obsessive weighing

jewelzz
jewelzz Posts: 326 Member
edited September 23 in Motivation and Support
Ok so I weigh myself ALOT,afew times aday on bad days.never though during or before my period.this is so not ok I know and my fiance has threatend to take the scale and throw it away.I don't know how to not do this and I'm not sure of the right way.

Replies

  • modernfemme
    modernfemme Posts: 454 Member
    I believe the right thing to do is weigh yourself every day, at the same time. For example, I weigh myself after I wake up and take a #2 :) Though the latter doesn't matter, so long as you're consistent.

    Your weight changes a ton during the day, so don't weigh yourself anymore than once.

    Record you weight only once a week.

    Hope this helps!
  • stephaniekendrick
    stephaniekendrick Posts: 87 Member
    I found that weighing myself every day was BAD for my motivation. My weight will fluctuate depending on water weight and when I see that it's gone up a little bit, I get frustrated with myself and being an emotional eater, that's not a good idea! It kills me to not know how I'm doing, but I have to use the will power to not weigh myself just as much as I have to use the will power to not eat 2 brownies! ;)
  • I also weigh in daily at the same time (after the same set of circumstances).

    Sometimes I will weigh in more than once just to see whats up (for entertainment)... Like before and after a HUGE meal to see how much food weight I gained.

    Try not to fixate :)
  • might4
    might4 Posts: 99 Member
    I weigh myself at the same time but try to only do it a few times per week to make sure I am on track and to see if I need to step up my workouts!
  • rfalce
    rfalce Posts: 11
    I weigh myself in the morning before drinking anything. I strip down and stand on the same spot on the scale. I have a digital scale so sometimes the number will fluctuate by .2 lb so to be sure I am accurate I actually weigh myself 5 times in a row and average the numbers. OCD I know but oh well. You don't want to weigh yourself more than once a day or a different times a day because it changes with everything that you eat and drink.
    Your fiance is probably annoyed because he probably sees you as fine the way you are. :)
  • Jaedynmoon
    Jaedynmoon Posts: 280 Member
    I weigh myself first thing in the morning. I would just try to limit it to once a day since your weight will go up during the day due to eating/water/ect. I know a few years ago when I got super thin and fit, my husband (then my bf) actually took my scale and brought it to his house because I was seriously obsessive over the numbers. If it helps you have him take it and hide it and designate one day to weigh in. I'm motivated by knowing how much I weigh every morning so I can see the number :)
  • melissa1977
    melissa1977 Posts: 129 Member
    My boyfriend had to actually remove the scale after my obsession started to push me back into eating disorders. I try now to just weigh every other day, if I feel I really need to. Your weight is going to fluctuate during the day anyway, so there's not really a reason to be up and down on the scale all day. It's hard not to, though!
  • Oh I do the same thing. I weigh at different times to see how my day affects my weight. But, I don't get upset when the weight fluctuates. I see about a 3pound difference throughout the day. I figure whatever works-and sometimes it does go down and it makes me happy!
  • Get rid of the scales - or put them somewhere inconvenient!
  • once a a day, before you eat or drink anything. this is your true weight cos if you think about it during the day you eat and drink adding stuff to your body so of course it isnt your true weight. Please stick to once a day in the mornings, your just messing with your head otherwise...
  • Every day..? WOW! Well I'm restricting myself to once a week; that way I avoid disappointments and see bigger results. :wink:
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    Do as your fiance says! Put it away! :) I've gotten into the habit of weighing myself every morning because I've been plateauing lately. Luckily, my weight does not fluctuate on a day to day basis (though it does at different times of the day), so it's not as discouraging. Occasionally, curiosity will get the best of me like RainyDayProphet, and I'll jump on the scale after a meal or right before bed or even with my clothes on just to see. Now that my weight loss is back on track, I'm going back to weighing myself only on Saturday morning. Trust me when I say it's so much more gratifying to hop on the scale and see a 1-2 pound loss than a little .2 or something.

    I have the biggest urge to get on the scale in the morning before I take my shower, because I weigh without clothes (and it's such a hassle to be undressing and dressing every time). So I jump in the shower as soon as I undress; I know not to weigh AFTER a shower because of the literal water weight. Lol. With that being said, put your scale in the cabinets under the sink or in a closet, so it's too much of a hassle to even bother with except on your official weigh-in days.
  • I totally agree with Stephanie and Doralis... once a week is advisable. Your weight fluctuates so much through the week that weighing in every day can be (a) misleading and (b) counter-productive.
  • nilisabel
    nilisabel Posts: 338
    I weigh myself everyday,but not more than that. Weighing myself daily lets me know how my trends are and keeps me on track with my diet. over the past 90 days I have noticed that I tend to put on a pound, then lose a little more than a pound. It fluctuates. I try not to skip a day to weigh because I know I normally skip days I feel bloated or heavier or just screwed up on my diet, and that's not helpful because then I lose a little bit of self-honesty and knowledge. The better you know yourself, the more likely you are to move in a healthful direction, I think. Also, I have been able to stick to my diet regardless what the scale says because I know I'm on the right track by seeing my progress over the last 90 days. If I didn't weigh myself every day and put it into the MFP check-in tracker, I would not know how i lose the weight day-to-day. When I track daily, I get to know my body better but not as a form of constraint or restriction, as a method for understanding myself. Your boyfriend can throw away the scale if he wants but that's like hiding booze from an alcoholic, what's to stop you from going out and buying another? Just get ahead of yourself by accepting what you are going through, and deciding to change. Nobody else can really control you.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    I bought a digital scale this week so I stepped on it the other morning out of curiousity. But I try and weigh myself once a week - usually on Saturday - right after I wake up and go potty. I was bad at first but I'm getting past the numbers and focusing more on how I feel and how my clothes fit. I'm trying to lose only around 10 pounds - the numbers move too slow for checking every day.

