First Fridays

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lizadaze
lizadaze Posts: 118 Member
Hello friends!

Happy Friday! :) And this just happens to be the FIRST Friday of the month, which is an important day for me.

Working with my personal trainer, he's convinced me to only weigh and measure myself once a month. So we agreed last night that I could weigh in today, but not again for another month. This is both liberating and scary at the same time. Why?

Liberating - Cause just like Melissa posted on another thread, we can become obsessed with the scale and let it control how we feel about ourselves. I used to weigh myself daily and doing so set the entire mood for the day. When the scale went up or even not down as far as I thought it should, then I was immediately in a bad mood and felt like a loser (and not a loser in a "good" way). To free myself from that awful psychological torture that goes with battling that scale every day or week, is quite exciting.

Scary - Cause the scale can help keep you accountable, too. I believe that for some, that daily and weekly affirmation on the scale helps them keep on track and aware of their progress.

But if you're like me, maybe you should rethink your strategy, too. Is the scale your friend or a source of demoralizing emotional torture?

So my trainer (Ken, the former-Marine who's a great motivator and truly nice guy), says we're just going to keep working hard and I'll see success sooner from my how my clothes fit, my physical appearance and my energy levels - things that darn scale can't possibly see or measure.

And you know what? He's entirely right. I already feel and see the difference that my new eating habits and increased levels of exercise are having on me and it's only week 1!

I have to stay strong for the weekend. That's when I'm most vulnerable and likely to stray from plan. So I will say it here and now - I must get in at least two solid exercise sessions this weekend. And I must stick to my balanced eating plan and keep the sugar-monster in his cage.

And oh yeah, NO WINE! Geesh, I made that commitment to because of you guys! Seriously!? What was I thinking. Oh anyway, I can do it - at least for the weekend. I have some cranberry juice and seltzer, so I'll make myself a mock cosmo and put it in a fancy glass with some lime zest.

Replies

  • RREnterprises
    RREnterprises Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm with you on the alcohol. Did great all week with no alcohol and my goal was only to drink on Fridays and Saturdays. Enjoying Tequila and some fresh squeezed tangerine juice right now! Here's to you, @lizadaze!
  • momof2boyz832
    momof2boyz832 Posts: 682 Member
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    Kudos to you for passing on the scale.it must be so liberating! I wish I could do it. I find when I do not crawl up on the scale at least once a week I become slack in eating and being accountable. That being said I do not base all my progress on the numbers, nothing feels better than feeling wiggle room in clothing. Perhaps when I see some results I can change my thought process and ditch the scale... Happy Weekend!
  • tyboskates
    tyboskates Posts: 23 Member
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    I am one who also gets on the scale every single morning and if it does not move down or goes up I am instantly in a bad mood and really mad at myself and sometimes mad at the world for having such yummy fattening food available. This weekend I am focusing on just getting healthy as I caught a nasty cold Thursday night. This resting gives me plenty of time to plan my healthy changes. I too will not weigh myself daily but once a week on Fridays, I promise myself that. I don't think I can go a month without weighing myself, I would go crazy. Good luck everyone on this Super Bowl weekend.
  • Mjtckwnow
    Mjtckwnow Posts: 528 Member
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    When I am on track and logging calories I weigh every morning first thing. But I don't get upset by what is says...if it is a loss I know what I am doing is working and it motivates me to stay the course and if it isn't a loss then it just makes me more determined to do what needs to be done. I fall off track when I stop weighing myself. I also use weighgrapher.com which shows your weight's moving average so that if you see a slight increase on the scale one day it doesn't mean you are actually gaining weight. I think it's an individual thing and you have to find what works for you. Good luck everyone!
  • kendra9199
    kendra9199 Posts: 6 Member
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    Totally gave in yesterday and ate way too much of the wrong stuff. I've been even better than I hoped with activity this week but my intake hasn't been within guidelines. Starting this day fresh and rethinking my meals and snacks for this week to get under or at goal.

    I think I will start monthly weighing also. I felt so good all week, eating right and working out, this week gained 2 and lost 1. Just can't shake off the disappointment from the scale. Think I'll stick with logging everything and feeling great!! I know this is a marathon not a sprint this time. Slow loss is fine, it's just got to go!

    Also, this group def has helped keep me motivated with all your activity! Great job!
  • journey2sugar
    journey2sugar Posts: 10 Member
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    kendra9199 wrote: »
    Totally gave in yesterday and ate way too much of the wrong stuff. I've been even better than I hoped with activity this week but my intake hasn't been within guidelines. Starting this day fresh and rethinking my meals and snacks for this week to get under or at goal.

    I think I will start monthly weighing also. I felt so good all week, eating right and working out, this week gained 2 and lost 1. Just can't shake off the disappointment from the scale. Think I'll stick with logging everything and feeling great!! I know this is a marathon not a sprint this time. Slow loss is fine, it's just got to go!

    Also, this group def has helped keep me motivated with all your activity! Great job!


    You and me BOTH - I definitely indulged in some fajita nachos from Chilli's the other night and it was no Bueno...lol

    But as long as we shake it off and try again the next moment, we can make it. It IS a marathon, not a sprint. I'm a former daily weigher, now I step on weekly, on Sunday mornings, so I'm motivated to not go off the rails on Friday and Saturday. The weekends are rough for me. I had several NSV's this week: I ate some not-so-great food, but kept it healthy mostly. I also bypassed a LOT of bad food that would normally suck me in: French fries, Shake Shake, McDonald's (one of my life goals is to never go in there again), Coldstone...the list goes on. I am determined to be able to leave my house like a normal human being without scarfing down everything in sight!

    Oh and I weighed in today at 4 lbs lost! I'm not claiming it yet, will see what the scale says on my official day tomorrow.
  • martinezkrauss
    martinezkrauss Posts: 20 Member
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    I wrote earlier but doesn't appear that I posted it - here is another try: I LOVE the idea of weighting myself only monthly. I kept thinking about it last night and committed myself in theory. The problem was that I gradually was so full of anxiety about not having the data for four entire weeks of my status that I struggled with the notion. I know data is just a number. How I interpret it is something else. Ultimately, I ended up weighting myself this morning - 2 days too early. It turns out that I would rather have the data and be disappointed two weeks in a row than go four weeks without knowing the number. I think this conclusion will help me to reduce my anxiety regarding the scale. - Jonathan
  • Sillybee727
    Sillybee727 Posts: 131 Member
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    I'm in for monthly weigh ins after a week where I gained, but actually got some inches off. I think I'll measure weekly to keep myself motivated though.
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