Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

What is your "scale" strategy?



Recommended Posts

Before surgery, I made the conscious decision not to purchase a scale. In previous weight loss attempts, I have become unhealthily obsessed with weighing myself. I chose to only weigh at the doctor's office and/or nutritionist appointments so that I could focus on following the plan and not allowing the numbers to influence me. My plan is to invest in a good scale when I enter maintenance.

On the plus side, I don't see stalls, if any are happening. The numbers have no bearing on me and I really like that. However, I'm still 4 weeks out from my next appointment and really interested in where my weight loss is at this point. I know I've lost since my last doctors appointment, I just don't know how much.

Now I'm curious as to how often others are weighing. If you weigh at home, how often are you weighing and how do yiu feel about it? Anyone else choosing not to step on the scale?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I weigh once a week. At home and at the gym. I am thinking about stopping though. It is so hot and I keep retaining Water, it isn't accurate at all.

I might just go to once a month weighing. It is much easier to feel the differences than to see the differences on a scale.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I usually step on the scale every morning, but I only record my weight (in My Fitness Pal) once a week. The further out from surgery I get and the more slowly I lose, I may have to restrict myself to only getting on the scale once a week, though. We'll see how crazy it makes me...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I've decided to get rid of my scale and only go by what the doc says or give it to my psych and weigh once a week there. I know my tendency to let my emotions and self concept get caught up in the scale. I've also engaged in restricting and purging behaviors when my scale wasn't showing what it was suppose to before a weigh in. I have to stop that lunacy, and the first step, for me, is no scale....until maintenance where I will watch it like a hawk so I don't fool myself into gaining all my weight back. The control food and weight has over my mind is ridiculous! But I'm breaking free!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

in the beginning I would weigh daily, sometimes more than that - GASP! I loved the days where I'd see a 2-3 pound weight loss, but on the flip side of that would lose my mind if I gained. The scale made me crazy. My husband hid the scale from me and brought it out once a week - that saved my sanity.

I did start a photo journal and took my measurements every month. This also helped - if the scale wasn't moving, I would take my measurements and, sure enough, I was losing inches. I'd take a selfie and see the difference in my body and face - I was getting smaller.

The scale is not representative of what's going on inside your body - the scale won't show you fat lost and muscle gained. A picture will show you that. How your clothes feel will show you that.

Now, nearing two years out, I weigh probably 1-2 times a month. It just doesn't have the same control over me it has had over the past 25 years of my life. I will never hand over the power to the scale again - it's not worth it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I weigh myself each morning when I get out of bed. This is usually my lowest weight for the day. I log the weight. I do not obsess about my weight. I just use it as a tool while I experiment with food and meals. It has taught me a lot.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I weigh every morning but if I don't lose for a couple of days I assume I am stalling and then stay off the scales for a bit.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I weigh once a week.. On Sunday's only...I write my weight down because I'm a visual person....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm only 20 days out so I suppose my attitude toward the scale will change over time.

As for now... I'm obsessed with it. I actually put my scale into the closet so I wouldn't weigh every day. Didn't work out! I still do it. However, in the week 1 and 2 I would step on the scale billions of times a day, so I guess that is still an improvement. (?)

However, I only log my weight once a week, each Monday.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

First thing in the morning after trip to bathroom. I wait about twenty minutes and step back on. That's my weight for the day. I mentally track what I see twice, so if it's 206 on the first weigh in and 205.5 on the second I consider 206 the weight for the day. I am doing the Labor Day Challenge and I am going to maintain the Monday weigh-ins as my weight if asked.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I weigh myself every morning, but use the number as a guideline only. A number on the scale doesn't always know about fat, muscle, Water intake, etc. If my weight has gone up a bit, I think back to what I ate the day before. If I see a need to cut back something, fine. But if not, then I assume my body is doing its balancing act around 143 lbs. Im okay with this weight, as my final goal was to about 140 lbs, happy and healthy. Mission Accomplished !!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I weigh myself every morning, but use the number as a guideline only. A number on the scale doesn't always know about fat, muscle, Water intake, etc. If my weight has gone up a bit, I think back to what I ate the day before. If I see a need to cut back something, fine. But if not, then I assume my body is doing its balancing act around 143 lbs. Im okay with this weight, as my final goal was to about 140 lbs, happy and healthy. Mission Accomplished !!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have always weighed daily and have done very well even through stalls. My longest stall was 28 days.

As I am now within 25lbs of my goal I have to say I am ready to smash my pretty glass scale as it has become very frustrating. I knew these days would come but now that I am here it sucks.

I have been stalled again now for 11 days and decided this morning not to weigh daily any longer mostly because I am reacting stupidly. Meaning I am adjusting my eating drastically from one day to the next and it is not making any difference anyway.

So the moral of the story is, I need to stay the hell off my scale and just focus on sticking to my eating plan. Otherwise my pretty scales will be in teeny tiny glass pieces. LOL!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can easily gain 5 pounds in a week if I don't weigh every day. For example, I gained 1 1/2 pounds overnight last night and now it will probably take me a week to lose it, even if it is just Water. It's not fair, but a while back I actually stayed off the scale for a month and gained ten pounds. Unfortunately, I need my scale to keep me in line. It is easier to compensate daily than to have to undo a month's worth of backsliding.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • bellaamey

      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×