    But I loved the reasons that Nilisabel gave for checking everyday. I am now curious about how my weight fluctuates through the week.
  • nilisabel
    nilisabel Posts: 338
    oh, and just to add, because I see some posts about weighing once a day but more than once, I get on the scale, and off. and that is the weight I record. My goodness, you'd think we were talking about good and evil and the weight of a soul here!
  • solrak1969
    solrak1969 Posts: 92 Member
    Weigh yourself as often as you want. Understand that it will fluctuate everyday. I weigh myself first thing in the morning. If want to weigh yourself once a week thats fine also. I do it daily so I know whats going on everyday, and act on it. I don't want to wait a week to find that I have been screwing up. It can be compulsive and people around you might give you some grief, but do what you gotta do to stay on your game. Good Luck.
  • What does weighing yourself so often accomplish? Do you not trust yourself and what you are doing (eating and exercising?) Are you afraid to succeed, thus setting yourself up for failure (self-sabbatoge)? Just things to think about? You're smart, you know what to eat and what not to eat and how much. So start trusting yourself (scales can lie!) Go with how your clothes fit, how you feel, what you see in the mirror, NOT what that damn scale says! Good luck, be happy, enjoy life!
  • jewelzz
    jewelzz Posts: 326 Member
    Thank you all for your advice and encouragement.
  • Tom918
    Tom918 Posts: 6
    Just go for once a week. You know your clothing is fitting better which is a better gauge. As you gain more muscle mass you are going to get a slower weight loss but it's a good thing.
  • Dont worry. I used to do this to. Especially during my period. Every girl feels this way during their time of the month. It's normal, even my skinny friends feel bloated. Just know that your not the only one, and you will loose that weight. So stop obssesing about the scale. It might even help to put it in a place that you wont look at it all the time. "Out of sight, out of mind". Dont keep it in your bathroom cause you use that all the time. I hope I was able to help. Good luck.
  • heavenrain
    heavenrain Posts: 36 Member
    I am the same way. I weigh myself everyday and it drives my husband crazy.
  • I weigh myself in the morning after going to the bathroom. And I try to weigh myself in the same clothing in the same spot. I think I am going to try two in a row and then average them together.
  • fitoverfifty
    fitoverfifty Posts: 192 Member
    Hey, if it keeps you from letting the weight creep back on...what's the harm?

    It's so easy to let 5 pounds get back on before you notice it.....( I speak from experience)

    You're not hurting anyone...weigh away...

    You are beautiful by the way.

    Anne
  • Hi Jewelzz,

    I weigh myself once a day in the morning after I use the restroom. You have to do what's comfortable for you. For myself, I like to know everyday so that I can see my progress or lack thereof & to know if I need to make some adjustments. I agree with everyone else in that weighing yourself a few times a day isn't the best idea as your weight does fluctuate throughout the day. Hopefully you will find what's comfortable for you. Good luck.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    I think we all have been through this, I weigh on Mondays to keep myself motivated through the weekend. I had to throw a scale away because I had a "problem" but bought a new one recently. I put a post it on it and it covers the digits and it says "is it Monday? if not step away from me".

    I find that I am more motivated through the week when I choose the one day to weigh and that is the only day that the numbers count, keeps you from getting discouraged
  • javamom
    javamom Posts: 309
    I weigh daily, which for me, takes the big pressure off weekly weigh ins. I can't stand the suspense that builds over a week. I don't fixate on any one number.
  • have you tried weighing yourself just twice a week? I know it's hard to only weigh yourself once or even twice a week. You can do it I have faith in you, and I'm sure you don't want your scale to be thrown away. lol
  • Strapples
    Strapples Posts: 36 Member
    i might not be a good consultant on this topic since i am here to maintain not lose weight but i find it best that i do it in a scientific approach. if i want to weigh twice a day i have two SOLID scheduled times, 9 AM 9 PM for example. but for me i only need one weigh per day so I weigh within my "window" in the morning or my night "window" 9 and noon and 9 pm and midnight are my "windows" to weigh in.

    just my two (or one) cent or whatever fraction is used in your currency if you are outside the US LOL
  • TrainerRobin
    TrainerRobin Posts: 509 Member
    All of that said, please remember one thing: If you have a "bad" food day (eating off plan or eating too much) and you weigh yourself the next day and find yourself up maybe a few pounds, remember that this is not your new weight ... it's not how much you gained from what you ate.

    Example: Say you overeat by 1,167 calories. Reality check. That's only 1/3 of a pound (one pound equals 3500 calories). So when the scale says you're three pounds heavier the next morning, at the same time you normally weigh in in the same clothes, don't freak out. You likely ingested more sodium, so part of that temporary gain is water retention and the remainder is the actual weight of the extra food (in addition to your regular food and beverage intake) that is slowly moving through your digestive system.

    So many folks get so discouraged when they see they gained a couple (or more) pounds from a bad "splurge" day, that they effectively give up and blow it for more meals/days/weeks/months until they regain their resolve to "diet" again.

    Maintaining a healthy body weight isn't about being on a diet, but is about healthy eating and exercise 90% of the time.

    So weigh yourself as you determine is right for you (once a week works best for most people UNLESS they are the types who don't get upset by an increase when they know they've eaten right OR who can do the math and know that most of the gain will disappear over the next couple of days if they get right back on track), but remember that one little trick. Do the math, know your REAL damage, don't let the number on the scale discourage you, and forge ahead!
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