is: The scale doesn't lie and keeps you honest. IF it's going down you are doing things right.

I went through the phase of getting on the scale each day, multiple times, and I realized how badly it messed with my head. Even if the number was up .2, even .1, i would freak out. Then I realized how ridiculous I was being and how the scale was negatively impacting my journey. So, as of now, I'm on the scale every Sunday morning, and that is it.

You have to realize that so many things can make your weight go up and down, and it's really not worth it to get on it everyday and get yourself down if it shows a number you don't want to see. As long as you are eating right and seeing results elsewhere, you should be extremely happy.

I put my scale in the closet; out of sight, out of mind, so there is no temptation to step on it.

I have even been getting up in the middle of the night to weigh myself. I lay awake and wonder if my weight will be down and I cant sleep so have to get up and check. This week i have been going back to bed frustrated as the scales are not moving.

Maybe you need a more accurate scale? I weigh every day and I don't take offense if the scale goes up a pound or two. I know water weight can make your weight a bit unstable. It does keep me on track though since I know I'll be stepping on it every day and keeping track of its number. Everyone is different and weighing daily works for me and I wouldn't let some doc bully me out of it.

This is a topic thats near and dear to me lately....

I think the secret might be to ditch the scale or have someone hide it. And only allow them to give it to you bi-weekly or something. Im gonna test this theory...

I am ONLY 15 days in band land and I have lost 7 lbs. (15 total since 1 week pre-op) And in theory I should be happy but Im not... I feel like it should be more even though my doctor was happy with my results thus far...I should be THRILLED since before all this, it would take me 1 month to lose 1 pound... I should just be focusing on changing my habits and lifestyle, and I know the pounds will come off when Im not paying attention... I really don't want to be a slave to the scale.

My mother said she'll hide the scale for me and be the scale controller, after my boyfriend threatened to steal it and hide it indefintally.

Banded more than 2 1/2 years ago and I still weigh every morning, first thing after using the bathroom. IMO It is only a problem if you let it bother you. At first it was a motivational tool now it is a maintenace tool I use it as a tool to tell me how good or bad I did the previous day. Over this time I have learned how certain foods, my cycle and activity levels affect that number. Understand that 1-3 pounds either way means absolutely nothing...I can flucute that much within hours. During my weight loss phase, Friday was my official weight recording day all other days were just a guide.

And I do remember a crazy period in the beginning when that darn scale was not moving but my clothes were getting too big; I've never been able to explain why that happened but I know based on stories from other bandsters it is does happen.