How did you stop obsessing about your weight?

p4ulmiller

I started losing weight last June and have lost a total of 42 pounds pretty consistently since then. I'm really pleased with the way things have gone - achieved through obsessive calorie tracking, eating a deficit and exercise. Over the summer, my primary exercise has been my (new) bicycle and I've racked up a few hundred Ks in that time.

Now that autumn has set in (UK), Ive switched my exercise regime to weight lifting in the garage (SL5x5) and the bike at the weekend, if it isn't too wet.

Since then, my weight loss has slowed to the extent that it has stalled. However, my BF% has dropped considerably from 29% to 26.3% in a fortnight. (I know the limitations of home BIA scales). This suggests a loss of 6.2lbs of BF in that time. This is related to the change of exercise and the whole glycogen/muscle/noobie gain thing. Awesome, right?

I get tons of compliments, I can wear smaller shirts and I look much, much better. Some people I haven't seen for a while double-take because they haven't recognised me when I've said hi. The weight regime is giving me definition in my upper and lower body that I've never seen before. And I should be delighted with this. But for some reason, I'm not.

Because I can't stop obsessing about my weight. I get disappointed when I weigh myself because I'm not losing the pounds that I was losing before. And I weigh every day, which I know I shouldn't.

How do I switch my mentality? I consistently feel that I need the scale to keep me on track, even though I read article after article about throwing the scales away. I think I'm afraid that I'll lose track of progress if I don't keep on collecting the data.

How did you let go? Have you got any tips for me?

firstsip

There's a few different ways to approach this.

The fact that you're losing body fat % is huge. Lifting weights generally results in a less rapid show of weight loss on the scale, but a quicker way of reducing body fat % without losing LBM.

You could try focusing on things that are a better indication of change for you--inches and body fat %. However, that could lead to obsessing over that, for you... and checking body fat %/measurements everyday would be silly, with how water retention and other things can alter it just as quickly as pounds on the scale.


Honestly, to stop obsessing, focus on your strength gains. Work on your fitness levels. Obsess over getting stronger and fitter. Try putting your "check ins" with weights, body fat %, etc. to weekly, or better yet, monthly. Eventually, one day, you'll realize you hadn't thought about stepping on the scale in awhile. You'll look in the mirror and think, "Wow... I've made some progress!" All because you were focusing on things that are easier for you to control (fitness) than the daily, and even hourly, changes on a scale.

Rogsman

Hey - you're not alone and almost the exact same numbers. Extremely slow pace breaking 200 lbs after destroying weight for months. I feel like it's a battle for every ounce from here on out and it's been going on for several weeks.

I'm changing up my exercise routine now to try to shock my body out of this, but everything I've researched is that all this is very normal and to just keep going. I really hate those words. It's extremely frustrating.

I know my body is going through a positive shift, it's very obvious and noticed by everyone, but a hard thing to wrap your mind around when the standard of success for the last five months has been scale movements.

p4ulmiller

Thanks guys. Easier said than done, I guess.

Perhaps I'll employ a hypnotist to make me think the scales are boiling hot or something! ;-)