The mighty scale

[highfunctioningfatman 2,675]

Is anyone else tired of their weight defining who you are? I exceeded the capacity of my 300 pound scale about 3 years ago. According to my doctors scale I was 315 last April. If all goes well then tomorrow I will have utter glee adding lead to my scale as large chunks exit the back of my scale. It should be quite therapeutic! I've also decided that nobody else needs to know my weight either including my doctor. I have a commercial driver's license that I will have to step on a scale for ever two years as a requirement for my medical card but everyone else can pound sand. All I care about is being happy with myself and that damn scale sure never did.

[chrisredjeep 357]

Good for you! I feel like doing that this morning. I weigh every day ( yes I know) and I've just been on the scales this morning and after a week of family staying and getting off track well there is a gain. Sure it will be gone by the middle of next week but it just sets my mood for the day which is not happy.

Think ill join you in disposing of the flipping things!

Good luck to us both

[Dub 9,922]

Personal philosophy is good to establish on the subject, I suppose.

The scale is simply a tool as far as I'm concerned. It shows one single metric.....my weight. As a weight loss surgery patient, I find the scale a damn important tool.

Clothes can lie....as we all can dress with larger or smaller cuts of clothing or even change colors and the look/fit is different. The scale, though, shows the cold hard fact of whether or not I've lost or gained.

It's gonna be a huge tool when I reach the fighting weight I want to live with, too. It takes only a few seconds to hop on it and get a reading each day. Trends can be countermeasured in a swift and easy way.

I'll keep fresh batteries in my scale and look forward to the weight readings at various doctor's appointments. It's a number that I'm proud of and will remain proud of. That was sort of the point of bringing out the big guns and attacking my weight with the aid of wls. It is a priority in my life and one that drives many other aspects. Keeping it under wraps will better ensure that all else goes smoothly.

I need my scale and the data it can provide. So do my doctors.

Being defined by my weight......nope. I get what you are saying there. I was a jovial fat guy. I still am. Just not quite as fat and hell of a lot more healthy which makes me happier. A smile now isn't forced....it's genuine and full of relief.

[WLSResources/ClothingExch 3,443]

You're certainly entitled to choose to do as you wish with your scale and others. Your decision, though, seems counter-intuitive enough that I wonder if you've had surgery or intend to have surgery.

My weight doesn't define me, yet it is a factor in who and what I am in my eyes. It matters. Being aware of my weight in numbers helps me stay mindful so that I don't lose track and gain more. I became aware of truck weigh stations when I was a young thing on a cross-country adventure. You conjure a picture for me of myself were I to stray: Only a machine at the state line would have the capacity to measure my weight.

I don't have a scale, having discarded many years ago the ancient analog type. Since surgery I've had a few bouts of wanting to buy a new one, but have chosen to weigh myself each time I'm in any doctor's office. I don't care if there is a few pounds' discrepancy; when one talks about losing 100, what difference can a couple make? As long as I'm eating properly, weighing only at offices works for me. Seeing a number that drops consistently tells me I'm doing good work which is a reward itself. It is also concrete evidence that I'm achieving what I set out for.

Forget all that. Seeing the number diminishing is exhilarating. It's that simple and it's that good.

Edited August 14, 2016 by WLSResources/ClothingExch

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Is anyone else tired of their weight defining who you are? I exceeded the capacity of my 300 pound scale about 3 years ago. According to my doctors scale I was 315 last April. If all goes well then tomorrow I will have utter glee adding lead to my scale as large chunks exit the back of my scale. It should be quite therapeutic! I've also decided that nobody else needs to know my weight either including my doctor. I have a commercial driver's license that I will have to step on a scale for ever two years as a requirement for my medical card but everyone else can pound sand. All I care about is being happy with myself and that damn scale sure never did.

Good for you! Have fun destroying your scale.

What worked for me was to only weigh at doctors appointments, especially early out post-op. Now, I weigh no more than once a week.

There was a long period of time before surgery when I just didn't want to know what I weighed, and didn't.

