Scale Worshipers

japruzze
japruzze Posts: 453 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a scale worshiper. :love: It hit me this morning while I was arguing with myself about getting on the scale or not as I'm trying to only weigh in one day a week (Wednesday) and today isn't that day. I live and die by the scale. It is the cause of my greatest joy and greatest sadness. Triumph and tragedy are defined by the scale. And today I took it to the next level. I've lost 43 lbs since Jan 1 and gained back 35 lbs. Why did I do the math? Because I worship the scale. Like the rubber space aliens in Toy Story who worship "the claw", for me "the scale". I've even been tempted when I'm out shopping and I see a scale on display, to weigh in.

In my head I get it. I am losing weight (or at least not gaining). I have lost and continue to tone so measurements are going down. I wear smaller clothes regardless of weighing a bit more. I'm in better health. But none of that matters if the "scale" isn't happy.

So what to do about it? Complain? Check! :happy: Sometimes it helps just to write it out. Thanks for listening.
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Replies

  • duetwithjosh
    duetwithjosh Posts: 121
    I think it's harder for us who have been larger/obese to let go of the number on the scale -- it defined our fitness level before, and we want it to define it now. I've slowly come to the realization that the lucky people who don't have weight issues aren't like that... they define their fitness level by their strength, endurance, and the mirror. I'm trying to transition toward the latter, but it's definitely hard!

    Congratulations on all of your progress so far. Keep it up :)
  • kissesfromkrista
    kissesfromkrista Posts: 24
    One of my good friends is a scale worshipper, and I literally had to take the scale from her so she would stop weighing herself constantly! And she literally had anxiety from me doing so!

    It's fine if you want to step on the scale and see how much you weigh. But know beforehand what you're getting yourself to. You aren't going to see a big day-to-day difference, which might be discouraging.

    Try rewarding yourself for not stepping on the scale for 2 days. Buy yourself a shirt, or get a facial or massage, or whatever else you like to do!
  • janiedoe111
    janiedoe111 Posts: 161 Member
    I didn't TRULY realize that I had a problem with weighing myself often until 1. a very petite friend of mine indicated the only time she gets weighed is when she goes for her annual physical and 2. my boyfriend bought himself a scale and would weigh himself every hour and only in his erratic behavior could I give myself a gut check and face my obsession.

    I went to New Orleans for vacation a couple weeks back and about four days before then till just this past Wednesday I did not weigh myself and while I was preparing myself for any kind of number when I stepped on it was just about what I expected.
  • kaylz0106
    kaylz0106 Posts: 117 Member
    I have the same obsession....I love love love my scale I weigh every time I am in the bathroom BUT I also love love love love (please note one more love!) my measuring tape! Combining the two helps me see past the scales, sometimes. I get really down if I know I have done a lot of strength training because the scales tend to jump up but feel better if I measure myself and see where its going.
  • wongleweed
    wongleweed Posts: 35 Member
    I am obsessed by the scale - its a demon that taunts me! I find myself on it everytime I walk passed it - which is constantly! Not funny to see how my weight fluctuates by as much as 1kg throughout the course of 1 day!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,971 Member
    Easy solution.................................throw the damn thing out.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    The svale is like the friend you have that is sweet to you but try to sleep with your boyfriend behind you back.

    Only tool I use is a mesuring tape. It's the only one that can really tell me that I am getting fatter or not
  • Chrisborro
    Chrisborro Posts: 85
    I worship it before bed and when i wake up. I enjoy seeing the difference in those 2 numbers
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    as long as I'm still 200 something, it defines me, unfortunately. I try not to let it, and usually can keep a positive attitude about it without a problem. But YESTERDAY, I knew I ate WAY too much b/c the scale went up .02 (that's it) so what do I do? eat more and make it go up again, isn't that crazy? I know:tongue:
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
    I weigh everyday, it makes me happy and keeps me motivated, even if the number goes up a little it motivates me, Im down 21.6lbs and it feels great, and weighing myself makes me feel great! So why not, its not hurting anything unless you are getting depressed over it.
  • rebecca0101
    rebecca0101 Posts: 23
    I love my scale because it actually shows me some loss but hate my measuring tape because it never shows any loss. But I also hate my scale because every morning right before I step on it I can tell what number it is going to say. Odd I know. But It has shown me more loss than the tape so it can't be to bad! Right?
  • NancyNiles
    NancyNiles Posts: 145 Member
    I'm the same boat. I can't even wait until after my morning "potty break" to weigh myself in the morning. I know that I won't have a "movement" until about 9 or 10 a.m., but I will still weigh myself first thing in the morning, then again after. Absurd, I know.

