Hello,

I'm have bypass surgery on 9/18. I have been debating this with myself for sometime as to is I should purchase a scale. I do plan on taking my measurements before surgery also after to track my progress. The only time I weigh myself is at the doctors office. I have read so many post about people stressing over the number on the scale. I just want to be healthy and not focus on the number.

Anyway just asking people that don't own a scale why don't own and how are they tracking their progress?

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I do own a scale, and have learned a ton about what my body does during a weightloss phase by daily weigh-ins.. but I'm not one to stress about weight.

I didn't own a scale before the preop diet. Hiding from my weight is part of how I got as heavy as I did without realizing it. Weekly weigh-ins should become part of my lifelong habits.. keeping me accountable.

In the past, I accomplished weekly weigh ins by NOT owning a scale, but knowing where one was I could go visit (like at a gym). When I own a scale, I tend to weigh every day.

Measurements, clothing fit.. all these are good too. Another way to track is by making exercise goals, and watching progress with that. (Last week i could walk 1 mile, now I can walk 2)...

i think it'd be a great idea not to own a scale during the weight loss period (first year or so after surgery). it will definitely help you avoid obsessing and focusing on health and how you feel.

but i think after the weight loss has ended and you are at your new weight, it is probably a good idea to get a scale at that point. because as we all know, weight loss can be slow, insidious, and sneaky. you won't always see it in the mirror and before you know it, 20lbs have crept on. weekly weigh-ins i think will be crucial to lifelong maintenance.

For the first few months, the doctor's office is enough. You'll be losing like crazy and the loss rate will go up and down, so don't make yourself crazy. Down the road, weekly weigh-ins are good information. I weigh myself at the gym and also take a peek mid-week, just so I don't get blindsided. I don't own one because I hate clutter and don't want it lying around on the bathroom floor

I used to have a really bad relationship with the scale and my sense of accomplishment was tied to what it said. I have worked really hard to detach and use it as an information tool. It took a while and a lot of affirmation statements. I remind myself that the scale is measuring today's mix of bone, fat, water, muscle and organs and can fluctuate with things like the weather, hormones, salt intake, and exercise.

You have to approach the scale with either Zen or scientific curiosity. Like..... "Hmm, that's interesting, I expected the number to have gone down. I wonder why it went up. Have I been on track? Hmmm. Yes, I have been eating right and exercising. Although.... I haven't been tracking, maybe I'm eating more than I realize. OK, this week I will track and see if that makes a difference."

I don't own a scale because I would check my weight constantly for confirmation of weight loss and a second time to make sure I'm not dreaming the weight loss.

Not owning a scale and not weighing myself is how I got super morbidly obese.

Weighing myself is a simple part of my morning now.

Weighing myself every day has allowed me to learn not to stress about what the scale says. It is completely ridiculous sometimes. Weighing myself all the time, has allowed to accept stalls and learn that even though you are eating perfectly, you still might not lose weight, and that is fine.

I feel like having a scale and weighing yourself every day desensitizes you to it so it isn't so dramatic.

17 minutes ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Not owning a scale and not weighing myself is how I got super morbidly obese.

Weighing myself is a simple part of my morning now.

Weighing myself every day has allowed me to learn not to stress about what the scale says. It is completely ridiculous sometimes. Weighing myself all the time, has allowed to accept stalls and learn that even though you are eating perfectly, you still might not lose weight, and that is fine.

I feel like having a scale and weighing yourself every day desensitizes you to it so it isn't so dramatic.

This is how I feel. By weighing myself everyday I see the variations and I don't freak out when I am bouncing back and forth between 1-3 pounds. I only record my weight on Monday mornings, but I like weighing once per day just to see the pattern.

I don't stress about the numbers,

I also weigh myself daily and feel the same way about the daily weights as Outsidematchinside and Apple1. It's nice for me to see how my fluid intake (or lack of), food choices, etc affect my weight on a daily basis but I only record my weight on Saturdays and don't freak out over the fluctuations (both good and bad). It has seriously helped me adjust my habits by seeing my day to day weight... it has also helped me see how my menstrual cycle affects my weight too and it's nice to see what the scale says when I feel I'm retaining water. Before surgery I would feel so defeated seeing the day to day weights but after I'm like *shoulder shrug* whatever no biggie. I agree with Outsidematchinside it definitely does desensitize me and my "official" weigh ins are drama free compared to before surgery when I would almost feel like I needed to be committed to a mental institution after official weigh ins.

I weigh myself every morning after I pee and brush my teeth. I do not vary that. I do not weigh myself again for the rest of the day.
I did not own a scale until I got serious about reclaiming my health. I did not own a scale because I did not want to confront what the scale said.
That was the first thing I had to work through - my shock/shame/dramatization of having let myself get so heavy.
I found pretty quickly however that wore off. Now this is simply a statement of fact. This morning I weighed 280.4.

I enter my weight daily into an ap. I track my weightloss weekly. I also track all food and water.

For me, it works to be rigorous. I became unhealthy because I was scared to deal with the facts.

Now the facts are a tool to be mindful in the goal I have created.

Overall, despite everyone's opinions and experiences of having a scale or not, you'll need to find what works for you. If you can handle the numbers without getting stressed over fluctuations (cause they will happen) then own a scale. If not, don't. I do own a scale, but I don't weigh myself. Sometimes I get a little peek of curiosity (as I did this morning) but I won't do it every day. I thought I could handle it early on and I was frustrated because maybe I didn't lose enough. Rubbish! My journey is my own and no one else's. So I save the weighing for the docs office. Find what works for you.

7 hours ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

feel like having a scale and weighing yourself every day desensitizes you to it so it isn't so dramatic

This could very well work....never thought of that. Hmmmm.....

Hi! Just want to tell you why I don't own a scale. When I was going through my weight loss, I would weigh myself once a day, then it progressed to several times a day. It turned into an unhealthy obsession with me... it stressed me out so much and I would get upset when I would work so hard to loose the weight and didn't see the results I wanted. I finally just tossed my scale and go off of how healthy I feel and how I look. For everyone it's different, some people it's motivating and others it makes it harder. Just go with what feels best for you!

1 hour ago, Newme17 said:

This could very well work....never thought of that. Hmmmm.....

This worked for me. You learn how your body works day to day so you get used to seeing the ups and downs.

Thank you everyone for your feed back I think I'm going to wait and see if I feel as though I need one after surgery.

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9 hours ago, OutsideMatchInside said:

Not owning a scale and not weighing myself is how I got super morbidly obese.

Weighing myself is a simple part of my morning now.

Weighing myself every day has allowed me to learn not to stress about what the scale says. It is completely ridiculous sometimes. Weighing myself all the time, has allowed to accept stalls and learn that even though you are eating perfectly, you still might not lose weight, and that is fine.

I feel like having a scale and weighing yourself every day desensitizes you to it so it isn't so dramatic.

Same here. When I would start seeing myself go up, I stopped weighing. I will use the scale daily now, for accountability. Once I get to goal, I will have a 5-10lb range that I will fight like hell to stay in for the rest of my life.

I definitely agree that it is what's best for you and I am glad that it was said a few times by different people... what works for one won't work for another and part of this journey is figuring what works best for you.