One of the critical success factors for me during the WLS process is to be rigorously honest with myself and my medical team. That includes my weight. Now, I look forward to stepping on the scale at the doctors office.

I don't share the number on the scale with anyone else unless there is a need to know. I put it on my ticker on BariatricPal and have shared the number with a couple of people who were sincerely considering WLS and were obviously suffering with their obesity.

I think one of the first steps for me towards WLS was to buy a scale that was rated to handle my weight. Even it had a difficult time recording my weight. Now, when I step on it is simply registers a number.

[AvaFern 3,516]

For me the scale is like the best-friend that you sometimes want to slap because she insists on telling you the truth when you don't want to hear it.

The scale keeps me sane. When I was overweight and not losing weight, I hated the scale and I would avoid it, which then resulted in gaining even more weight. Since the sleeve, I have weighed myself and written down the weight every single day (which is coming up on 3 years). Every morning I weigh myself on three scales- not because I'm crazy, but because scales fluctuate sometimes and when I see that all of them went up, or that all of them are getting close to the top of my 3-pound fluctuation allowance, then that same day I go back to watching what I eat. One scale syncs to MyFitnessPal, one has cool measurements (body density, etc) and one has giant numbers and it was the scale I bought before surgery and I like it, so it stays. I can say that it is my scale that keeps me from obsessing over my weight and it is what has kept me thin.

It is also my scale that keeps me from wondering why suddenly all of my clothing is a little looser and people keep telling me I look like I lost weight. I've been at goal for about 1.5 years now and within 5 pounds for about 20 months and my weight hasn't fluctuated. This summer I had some dental work done, which I think has contributed to a total lack of interest in food because it all hurt my mouth. For a few weeks I just haven't had much interest in food, so while my clothes are a little looser, my scale just says I am at the bottom of the fluctuation range I give myself, so I know that I'm healthy and not actually losing any significant amount of weight. My scale lets me know when I eat too much and I need to cut back, but it also lets me know that if I've gone a few weeks without eating a lot and not feeling great that no, I'm not actually wasting away like my clothing makes it feel, but that I lost 3 pounds and that I am actually well above the healthy low-weight for my height. The scale gives you a reliable, quantitative number to base your decisions on...like it or hate it, for me it's what keeps me healthy.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

The scale is really important for me to hold myself accountable. I got fat by not weighing myself on a regular basis.

I thought I was obsessing about my weight for a while so I started weighing myself 3 times a day for like 2 weeks, so I could see all the flucations. That helped me detach from the scale. It is kind of like your credit score. It just shows a picture at that moment, (like your score can drop with a maxed out card but if you pay it off, it will go up as soon as it reports), but it does show your spending habits. Weight is Fluid, it changes all the time based on the content of our bodies.

I know that for me to be long term successful, I need to weigh myself daily or every other day and log every thing I eat forever.

If you have let go of the scale, awesome.

BTW, Drs really need to know your weight, a lot of medicine is prescribed by weight, it isn't just a method of fat shaming people, it has a legit medical purpose.

[LipstickLady 25,682]

Is anyone else tired of their weight defining who you are? I exceeded the capacity of my 300 pound scale about 3 years ago. According to my doctors scale I was 315 last April. If all goes well then tomorrow I will have utter glee adding lead to my scale as large chunks exit the back of my scale. It should be quite therapeutic! I've also decided that nobody else needs to know my weight either including my doctor. I have a commercial driver's license that I will have to step on a scale for ever two years as a requirement for my medical card but everyone else can pound sand. All I care about is being happy with myself and that damn scale sure never did.

I admire your enthusiasm and realization that the number on the scale in no way defines YOU -- I feel exactly the same. That said, your health care professional should have access to your weight.

Weight means nothing to the general public, but it does determine prescription doses, further needed health care screening, etc.

If you truly believe you do not equal the number on the scale, why should your doctor knowing it disturb you even a little?

[KristenLe 5,979]

Your health care team NEEDS to know your weight. If you don't want it to define you - that's fine - but it's a necessity in medical care.

