A Scale Question....

TheDarlingOne
TheDarlingOne Posts: 255 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
(I hope this topic is on the right boards - if not sorry in advance!)

Wondering if anyone else out there has the same jacked up mind set I appear to have? lol

For the month of January I lost 10lbs.
For the month of February I turned right back around and promptly put back on 8 of those 10lbs I had lost!

I clearly know how to do this. I lost 10lbs the 1st month logging my food. It can be done.

But my jacked up mind set comes in - I think somewhat subconsciously - saying that I can relax now and do what I want some now, because I can gain back at least 10lbs and be no worse off than when I started....if....that makes sense to anyone? lol
Anyone else ever deal with that sort of mindset? - I'm pretty sure I need to see a professional - but it takes money - and until then I thought I'd drop the question on the unprofessionals on the message boards lol.

BUT - how this becomes a scale question is this:

I'm wondering if it may be more helpful with the mindset I appear to battle anytime I lose weight - to - only weigh 1x a month? Or even quite possibly - not use a scale at all, but take measurements 1x a month?

I don't know how much food I can eat back - to get back where I started and be no worse off then when I started - if I'm only keeping track of my inches...

Hope this makes sense - just a lil' frustrated with myself - because I do this to me every time - but this is the 1st time I have thought that maybe....just maybe....measuring only would be better route to take?

Thanks!
TheDarlingOne

Replies

  • TEEPEE40
    TEEPEE40 Posts: 8 Member
    Unfortunately, I do the same thing. I lose a certain amount, then get comfortable and go back to my bad habits. Once I loss 40lbs, I put in many months of hard work with eating healthy and exercising. Even did a weight loss challenge and won. Then I slowly but surely resulted back to my old eating habits and stopped working out. Before long, not just the 40lbs was back, but an extra 10. I've done this a few times and each time I gain an additional 10lbs. So not healthy! And the older I get, it becomes harder to get the weight off. So now I need to lose about 60lbs. I started back a few weeks ago with logging my food and exercising. Logging that info in here really helps. So far I've loss 3 lbs in three weeks. Slowly making my way back down this awful hill. So don't stress over it, but try to figure out why you celebrate by sabataging your hard work. I think that I feel I've arrived and therefore, don't need to continue the healthy lifestyle. But that's just it, it's a lifestyle which needs to remain a part of my life FOREVER. Good luck!
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    The only way to take it off and keep it off is to break your old habits and make new ones. It's hard to do, which is why so many of the people who make new year's resolutions to lose weight end up gaining it back. For me, I had to forget about the weight I already lost and focus on what I have left. That's why my ticker shows me only being a few pounds down. Once I hit 90 lbs, I reset to make the push for the last bit. Good luck with it.
  • Rum_Runner
    Rum_Runner Posts: 617 Member
    The scale is a guideline to get you near an approximate weight that is good for your height and body build. Add in muscle or body composition and of course this number will change.

    I highly doubt you took off or put on 10/8lbs of fat in the last two months. Either you lost 10lbs of mostly water weight or you gained 8lbs of mostly water weight. It takes 3500 calories to equal a pound. Do the math - did you really burn that much or eat that much??
    Now look at your sodium and carb intake. That may have a lot to do with it!!

    As for your scale question - it really depends on how your brain functions. I for one have to weigh every day. Getting better about leaving it be over the weekend. But it helps keep me on track. If I'm up one day I know I need to cut back on my sodium and carbs and then the scale will reflect it the next day. But this is me....this is what I found works for *me* after many many frustrating months!
    Everyone is different - what works for you may or may not work for the next person. If you don't want to weigh in...DONT. Measurments are far better at showing progress anyway! Take pictures too!! Use the scale 1x per month on the day you do measurements. Many people do it and love that method. Others are 1x per week and others are every day. To each their own
  • TheDarlingOne
    TheDarlingOne Posts: 255 Member
    Thanks guys. I think I'm going to jump on the inches bandwagon and see how that works with this jacked up mindset of mine lol.
  • ChrisLindsay9
    ChrisLindsay9 Posts: 837 Member
    Variation of a pound or even two can happen from day to day. Especially if you weigh yourself at different times of the day. I'm a believer in weighing oneself once a week, on the same day, and at the same time of day. That way, you don't have to dwell on those factors causing that variation.

    I'm in a weight-loss challenge with some co-workers, and they weigh themselves right when they wake up in the morning on Wednesdays, after their morning tinkle, and before their morning coffee (or juice).

    But ultimately, it's the measurements that will prove to be more useful than the scale. Keep up the effort!

    Good luck!

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