Dear Scale - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

NightengaleShane · 09-12-2007, 07:49 AM

Dear Scale,

Sometimes, I wish I could take you, break you, then make you say what I want you to say. How can I possibly fluctuate eight pounds in one day? You can never get your story straight, can you? You tell me one thing then show me another, and frankly, I'm very unhappy with you. I don't know how I can continue our relationship without trust and I'm quite positive that I no longer love you.

We're not right for each other, and the fluttery feeling you once elicited from the pit of my stomach is no longer present. It may just be me and not you, but I'm going to blame you anyway. We should break up.

-Aidyn

-----------------------

Seriously, though, the weight is getting harder and harder to lose and slipping up is getting easier and easier. The amount of calories I burn every day has decreased quite a bit since my HW, and I'm not usually having that 1,000 calorie a day deficit that I used to have. I want to be done with weight loss and onto maintaining, but I'm not happy with myself yet. The scale keeps fluctuating between 146 and 150, which makes me very annoyed. Yesterday morning, I was 147, but this morning, I was 149.5... what the **** is up with that? I think I just need to cut back on sodium and stop eating things that I probably shouldn't be eating. I HATE WEIGHT!

PS: Yes, I'm drinking plenty of water.

PPS: NSV!!! I can now fit a size 6 button down blouse that I haven't been able to fit in over a year!! As well as another pair of my size 6 pants! Slowly but surely, I'm creeping back into more and more of my size 6 clothing, AND I only need to lose around 2 more inches off my waist until I will be the size I used to be! A month or two ago, I couldn't even fit it, and told myself to DREAM ON for the day that I actually could!

PPPS: One of my neighbors (who hadn't seen me in awhile) said, "WOW! You have lost SO MUCH WEIGHT! Are you still on a diet? You don't need to be!! I told her I wanted to lose 20 more pounds and she said, "Um... will you still EXIST? You don't need to be THAT THIN!!"

Heather · 09-12-2007, 07:51 AM

I sympathize... weight loss DOES slow down for the most part as we lose, but as long as you keep moving down (even slowly!) you're making progress!

NightengaleShane · 09-12-2007, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyllenn

I sympathize... weight loss DOES slow down for the most part as we lose, but as long as you keep moving down (even slowly!) you're making progress!

Glad I could make you laugh!

Weight loss definitely slows with the more you lose, probably for a variety of reasons... it's easier for a 300 pound person to lose 20 pounds than a 150 pound person just because they have more to lose... and then there's the fact that our bodies get used to the exercise we do, and THEN the point I mentioned (you don't burn as many calories, but you're still hungry, dammit!), and then... there's just... frustration! haha

PS: just thought I'd let you know that I commend you for all the weight you've lost... and you look fabulous.

veggielover · 09-12-2007, 08:02 AM

How often do you weigh? I only weight once a month, exactly five days after TOM hits.. to avoid that water fluctuation that goes on. It's easy for me to go on an eating rampage after finding out that my efforts resulted in weight GAIN, which makes me go "oh yeah, scale? Well how bout I show you THIS? (Grabs a baguette and bites it hard!)"

NightengaleShane · 09-12-2007, 08:24 AM

I weigh... entirely too often. It's probably a habit I need to break, so that I'll stop having scale-anger-frustration moments... or maybe I should just weigh WEEKLY and see what's up. I know I'm retaining some water (I can feel it, you know?) so once that stops, I'll be back at 147, I'm sure. I'm just frustrated. hehe.

Azure · 09-12-2007, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by veggielover

"oh yeah, scale? Well how bout I show you THIS? (Grabs a baguette and bites it hard!)"

I do the SAME thing sometimes...except it's usually a response to a stressful situation and not necessarily the scale...but that EXACT same reaction. As if I'm proving something to myself or anything/one else by eating stuff I know I shouldn't be.

jaxjob · 09-12-2007, 08:42 AM

Aidyn - that was hilarious!

But seriously - I have the opposite reaction (compared with veggielover) to daily weigh-ins. If the number goes up my resolve strengthens. I usually weigh myself daily (occasionally not) but only change my ticker on Fridays - up or down, depending. It's depressing to have to up it when I've been lower during the week, but it keeps me honest.

Although I have longer to go than you, I too am finding more NSVs than dramatic scale changes at present. But I'll take those too. I've been overweight for so long that my "goal" is just a suggestion based on pre-kids weight (my oldest is 10 this month) and I'm more interested in how my body looks and feels.

