Obsessing over the scale - how to stop?

Jessica0982
Jessica0982 Posts: 209 Member
edited October 7 in Health and Weight Loss
I have a very bad habit of weighing myself like...all the time. I am very well aware that your body can change quite a bit with water weight and other things so it's not exactly accurate to weigh yourself daily. My weigh in needs to be weekly according to MFP.

I know it may sound silly, but how do I stop myself from sort of obsessing over the scale?
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Replies

  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
    I made a pact with myself to weigh in once a month on the same day (for me, the Wednesday following the end of my TOM). The first month was really hard... I kept wanting to sneak a peak... But after that it got easier!
  • traceyh1975
    traceyh1975 Posts: 1
    Hi Jessica,

    I had the same problem, so eventually I got my husband to hide the scales, bringing them out once a week so that I could weigh myself. It worked for me!

    Tracey
  • TMcBooty
    TMcBooty Posts: 780 Member
    I don't have an answer .. I weigh daily.
  • sullyboo
    sullyboo Posts: 256 Member
    I'd love to know. I weigh almost daily (only time I didn't was voer christmas!!) I am a tad obsessed with it!! Maybe get someone to conviscate your scales ??:tongue:
  • 0PhAtDaDdY
    0PhAtDaDdY Posts: 569 Member
    I have a very bad habit of weighing myself like...all the time. I am very well aware that your body can change quite a bit with water weight and other things so it's not exactly accurate to weigh yourself daily. My weigh in needs to be weekly according to MFP.

    I know it may sound silly, but how do I stop myself from sort of obsessing over the scale?

    I step on the scale every time I walk by it is in the bathroom I'm not obsessed with it it's just fun enjoy it's fun to play with the scale.. The up a bit, down a bit, just a normal process it does not bother me...Learning Tool...
  • Swissmiss
    Swissmiss Posts: 8,754 Member
    Maybe by staying as far away from any scales as possible. I have the same problem. I don't have working scales at home but the YMCA does have them and I am there every day. Last night I weighed one pound up since the previous day. I know that I shouldn't worry about that one pound but when I weighed myself..there it was. There are many different thoughts on how often we should weight. Most people say no more than once a week. I like to weigh more often than that so I can catch any problems early.
  • homeport51
    homeport51 Posts: 198 Member
    I weigh every day. Same time... first thing in the morning after I have gone potty. I see nothing wrong with that. It is a good indicator of what is going on with my body. I don't have the TOM anymore, but if I eat too much sodium, I will have a temporary gain. Helps me stay on track.. It is different for everyone. No harm in weighing in daily, if that helps you. Do what works for you.
  • siabevis
    siabevis Posts: 811
    you can always go by how your clothes fit- sia bevis
  • chatterbox3110
    chatterbox3110 Posts: 630 Member
    It was an obsession with me as well, and it wasn't till I realised how stressed I was getting with daily fluctuations that I steeled myself to stay away from the scales and now I only weigh on a Friday morning.

    It was very hard at first, but nothing in life is easy!
  • biff54928
    biff54928 Posts: 35
    I also do the same thing usually every morning after the bathroom trip but I like seeing what it is doing whether it is going up or down
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Do you live with someone who can hide the scale from you and only bring it out for your official weekly weigh-ins? That's what I did! I used to weigh myself, every day... sometimes multiple times a day. I got so upset about little fluctuations. So, my husband hid the scale and I only weighed in every week in the beginning. Now, the scale is back out in the open and I'm actually only weighing in monthly. I have found better motivation and sanity weighing myself A LOT less often.
  • smiles4support
    smiles4support Posts: 73
    I made a deal with another MFP that was having the same issue to weigh on MONDAY's. We have stuck to it, or I have at least! She has slipped up once, but Idon't want to go back on my word so ONCE A WEEK IT IS!
  • bmmadden
    bmmadden Posts: 499 Member
    Well depending on whether seeing a gain from time to time frustrates you then you need to only weigh in once a week or something like that, seeing a gain doesnt bother me I weigh once a day in the morning after restrooming and usually If I have a gain I know why and it doesnt bother me at all I dont freak out and I learn from it, so if you freak out about gains then have someone take the scaale for a week and bring it out on selected weigh in days , if you dont freak out about a gain then dont worry about it
  • mezzosoprano89
    mezzosoprano89 Posts: 81 Member
    There's a group on this site of people who aren't going to weigh in until Valentine's day!! You could always join a challenge like that one to help you stay motivated to not look for a while. I was getting frustrated so I joined that challenge to help me stay away and focus on just eating right and exercising and pray for a big pay off in a bit over a month :)
  • Coltsman4ever
    Coltsman4ever Posts: 602 Member
    I don't have an answer .. I weigh daily.

