thinking of temporarily putting scale in the cupboard......

nminden
nminden Posts: 55 Member
in Motivation and Support
I do not fit into this cupboard by the way. So no climbing in and climbing on.I've never done this.

I am close to a weight I'd be happy at - about 10 pounds away. I found MFP in May, and after several months of comparing WW, I retired from WW as I found I was learning a lot more on MFP at this time. I've learned I must eat more than I thought. I'm monitoring my macros. I like the MFP conversation....well most of it.

Most recently I've added 30 day shred to my weekly routine of walking, as a baseline, about one hour a day, working out 4-6 times in the gym. I'm counting calories daily. I have just completed Level 1 for 10 days and did level 2 for the first time. (I've had a lifetime of working on this -I'm no stranger and I've managed to keep about 40 pounds off for a few decades. I've been 10 pounds lower than I am now and I felt much more myself and much happier.) I love being physically very active and in spite of serious neck injuries last year I am slowly returning to a place of strength and endurance.

I had lost 5 of the 10 pounds and then went on a trip home and undid that hard work in 2 weeks of muffins, pastries, chocolate in coffee shops. My anxiety was up - my inhibitions were down, and I gave myself all out permission. When I came back I lost 6lb in
2 weeks- very fast for my age and weight. Part of the effective weight loss was a little food poisoning from some salmon- not enough to be awful, and just enough to be helpful. Now my weight is up 3 pounds and I am amazed at how disheartened I am. I am also very tired - have had some insomnia since returning so I've got a sleep debt going on. Plays havoc with my cortisol which in turn plays havoc with my belly, my outlook and the scale. I actually was feeling strong, lean - feeling new definition in my muscles. Thank you JM.

As you can see from my diary, today has been a binge day of sad and very tired eating. I think if I had not gone on the scale I may not have crashed so badly. I really feel the scale has an inordinate effect on me- both ways- success and failure. My logic rises above it intellectually, but emotionally I'm captive.

Has anyone successfully put away their scale and if so, for how long? I have to admit, it makes me nervous.

Replies

  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I would suggest giving your scale to a friend to keep for you until you've completed 30DS. If you put it in a cupboard, you'll be tempted to take it out. You need to change your mindset about the scale - it should be one of many methods of measurement but NOT the only measurement that is important. Inches and body fat are much more telling about your level of health and your appearance. Your weight will fluctuate daily due to diet, time of month, how much water you've had, how much exercise you've had, etc.

    The other thing I would suggest is to stop binging when you feel sorry for yourself. It's ok to be disappointed or discouraged that you 'backslid' a little, but instead of perpetuating the problem, why not do something constructive to fix it? At this point you've only gained a few pounds. If you gained them quickly, they'll come off pretty quickly. If you get stuck in your feelings and continue to binge, you'll just have more to lose or, worse, you'll just continue on until you've gained all of the weight back or more.
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
    I used to hate the scale then I loved it!!! I started weighing every day and watching the trend - not absolute number. It would motivate me when I lost and if it was up, keep me from shoving things into my mouth. I stopped doing this for a few months and finally got the courage to get back on and like I thought - on came 10 lbs. I knew I was eating and not getting on scale allowed me to not care.

    This works for me. If you get too upset about a weight gain while following the plan, don't do this but for me, not getting on the scale allows me to cheat.
  • nminden
    nminden Posts: 55 Member
    I used to hate the scale then I loved it!!! I started weighing every day and watching the trend - not absolute number. It would motivate me when I lost and if it was up, keep me from shoving things into my mouth. I stopped doing this for a few months and finally got the courage to get back on and like I thought - on came 10 lbs. I knew I was eating and not getting on scale allowed me to not care.

    This works for me. If you get too upset about a weight gain while following the plan, don't do this but for me, not getting on the scale allows me to cheat.

    I agree. I've seen way too many people put the scale away and fall out of touch with reality. I'm thinking of simply asking my husband to put away the scale and we'll take it out 1x a week for 4 weeks- same day, same time etc. I've started micro watching the decimals and it's playing havoc with my mood.
  • SkimFlatWhite68
    SkimFlatWhite68 Posts: 1,254 Member
    Yep, great idea.

    I put the scale away this week.

    I am eating well, training 4 x a week and concentrating on my body now and improving it further - so the number on the scale should not matter and nor should it affect my mood when it doesn't say what I think it should! So I put it away and will weight myself in 4 weeks (3 days in a row) and record the average. Seems like a good plan.

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