But I still weigh daily. And probably always will.

Jax

aymster · 09-12-2007, 08:56 AM

You are too funny! (And you're letting your scale off too easy. I think we should rough it up in the parking lot...

) Hee, hee!!

I think you answered your own question and I wonder myself why eating clean is such a challenge! I guess I really have to limit my "cheats" a bit more, too.

Now, interestingly enough, I just read in the New England Journal of Medicine, that people have better success and stay on track if they weigh every day. Gosh, it's so conflicting, isn't it? I've heard once a week, same time, naked, first thing in the morning, etc. I can see where it would mess with anyone when we indulge and the water weight makes the scale spew poisonous numbers! I am going to guess it's really up to the individual, but it makes sense that out of site is out of mind, huh? I dunno, I'm personally going to try every other day and see how that goes...

I've been dealing with the scale lately and we're not speaking currently. I was on it last week, had good news and we're not getting together until tomorrow a.m.

Congrats on getting into the clothes that make you :

awesome feeling, isn't it?

veggielover · 09-12-2007, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azure

I do the SAME thing sometimes...except it's usually a response to a stressful situation and not necessarily the scale...but that EXACT same reaction. As if I'm proving something to myself or anything/one else by eating stuff I know I shouldn't be.

BUT its SOOO easy for me to be angry at myself, and this is why I'm one of the only few people here that weigh only once a month, if ever at all. It's like, okay, I feel good about myself, my pants fit more or less, lemme check on the scale... OH MY GAWD, the scale says otherwise! And that's when I storm into the italian bakery and get myself a giant cream puff!

I've been resisting lately..

BillBlueEyes · 09-12-2007, 09:11 AM

Quote:

I don't know how I can continue our relationship without trust and I'm quite positive that I no longer love you.

Thanks for today's laugh; that is sooooooo funny.

About weighing: my style is to weigh every day and let Bill Gates plot it for me on an excel spreadsheet. From that, it's easy to choose my "official" weekly weight by looking at the last few numbers, ignoring the fluctuations with my eyeballs. That worked when I was loosing because I could see the downward trend even if the scale was up on my day of weighing. Now during maintenance I consider my weight constant if it has stayed within the 5 pound range of my current set point over the last week.

Torister · 09-12-2007, 09:38 AM

That was hilarious! Thanks for the laugh.

I weigh every day (and only count Monday's weight) and the days that I fluctuate up even though I am staying OP and exercising (usually around TOM or if I eat salty foods) I usually mutter "I don't like you today!" I think its a love/hate relationship with the scale and they do say its a thin line between love and hate!

Nice NSV too!

JayEll · 09-12-2007, 09:45 AM

I think what I've heard is that recording only once a week gives a better picture. Whether you weigh in between depends on your reaction. If you want to bite a baguette because the scale went up a pound... well... maybe not every day. But if you are someone who tends to drift if you don't see where you're at... maybe daily is OK. But still record once a week, on the same day, at the same time.

That said, I record every time I weigh. FitDay makes it easy to keep track.

Jay

WinterStarzz · 09-12-2007, 09:59 AM

lol that pretty much made my day. And made me want to write a Dear John letter my to scale, also. Scales are evil, that's all there is to it. They are sweet one day, and a jerk the next. Forget the scale and it's stupid lying numbers, and go with your NSV. Your hard work is paying off, and you are seeing the results...keep it up!

leah_0600 · 09-12-2007, 10:00 AM

that was really funny

wow! you've lost so much weight since i last saw your ticker! nice one

NightengaleShane · 09-12-2007, 10:22 AM

jaxjob: I think people experience stalls in weight loss no matter where they are in their journey; I know rationally NSV's should mean more, I just feel so close yet so far at the same time, you know? Close because I can fit some of my "thin clothes" but far because I have 22 more pounds to go before I'm at goal.

aymster: LOL! Yeah, we need to be much more harsh towards the scale! I was letting that ******* walk with minimal damage! Oh **** NO, we will gang up on that scale together!

I think I could "cheat" more at my HW because I overate so, so much that once I just generally stopped overeating, weight came off quickly. I no longer overeat or have the desire to (it makes me sick!), so now I just notice a lot more when I'm not particularily on plan.

leah_0600: oooh, I have? That's awesome! BTW, I've always thought you looked beautiful in your avatar.