Addicted to the scale?

yowla
yowla Posts: 127 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I am wondering if anyone is addicted to the scale? I think I weigh myself about 4-5 times aday. I have to. Ever since I gained weight I can't get off it. I litterly strip, jump on and then off as quick as I can so my hubby doesn't know. I promised him only once daily. I just can't do it. I will weigh myself before a meal and then after a meal just to see how much I gained. I try to tell myself that if I do it once a day or once every couple days I would probably lose weight more.
Does anyone here have the same addiction? Or any suggestions on what I should do to break my horible habit?

Replies

  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Give the scale to your husband and tell him to only let you have it once every 2 weeks.

    Weighing every day is bad but 4 times a day is really bad. :tongue:

    The scale is one of the most demotivating things about weight loss.

    Free yourself and do not be a slave to it.

    And yes, I have been there done that myself. I started only weighing myself every 2 to 3 weeks when I was in weight loss mode. I started enjoying it because I saw larger losses when I did that.

    Good luck.
  • jojorocksforeva
    jojorocksforeva Posts: 303 Member
    Its okay to weigh Sometimes but too much is not good you dont need to weigh yourself everyday. maybe once a week just looking in the mirror and saying damn i look good i can see a change i feel confident is better Than what a dang scale says...
  • fryxgal
    fryxgal Posts: 14 Member
    I understand where you are coming from. I easily get addicted to the scale. I try to weigh weekly, but often find I really weigh every morning, and that can be depressing.
    I do better when I look at the bigger picture. I'm making healthy changes in order to live a better life and the weight loss is one part of that. I can also measure my progress by how I feel, how much energy I have, how much farther I can swim today than I did yesterday, how I'm a better role model for my kids - things like that. But it is so hard to get my eyes off that scale ; )
    I agree that giving the scale to your husband is a good idea. Keep working on making healthy changes and the scale will take care of itself.
  • dogo187
    dogo187 Posts: 376
    i do the same thing that you do...weigh more than once a day but i have learnt not sweat these fluctuations in weight and i only record my weight once a week on Friday morning first thing when i wake up...

    if you are obsessing over the numbers that you see that is not a good thing...

    i like the idea of giving your husband the scale to hide and have him let you weigh once a week or every other week..

    along my journey i have learnt that the scale is not always a good way to gage your progress...
  • Khloe_Nicole
    Khloe_Nicole Posts: 42 Member
    I feel that im addicted as well. im thinking of putting mines in my trunk so i can stay off of it
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
    Stop doing that. You will just get a bunch of noisy data that means nothing. You might do something drastic based on some bad data. I think once a day, at the same time of day, after doing the same things before you get on the scale is more than enough.
    I do once a week.
  • dannigirl1
    dannigirl1 Posts: 28
    I feel like its a competition between me and the scale. I only weight once a week but i just want to beat it so badly. I can feel and see my body changing and i myself am alittle obsessed with it. i kind of cant weight for my weight in day. i know that since im working hard i will be able to see the results
  • KateRepine
    KateRepine Posts: 60 Member
    That's as bad as taking a preg. test right after you have sex! Just remember, you don't go around with that weight stamped on your face! you are the only one that knows and 4 times a day is too much.
  • fattypattybinger
    fattypattybinger Posts: 337
    I am addicted too. I weigh myself everyday. Today I weighed myself twice. I had some swelling in my left ankle due to bug bites. I elevated my legs and the swelling went down so I noticed I was down 2 pounds and I was in the 150's woot woot I hopefully will never see the 160's ever again. What a nice feeling. I really need to cut down but if I see the weight go up I totally think of what I ate and try to adjust. But I am so excited. I will be really happy when the swelling goes down and I can really see what my real weight is
  • SerendipityFive
    SerendipityFive Posts: 26 Member
    I weigh myself probably three times a day. I do it to keep myself focused on my weight-loss. It's like playing a numbers game, the number HAS to be smaller everyday or so, or else I'm not doing something right. I honestly feel like I need to do it. I know what works for me, and weighing myself a couple times a day really helps me.
  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
    I rarely ever weigh myself. I base everything on how my clothes feel. If something fit me two weeks ago, and it's now a bit tight, I know to amp up the workouts and pay some attention to what I'm eating. I guess I've been lucky, my weight hasn't fluctuated more than 8 lbs either way for the last 15 yrs.
    Don't make it just about weight. If you lose 5 lbs of fat, but have been building muscle, you may not see a change on the scale. But, your clothes fit different. Limit your weigh ins to a minimum of once a week. Try getting rid of it altogether for a while. You may find you don't need it.
  • sagefitnessfanatic
    sagefitnessfanatic Posts: 75
    Get rid of the scale all together...I used to use the fancy scale at the gym and would get my fat percentage and everything. One time it said I gained 8lbs I broke down in the gym :( they told me no more scale LOL I can laugh now but I was out of control. The fluctuating weight was making me crazy. If the numbers were good I had a good day if they were bad my day was ruined. Hormones, salt intake and gaining muscle were to blame. Now I go by how my clothes fit and only get on the scale when I have a doctors appointment. I'm a much happier person. Seriously, lose the scale.
  • angel_1001
    angel_1001 Posts: 5
    Remember that just because the scale number goes down, doesn't mean you're in better shape. Overall health is not defined by the number on the scale. Aim to be healthy, fit, and happy. Don't concern yourself so much over a number. Weighing once a week is okay but everyday that many times could lead to problems.

    I know because I went through that phase.