    But I've lost 17 lbs and I'm so excited I just can't wait for the next "high" of seeing a few ounces loss. I'm a junkie!!!
  • WingMan380
    WingMan380 Posts: 2,139 Member
    Easy solution.................................throw the damn thing out.
    ^^ This

    This is exactly what I told my wife this morning!!
  • OnWisconsin84
    OnWisconsin84 Posts: 409 Member
    Easy solution.................................throw the damn thing out.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ^^^ Agree. Easier said than done, however. Especially after years of scale worshiping. I'm happy to report I threw out my scale on March 13th, 2012 & have not stepped on a single scale since with zero plans or desire to do so. It was like a HUGE weight was lifted from me & I feel the most FREE than I ever have before. I've learned to trust myself and what I'm doing & have seen amazing results physically & mentally. That's more important than a number on the scale for me :smile:
  • BetrayedBeauty
    BetrayedBeauty Posts: 20
    I know how obsessive I am about my scale. When the batteries died, I burst into tears and didn't calm down until I replaced them (within minutes of course.) but then again, I weigh myself EVERY time I am in the bathroom. It's calming in a way.

    ~I also have severe OCD..~

    I have the weight fluctuations memorized, so seeing it go up or down slightly doesn't bother me, and honestly, I don't pay attention to any number but the one from when I first wake up and log onto here :D I'm working on easing up on it, but it's still pretty hard to manage, like trading one obsession for another almost. :frown:
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I used to be addicted to my scale! My mood for the day was dictated by the number I saw. I weighed morning and evening - every day - seven days a week. When I started MFP, I asked my husband to hide the scale and only bring it out once a week for my official weigh-in. That worked so well that eventually I decided to try a monthly weigh-in. That was even better! Now the scale is back out in the open and I only step on it every 4-6 weeks. I do measure my waist/hips once a week and can always tell if I've gained/lost by the fit of my clothes. I have definitely liberated myself from the scale. :-)
  • rcillo219
    rcillo219 Posts: 76 Member
    I think it's harder for us who have been larger/obese to let go of the number on the scale -- it defined our fitness level before, and we want it to define it now. I've slowly come to the realization that the lucky people who don't have weight issues aren't like that... they define their fitness level by their strength, endurance, and the mirror. I'm trying to transition toward the latter, but it's definitely hard!

    Congratulations on all of your progress so far. Keep it up :)

    Agreed! I finally noticed today actually that although the scale hasnt changed much for me in the past two weeks, my pants have! They literally almost fell right off! To me that meant more then the scale number. Keep up the hard work you'll do great :flowerforyou:
  • 5ladybugs
    5ladybugs Posts: 135 Member
    I weigh myself once a day, every morning. It is getting extremely frustrated. I lose a pound and then gain 2, down 1, up 1. I don't understand how people can just lose. Why the fluctuations?
    My measuring tape and moved on my hips, THAT'S IT! What's up with that!
  • amyy902
    amyy902 Posts: 290 Member
    im obsessed with number. i have controll issues. i have a huge history with the scale. im down to once a day, but when i was at my worst i was weighing in over 50 times a day. if the needle moved so much as a 100th of mm id flip and run do exercise anything. ( i suffered from anorexia and secondary exercise depenndancy). now im once a day. but seriously obsessed with it. i have a fridge chart and record what it says each morning. if its TOM i circle my result so i dont flip out from a gain. i find that in a way it keeps me on track to keep healthy.

    some people hardly ever use the scales. i dont think it matter as long as youre being sensible. :)
  • Vyshness8699
    Vyshness8699 Posts: 390 Member
    I know how u feel especially when scale doesn't show the number I want it's changes my whole mood for the day : ( like today I gained 1lb and I'm very USPET especially when I'm eating right and working out like crazy so frustrating at times but it's not gonna stop me from reaching my ultimate goal
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    People often say things like: just put the scale away.
    Don't worry about the numbers!

    But when you started as obese and are overweight the numbers DO matter... and they can only stop mattering when you've hit that blessed 'healthy' number... then it's easier to put it away (but not permanently. I think those of us who hit obese will always be concerned about gaining it back).
  • rlshopp6
    rlshopp6 Posts: 31 Member
    I'm definitely obsessed with what it has to say each morning, as I think about it when I first open my eyes. Even as I type that, i cringe to myself because it shouldn't be the thing I think of first thing in the morning.

