How does the # on the scale relate to your emotional state?

It doesn't bother me. As long as I take control and remain resposible for my eating and exercise habits, it's going to go down eventually. I've been gaining and losing the same 5 lbs. for the last 2 months -and it's all my fault to be perfectly honest. I'm back to logging absolutely everything and measuring the way I should. It was a hiatus. A controlled break, if you will. I've been at this for 7 months, and I was feeling burnt out.

I'm a binge eater which is especially difficult to deal with. I can do some MAJOR damage in a very short amount of time! It used to be that I wouldn't even be aware I was binging until after the fact. I'm beginning to know my triggers, and sense a binge coming on. I've found ways to prevent a binge, and I'm constantly working to fine more coping methods.

I'm not in a race to lose weight. I'm not applying pressure, guilt, frustration, or depression on myself. I don't need the stress. Stress IS one of my binge triggers, after all. This....is....life. Life happens. Life goes in every direction including the wrong way. I deal with it.

The scale? It's a tool just like MFP. I weigh myself everyday simply as reinforcement. It prevents me from being as bad as I would if I didn't weigh myself. Weighing myself after a binge is the worst. The scale goes up, up, up for about 2-3 days afterwards until I'm stuck with the final result. It takes 1-2 weeks to come back down. What's important for me is the owning up. NOT weighing myself would allow me to bury my head in the sand. Weighing is accountability. It makes me face the problem. In this respect, I love my scale. It fluctuates, but it never lies.

Yes, the scale can definitely affect how I feel so I've decided recently that I would only weigh myself twice a month, once at the start and once at the end. I've previously had a lot of success doing this since I would be very consistent with my eating and exercising and when the end of the month rolls around I don't expect anything and most times I'm pleased with the result.

I'm so glad you posted this because I have been sooooo frustrated/depressed wirh the number I've been seeing on my scale for three weeks. But just yesterday I decided to use it as motivation to figure out what the problem could be, and it dawned on me that I probably should not have added bread and cereal (my attempt to add healthy calories). But because of my diabetes my body diesn't handle these well (I forgot) even though they were good whole grain choices. I was devasted when I saw I had gained back the two pounds, but instead of wallowing in my misery like I usually do, I made a change that I hope is the answer.

I'm hoping that once I lose the 2 lbs. again, I will be ok and refocus on moving forward.

I get like this from time to time. Other life problems don't help either..

Surprisingly, this time around the scale is inspiring me. It keeps me on track to weigh every morning, and reminds me of why I am doing what I'm doing. I don't freak out about staying the same weight (because at least I'm not gaining) and I don't freak out about 1.5 lb extra -- because now I know when I've eaten a lot of sodium and it's water weight.

And now that I know just how much you have to eat to gain a pound, I don't panic about small, temporary water weight gains (I was at first).

Usually, the scale puts me in a GOOD mood. Because regardless of how far I have to go, that number showing up shows my progress, strength, and is better than I was a month ago.

This is kind of how I feel, too! Great post!!

I used to let it crush me. What I have learned is that for the most part it really isn't a good indicator of your progress. The scale can fluctuate for me up to five lbs one day to the next. I still step on it but only use it as a very loose guide as to my progress. The weight loss has really slowed down on the scale, but my body size has changed immensely. I weigh about the same as I did last year at this time but I'm so much leaner and tighter now than I was then. I have been lifting heavy and working hard. If I used the scale as the only indicator of my progress I'd be suicidal by now.

I haven't weighed myself in months. I go by how my clothes are fitting. When they don't fit like i remember i go back to a calorie deficit till they fit right. I was obsessed with the scale.

No. The scale has no power over me. Never has and never will.