Terrified to get on the scale

bethwr1

I was doing so well, and feeling so good for months. . . I've been off the good eating habit wagon for about four weeks. I'm so disgusted with myself, feel like crap, clothes are tight. I know I need to get back on the scale and deal with it, but I'm just afraid I'll be just sick about it.

Anyone been there, done that? Advice?

AmyRhubarb

So why get on the scale? If you're ready to make the changes, start by logging your foods and getting your eating back on track. Pay attention to how clothes fit, hopefully getting looser again as you focus on staying within goal, and then after 2-4 weeks, give the scale a spin just for fun.

Or if that number stresses you so much, grab a tape measure and a camera instead, record your measurements, snap a few front and side view pics for later comparison, and track that way. It's a much better gauge of progress than the scale anyway.

Kalikel

If you don't want to get on the scale, don't get on the scale. It's crazy to feel all that anxiety over something you don't have to do!

Do what will make you happy. If getting back on track without getting on the scale will make you happier, do that!

Don't worry, be happy.

bergpa

I used to avoid the scale too and then I was in a car accident. In the ambulance they asked me how much I weighed so they could give me the correct amount of pain medicine. I didn't know so I just guessed and the number I gave was way too low. It wasn't until I was heading in to surgery days later that they finally got an accurate weight for me.

So for me now, knowing how much I weigh is just a basic life fact that I need to keep track of.

Artionis

IMO, knowing is better than not knowing. Don't be "sick" about the number, be methodical and determined to retake control of your weight and your health. You may have gained a few pounds in the past 4 weeks. OK, that's what 4 weeks off the wagon will do.

Shrug, and get back on the horse metaphorically speaking. And do something not related to your weight that you will be proud of -- take some clothes to a women's shelter, donate a few hours of your time to a cause that matters to you, read to kids at the library.... possibilities are endless and you will start feeling better about yourself. You are so much more than that number on a scale.

bonjourjackie

Yes, I've been there. If you're too afraid to look, then don't look!
I went on the scale one day at my lowest point and realized how much weight I gained.. I was so upset, I binge-ate all day.
I think if I were to change that I wouldn't look at it at all. Just start exercising; take a bootcamp or even run a bit. Do it for a few weeks. If you're confident you wanna know your number, then check it then.

If not, what does it matter? As long as you know you're doing your best and working your hardest then just measure it by the clothes you're wearing.

jdhcm2006

I used to avoid the scale too and then I was in a car accident. In the ambulance they asked me how much I weighed so they could give me the correct amount of pain medicine. I didn't know so I just guessed and the number I gave was way too low. It wasn't until I was heading in to surgery days later that they finally got an accurate weight for me.

So for me now, knowing how much I weigh is just a basic life fact that I need to keep track of.

I just learned something new. Thanks.

CrimsonDiva7

The scale is not your friend even when you are eating right and logging etc. Take your measurements and get on a good meal plan and exercise regimen. Put the scale under the bed and forget about it.

bergpa

I used to avoid the scale too and then I was in a car accident. In the ambulance they asked me how much I weighed so they could give me the correct amount of pain medicine. I didn't know so I just guessed and the number I gave was way too low. It wasn't until I was heading in to surgery days later that they finally got an accurate weight for me.

So for me now, knowing how much I weigh is just a basic life fact that I need to keep track of.

I just learned something new. Thanks.

You're welcome! Trust me when you've got multiple fractures, you want all the pain medicine you're entitled to especially when they start rotating your body for x-rays! (Glad I can laugh about this now.)

tlicttbh

Don't get too hung up about what the scale says. When I had pneumonia and was bedridden for a month and was inactive for several months, I lost 7 pounds without trying...but all my measurements stayed the same and my muscle had turned to flab. It's a good idea to know what you weigh, but I care more about how toned I am. i think the way my clothes fit are a better indicator than the scale. For example, I have a friend and we are both the same height. I am 30 pounds more than she is. I take a size 10-12. She takes a 4. She can barely lift 5 pounds with 2 hands. I can lift 30 pounds with one hand. I'd much rather weigh more and have some muscle.