[highfunctioningfatman 2,675]

A couple of quick points. As to questioning if I plan on wls, it is paid for out of my pocket on the 29. Many of you have mentioned obsessive behavior with your scale, that would drive me insane. The final point is that my doctor doesn't need my weight, it is a standard of care expected from patients. The only time weight is a factor for typical medicines is when you go in for anesthesia. Those words are directly from my doctor.

[reducer623 137]

For me the scale is like the best-friend that you sometimes want to slap because she insists on telling you the truth when you don't want to hear it.

The scale keeps me sane. When I was overweight and not losing weight, I hated the scale and I would avoid it, which then resulted in gaining even more weight. Since the sleeve, I have weighed myself and written down the weight every single day (which is coming up on 3 years). Every morning I weigh myself on three scales- not because I'm crazy, but because scales fluctuate sometimes and when I see that all of them went up, or that all of them are getting close to the top of my 3-pound fluctuation allowance, then that same day I go back to watching what I eat. One scale syncs to MyFitnessPal, one has cool measurements (body density, etc) and one has giant numbers and it was the scale I bought before surgery and I like it, so it stays. I can say that it is my scale that keeps me from obsessing over my weight and it is what has kept me thin.

It is also my scale that keeps me from wondering why suddenly all of my clothing is a little looser and people keep telling me I look like I lost weight. I've been at goal for about 1.5 years now and within 5 pounds for about 20 months and my weight hasn't fluctuated. This summer I had some dental work done, which I think has contributed to a total lack of interest in food because it all hurt my mouth. For a few weeks I just haven't had much interest in food, so while my clothes are a little looser, my scale just says I am at the bottom of the fluctuation range I give myself, so I know that I'm healthy and not actually losing any significant amount of weight. My scale lets me know when I eat too much and I need to cut back, but it also lets me know that if I've gone a few weeks without eating a lot and not feeling great that no, I'm not actually wasting away like my clothing makes it feel, but that I lost 3 pounds and that I am actually well above the healthy low-weight for my height. The scale gives you a reliable, quantitative number to base your decisions on...like it or hate it, for me it's what keeps me healthy.

I love the analogy you used about the scale being that very blunt best friend, so true!

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[LadyK44 263]

I know for many people the scale is a point of pain and denial. It is real easy not to feel fat if you do not use it. People abuse everything including our scales.

I am working with my scale. In many different ways, my scale is becoming my friend. When I was 80 pounds bigger we hated each other. Now we hate each other a little less with each lost pound. This is just my story. I have named my scale Betty.

Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

[Lema 236]

Every single day, first thing in the morning. I lose one or two pounds in a week and I know that's damn slow but I don't care. When I see that number declining on the scale, I feel like .. I don't know.. I feel amazing. It motivates me and I love it. As others mentioned, I need to know that I am not gaining. If it stays the same or reduces slowly, that's alright. Rome was not built in a day.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

[highfunctioningfatman 2,675]

Damn you guys...

I shot the piss out of my scale and it felt great! Fifty rounds through my .357 up in the woods making that piece of crap dance! Ahhhhh!

One of my other duties at work is that I teach defensive driving. I was teaching a class 2 days before my pre op diet and I was stressing using mirrors while backing not just the camera. I always stress that the back up camera is a tool, the mirrors are a tool, keeping your eyes moving is a skill and a tool, getting your happy butt out of the seat and looking behind you isn't you lacking skills, it is using your brain as a tool.

Then came my training line that hit me right between the eyes, "a mechanic doesn't just use a screwdriver, he uses every tool available to him to get the job done right".

I went out and bought another scale. Not a fancy thing that I hate like my last one that I had to type with my toes to get that damn thing to work but a simple one that I step on it, it gives me a number and I tell it to piss off.

My doctor can still kiss my already saggy ass though. I still have no desire to have my number defined in the scrolls of time.

[cqlleen 13]

I have a family member hide the scale and bring it out once a week for me .

Sent from my SM-N910T using the BariatricPal App