:w00t:Stop scale Obsession

Do you weigh yourself every day? Do you worry about even the slightest change in your weight? If you answered yes to either of these questions, you may be obsessing over the scale — and if you're trying to maintain healthy habits, this behavior can actually be counterproductive.

The truth is, your weight may change from day to day for many reasons. Fluid retention, hormonal fluctuations, constipation, and even the food you eat right before stepping on the scale can cause daily ups and downs. These variations can be misleading and worrisome if you don't understand them. For an accurate measurement of your weight, weigh yourself only once each week and on the same scale every time (different scales may give different readings). An even better method of measuring your success is to let your belt be your guide. If your clothes fit better and you feel better, then you're getting healthier — even if the bathroom scale doesn't show big changes.

Ultimately, it's up to you to stop scale obsession. Weight loss takes time, so patience is required.Remember, if you're practicing weight-healthy habits, you will enjoy better health, and the extra pounds will come off in the process — whether you step on the scale every day or never again.

I confess - I weigh every day, sometimes multiple times!

BUT. I do know about fluctuation. I have a chart in my bathroom where I write down the weight on one day and around the same time (morning, usually before I eat.)

It's just been sooooo cool to watch the numbers go down and down. I never was able to accomplish that pre-band.

I am quite the "offender" as well! I know that I shouldn't but it drives me nuts wondering. Recently I have hit a massive plateau and it is totally bumming me out and I keep losing and regaining the same 5-10 pounds! I know I need to lay off the scale so I am going to make a concerted effort to only weigh in the morning!

Thanks for the reminder!

Alisa

I am obsessive about it too. I had to have my hubby hide the scale from me! :confused_smile: Although, I must say, that I am lighter in the evenings rather than the mornings... so by weighing a lot, I got to find that out!

I used to absolutely hate to step on the scale, and I also find myself weighing every day. I get so bummed when it goes up even half a pound. My husband always knows when I have weighed and gained a little by the look on my face when I come out of the bathroom in the morning. :confused_smile:

My Aunt was banded about 3 months ago and she refuses to buy a scale, she is afraid she will start living by the scale. I never understood what she meant, until now.

I weigh every morning when I get up. I don't get upset if it's up a couple pounds and it's never gone up beyond that. But it does let me know if I need to rein in my eating for that day or I can relax about it and eat normally. I just make some minor little adjustments. I won't get depressed and bummed until I'm up like 5 pounds. (then I think I would FREAK.) Most of the time it's the same or a little less. It makes me accountable. Some mornings I'm so groggy and in need of coffee I forget all about weighing. No big deal. I'll get it the next day.

I've been a daily weigher for as long as I can remember. When I was gaining, it used to ruin my whole day.

Now that I am losing, I can handle small spikes in the scale because I know they are temporary.

As for the professional advice to stay off the scale, I find that a little hypocritical since I was denied my lapband the first time through. Then when I appealed and had gained about 15 pounds, they approved it based on the higher BMI and my letters.

How can we ignore the scales when the doctors and insurance companies use it to evaluate our approval and success?

I must confess as well! Now that I have my new digital scale that is quite in sync with the scale at the Dr.'s office I do weigh myself every a.m. when I first get out of bed, after I hit the head (bathroom) that is. I agree it can be an obsession but I don't feel like I'm obsessing over it. I do keep track of the #'s and it helps to stay on track. I consider my true weight to be every two weeks since that has been my schedule meeting with the Dr. I'm doing so well that he doesn't want to see me for 6 weeks( I guess that means I'm currently in the green zone), now I just may freak out for not getting my Dr. Gorgeous fix and weigh in but I think I'll just take it one step at a time and see how it goes.

I weigh daily and for me, its a healthy habit. Low weight means I think "well done, keep going", up 2lb means "wow, better pay a little closer attention".

It doesnt affect my mood or set the tone for my day it simply allows me to act on the smallest upward fluctation before it gets to be a problem.

For maintenance, I think daily weighing is a good thing.

She is right! I don't even own a scale....I like that I have to go way out of the way to weigh myself. The scale that I use is at my job, way in another buliding from the one I am in. So when I do want to weigh myself, (which is once a week), I really have to make an effort....

the above was to Jessica 1977...lol

Edited May 19, 200818 yr by shaunni78
forgot a word

I confess.. I weigh myself every morning. The scale is in my bathroom and it is part of my daily routine. I understand the factors that affect my weight so I do not let it get me down if the numbers go up. It actually helps me stay on track.

Edited May 19, 200818 yr by readytoloselbs

Yea Shaunni - I totally understand now what my Aunt's logic is! And I totally agree with her!

In the begining I weighed every day to stay on track, but then I cut back to 2x a week, now I try to stay to 1x week, and usually on home scale or Dr. scale. I found between home dr and gym I would get 3 different weights within 2 hrs with no eating or drinking, was really confusing. I decided mine and the Dr were the most similiar so I use them to make sure I am staying on track, but I use my tape measure, and my energy level as a better way to measure my success. I have learned that when I do a longer more intense workout on M,W,F, taking off S,Sun, and lighter workouts T,TH I do really well. If I skip Friday and go 3 days with no workout at all, my monday routine it harder to get through.

I remember about 7 yrs ago, I got sick with an intestinal blockage and later complications, that resulted in inablitliy to hold down food and I started losing weight, funny thing was I didn't own a scale and didn't even notice the weight loss so much until my husband called me baggy butt one night because my underpanties were so big, I had been so busy trying to find out what was wrong, and getting through lots of test, and staying busy keeping my spirits up that I had lost 30lbs and not realized it since I wasnt jumping on a scale. I knew my clothes were loose but it just wasn't registering because losing weight wasn't what I was trying to do at that time.

I guess its like anything else, it can work for the good or bad. We just have to choose which one we will let it be.

I'm also a (almost) daily weigher. It helps me keep accountable. I also go up and down a lot and usually by a lot b/c I retain fluids so easily. I can tell if I didn't get enough fluids the day before b/c the AM weigh-in will be high. Reminds me to make sure to get enough Water that day and a little more if I can.

B/c of insurance requirements I am in a 20 session weight management class and we weigh-in every Thursday evening before class, so that is my official weight b/c that's what Kaiser is using for my records. My scale is actually a couple of lbs higher than theirs so when I weigh on mine that AM, I can usually tell if that night is going to be a loss or a gain. If my scale says anything close to what I weighed-in the week before, I know I'll have a loss. I also play their scale. I'll eat a late lunch and stop the water about 2 hours before class. Class starts at 6:30PM, I use the restroom before weigh-in (I also have a 1hr + drive to get to class, so by then I NEED the restroom!), then I'll start drinking my water again! That way, I'm pretty close to what my AM weigh-ins are like at home minus the actual scale difference.

I guess you could say I'm a little obsessive. At least about the class weigh-in. They require us to lose 10% while in class before we can even get to a surgery date. Every week is officially recorded!

Last week was horrible. It was TOM which also "helps" in the Fluid retention department and I was HUNGRY and Wednesday didn't drink hardly any water (crazy day!), so Thursday night at class I knew it was going to be bad. It was... +4.8! UGH!!!!! This week is much better. May not get all of that back off but I am back down at least a couple of those pounds. We'll find out for sure in a couple of days. :scared2:

I am a daily weigher as well. I do not think it is an obsession and I do NOT freak out about a pound or so up or down. I am aware of fluid retention and constipation, hormonal fluctuations, etc. I like to keep myself accountable, and the daily weight check does just that. So far it has not failed me.