Scared for the scale

aromatherapy713
aromatherapy713 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 27 in Motivation and Support
I was going strong on this app for about a month but I recently went on vacation and I thought “won’t do me harm not to track it” and I skipped out past the vacation and I know I ate like garbage. I know I had to have gained weight with how bad I’ve ate I already made progress and I don’t want to look at the numbers go back? Do I go look or do I wait until I feel like I’ve lost more and ate healthy to look

Replies

  • PeachBean
    PeachBean Posts: 10 Member
    Vacations are always rough because you're there to treat yourself and then you have to come back and face reality. I have a really unhealthy obsession with my scale and weighing myself. I'd suggest looking at it but don't let the number affect you (easier said than done I know) after that, hide it and don't get back on it for an entire week. I always weigh myself early morning after I've uhh relieved myself and in minimum clothing. I never weigh myself during the day.

    You're weight is only a number that represents the amount that effort gravity is pulling you down, not your worth, health, or attractiveness. It's a number that helps you keep track of only 2 things: your weight and bmi.
  • Camigwen
    Camigwen Posts: 41 Member
    I always give myself a week after I get back before stepping on the scale. Even if I don’t go wild on vacation travel always makes me retain water so I know my scale will it be kind.
  • aromatherapy713
    aromatherapy713 Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks so much :)
  • allison8668
    allison8668 Posts: 885 Member
    In the past, I would have waited - and not weighed myself. But that would turn into a source of anxiety - not knowing. So, now, I would just weigh myself - eyes open. It is what it is. And, then it's like I have my starting point again - and can go forward with losing - and forgiving myself for getting distracted.
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    I always face the music. My theory is that the more you can calibrate your perceptions to reality the better. You will have a better understanding of how the food going down impacts your weight if you measure the food and your body. I think everyone on this site has a disconnect between perceived portion size and actual portion size--thus weight issues.
  • siobhanaoife
    siobhanaoife Posts: 151 Member
    Here, I'll give you my completely twisted reason for getting back on the scale and facing the higher number right away: I want full credit for losing those pounds again. I want to see the high water mark at it's highest, grit my teeth and see that it hasn't destroyed me, and then (since for me a lot of vacation weight gain isn't really fat gain), I get the reward of seeing it drop away day by day, giving me back that sense of momentum.

    So like, say I go on vacation a week. And my first day back, I'm up six pounds. I go YEESH! Then I remind myself about water weight, poop, etc, and I see that the next day I'm down 2 already, then over the next six days say I lose another 3. I'm getting the positive reinforcement that getting on track is working and that my normal way of being is good for me. Day 7, I'm still up 1lb from before vacation, but I'm consciously back on track and seeing results. In this imaginary scenario, if I waited a week before weighing, the differences would be:
    - I'd have felt like I was hiding from my weight for a week because it would be too awful to know
    - When I finally weighed in, I'd see a gain still (+1) after being back on track for a week
    - If it was the wrong time of the month, I might have just held onto 3 more pounds of water and be up +4, and not realize that that wasn't fat I'd brought back from vacation

    So it's all what motivates you and keeps you happiest. For me, I weigh every day because for me it robs the scale of it's power. I see the trends, I see the impact of my period on my weight, I see the day that my period ends and the next day I'm down 3 pounds all at once, I've seen it all before. And if I eat holiday meals or vacation foods, I see how transient the effect is once I get right back on track, and track everything.

    Some people work completely other ways and my approach would drive them crazy. You gotta figure out your own personal hangups and give yourself the support that you need to handle each day with grace and peace.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    It's probably not as bad as you expect and more water weight than anything
  • AwesomeOpossum74
    AwesomeOpossum74 Posts: 106 Member
    PeachBean wrote: »
    You're weight is only a number that represents the amount that effort gravity is pulling you down, not your worth, health, or attractiveness.
    Do you write for the Motivation division of Hallmark?
  • My_Butt
    My_Butt Posts: 2,300 Member
    aromatherapy713 wrote: »
    I was going strong on this app for about a month but I recently went on vacation and I thought “won’t do me harm not to track it” and I skipped out past the vacation and I know I ate like garbage. I know I had to have gained weight with how bad I’ve ate I already made progress and I don’t want to look at the numbers go back? Do I go look or do I wait until I feel like I’ve lost more and ate healthy to look

    When on vacation, half of the experience is trying the local food.
    Are you fine with how you look in the mirror right now? If you feel you look similar to the way you looked before the vacation, then ignore the scale for now and focus on healthy foods and getting back on track. You may have bloating from the increase in sodium and carbs, but that’ll flush out with proper water intake within a week.
    It took me about 2 weeks to lose my vacation gain, so it’s no sweat.
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