Ditching the scales for one month, who's in?

MickeyBoo
MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been struggling to keep momentum with weight loss the past few weeks and a lot of it has got to do with a big mental barrier of getting into the double digits under 100kg. I'm so very close and since I've seen that number getting closer I have been slowly giving up and returning to bad habits, self sabotage in it's finest form. I am a daily weigher and while usually I can use it to motivate me and keep control of things, this number is doing the exact opposite.

So in an attempt to just bypass the whole number thing I am giving up the scales for a month and putting all my focus into healthy eating, logging food diaries 100% honestly and exercising more regularly. I'll take some measurements tomorrow and use those as a guide if need be, but I'd also love some support along the way and if anyone else is struggling with the numbers on the scale then please join in and we can help each other get through it and hopefully be pleasantly suprised by a change in perspective and weight at the end of the month and more motivation to repeat the process all over again!

Happy to start a group too where we can all be a bit more accountable :)

Replies

  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
    I'm in for different reasons, but I'm in. I'm short and I don't have much to lose, so my loss is very slow unless I undereat (and I don't want to do that) and it's often covered by normal daily fluctuations. Water weight, PMS, glycogen stores, I know the science behind weight fluctuations but I feel bad all the same if.I seem to gain weight. It makes me want to cheat ("because I'm not losing anyway, so I'll have a pizza") and that's not good.
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    That's great sbarella :D Any reason is a good reason, the relationship with numbers can very easily turn sour.

    Today was my last day for a weigh in, 30 days to go and a mental barrier to break lol
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    It kind of worries me that I could NOT do this. There is no way. Nope.
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    LOL seltzermint, that's the other reason I'm doing it because the sheer thought of it leaves me feeling increasingly anxious and I'm realising that perhaps they have more of a hold on me than I am willing to admit.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    I do not even own a scale
  • xLittleMissVixenx
    xLittleMissVixenx Posts: 62
    I've already gone 2 weeks since last weighing myself. I only have 13lbs more to lose and it's going to come off extremely slowly so weighing myself will only demotivate me. I'm in!
  • RamaAkyer
    RamaAkyer Posts: 94 Member
    Well, I am an exchange student in another country and I don't own a scale, neither does the school gym I go to..

    So I can't really weigh my self, even if I want to. well, I could just buy one.. but not going to :P

    Never liked weighing myself anyway..

    So yeah, I'm in :)
  • anactoria27
    anactoria27 Posts: 2
    I'm in! I didn't weigh myself for a month when I started my fitness routine, and seeing the 7lb drop after a month was super motivating. Since then I've been weighing almost daily, but would much prefer to pay attention to how I feel and how my clothes look.
  • maybe2m
    maybe2m Posts: 18
    I can jump in here!! I have vowed not to weigh myself since I started Jan 1, and so far I have not. I refuse to let that number change my mental attitude. My only way to evaluate what I am doing is by my stamina, strength and over-all feeling of well-being!! It's not easy to let go of that scale but once I did, I can focus on my own sense of well-being!!
  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
    Not me....I love my Aria scale. It doesn't cause me to get anxious to see weight each day. If anything when I get close to a goal the daily scale motivates me to push bit harder (gym and food) to make that goal. I have had times where I have gone weeks without losing or gained a bit and the scale kept me honest about my logging.

    To each their own...but my money is that giving up the scale will not help you lose weight...you'll just feel less uptight about stalling or gaining. Which is fine too....
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    I can jump in here!! I have vowed not to weigh myself since I started Jan 1, and so far I have not. I refuse to let that number change my mental attitude. My only way to evaluate what I am doing is by my stamina, strength and over-all feeling of well-being!! It's not easy to let go of that scale but once I did, I can focus on my own sense of well-being!!

    That's a fantastic effort so far, well done!
  • mdinms
    mdinms Posts: 42 Member
    It kind of worries me that I could NOT do this. There is no way. Nope.


    Haha, This EXACTLY
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    Not me....I love my Aria scale. It doesn't cause me to get anxious to see weight each day. If anything when I get close to a goal the daily scale motivates me to push bit harder (gym and food) to make that goal. I have had times where I have gone weeks without losing or gained a bit and the scale kept me honest about my logging.

    To each their own...but my money is that giving up the scale will not help you lose weight...you'll just feel less uptight about stalling or gaining. Which is fine too....

    I can pretty much copy and paste what you've said word for word, I've said it 100 times before and I'm sure I've said it in other posts on here in weeks gone by and I would have said that I completely agree with you. I usually feel great about the number on the scale, even if it's bad I feel more motivated to have a better day and yes if it's closer to a goal then I push harder to break it.

    For some reason both now and the last time I lost all of my weight, breaking into the double digits is a wall that I fight against breaking, and the closer I get the harder it is to break it. I switch from super motivated to 'lets stay here and be comfortable'. It's all completely in my head, I still have issues to iron out with why I'm so overweight to begin with, and this particular number is the knifes edge between me letting go of my fat comfort zone and me stepping into different healthier territory. I know once I'm past it I will go back to not caring about the number, and the motivation will skyrocket, but at the moment I feel it's an unhealthy connection.

    Losing the scales will definitely make me feel better about stalling, but I do believe it will also help me lose weight as I won't be self sabotaging based on a number in front of me and I've got a better chance of being able to focus on the food and exercise without the mind games.
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  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
    Not me....I love my Aria scale. It doesn't cause me to get anxious to see weight each day. If anything when I get close to a goal the daily scale motivates me to push bit harder (gym and food) to make that goal. I have had times where I have gone weeks without losing or gained a bit and the scale kept me honest about my logging.