Mr_Knight

Just do it.

juscsance702

I have struggled with my weight since I was a young girl. Just remember in life we all fall off of some type of wagon, some of us fall a little harder than others, chipping our teeth and thinking that we will never make it. Just remember that you are human and we make mistakes but from those mistakes bigger and better things can and will evolve. The scale has not been my friend either but it is just a machine and it does not define you as a person and has NO CONTROL over you!!! You can do anything you put your mind to. Keep your mind on positive thoughts and not the negative. Tell the SCALE that you are a Bullfighter and you don't walk away from fear , you grab the bull by the horns and show it who's BOSS!! Surround yourself with positive people with positive attitudes.
DON'T BE HARD on YOURSELF!!! Because when you are you can possibly put yourself into comfort food eating and that does not help... LOL

I hope that this encourages you!!! I lost 40lbs and have 45 more to go

Kevalicious99

Just don't bother with the scale then ... there are other ways to measure. Like body fat %, tape measure, how your clothes actually fit or how you look in the mirror ... because the scale weighs 100% of you .. it is a poor way to measure.

Kinda like using cups vs grams to measure food.

_Waffle_

I was doing so well, and feeling so good for months. . . I've been off the good eating habit wagon for about four weeks. I'm so disgusted with myself, feel like crap, clothes are tight. I know I need to get back on the scale and deal with it, but I'm just afraid I'll be just sick about it.

Anyone been there, done that? Advice?

Don't do it. It's better to avoid the truth. Break it and never use it again.

Graelwyn75

Make the changes, get back on track and get on the scale when you feel you are in a better place.
That is what I do.

meltedsno

I used to avoid the scale too and then I was in a car accident. In the ambulance they asked me how much I weighed so they could give me the correct amount of pain medicine. I didn't know so I just guessed and the number I gave was way too low. It wasn't until I was heading in to surgery days later that they finally got an accurate weight for me.

So for me now, knowing how much I weigh is just a basic life fact that I need to keep track of.

I, too, avoid the scale and then fell down a flight of steps. In the ambulance they asked me how much I weighed.. .I didn't know so I guessed and the number I gave was way too high! The attendant guessed that I was about 60 lbs (YES 60LBS!) less than I guessed... as it turned out, he was off by 8 lbs. I gave them the weight I was the last time I weighed, which was 4 months earlier... turned out I had lost 52 lbs!

That was back in November... I've not stepped on the scale since because I am afraid that I weigh more than I think I do right now... I am content knowing that I went from a size 18/20 to a size 4. Someday -- but not today -- I will weigh myself. Until then I will just have to be careful and not walk in my sleep so I don't fall down another flight of steps!

My advice to the OP... don't weigh if you don't want to. I live with the adage "what I don't know, can't hurt"

mallorytravels

Gotta face the truth eventually. If you know you're super bloated and full of crap, eat really well for a couple of days. Weigh yourself then instead.

Marjrides

If you are afraid of the scale, don't weigh in yet, as has been suggested. For myself I like to know exactly what is going on! Earlier this summer I went on two trips (so close together they might have been one) that turned into a 3 1/2 week binge. Altho' I logged into MFP every day, there were many days when I stopped adding after the total reached 2-3 times my calorie goal. I KNEW what the result would be, but kept going anyway and had a great time with family and friends!!! When I got home to my scale, I took a deep breath and stepped on. Yep! Just as I thought! Up 15 pounds in that time. So I got right to work...back on the wagon if you will. One month later I am down 10 of those pounds and the other 5 will be going soon. I am more determined than ever to reach my goal (I was only 4 lbs away before the first trip) and consider the whole thing a part of life. After more than two years on MFP I know what to do and also know that there will be other times when I CHOOSE not to do those things. As long as I do not use the time off as an excuse to continue indefinitely, I will never return to the almost 250 pounds that I was when I joined MFP. I have the tools I need to be in charge of my life! And you can too,OP!!