Was this a bad idea?

unckat09
unckat09 Posts: 97
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
So, Wednesday I bought a scale for my apartment (ok... my boyfriend bought it but I digress). On Thursday, I weighed myself at least FIVE TIMES! At some point this has to get counter productive, right? How do I keep myself from weighing in after every meal, snack and workout?

I know this seems trivial, but I can see this being a huge problem for me.

Replies

  • misskimlilac
    misskimlilac Posts: 306 Member
    Not trivial, just get rid of the scale. Or...move it to the trunk of your car so its inconvient to weigh yourself.
  • nikkicarter13
    nikkicarter13 Posts: 231 Member
    Try putting it away in a closet or some place hidden, under the bed? and only bring it out on weigh-in days. Out of sight out of mind. I have the same problem of constant weighing, so this is something I do.
  • khillman77
    khillman77 Posts: 66
    I had to throw mine away because of that same problem
  • SexyRed66
    SexyRed66 Posts: 10
    I did the exact same thing the first of having my new scale..I have never own a scale in my life, however, I have now put the scale away in my closet so I don't have to see each morning and I take it out each friday to weigh myself. I loss 7lbs the first week and could not believe it so I kept weighing myself over and over.....
  • mynameisdumbnuts
    mynameisdumbnuts Posts: 111
    Out of curiousity, why do you see it being a huge problem?

    Weighing yourself after every snack or meal is ineffective and, frankly, a waste of time, but in and of itself it isn't harmful.
  • helenamonks
    helenamonks Posts: 176
    I keep my scale in my spare guest room and I only weigh myself first thing in the morning, but its out of sight out of mind besides that. They say to only weigh yourself once a week, at the same time of day on the same day every week for accurate results, but I find that everyday keeps me going on my diet. Kind of like every glance I take in the mirror reminds me that I'm not there yet. More than once a day is definitely too much though.
  • lushy20
    lushy20 Posts: 215 Member
    i would get rid of it, i used to have one but i just obsessed about it and couldnt stop weighing myself.
    now i just weigh myself at a pharmacy one a week straight after i take my son to school just before i do my shopping
  • Nikki_Marz
    Nikki_Marz Posts: 35
    I've done this before, I'm also bad for weighing every single day. What I've done is I put the scale into a closet so I actually have to go pick it up and move it to a place where I can use it (thats not carpeted). It seems simple, but its tedious because I have to go get it, put it down, get on it, put it back when I'm done...it gives you enough time to think about what you're doing and why you're doing it and if you really need to be doing it RIGHT NOW. It's gotten so its a pain for me to even bother weighing daily so once or twice a week will suffice. Might work for you if its a bit more inaccessible (it especially works well if the scale is a larger bulkier model cuz then its more of a pain to move lol). Hope this helps
  • jaded_rose
    jaded_rose Posts: 298 Member
    I set up a set date and rough time to weight myself once a week. Weighing myself daily seems counter productive and just gets me down.
  • LizardIsANerd
    LizardIsANerd Posts: 113
    I eventually got over my scale obsession when I realized that if I rotated it I could change the weight on it by 18 lbs. Yay for non-level floors!
    Mostly my cats sit on it now, since it is in the corner of the kitchen near their food bowl. I weigh in on the SUPER accurate digital scale at the hospital where I work. (one of the wheelchair ramp kinds!) which means I weigh in fully clothed and often with shoes on.

    Maybe if you make weighing in an important ocassion.. .like only get the scale out (or move something off the top of it) if it is time to weigh in and celebrate.
  • Simonscat
    Simonscat Posts: 249
    This is why I don't wanna buy scales...Ever! I'm hoping the gym at my uni will have one soon, so I can weigh every week
  • blackbsm
    blackbsm Posts: 32 Member
    I agree with the majority. It is best to keep the scale somewhere you aren't going to see it, expect when you want to see it. I typically weigh twice a week. I use Saturday as my official weigh-in day & on Wednesday I will just do a check-in to see how my week is going, this lets me know if I need to make any adjustments to my eating for the next 3 days til my official weigh-in day. Also good advice...weigh in first thing in the morning after waking up & after going to the restroom.
  • swiftgirls2
    swiftgirls2 Posts: 59
    When you weigh yourself throughout the day it is not accurate and you will weigh more after you eat. The most accurate way/time to weigh yourself is first thing in the morning (after you have gone "potty"). When I weigh myself throughout the day it just depresses me becuase it is never accurate and my weight is more than it will be the next morning when I weigh myself.
  • eannhaynie
    eannhaynie Posts: 13 Member
    I weigh in every morning before I eat breakfast. It helps me to know how much damage or good I did the day before so that I don't just give up. Weighing in once a week meant I usually indulged too much because I'd use the excuse that I could just exercise a lot the next day to make up for it and then by the end of the week I would have indulged a TON. So I keep it in my hubby's walk in closet so that when I toss my jams in the hamper in there I can weigh in and go about my day! Then it's out of sight and out of mind for the rest of the day!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    Out of curiousity, why do you see it being a huge problem?