    I also weigh myself every day. It keeps me more accountable. Nothing wrong with it as far as I'm concerned.
  • japruzze
    japruzze Posts: 453 Member
    I weigh myself daily. Its part of the morning routine. I know, per my nutritionist, that a 2 lbs variance (up or down) is considered maintaining for a woman but when I see an up it makes me pause and think about what I did the day before that I might have done better and when I see a down and think "Ok can do this!". When I tried not weighing myself I became obsessed with the numbers. Daily weigh ins work for me.
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    My weigh in needs to be weekly according to MFP.

    I know it may sound silly, but how do I stop myself from sort of obsessing over the scale?
    Stop worrying about obsessing. If you want to weigh yourself every day, it's absolutely fine, lots of people on here do it

    If you do, and if you make a note of the weights, you'll learn the things that affect your weight and you'll learn not to panic when you see an increase. It has a massive advantage over weighing weekly - if you happen to weigh yourself on a day when you happen to be heavier, you'll spend the whole week thinking you've failed. If you happen to weigh yourself on a day when you happen to be lighter, you'll spend the whole week thinking you are doing better than you really are, and may treat yourself to something as a consequence.

    Do make sure you weigh yourself at the same time every morning though, after going to the lavatory, before having a drink. It's your body you want to be weighing, not your poo or a cup of tea! :bigsmile:

    Information is power, take control and stop being scared of the scales.
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    I have a very bad habit of weighing myself like...all the time. I am very well aware that your body can change quite a bit with water weight and other things so it's not exactly accurate to weigh yourself daily. My weigh in needs to be weekly according to MFP.

    I know it may sound silly, but how do I stop myself from sort of obsessing over the scale?
    Just do it, and in time you'll break the habit.

    I weigh myself in the morning after a good poo but before breakfast, then again at night right before bed.

    It's important to do it at the same time under the same conditions.
    And never - EVER try to "make weight" by fasting or sweating off pounds. That's an ABSURD practice some here do for their weekly weight-ins like they see on that pathetic TV show "The Biggest Loser".

    No, the scale is just a tool - one of many. You should also be tracking body fat, and you can do that here for free:
    http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

    Good luck!
  • jenc555
    jenc555 Posts: 39 Member
    Measurements! I find the scale does not give me any real information and can really bum me out. I focus on lifting and cardio, and make sure I track my measurements every month or so.

    Good luck!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I decided I wasn't gonna do it anymore it was stressing me loads. Made a pact with the doctors to just weigh in there, every few weeks and I feel a lot more sane. Its easy now too x
  • sheclimber
    sheclimber Posts: 176 Member
    I used to as well and there was never a good answer. If I was down I could celebrate with food. If I was up I was depressed and would comfort with food. So I threw it away. Best decision ever. I didn't weigh myself for about 2 years. Even turned my back when I was at the doctors for a checkup. Now I am trying to lose a little to help me out with my cycling and I only can use the scale at the gym. (Interestingly enough my guess was only off by a couple of pounds) And so I only weigh in there and after so long without being obsessed about it, the number on the scale just rolls off my back. It's a tool to guage - that's it and I don't give it anymore importance than that.
  • cheermom614
    cheermom614 Posts: 97
    Try to focus on how you feel and don't worry about the number on the scale. I know that's easier said than done but focusing on the other aspects of your new healthy life might help take some of the focus off weighting in too often. Like you said, your body weight fluctuates and you don't want the scale to make you feel unmotivated and defeated!
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
    I put my scale in a different room of my house. (I actually put it in my spare room, upstairs, in the closet, behind a bunch of boxes so I couldn't get to it easily...) I did this for a little under 2 weeks. I was worried that I would gain since I wasn't weighing every day. I'm not sure why I thought that when nothing else had changed with my eating and exercising routine. I finally dug the scale out after about 10 days and found that I had lost 2 pounds. Somehow that made it a little bit easier for me to bring the scale back out, put it in plain sight, and not feel the urge to weigh in every morning.