    To each their own...but my money is that giving up the scale will not help you lose weight...you'll just feel less uptight about stalling or gaining. Which is fine too....

    I can pretty much copy and paste what you've said word for word, I've said it 100 times before and I'm sure I've said it in other posts on here in weeks gone by and I would have said that I completely agree with you. I usually feel great about the number on the scale, even if it's bad I feel more motivated to have a better day and yes if it's closer to a goal then I push harder to break it.

    For some reason both now and the last time I lost all of my weight, breaking into the double digits is a wall that I fight against breaking, and the closer I get the harder it is to break it. I switch from super motivated to 'lets stay here and be comfortable'. It's all completely in my head, I still have issues to iron out with why I'm so overweight to begin with, and this particular number is the knifes edge between me letting go of my fat comfort zone and me stepping into different healthier territory. I know once I'm past it I will go back to not caring about the number, and the motivation will skyrocket, but at the moment I feel it's an unhealthy connection.

    Losing the scales will definitely make me feel better about stalling, but I do believe it will also help me lose weight as I won't be self sabotaging based on a number in front of me and I've got a better chance of being able to focus on the food and exercise without the mind games.

    Give it a shot! It's not a big deal if it doesn't work and if it does then great. I will make a suggestion that really helped me get break through a recent stall. Get a competition going with some friends. The friendly competition and trash talk got me motivated again.
  • angel_of_harmony
    angel_of_harmony Posts: 188 Member
    I've been struggling to keep momentum with weight loss the past few weeks and a lot of it has got to do with a big mental barrier of getting into the double digits under 100kg. I'm so very close and since I've seen that number getting closer I have been slowly giving up and returning to bad habits, self sabotage in it's finest form. I am a daily weigher and while usually I can use it to motivate me and keep control of things, this number is doing the exact opposite.

    So in an attempt to just bypass the whole number thing I am giving up the scales for a month and putting all my focus into healthy eating, logging food diaries 100% honestly and exercising more regularly. I'll take some measurements tomorrow and use those as a guide if need be, but I'd also love some support along the way and if anyone else is struggling with the numbers on the scale then please join in and we can help each other get through it and hopefully be pleasantly suprised by a change in perspective and weight at the end of the month and more motivation to repeat the process all over again!

    Happy to start a group too where we can all be a bit more accountable :)

    I hear my voice within your post; just yesterday I was considering taking the same vow. Ever since I started reading labels more closely and working on staying under my daily limit, I have been obsessed with the numbers on the scale. I have hit a point where it is starting to make me feel depressed and impact my motivation.

    Today is my one year anniversary of joining my fitness pal. I have only lost 6lbs due to emotional eating, lack of physical activity, poor time management and returning to bad habits. On January 1st of this year I had a revelation and decided that living a healthy lifestyle was my only choice. I suffer from a chronic medical condition which affects my digestion. I rarely had energy, was always nauseous and was not coping well with stress. I had gained back the 6 lbs I had lost and had to start all over. I am proud to say that as of my weigh in a week ago I am back down to the weight I was when I took a hiatus in October last year.

    The reason why I have chosen to ditch the scale for one month is because I have hit a plateau and the scale is in my way of mentally being able to overcome it. I feel that I will hold myself more accountable to log food, exercise and maintain my overall health.

    If you plan on starting a group please let me know!

    Also, anyone who sympathizes with my situation and is looking for motivated friends, feel free to add me!
  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    For those ditching the scale-please do before and after pictures please. It will be fun to look at your photos in a month.
    Wishing you all success!
  • getdancing2013
    getdancing2013 Posts: 72 Member
    I should. I felt great about working out today until I got home, and my husband weighed 3 lbs less than this morning, and I weighed 2 lbs MORE!!! :grumble: :grumble: :explode: :explode: :grumble: Now I'm ready to either punch a wall or crawl into bed and cry into a nice big pint of ice cream.

    Shouldn't weigh myself so often. Maybe this would be an incentive not to weigh myself and focus on the exercise/eating better.
  • tindy5799
    tindy5799 Posts: 221 Member
    I'm in! I'd be happy to encourage and support others doing the same. I need to just concentrate on lifting and seeing the results in the mirror + the measuring tape.
  • baldielove13
    baldielove13 Posts: 219 Member
    Count me in! I looked at the scale a couple of days ago and got so discouraged. I kinda just gave up for a little while due to the feeling. In the past, when I stopped weighing myself, I felt so much better about myself and my progress.
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    Great to see so many who want to join in! I'll sort out a group and send you all an invite today :) Hopefully we can kick the habit together and see some fantastic results :D


    Although it was incredibly hard to avoid the scales this morning so I hope it gets easier with time. Maybe putting them away would help ;)
  • maybe2m
    maybe2m Posts: 18
    I can jump in here!! I have vowed not to weigh myself since I started Jan 1, and so far I have not. I refuse to let that number change my mental attitude. My only way to evaluate what I am doing is by my stamina, strength and over-all feeling of well-being!! It's not easy to let go of that scale but once I did, I can focus on my own sense of well-being!!

    That's a fantastic effort so far, well done!

    Thanks..so far I don't feel any smaller, but I DO feel stronger and healthier!! I walk past the scale almost daily and think "Nope, I am in control of me,,,not you!"
  • amyrrich96
    amyrrich96 Posts: 15 Member
    I would love to take part in this!

    The progress on the scale will be so much more satisfying after a month than after a day.
  • jkel1002
    jkel1002 Posts: 5
    Oh god...I'm going to try. I am scale obsessed and just generally obsessed, so I think I need to force myself to get away from it.
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    The group is all up and running, so feel free to come over and say hi!

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