If you're an addictive weigher on the scale...

mommamandyloo
mommamandyloo Posts: 19 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am. I weigh at least once a day, usually several times a day. I feel so high when there is a loss, and so devastated at a gain or plateau.

I know I need to break this habit.

My doctor wants me to go two weeks without weighing in, and really struggling with if I am capable of that. It's my measure of control. Motivation to work harder.

My question is, if you're like me, and you've given up the chronic weighing. .. did it help? Did you regret it? Was it torture?

Replies

  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
    I would only weigh myself in the mornings but it was every day and it was controlling my life. I'd be happy if I lost weight and my day would be ruined if I gained or stayed the same. I got rid of my scale until I no longer cared about the number on the scale. It look about a month. I focused on my health, my fitness, etc.

    I weigh myself every day now to track my natural fluctuations in weight and it doesnt affect me the same way.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    Giving the number on the scale that much power over you is exhausting. Body weight fluctuates daily. Scale number alone is not accurate.

    Take your measurements. Write them down or track them here. MUCH more helpful. But even then, daily (or more than daily) is not necessary. I track my measurements about once a month. Try it! It really does give you much more motivation than the silly scale.
  • BRobertson23
    BRobertson23 Posts: 150 Member
    I weigh myself almost daily, but only once in the morning. I do this because it helps me to understand the fluctuations I have with my body...when I ate too much sodium or drank too much alcohol. I also like to see it to know if I'm keeping on track. I guess it's kinda my way of "peeking" at what my weigh it will be at the end of the week. My official weigh in is Sunday, so if I get to Thursday and I don't see the scale moving, I will work hard to cut calories or add extra exercise. I suspect that I will not weigh myself daily after I get into maintenance, but more likely 1-2 times a week tops. I read a medical article recently that said you should expect a fluctuation of up to 7 pounds with your weight (WHAT!?!). It said you'll see yourself either go down 3.5 lbs or up 3.5 lbs. Anything larger than that span means you're either losing or gaining TRUE weight.....made me feel good since I was up during last week by 3 pounds and I was getting ready to cry!
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Weigh yourself as often as you like as long as you understand that your weight will fluctuate so you have that in mind. Quite fun to chart it.
  • sentaruu
    sentaruu Posts: 2,206 Member
    I weigh usually once or twice a day. as mentioned above, there really is no harm in it so long as you can understand that your body weight fluctuates daily.

    weight loss is not linear.
  • pleasepleaseno
    pleasepleaseno Posts: 166 Member
    I weigh myself just about every morning. Sometimes I'll skip a day to challenge myself because I know I can get a bit obsessed.
  • Milverton99
    Milverton99 Posts: 8
    I weigh myself twice a day - morning and evening. When I'm going off track on my eating I have a strong compulsion not to weigh myself and I know that this is how I was when I was eating nonstop and putting on loads of weight. So weighing myself is my way of keeping the whole thing on track. If I don't weigh like this I'll stop the healthy eating - I know it.

    Don't get depressed if the scale goes up a bit, you need to take it as a warning to go back on track. If you're anything like me you'll be watching your weight for life and you have to be prepared for a few gains along the way. The really good thing is knowing that if you eat on plan you CAN lose that weight!
  • mearsy88
    mearsy88 Posts: 87 Member
    Ive logged in for 26 days now and have weighed every morning for about 20 of those days! The last 6 days I havent because the scale was not moving and it was frustrating. I got on it today and have lost 2lbs! best surprise ever!!! Going to try and go another week without weighing in!!!
  • xWendyJonesx
    xWendyJonesx Posts: 266 Member
    I weigh myself most mornings, I dont let it ruin my day, just use it as a tool to keep me on track, I know my weigh fluctuates by 3lbs, if it goes higher than that I know I have to be really good or a few days.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    I used to weigh myself every morning and every night just before bed. I would be over-the-moon happy if I lost. I would be a total grouch and in a bad mood if I gained. I took a month off from weighing because I didn't like where the obsession was heading. It was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I knew what to do (eat right and exercise), so I just kept up with that. I liked not having to worry about what the scale was going to tell me. I began to base my health on how I felt, how much energy I had, how my clothes fit, etc..

