Obsessed with weighing in... HELP?

[LittleMissCopular 50]

I recently started my preop diet... The first two weeks went great and I dropped 8 pounds. It's basically kind of like a low-carb very high Protein & lots of Water. This week though, my scale is not moving. My diet has been the same and I've upped my exercise to 45 minutes of Zumba seven days a week. I'm constantly weighing in, I do it every morning and it's the last thing I think about before I go to bed. This week about the numbers just are not moving. My cycle started this week and Im wondering if that could have something to do with it. I did take my measurements and I am another 2 inches off my bust and 3 inches off my waist, from about a week ago. It's just so frustrating to me that the scale isn't showing all the hard work I'm putting in. Maybe I'm being dramatic, it's so frustrating though.

[samelton68 64]

The scale can be a friend, but can also be the devil

[jane13 2,256]

@@LittleMissCopular - you are a Junkie (a scale junkie). I am one too. Its a bad thing and it can sabotage you as well. the monthly thing will screw with your head so try to not stress about the scale. keep taking those measurements (try on some old clothes) and stay the course.

Congrats on getting your new "birthday"

[Bufflehead 6,358]

Get the scale out of your house. Have a friend or relative hide it. You'll get weighed when you show up for surgery, so you'll know your pre-surgery starting point.

And yes, your cycle can play havoc with what weight shows up on the scale. So can Constipation, increasing your exercise, and your body being weird and refusing to play by the rules you expect it to play by. Get used to it -- your weight loss is never going to be in a linear slope down. There will be all sorts of starts and stops along the way.

Also, keep in mind that the pre-op diet isn't about weight loss, it's about shrinking your liver.

PS I'm serious about getting the scale out of your house. You don't need it and it's making you upset and stressed. GET RID OF IT.

[tomi71 581]

Since you are pre-op, it might be wise to not divorce your scale if your requirements are like mine were when I started this a year or so ago. Prior to surgery I had to lose 25 lbs as required by my insurer. It took me a year to do that and as much as I hated that scale I weighed in weekly because it kept my butt on track. After surgery last July, I was hot and heavy with my scale because for the first time in my life it gave me nothing but good news.

However, a year out after surgery, it's safe to say the honeymoon is over and my relationship with my scale has soured since my loss has slowed (as expected.) So now I weigh once a month or so. Otherwise one would go crazy. Don't let the scale be the sole predictor of your success. Use it as one of many tools in your arsenal but don't let it get you down.

That's my two cents anyway. ???? congrats on your journey and salud!

[laguerr13 993]

I have done weight lifting for years on and off and one of the first things you learn is that muscle is going to weigh more than fat, with your level of activity you should be becoming very fit even though you may not be able to tell right away, this could possibly reflect what you may see on the scale, which is why I chose milestones over scale as a measure of my progress, it incorporates the many things we overlook when we jump on one, over all health, fitness level, stamina, pain etc.....

I only weigh myself about every 4 weeks, since January I have lost over 79lbs, and since my surgery on June 10th, 53lbs, and I have lost 9 waist sizes, yesterday was my second follow up, I weighed in at 309lbs, I started at 388lbs, I also told my doctor that I hit the gym 3 times a week for hardcore lifting, he told me it was great that I wasn't using scales because I was going into the dreaded stall soon and would slow down for awhile, I told him I didn't care and was going to keep up my regimen, he said if I could keep up that pace I would hit my 299lb mark 4 months before schedule, I was giving myself until Christmas but looks like August and I should hit my goal weight by February, the point is that we are all different and if I am not at my goal weight by February but I'm in a size 40-42 pant, or 1 or 2x shirt them that is my scale...........

Edited July 24, 2015 by laguerr13

[ShrinkingPeach 1,291]

That scale is a love/hate relationship for sure!

We love it when it drops and yell at it when it doesn't move. Just because it doesn't move doesn't mean you are not changing! If it bothers you now, just wait til after surgery.

Good for you that you took your measurements, they will help your sanity after surgery.

Have a heart to heart with your scale, get your relationship straight with it and what your expectations are. Your scale will understand.

Good luck! You can do this!

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I did take my measurements and I am another 2 inches off my bust and 3 inches off my waist, from about a week ago. It's just so frustrating to me that the scale isn't showing all the hard work I'm putting in. Maybe I'm being dramatic, it's so frustrating though.