    Weighing yourself after every snack or meal is ineffective and, frankly, a waste of time, but in and of itself it isn't harmful.

    Depends on your definition of harmful. I think it could be mentally/emotionally harmful if someone weighs constantly throughout the day and gets upset when they see the numbers go up (which is likely to be just regular body weight fluctuation). It's unhealthy to purposely subject yourself to unnecessary stress. If it becomes an obsession/compulsion, it can actually begin to interfere with every day life.

    I agree with most the posters - hide it somewhere that takes effort to get it out, then only weight yourself on a scheduled weigh-in day. When you weigh in, do it consistently every week - so do it on the same day each week, the same time of day, with the same type of clothing (or lack of clothing). Ex - first thing after using the bathroom on Mondays before your shower (so no clothes). As long as you're consistent, then the weight gain/loss should be reflective of actual gain/loss, not regularly daily fluctuations.
  • msamcoates
    msamcoates Posts: 261 Member
    This is why I do not own a scale .... I weigh myself when I go to my parents and I am just like you, everytime I put something in my mouth, do a few exercises, or anything ... I jump back on the scale. Best of luck to you!
  • alantin
    alantin Posts: 621 Member
    Weighing yourself several times a week can show you how much weight can fluctuate so it can be an educational exercise too. Maybe you won't take the readings so seriously later when you have that down first. If you still keep doing it after a month or two, then you might have a problem, though..

    I'm in a habit of weighing myself every morning but I have gotten to a point where my weight loss is really slow so I might take my scale to the storage room to get out of that cycle.. Perhaps dig it out again in a couple of months..
  • unckat09
    unckat09 Posts: 97
    Thanks for all the great suggestions! My bf already moved it above the washing machine so I can't reach it :-/. I guess he had the right idea! :-D
  • Lakeside54321
    Lakeside54321 Posts: 23
    I have a different thought process than most on this subject. If you can't handle having a scale sitting on the floor without stepping on it, then you will not sustain whatever diet you are on! Do you go in the bathroom, and brush your teeth every time just because your toothbrush in in plain sight? Brushing your teeth is better, and more important that weighing yourself! But you don't "hide" your tooth brush do you? Just think about it, and pull yourself together. :-)
  • poptastic
    poptastic Posts: 151 Member
    I agree with what most others have said, you should limit your weigh-ins to once a week. Very occasionally (like if I don't believe the scales on Monday!) then I weigh myself again a day or two later. I would think soon you'll get bored of weighing in several times a day, unless you have insanely accurate scales, because there won't be much/any difference.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    If you want to weigh yourself continually, it's not that big of a problem, but you should choose a specific time on a specific day of the week to LOG it. So weigh yourself 100 times a day if you want, but it only counts on Monday at 8 a.m. (or whatever day and time you choose). I weigh myself every time I do my Wii Fit, but I don't log it except on Tuesday mornings.
  • fitnesspirateninja
    fitnesspirateninja Posts: 667 Member
    Out of curiousity, why do you see it being a huge problem?

    Weighing yourself after every snack or meal is ineffective and, frankly, a waste of time, but in and of itself it isn't harmful.

    Depends on your definition of harmful. I think it could be mentally/emotionally harmful if someone weighs constantly throughout the day and gets upset when they see the numbers go up (which is likely to be just regular body weight fluctuation). It's unhealthy to purposely subject yourself to unnecessary stress. If it becomes an obsession/compulsion, it can actually begin to interfere with every day life.

    I agree with most the posters - hide it somewhere that takes effort to get it out, then only weight yourself on a scheduled weigh-in day. When you weigh in, do it consistently every week - so do it on the same day each week, the same time of day, with the same type of clothing (or lack of clothing). Ex - first thing after using the bathroom on Mondays before your shower (so no clothes). As long as you're consistent, then the weight gain/loss should be reflective of actual gain/loss, not regularly daily fluctuations.

    I agree - if it's emotionally or mentally harmful, then it's harmful. A lot of people have no trouble weighing themselves multiple times a week (or even a day), but if it's causing unnecessary stress, then what's the point?

    I get obsessive and freak out if I weigh myself more than once a week. For me, it's counter-productive. So I do a once a week weigh-in on Tuesdays at 8:00 AM. But again, that's what works for me.
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