    I do weigh myself once a week now, but it doesn't impact me the way it used it. Do I get happy when I see a loss? Yes, but I don't feel crushed when I see a slight gain or a plateau. I know that I'm doing what I need to do to see results so I just keep going and don't let one tool determine my mood.
  • steff274
    steff274 Posts: 227 Member
    I have a scale obsession in fairness I see it like I don't want to drop anymore weight what if God forbid I waited a week then realised I was down 3 pounds!! At the moment I still have a healthy bmi as little as 4 pounds would put me under weight.. Could do with gaining a couple of pounds back really my ribs are visible what's the point in starting to see abs if your self conscious about your ribs!! :\
  • tomcornhole
    tomcornhole Posts: 1,084 Member
    Not weighing in for 2 weeks won't address the root cause of your anxiety. What if you happen to weigh in on a water retention day? Now you are depressed for 2 weeks until the next weigh in. Do you plot the data and get a big picture of weight vs. time? I weight every day and put it in Excel so I can look at it nine ways to Sunday. And the daily variations don't bug me anymore because I look at trends vs. daily weight. That has helped me deal with the ups and downs in a meaningful way. Here's 2 years worth of data:

    weight20141009.png
  • SlimMe37
    SlimMe37 Posts: 133 Member
    I weigh most mornings. The last time I stopped looking, I gained half the weigh I lost, back. I don't want that to ever happen again!
  • DeeBerning
    DeeBerning Posts: 131 Member
    I weigh daily and was really struggling with it through a one-month plateau. I said I was going to not weigh, but that didn't happen. I am afraid that if I don't keep an eye on it, the weight will come back on regardless of what I am doing. Good luck... and hang in there.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    I ditched my scale from May til September this year and it was so freeing! I high recommend taking a break from daily weighing. It kept me on track because I didn't want to be disappointed when I went back to weighing.

    Now I don't let my weigh ins ruin my day and I'm not scared of the scale! Good luck to you :)
  • blossomingbutterfly
    blossomingbutterfly Posts: 743 Member
    I used to do that all the day. Every few hours. Wanted to see if I lost any weight throughout the day. And it was devastating because I rarely did since you tend to gain a few during the day in food and water weight until the next morning.

    At a certain point, I literally just threw out the scale! I had to. I threw it out and could only use one when I went to see my parents. I'd go every week or two. And that helped.

    Now I have a scale at home. I try to weight in on Thursday or Friday mornings. I sometimes cheat and weigh in on Mondays too. Heh. But it's a lot better now that I'm not constantly sitting on it, figuratively.
  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
    I weigh in every morning but only record the weight every second Wednesday.
  • hermann341
    hermann341 Posts: 443 Member
    I do weigh myself pretty much every day, but I don't know if I'm obsessed. I understand that my weight will fluctuate during the day (about 5 pounds for me), so I'm not really affected by fluctuations (even after cheating a bit). I weigh myself before bed, when I wake, and after my workout, but it's more about keeping an eye on my hydration than my weight. I only log my waking weight once a week (usually Friday morning), to track my weight loss. Now that I've reached my goal weight, I will probably continue my routine for six months or a year to make sure I stay at my goal weight. Beyond that, I'll probably cut back to weighing once a week.
  • sbjmorgan
    sbjmorgan Posts: 158 Member
    I weigh myself almost everyday because it's a good indication, to me, of how my body responds to certain things. When I walk more or do a LOT of bodyweight exercises, I retain about X number of pounds of water weight; during my cycle, I lose X from bloat, etc. I don't take it as a good or a bad. It's on a downward trend, that's enough for me.
  • ZombieKillaPrincess
    ZombieKillaPrincess Posts: 404 Member
    I weigh myself frequently at times and then not so much other times.

    Your body fluctuates naturally! I weight as much as some girls that wear a few sizes bigger because I have more muscle than most women... And at times, I forget that and want to punch the scale in the face...

    Go by how your clothes fit and feel. The scale is a good frame of reference but it really doesn't matter what it says if you're not feeling fit, happy and healthy!

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