Stop Scale Obsessing
 

I get the daily dish emailed to me from the South Beach Diet and I wanted to share what was sent.



Do you weigh yourself every day? Do you worry about even the slightest change in your weight? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, you may be obsessing over the scale — and if you're trying to maintain healthy habits, this behavior can actually be counterproductive.
The truth is, your weight may change from day to day for many reasons. Fluid retention, hormonal fluctuations, constipation, and even the food you ate right before stepping on the scale can cause daily ups and downs. These variations can be misleading and worrisome if you don't understand them. For an accurate measurement of your weight, weigh yourself only once each week and on the same scale every time (different scales may give different readings). An even better method of measuring your success is to let your belt be your guide. If your clothes fit better and you feel better, then you're getting healthier — even if the bathroom scale doesn't show big changes.
Ultimately, it's up to you to stop scale obsession. Weight loss takes time, so patience is required. Dr. Agatston, preventive cardiologist and author of The South Beach Diet® says, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." Remember, if you're practicing weight-healthy habits like those recommended by The South Beach Diet®, you will enjoy better health, and the extra pounds will come off in the process — whether you step on the scale every day or never again.

Source: Southbeachdiet.com

I wish everyone would just come up with one lot of research and stick with it.

I read somewhere... honestly can't remember where, but it's been a few places I think... that many "maintainers", who manage to keep the weight off long-term weigh themselves daily. It is supposedly one of the keys to keeping the weight off.

So I really don't know WHAT to believe any more. I am a daily weigher, but I do that to keep track of what my body 'likes' and doesn't like. I use the gains or losses to work out what reactions my body has to certain foods. If I hadn't been weighing myself daily I wouldn't have found out that my body really doesn't like salt. My weight goes up for a couple of days after a salty meal, then comes back down again. If I only weighed weekly I wouldn't necessarily have seen this fluctuation and wouldn't have known to cut down on the salt as much as I have.

I suppose I COULD be obsessed with the scale, but I don't think it is being counterproductive to my journey. I do believe that everyone is different though, so I could be the exception to the 'normal' rule... I do tend to find that.

Zelma

I disagree. I weigh myself every day but I don't consider that obsessing... I just want to know what I weight and what my progress is. :)

And actually the latest studies are showing that daily weighers have MORE success in losing weight and keeping it off than those who don't. Not that I necessarily believe that.... :) it's an individual choice and what works best for us personally. But I do much better when I keep really close track.

I do agree with you though that we need to not put our total focus on the scale but to keep a positive outlook and realize that yes our weight does fluctuate. But if I go for a long period of time without losing I will talk to my doctor and change my plan accordingly. I consider that just plain wisdom. :)

Just my two cents worth. :)

Zelma~ you put that very well in your post. I love reading your posts... I read this when I got up this morning and Thought I would share what I had read with you guys.. remember I DID NOT write it, Just passing it along... I personally weigh in every week,, ONCE a week

Misti~ Where have you gotten your information on your second paragraph, is there a link to it?>

Misti - We obviously posted at the same time, and we must have read the same research.

I'm glad I'm not the only daily weigher. Well... I know I'm not, but it is good to know I'm in such GOOD company.

Zelma

I keep posting at the same time as other people.

Crock - (First of all, thank you for the compliment) Yep... I knew that it wasn't something you had written. I don't think weighing weekly is a bad thing at all. I know that you understand that it is an individual preference.

I just find it weird that people (like Dr Agatston) would advocate one way or the other as being THE way to go. THEY must realise that it is an individual thing. I think that it is fine to 'suggest' that people don't weigh daily, but these people's views are often seen as 'gospel' and some people could stress out MORE about weighing daily, when they've been told it's "BAD", than they would be stressing about the fluctuating results.

Oh well... at least there are a mixture of people, telling us a variety of things, so perhaps that will balance everything out.

Zelma

Zelma~I agree,, All the research in the world is thrown out the window once I find what works for me.. I enjoy all the opinions I read on these threads,, Very entertaining, and enlightening..

well i am scale obsessed . and yes i get depressed when i gain or dont lose but when i lose it really peps me up when i lose. i just kinda use the scales to stay motivated if i am up a pound or two i know i need to work harder at trying.

I weigh myself in an obsessed manner. I can't help it. It seems 4 or 5 times a day I'm stepping on the scale and it controls my mood. So I guess it varies from person to person. I am gonna try and stay off except when I go to my clinic and weigh in. I will see if it makes a difference. I don't know if I can resist the temptation. The scale seems to follow me around all day taunting me. Yikes.
~Dusty

I too am a daily weigh-er. I know I am not obsessed but it just helps keep me on track. In fact, my scales are right next to the fridge and every time I get the munchies I weigh first to see if I can have that snack.

I also know that if I haven't jumped in the scales, you can put money on the fact that I didn't behave!

I too have realized how much my body doesn't like salt. But I remember that if I jump on and see a gain that I can go back and see what I have eaten. Usually I have had something that had too much sodium.

Brenda :wave:

I'm Daily
 

I'm a daily weigher, but only once a day in the morning before I eat or drink anything.:goodscale

People who weigh throughout the day confuse me. All that food you've eaten is being weighed while in your stomach before its been broken down. If you weigh throughout the day you are weighing yourself plus the volume of the food you've eaten, not how much has been absorbed into your system. That's not an realistic measure of your weight, so why would you do it? I've never understood why people do that. :?: Its personal sabotage.

Heather ;)

I've also read that nearly half of successful maintainers weigh daily. Here are just two of many links:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...072501203.html

http://www.nih.gov/nihrecord/04_21_2006/story03.htm

:o I weigh myself every day when I wake up--(try not to shudder, but I'm naked when I weigh myself ;) )--and I weigh myself just before I go to bed. I've been consistently at 238-240 for the past few weeks. I know that if I go to bed and I weigh 240 that I'll be happy in the morning with my number. Am I obsessed? I don't think so. I just like to keep myself accountable. I tried to weigh myself once a week and what happened? I gained almost 6 lbs. in 2-3 weeks. :o Once I realized that, I pulled my scale back out of the closet and put it right near the refrigerator. I used to keep it in the bathroom, but 2 water accidents have made me move it. I honestly believe that it's up to the person how often they weigh themselves. Some people will go crazy seeing the 1-2 lb. difference throughout the day, but some of us realize what's going on and it makes us feel confident that even if we're at a sucky plateau :mad: (sorry about the language) that we're still on track and not really gaining anything either. It makes me feel that way anyway. :)

This is interesting. I think the difference does not lie on how often we weigh ourselves, but in what we do with that number that shows up on the scale.

I am like some people here, who weigh themselves every morning, naked, before eating/drinking anything. The numbers go up and down, as the are bound to fluctuate. But the key is, that I don't let the number upset me. I am not obsessed with the scale, but I USED to be. The behavior was the same (every day, naked, in the morning, before eating/drinking anything) but the intent and the impulses behind it were not.

Perhaps what Dr. Agatston is trying to encourage is a healthy MIND SET whereas one's self-esteem, sense of accomplishment, and sense of self-worth are INDEPENDENT of the numbers on the scale. I know this is what I strive for every day - hence the daily weigh-in but the monthly-OFFICIAL weigh-in.

Ah the trick we play on our minds! LOL