Hi!
Im having a huge love affair with the scale and I dont know how to stop it. I just had a baby 10 weeks ago, and Ive recently started a weight loss obsession. This is great. I have actually lost 5 lbs in the last 5 days! However, I weigh myself sometimes twice a day, and get disappointed when the number isnt magically smaller. It bothers me that I cant walk past a scale without needing to get on it, only to upset myself that I am nowhere near my prebaby weight. I know it is a slow process, and I know that I need patience, but I have put an immense amount of pressure on myself to lose this extra 45 lbs very quickly. BLAH! I just want to be able to weigh myself once a week without this over whelming need to beat myself up over my weight.
Any advice on how to drag myself away from the scale?
Thanks!
Oh Erin - I'm so with you on the scale addiction! I AM THE SAME WAY!!!
I just had my husband hide the scale this past Monday....I told him to do it...and he did. Or else I would weigh myself everytime I went to the bathroom...I've even looked for it when he's not home wanting to sneak in a weigh in! But haven't found it and can't wait for Sunday to see if I have lost!!!!
So yeah, have someone hide it and no matter what, not give it back to you for a week!!!
If it gets to be too much for you to handle, you might consider actually getting rid of it. Give it away or sell it, then weigh yourself once a week at the gym. Sometimes pharmacies have scales too, near the blood pressure machines, which you could also use. This is what I had to do - give away my scale - as the constant feedback from scale-hopping was too much for me!
Weigh once in the morning, then put the scale in a cabinet.
You are in control of YOU (which is a big part of weight loss overall), so you CAN resist the urge to weigh multiple times a day. Hopefully, once it is out of sight you can break the habit.
Ya know I have always had the same problem. When I lost weight before I forced myself to only get on the scale once a month... then I was sure to have some kind of loss. It was usually 8-10 lbs. Then that day I'd have a treat day as a reward. Now I'm finding I'm jumping on the scale daily and it's throwing me off track.. because when I see it's up a lb or 2 (even if it's water weight) I feel like it's all been for nothing. Just try your best to only get on it once a week or less!!! I know it's hard!!
I do the same exact thing! I know people say you shouldn't weigh yourself more then once a week if your trying to lose weight, but I can't help! I find myself on the scale at least two times a day, sometimes more if it's a weekend and I'm not working or at school. Honestly though, I kind of find that it helps me. The trick I think, is to not get mad when the number doesn't magically go down from the first time you got on it that day. It helps me in a sense that instead of getting my motivation, once a week, I get it everytime the number does drop. Also, if I've went 2-3 days without loosing a pound, I can reflect back on what I might have done wrong over the course of those days to cause my body to not burn that calories needed to lose a pound. Just don't get discouraged when the number doesn't go down everytime you step on it! And keep at it, the weight will come off!!
Hmm, I have actually heard that people who weigh themselves daily are more able to lose weight and keep it off. But if it is affecting your efforts then it is best to limit yourself. I think it really depends on your reaction to the scale and it sounds like you aren't having the best reaction so, yeah, putting it away is probably a good idea. Out of sight, out of mind.
There is nothing wrong with checking in on your weight multiple times a day IN AND OF ITSELF. Nothing about the act of stepping on the scale is "bad".
The problem comes in when you start:
1. Worrying over normal weight fluctuations (we have a GREAT sticky at the top of the forum for this)...our bodies are not machines.
2. Berating yourself over fluctuations within the same day (ANYTHING you eat or drink in a day makes your weight fluctuate. Putting food into your body puts the weight of that food on the scale reading. Weight naturally increases over the course of a day).
3. Changing your eating plan/exercise plan/sense of self-worth due to multiple scale readings. You definitely don't want to say "Well, I am a lb heavier than breakfast...I better skip lunch!"
For most people, NOT doing those things is harder than just avoiding multiple weigh-ins. If you are one of those people, stick to once a day and then put the scale away.
I still weigh myself kind of often but now it's more to make sure I'm not gaining anything back. I've gotten past the being upset if it's not moving down quickly enough. If it's bothering you though, you do need to put it away, set yourself a specific weigh day and stick with it the way you stick with your food plan.
I weigh myself often, but only take the number seriously on my official weigh in day. I weigh myself monday mornings, record the weight, and move on. Everything between Monday's I just don't take serious.
You said you get disappointed if your weight fluctuates during the day...so my question is; What do you do about it? Do you binge, do you cry, do you skip a meal? Or do you just say..."Oh man that really sucks?" I don't think weighing yourself often is a bad thing unless it causes a bad thing. If it is causing you to binge, starve, major depression, or something equally detrimental to your overall general health or effecting your ability to be a healthy Mom to your baby then you need to get rid of the scale and concentrate on something else. Fold a load of laundry, dust a shelf, pull some weeds, (my favorite since I can actually bend over again!) Snuggle your baby, ANYTHING but look at the d@mn scale, it is so totally not worth the added daily stress.
HELP! Addicted to the Scale!
