Back at square one.... SO frustrating!!!
 

I bought a new digital scale today. I talked about my old one having a 10lb swing because it was not balanced, so I even went to one at the mall to verify my weight.

The reading on my NEW scale is 265.4 my old one was in the 250 range and the scale at the mall was 246. I AM SO FRUSTRATED. It is like this last month of work was for nothing!!! So after a month of learning, struggling, counting, and finally beginning exercise, I am where I said I was in November when I first logged on Here.
SOOO.... I am starting... AGAIN at 265 I had a goal of being under 250 by January 1, 2011, but with only 21 days to go, I am not sure how realistic that is.

It is not about a number.... it is about my life... I get that. I am just upset because the number is what we use to measure success for the work we are doing. Yes, my clothes are bigger on me, Yes, I feel better when I am walking. I know this will happen... I just had my heart set on FINALLY ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING! I really wanted to have that under my belt for the start of the New Year. I am angry, upset, and I feel like a complete failure, even though I know that good or bad, the numbers on the scale have been off for a while. It feels like I gained the 19 lbs in three days. D**N IT!!!

:hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug: :hug::hug:
the good news....you're here!! and willing to continue!!!
WAY TO GO!!! hang in there....i can sooooooooooooooooooo understand...as i am starting again for the 2nd time!! we can do this!!

Thanks! I most definitely am continuing. I just need to get over this and keep going! Thanks for the hugs... they work!

The number on the scale is nothing more than a number.:hug:

So your old scale was off, so what! You're healthier and on the right track!:carrot:

Keep it up!:carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot ::carrot:

You gonna take that old scale and...:club: For putting you through this?
I know that is frustrating- I hope you have a good weight loss month anyway. :hug: And yes the main thing now is your here and on plan.
I hope you have a very happy new year and all your hopes and dreams come true!! :flow1:

In that case, in your records add 15lbs to your start weight. You've still lost that weight but now you have an accurate way of recording it. And well done for not being so depressed that you gave up!

Rosinante is brilliant. :)

Seriously, your old scale was showing you flawed figures all along, so you are entitled to those pounds that it oh-so-kindly didn't tell you about in the very beginning. If I measured my height with a tape measure that was missing the first twenty inches of tape, I didn't grow a couple of feet to become seven feet tall; by the same token, you did not gain back--you simply used an inaccurate device.

The important thing is that the difference between your starting weight and your current weight on the same scale. That is the true measure of the work you've done--which, by the way, is downright awesome considering you've dropped fifteen pounds in about a month, if I'm reading you right.

I would be totally ticked off at both the old and the new scales myself; I definitely sympathize. :hug:

:hug:I hear your frustration b/c I went through the exact same thing when I bought a new scale. Except, my old one had me almost 20 (TWENTY!!!) lbs lighter than the new one :dizzy:.
So yes, I did what rosinante suggested - I added the weight to my 'start weight'. It was freaking scary to see that number be higher than anything I've ever seen before, but...at least I still felt good about the fact that I HAD been losing weight - just like you have. So, chin up and keep going strong.

Oh, I would be SO mad! Obviously you got the loss for real, but DANG it!! I'm sorry that happened. :hug: Keep going and you will be "back" at 250 soon! :mad:

What she said ^! 15 pounds is15 gone no matter where you started. Take credit for it.

this topic pops it's frustrating head up every so often, it happened to me when I switched from a spring scale to a tanita digital. the truth of it is you have done the same work and had the same accomplishments, you just have different numbers tacked onto them.

but I do remember how frustrated I was when I experienced it! hang in there :)

Yes absolutely adjust your starting weight, it will show your hard work and your progress! You lost those pounds still! I can definitely understand your frustration though, that would totally pi$$ me off too!!! :hug:

When I first read the title of your post, I assumed you meant that you had regained and was back at your starting weight, and I was still going to give you this same advice (and it would have applied just as much).

You are not starting at square one. Even if you had regained it all, you still wouldn't be. You still would have gained knowledge and experience that can't be taken away (even if you regain the weight and an extral 15 on top of it).

Part of the reason I regained so many times in my life, is because I did see every gain, even small ones as having to "start over." If I ate something I didn't plan on, I'd think I had to "start over," (and since I "blew" the day, I might as well keep eating until bedtime).

Personally, I would encourage you not to set time/loss goals. In my experience they can make success look like failure. If you miss your goal by a few pounds, no matter how proud you are of the loss, there's still that little demon in the back of your mind saying "you could have made it, if you'd tried harder, if you'd really wanted it, if you hadn't made so many mistakes." Instead of enjoying your accomplishments, the failure is what sticks out. And even if you can manage not to beat yourself up, and can focus on the success, there's still going to the reminder that it was only a partial success.

You deserve to feel the success, every last drop of it.

You didn't gain 19 lbs in 3 days and you know it, so why are you letting yourself feel like it? You do have control over your emotions. It can be difficult to reign them in, but it's possible, by talking to yourself. You know the negative voices are wrong, so talk back to them. Tell them (you) they're wrong. Remind yourself of all the accomplishments and successes you've had.

If you focus on the failure, you're going to feel like you're failing, and if you feel like you're failing, you're going to give up.

I've been on the crazy weight loss rollercoaster since I was 5 (I'm almost 45) and I finally realized that I didn't give up because I was failing, I gave up (every single time) because I felt like I was failing. I was actually succeeding, just at a slower pace than I was happy with. I let success feel like failure. I interpreted success as failure (mostly because I fell short of time-based goals. When I didn't make the deadline, I saw failure, not success).

"This time" I've chosen to see the success - not just in weight loss, but just in keeping off what I've lost. I would never have called weight loss at my current pace as success, so in some ways I've failed off almost 90 lbs.

If you see the successes, you'll make more, building on them (because that's what successful people do). If you see the failures, you'll make more, spiraling downward (because that's what failures do).

Focus on your successes.

Kaplods is spot on, as always, listen to her she is a very intelligent woman. She's gotten me through a lot through encouraging words on the boards. Remember, every scale is different. Also be sure the floor where you have the scale is even.