Habits are hard to break!
Options
beachwoman2006
Posts: 1,214 Member
Those who have been with me during this "journey" (hate that term) may remember that I've been a daily weigher since reaching my goal weight in 2004. I did that so that I could "keep a grip" on things. I didn't let the daily fluctuations bother me as long as, overall, things were staying steady.
I created a spreadsheet to track those daily weights. In addition, the spreadsheet tracked my weekly average weight. As long as that was somewhere around my goal weight I was happy.
I also started a separate sheet for each year that one started with my weight as of 12/31 of the previous year. My goal each year was to weigh no more on 12/31 of the current year than I did on 12/31 of the previous year.
Fast forward to last Sunday when I hit the reboot button (for the umpteenth time). I decided that I would NOT weigh myself daily until I was back to my goal weight -- only once a week. On Sunday morning.
I didn't realize how hard it was going to be for me to break the habit of stepping on the scale first thing every morning. So far I haven't done it. But this morning the devil on one shoulder was saying, "Damn. You've been doing very well since last Sunday. Aren't you dying to see whether it's produced any results?" And the angel on the other shoulder said, "Ignore him. What if you step on that scale and see no change in 5 days? Or worse, you see a small gain? What's that going to do to your psyche? Are you just going to quit?"
I listened to the angel. But I gotta tell you, I feel like I'm going into scale withdrawal! I can't wait until Sunday morning to step on that scale!
I created a spreadsheet to track those daily weights. In addition, the spreadsheet tracked my weekly average weight. As long as that was somewhere around my goal weight I was happy.
I also started a separate sheet for each year that one started with my weight as of 12/31 of the previous year. My goal each year was to weigh no more on 12/31 of the current year than I did on 12/31 of the previous year.
Fast forward to last Sunday when I hit the reboot button (for the umpteenth time). I decided that I would NOT weigh myself daily until I was back to my goal weight -- only once a week. On Sunday morning.
I didn't realize how hard it was going to be for me to break the habit of stepping on the scale first thing every morning. So far I haven't done it. But this morning the devil on one shoulder was saying, "Damn. You've been doing very well since last Sunday. Aren't you dying to see whether it's produced any results?" And the angel on the other shoulder said, "Ignore him. What if you step on that scale and see no change in 5 days? Or worse, you see a small gain? What's that going to do to your psyche? Are you just going to quit?"
I listened to the angel. But I gotta tell you, I feel like I'm going into scale withdrawal! I can't wait until Sunday morning to step on that scale!
2
Replies
-
It got easier for me once I saw 3 losses in a row.0
-
I still do daily weighing but it's not bothering me right now. I have slipped away from doing the spread sheets though.0
-
Cindy good post and I can really relate. I have been a daily weigher way before I joined WW. It was a not a digital scale so I know it had it's issues. However I have been using a digital scale since WW 2010. I have made a major slip up in the last 6 months even with weighing daily. Sometimes I wonder if weighing daily this long for me becomes a callous type scenario. So more to come from me on this subject later. Good luck on this coming Sunday WI for you.0
-
I have been a "daily" person for 11 years, not sure I could break that habit even if I wanted to!
Good luck tomorrow morning0 -
I can see where that would be a tough change Cindy @beachwoman2006 . Though my time with weight management is much shorter than yours, I did my losing without daily weigh-ins. Seeing people live and die by the scale early on in WW made me realize (quickly) I did not want to be stuck in that place so in my first week, I decided only to weigh in only at my meeting.
After reaching goal and conferring with fellow GOADies, I switched to daily weighing, particularly so I could monitor the 7-day moving average. Try as I might to avoid it, I can see how and why people become scale-obsessed. A reading on the right or wrong side of the equation can influence my mood and/or behavior. I don't carry it around as a burden if I'm up more than I think I should be but I do find it has more influence on me than I wish it did. On the other hand, when I travel and don't have the scale, I don't find myself anxious. I tend to be very mindful in those circumstances and usually return home no or little worse for wear.
Though I don't always like what I see, I'm OK with the daily weigh-in now. It's a number with all the shortcomings we've discussed here before. But it is also a habit and behavior and I find myself just a wee bit uneasy when I don't start my day with it so I can appreciate where you're coming from. Have fun tomorrow...1