    Like someone else posted before, there's nothing wrong with weighing in every day, but if you find yourself becoming a little too focused on the scale then maybe you just need to hide it from yourself for a while.
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,359 Member
    Your scale may have to go live with a friend for a while. There will be a period of withdrawal. Hang in there!
    Frequent weighing can be like an addiction. To break the cycle it may help to have a friend or family member keep your scale and you can visit it on some planned schedule. An inanimate object has no right to boss you around.hahaha:smile:
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    An inanimate object has no right to boss you around.hahaha:smile:
    On the contrary, if I'm not eating as well as usual, or not exercising as much as usual, and the scales show an increase day on day for more than a couple of days, they have every right to boss me around!

    I'm sure that I've saved myself a few plateaus by taking careful note of what's happening with my body and nipping poor habits in the bud.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Ask yourself which you would rather be:
    1) A 250 lb person that looks like you weigh 125 lbs
    2) A 125 lb person that looks like you weigh 250 lbs

    That's an extreme scenario of course (and I'm of course just making up numbers, I personally would hate to look like I weighed 125 lbs, but you get the idea) but as long as you don't take into consideration the long term health risks of weighing 300 lbs and only consider the vanity aspect, I think most people would go with option 1. Remind yourself of that before you step on the scale when it's not scheduled.

    It helped my fiance, she weighs herself twice a week now. That's down from way-too-f***ing-much (in my opinion).


    Good luck!
  • Jessica0982
    Jessica0982 Posts: 209 Member
    I don't have an answer .. I weigh daily.

    I'm the same way. I actually don't 'obsess' over it like I say because it's more of a tracking my weight and just seeing where I'm at. I understand that some days are higher and others are lower but based upon that, I can tell if I'm on track or not.

    At night before bed, I will check in and I can tell if tomorrow morning I'll be on target. Just by how I feel, by what I've eaten and by what the scale says.

    So to those that way yourself daily...do you do a daily check in on MFP? Or do you just track it weekly?
  • TourThePast
    TourThePast Posts: 1,753 Member
    So to those that way yourself daily...do you do a daily check in on MFP? Or do you just track it weekly?
    I'm in Gryffindor on here, from the Harry Potter Challenge, and they have a weekly weigh in. So I always post my Monday weight on there and update it on my profile at the same time.

    I enter my morning weights and hip / waist / thigh measurements into an Excel spreadsheet, and while the graph shows a steady downward trend, the weekly weights look very erratic and random in comparison, even moving upwards for several weeks at one point, even though I know I'm losing weight.
  • ambercanfly
    ambercanfly Posts: 150 Member
    I hide my scale in the closet. Out of site, out of mind. Maybe have someone hide it for you? lol
  • angieread
    angieread Posts: 36 Member
    TOTAL obsession for me. I weigh myself in the morning every day, and usually step on the scale at least five times, moving the scale to different spots on the floor to see if the numbers change (they often do, my scale is a POS) and then I kind of 'average' the numbers together. I had my husband hide the scale for a while, but of course he didn't hide it well, I found it, and there I go again. Seriously. I may implement a two-weigh-in-a-week plan and TRY to stick with that. The daily thing sucks a little because you can have a REALLY great day and see no difference on the scale the next day, which impacts motivation.
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