    I don't think it's necessarily bad to weigh each day, although I don't think it's good for me. Of course I'm excited when it goes down, even if only 0.2 lbs. But on the days when I worked really hard, ate exactly right (so I think) exercised at least 60 minutes, and it stays the same or horror, goes up, those are the days that mess with my head. I don't feel ready to get rid of it entirely, but I like having someone else hide it, and only weighing once a week, or getting to the point of weighing once a month or only at the dr's office.

    As a person moving away from the "obese" descriptor, it's hard to not be so focused on that as a symbol of my progress. But I want to move to thinking like a thin person would, and I don't know many thin people who weigh often, let alone daily.
  • lexidell46
    lexidell46 Posts: 143
    I got rid of mine years ago. I have to go to a friends house( that is an hour away) or to the doctors office.Being obese all of my life, It was a love hate relationship. I loved to get on it but I hated the numbers.:mad: :bigsmile:
  • angie_sample
    angie_sample Posts: 190
    i get obsessive about weigh myself. I would weigh myself multiple times a day, like magically im going to be down in just a couple of hours. I would get really depressed if it didnt change or if i gained. It got bad enough where my dietician made me take the scale to her and now i can only weigh in once a week and she has to be with me. My life was literally revolving around the scale. The first couple weeks of not weigh every day was hard but now i love it!! My weigh in day is exciting and since i got to check in everyday i seem to work harder. I think everyone is different, i have an addictive personality but for some people weigh in once a day works great. To each there own. :)
  • andrea9873
    andrea9873 Posts: 171 Member
    "The scale can measure the weight of my body but never my worth as a woman." - Lysa TerKeurst, Made to Crave.
  • elijahgo1
    elijahgo1 Posts: 17
    I just "allow" myself to weigh once a week. I used to do it every morning and would chase the number rather than my calories. This way, I know I will have lost weight at the end of the week. It is tempting...but rewarding. More so than just seeing an OZ off (or gained).
  • kitkatwag
    kitkatwag Posts: 82 Member
    I agree with the comments about those of us who have been real large. At my highest I was 286 and never stepped on the scale. I go thru fazes where I have to see all the time even 2-3 times a day. I am in one now. I have yet to use a measuring tape, I keep telling myself that I should. I lost a significant amount of weight during my divorce in 2008 and could really see the difference. Now that I am again really focusing on it I NEED that scale to say something. I must go down. But I am concerned that it will not be enough as it continues to go down. I have a friend here on MFP that just posted about still pulling and tugging at her clothes even though she has lost 110# and looks fabulous. I noticed that I did that this morning so my shirt doesn't touch the fat too much. That's what I am concerned about loosing. The weight with or without my obsession will go down, but how does the mindset change? I thought I was fat in high school when I weighed 120# and wore a size 5. How do we change that part of the obsession? Will I be happy with my body when I get to that weight again? I am very afraid that I will not.
  • mon696
    mon696 Posts: 64 Member
    I'm definitely obsessed with what it has to say each morning, as I think about it when I first open my eyes. Even as I type that, i cringe to myself because it shouldn't be the thing I think of first thing in the morning.

    I don't think it's necessarily bad to weigh each day, although I don't think it's good for me. Of course I'm excited when it goes down, even if only 0.2 lbs. But on the days when I worked really hard, ate exactly right (so I think) exercised at least 60 minutes, and it stays the same or horror, goes up, those are the days that mess with my head. I don't feel ready to get rid of it entirely, but I like having someone else hide it, and only weighing once a week, or getting to the point of weighing once a month or only at the dr's office.

    As a person moving away from the "obese" descriptor, it's hard to not be so focused on that as a symbol of my progress. But I want to move to thinking like a thin person would, and I don't know many thin people who weigh often, let alone daily.

    ^^^ I agree with everything you said
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Have you logged all of your losses and gains? It can really give you some valuable insight about your body if you keep the emotion out. For instance, I found that I will lose a few pounds and stay down for a few days, but then gain 1/3 to half of that back and stay there for a week or two, but during that time, I lose inches, then I will lose a few pounds and then, well, you can probably figure the rest out.
  • CoffeeNBooze
    CoffeeNBooze Posts: 966 Member
    The svale is like the friend you have that is sweet to you but try to sleep with your boyfriend behind you back.

    Only tool I use is a mesuring tape. It's the only one that can really tell me that I am getting fatter or not

    This! Measuring tape is more trustworthy. Perhaps all of us should be using that more?

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