Can anyone argue why this isn't a good idea?

beth0277

kshama2001 wrote: »

beth0277 wrote: »

Asking for someone to argue on MFP is kind of an oxymoron but here goes-

I've tried to lose weight so many times. I'm an emotional eater and I'm working on that and being more mindful of how I feel when I eat and that sort of thing. I have never had a scale obsession. When I'm trying to lose weight, I typically weigh myself every few days or maybe once a week. It never fails that one of the following two things happens: Either I have a good loss and I think "Hey, this is great, I should take today off since I'm doing so good - it won't hurt" or I don't lose (or lose less than I would like) and think "What's the point, I'm going to just eat bad today". So either way I end up binging and it takes a week or so to get back on track.

So right now I'm really focused on being healthier, not being a specific weight. If we look at the numbers, I need to lose 50-ish pounds. My plan is to eat what makes me feel good, most of the time, and stay under 1500 calories a day (My TDEE around 2000), work out a few times a week (I have a chest HRM and typically burn around 600 calories/workout). And forget about the rest. I plan to not weigh myself until I have 365 days logged in MFP. I am at 20 days right now. I just think this helps me focus on feeling better and taking care of myself rather than what the scale says or how fast it is moving.

So does anyone have an argument as to why this is a bad idea?

I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad idea, however, I think a better idea would be to learn to recognize and control your Sabotaging Thoughts, which I'd bet are not just limited to weigh-ins.

This book on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for overeating was available in my library system.

The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

Can thinking and eating like a thin person be learned, similar to learning to drive or use a computer? Beck (Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems) contends so, based on decades of work with patients who have lost pounds and maintained weight through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Beck's six-week program adapts CBT, a therapeutic system developed by Beck's father, Aaron, in the 1960s, to specific challenges faced by yo-yo dieters, including negative thinking, bargaining, emotional eating, bingeing, and eating out. Beck counsels readers day-by-day, introducing new elements (creating advantage response cards, choosing a diet, enlisting a diet coach, making a weight-loss graph) progressively and offering tools to help readers stay focused (writing exercises, to-do lists, ways to counter negative thoughts). There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if readers learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach. (Apr.)

I'm actually working through a cognitive behavioral book on emotional eating right now. I'm trying to work on removing the emotion from it, and working strictly on feeling my healthiest, which is behind the idea of not weighing.

jgnatca

I think it could be a great approach! I agree with you that the scale is not a great measure of success (or failure). However I do believe in SMART goals. How about setting weekly targets like completing your fitness routine as planned, or staying within your calorie range most days? That you can evaluate weekly without going on the scale.

You can then adjust as you go as you learn more about your motivations and what works.

You might want to do some reading on Cognitive Distortion and "All or nothing thinking". I believe this sort of thinking might be setting off your emotional eating at times.

I can totally relate to the feeling of defeat when the scale does not reflect my hard work. And the sense of victory when the stubborn pounds finally come off, even if my week may have been "bad". Was the scale ever right? Or only approximating my relative success....

singingflutelady

At the moment I only get weighed every 6 weeks at the infusion clinic before my Remicade infusion (they base how much medication you get on your body weight) I was obsessed with the scale. I am a mostly recovered anorexic and weighed myself at least 8 times a day so stopping weighing myself was necessary

beth0277

I just wanted to give a really short term update. I haven't weighed myself in a week and I feel more confident in my ability to stick to my plan than I ever have in the past. I'm sure I haven't lost much, but just knowing that I've done well every day and not binged is powerful for me. I feel like for me, personally, seeing a small (or no) loss would take away the feeling of confidence that I have so I am happy as of now with deciding not to weigh for a while.