Considering An Experiment - - Feedback Requested

whathapnd

I'm considering a six-week experiment, and I'd like this group's feedback/questions/ on it.

Despite knowing better, I sometimes give the scale too much power. It will mess with my head both positively and negatively. There are times when I'm "in the zone" from an eating mindfully and tracking at least loosely standpoint, and I don't care about the scale at all because I know the behaviors are there that will lead to weight loss - - and they always do. However, I'm currently having trouble getting back in the zone, and I'm considering giving up a weekly weigh-in (after tomorrow) for at least six weeks and simply focusing on and trusting my behaviors. In order to feel comfortable doing this, I will:

- track diligently/honestly each day

- use the 2011 version of the WW PointsPlus program as my template for how to eat; I'll eat between 1200 - 1300 calories daily using this plan. (That assumes eating up to half of the old "weekly" points.)

- limit junk food to 300 - 500 calories per week

- honestly report my behaviors on the Friday weigh-in thread

I think I'm just feeling the need to mix things up a bit and to force myself to care more/pay more attention to daily behaviors. I think I can do that, but I also know I'm at a place where the weekly weigh-in could influence my behavior positively or negatively. Stupid scale.

I think this will be difficult, because I like data and feedback. But I also think it could be refreshing. I know the behaviors needed for weight loss, and I trust the process. I think I just need a little challenge. Thanks for listening.

Thoughts?

Philtex

"I think this will be difficult, because I like data and feedback."

As a daily weigher I too like, or should I say need, the data and feedback. I like the chance to adjust quickly to increases in my weight, something daily weigh-ins gives me. That said, the key to your proposal seems to be the ability to recognize those small changes before they become big changes. Only you know how perceptive you would be over a 6-week period. Would you consider a peek at the scale after 2 or 3 weeks, just to be safe?

whathapnd

@Philtex, good question. I wrestled with what time interval made the most sense for waiting to look at the scale. When I'm doing things we'll, I tend to lose slowly (according to the scale) for a few weeks then get a nice catch-up weigh-in at week three or four. I picked six weeks to eliminate the let-down of a small loss (or no loss) or the euphoria of a larger than expected loss. I also recognize that any given weigh-in can be influenced by the previous nights intake/output, so I tried to pick an interval long enough to eliminate that variable.

I should also mention that I'm trying not to focus on "How much weight can I lose in six weeks?" That's a different trap my brain would like to fall into. But to your point, I may need to have a safety net that if I think my behaviors aren't what I think they need to be during this experiment that I get on the scale in three weeks. Thanks for making me think a bit more about the interval.

Flintwinch

Personally, I find that the scale can mess with my head, especially daily fluctuations. I weigh weekly and that seems to anchor my weight management efforts. I am a poor judge of weight loss, so for me an experiment such as you suggest for six weeks would not work well for me. Also, a weekly weigh-in helps me to gauge what's working and what isn't. Good Luck with your six-week experiment.

crewahl

My one suggestion? If you’re going to do it, make it a three month commitment. I’m not sure that six weeks is long enough to declare its working. (Conversely, I think in six weeks you’ll have a fairly clear idea if it’s not working.)

My one scientific concern would be that it seems there are a lot of variables in play, and it may hamper your ability to determine the drivers if you want to go forward. Was it the calorie count? Did activity change? Did the difference in mix of food drive it? Was it the 2011 plan that was the key? If you can isolate the experiment to one variable, you’ll be better equipped to make decisions at the conclusion.

whathapnd

Thanks Charlie. All good thoughts.

I originally considered three months, but that seemed like an overwhelming amount of time, and I wasn't sure I could mentally commit to that. It's actually still my preferred interval, and if six weeks without peeking at the scale proves easy, I'll extend it longer.

In terms of knowing if "it's working," what I'm trying to prove to myself is that at my current weight, I don't need a weekly piece of feedback that sometimes turns into a distraction to successfully lose weight. I'm also trying to develop better habits in terms of WHAT I eat, hence going back to the WW PointsPlus program that brought me to goal years ago. Too often lately, I've stayed within my calorie range but eaten a cr@ppy diet. So part of the experiment is trusting that I can develop better habits that will hopefully stick. And honestly, three months is way better for that piece than six weeks. The question is whether curiosity will kill me if things are going well. 😁

Thanks for your input!

whathapnd

For anyone interested in following this experiment, I'm planning to give a four-week update throughout.

Four week synopsis: I confirmed via a WW Studio weigh-in that I've lost at least 2.5 pounds (more on that below.) I didn't feel super "diety" or deprived the past four weeks. It was easy and calming not to step on the scale weekly. I tracked everything every day. Thirty-one day streak, baby!!

Details:
I'm aiming to eat between 1200-1300 calories per day. I averaged 1336 over four weeks. I'm not feeling the need to tighten that up a lot at the moment.

I'm aiming to eat only between 300-500 calories of junk food/alcohol per week. My totals each week were 520, 2635, 586 and 2229. This is an area that needs work. I had eighteen alcoholic drinks over four werks. I'm mainly a social drinker and typically have two drinks per week. I frequently go a couple weeks without any alcohol. There were a lot of events and travel the past month and there's a lot on the horizon between now and the end of the year. I need to draw harder lines here to meet my stated goals. There were eleven days with no junk food.

I decided I would want a monthly weigh-in as a reference point at the end of the experiment, so I stopped by a WW studio on Saturday to weigh in. I'll go every four weeks. I explained to the person doing the weigh-ins what I'm doing and told her I didn't want to know my weight. After weighing me, she smiled and commented, "I'd be ecstatic." So I asked if I'd lost at least 1.5 pounds, and she very cheerfully said, "Yes, would you like to know more?" So I asked if I'd lost at least two pounds, and she smiled and said, "Yes, would you like to know more?" I told her that was all I needed to know. I haven't felt "thinner" or noticed any difference in my clothes, so I was happy to confirm that I'd lost at least a half pound per week. I haven't achieved that since March/April which is why I picked the 1.5 pound reference point. I got in my car then turned the car around because I realized she might have been comparing that days weight to my original WW starting weight. THAT difference would make me "ecstatic." So I went back in and confirmed that she was comparing to my 9/13 weigh-in.

So, I'm happy with the decision to give up the scale for a while. I think getting into the weeds of my weekly calories will help me better navigate the end of the year which is a time I always struggle with . . . so says my weight tracker.

crewahl

Curious is there will be a point where you feel thinner or your clothes fit differently. 🤷🏻‍♂️

whathapnd

Twelve pounds seems to be what I need (without exercise) to move down a size. I think I usually feel a 4-5 pound loss, so I don't think I'm there. I also wonder if I've unconsciously done lower carb recently with my weight loss efforts. I think I feel low carb losses more easily because of the rapid water weight loss. The past month definitely hasn't been low carb. But I tried on a pair of jeans today that I haven't worn in awhile, and they were perhaps more comfortable. Dunno.

I mainly care that I've tracked for 31 days and that the 1300 calories seems to be enough of a deficit, for now, to lose. I'm way more satisfied/satiated at that level. Ooh, and I care that I'm not constantly thinking, "I wonder how much I weigh/what I'll weigh on Friday."

Philtex

Glad that your experiment is working. What do you think you will be able to take away from this long-term?