So......let me ask you this.

When you are out in public, checking out other people and wishing you were their size, are you seeing the numbers on their scales or their asses in those jeans?

Would you rather be a certain number of pounds or a particular pants size?

Inches are MUCH more important than pounds in my book.

[AvaFern 3,516]

I am also a scale junkie and I have been my entire life. The only times I have gained weight have been when I stopped weighing myself every day. Much as the scale can put you in a foul mood, it keeps you accountable. As an example, I recently started a new workout program and in 2 days I gained 4 pounds. Logically I know that since my program is major cardio based the weight gain is a combination of an increase in glycogen stores and an increase in Water and that in 1-2 weeks I will start to drop weight. Now, just because logically I know that doesn't mean I didn't want to sob when I saw the scale this morning. I didn't eat more than usual and I worked out hard the last two days so while I know this is not real weight gain, it does make me feel very cranky this morning.

The scale is like your mirror- you can't avoid it forever. You can hide from it and tell yourself that you're only going to weigh only at the doctor's office or that you're losing weight and you don't need the scale to validate you, but ultimately, the scale gives you a quantifiable value to know whether or not you are actually doing good or not. Some days the news isn't good, but you know when you gained a pound or two and you can make an immediate correction as opposed to finding out you gained 10 pounds because you wanted to live in blissful ignorance of the scale.

I hate my scale. It routinely makes me cry. It is also the only reason I am still thin because every single day it reminds me that I can very easily go back to being a fatty again. So this morning while I may have stubbed my toe kicking my scale, I may have shed a tear or two, I also cut down my Breakfast to a half serving, I'll skip the smoothie I was going to get after the gym, I'll skip carbs at dinner, and by tomorrow I'll be back down a pound or two. If you give yourself the chance to modify your diet everyday as needed, you don't have to worry about getting on the scale and having gained far too much weight to lose quickly.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

If this is your pre-op diet to shrink your liver and you have surgery in X days, ditch the scale. You want to be as calm and relaxed going into surgery as possible.

[Miss Mac 6,261]

As usual with many topics, we are on both sides of the fence.

I actually agree 100% with AvaFern. Whe I had my 18 month follow-up recently, the doctor told me to put that scale away and only get it out once a month. So, I did that and gained four pounds.

Well, the scale is back out again, and I check my weight every morning, then make adjustments if necessary. I take the scientific approach that says, "You cannot control that which you do not measure."

[Essence46 493]

Instead of getting on the scale every day, I would suggest picking a weigh-in day one day a week. I was driving myself crazy getting on it every day so, for my sanity, I switched to once a week. It has really helped me calm down and not stress out so much.

[Mrs. Reid 392]

I too am a scale junkie. I am 6 months post op and have no idea what I weigh. My last weight check was at my 6 week post-op checkup. I have been measuring myself and I have gone from size 22 to size 16. I am going to buy a scale next week and see if I can't have a healthier relationship with it than the one I had before. If not, then I am prepared to throw it out again and wait for my next doctors appointment to check my weight.

By the way, it is so nice to know that other people have the same scale junkie problem that I have.

[blessed7 29]

While I understand wanting to track and adjust, doesn't your weight fluctuate daily anyway? Meaning if you weigh everyday and adjust daily how will you ever know if something is working? It takes more than a day to see the benefits of any work you have done to make changes with your body. Just my thoughts but I'm no expert. Just trying to see the benefits of weighing yourself everyday.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

While I understand wanting to track and adjust, doesn't your weight fluctuate daily anyway? Meaning if you weigh everyday and adjust daily how will you ever know if something is working? It takes more than a day to see the benefits of any work you have done to make changes with your body. Just my thoughts but I'm no expert. Just trying to see the benefits of weighing yourself everyday.

Exactly.

My observation is that the daily weighers crave the illusion of control. It is an illusion.

We can control the inputs (food, Water, exercise) but not the outputs (numbers on the scale). Weighing no more than weekly gives me one piece of information that I can use, along with other information (energy, the way my clothes fit, mobility, etc.) to create a snapshot of progress. Then, I can compare to existing data and determine if something needs adjusting.

Weighing more frequently just creates noise and can lead to irrational decisions.