    Good luck :)
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    Yep. I'm on the scale several times a day. I don't know why. I guess I traded eating all the time for weighing all the time.:ohwell:
  • Carol_L
    Carol_L Posts: 296 Member
    A scale is a measuring device that only tells you one thing - your total mass at a single point in time. Step on it 5 mintues earlier or later, and the number may be different. Step on it first thing in the morning and last thing at night, and the two numbers will definitely be different. From hour to hour, and day to day, your mass will vary based on physical condition, hydration levels, or hormonal fluctuations. It tells you nothing about your body composition. Home scales which purport to show body fat percentage are notoriously inaccurate, to the point of utter uselessness. The reading can vary with any given number of factors, such as really dry or wet feet when you step on the scale. Don't waste the money on them.

    If you have to measure something, get a tape measure and do body measurements. Fat takes up more volume for the same weight than muscle. Your scale may not budge, but if your body composition is changing for the better (e.g. losing fat and gaining/maintaining muscle mass) your body measurements will get smaller. If you have a lot of weight to lose, the scale will provide some indication of your progress, but it's the tape measure that tells the real story as you get closer to your goals.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    umm, that's more than a little NOT okay. the appeal of the scale fades fast. i'm with the others, give it to someone and focus on the good habits that will allow you to lose the weight.
  • calamity71
    calamity71 Posts: 207 Member
    We moved into a house where there isn't room for the scale in my bathroom. It is now in the garage and so I am less inclined to weight. I don't strip in the garage. But in the past I had the scale in my bathroom and would weigh when I got up in the morning, when I got home from work and then before going to bed.

    Put your scale some place less convenient.
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    I weigh myself probably three times a day. I do it to keep myself focused on my weight-loss. It's like playing a numbers game, the number HAS to be smaller everyday or so, or else I'm not doing something right. I honestly feel like I need to do it. I know what works for me, and weighing myself a couple times a day really helps me.
    the number does NOT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE SMALLER. The scale is mostly wrong and unless you are taking pictures on a weekly basis and or measuring, you can get discouraged by the scale just as much as encouraged. do I look smaller than i did six months ago? hell ya! did i fit back into my goal jeans? hell ya! did I GAIN five pounds of muscle? hell ya!
  • Mendelianparakeets
    Mendelianparakeets Posts: 45 Member
    Don't worry, I am too, but it definitely is more destructive than it is constructive to do so because weight tends to fluctuate over the course of the day. And then you freak out when the scale goes up a bit, even though rationally you know it's normal. I totally get it.

    But this is why I joined MFP, so I guess my bad habit did bring some "good". By counting my calories and exercise, I get a certain reassurance I thought I got by weighing myself every day that was in fact not there. Of course, I still feel tempted to weigh myself, but really it's best to stick with your lifestyle changes and trust yourself.:)
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Hello, I am wondering if anyone is addicted to the scale? I think I weigh myself about 4-5 times aday. I have to. Ever since I gained weight I can't get off it. I litterly strip, jump on and then off as quick as I can so my hubby doesn't know. I promised him only once daily. I just can't do it. I will weigh myself before a meal and then after a meal just to see how much I gained. I try to tell myself that if I do it once a day or once every couple days I would probably lose weight more.
    Does anyone here have the same addiction? Or any suggestions on what I should do to break my horible habit?
    I think you have the wrong focus.
    I don't think anything is wrong with you,
    I just think you need more information....a different thought process.

    You should eat to fuel awesome workouts.
    This will make you fitter.
    Better fitness = better metabolism and better looks and trimmer body.
    You should know your TDEE and stay under it a percentage and maintain a deficit.
    Or enter your information and get your goals set up.

    You should measure yourself with a measuring tape and record it
    Also record your bf%.
    You should know what approximate goal weight you have, as well as a goal bf%.

    You should list NSV's and keep note of them....watch for improvement in energy, strength, habits, feeling good, better skin, fit of clothing, etc....you make the list.

    If you have these things figured out and start keeping track of them, I believe you will get bored:yawn: with the habit of jumping on the scale:) If you do it that often, those minutes add up.....better to have jumped on your mountain bike, instead, and burned a few cals and had a good time:) Play, instead!

    Calculators
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/body_fat_calculator.htm
  • Danimal214
    Danimal214 Posts: 3 Member
    Yes I have done that. I agree with most and only weigh yourself once every one to two weeks. Get rid of the scale! Also, maybe if you take measurements of everything else like neck, waist, arms, thighs, BMI and body fat you wont be just concentrated on the one number.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    On most days I weigh twice - once first thing in the morning, and then last thing at night. I find that if I "lose" less than 2 pounds overnight, I wasn't properly hydrated the day before (or my daughter actually slept most of the night instead of nursing). I only compare cycle day to cycle day (ie, where am I on the day af starts compared to the last cycle), and am completely emotionally detached from the scale, it is only a data point, and by no means the most important one. If I'm going for a long run, I'll weigh before and after, and only to figure out how much more to rehydrate after - my run today, I was 3 pounds lighter after, so I knew I needed to get in an additional liter and a half of fluid.
  • MyPaperBleedsInk
    MyPaperBleedsInk Posts: 240 Member
    Yes, I'm a scale addict .... sometimes.
    I try to make it so that I only hop on once a week... but even that's hard for me. Somedays I'll go on multiple times to see how it fluctuates throughout the day, especially since you way the least right away in the morning....Usually I either have to put it away some place where it's an annoyance to get it out often, or I'll make someone else hide it from me.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Yes, I'm a scale addict .... sometimes.
    I try to make it so that I only hop on once a week... but even that's hard for me. Somedays I'll go on multiple times to see how it fluctuates throughout the day, especially since you way the least right away in the morning....Usually I either have to put it away some place where it's an annoyance to get it out often, or I'll make someone else hide it from me.
    That's funny:bigsmile:
    It's probably interesting to see how/why/when it fluctuates. I don't own one...just have never gotten around to buying one. I always use the one at the gym.

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