my step mom decided she isn't going to go to the meetings in henryetta anymore because of the drive (70 miles one way). i don't want to go to the ada meetings so i'm going to give this a go on my own. only thing is that i dont have a scale of my own. but i am thinking about getting one. what i need to know is if i do this and decide NOT to get a scale what other ways can i use to see if i'm losing weight or is a scale probably the easiest way? and could y'all recommend a good scale..... i dont want to spend A LOT of money. i found a tanita for 40 bucks (including shipping). are they any good?

here is the one i'm talking about........

http://tanita-scale.com/home_scales/hd318.html

I have weighed to much to way on a normal scale for sometime. I used to go to the mall and at the GNC store they had a scale. Then for a while I went to the aluminum can recycle place. Now I work at a place that has a scale in shiping and the guys root me on each week when I go out to weigh. But you could probably go to your doctors and weigh each week. I know ours lets us go back and weigh each week. That is when I was small enough to get on there scale.

Before I got my scale, I weighed in at the YMCA each week, or, like Howie said, my doctor would also let me come and weigh in there. For me, a good indicator of weight loss is that pants test. I always keep one pair of pants in the next size down and try them on each week. Each week they're a little easier to get on until finally they fit.

You can also tell by measuring yourself. Take a tailor's tape and measure your hips, waist, chest, arms, and thighs. You can measure more places, too, if you want to track it more places. I do upper and lower arms, upper and lower thighs, chest and bust. You get the idea.

Anyway, mark it all down with the date in your journal. A couple of weeks into your plan, measure again.

Photos also help. Once a month or so I plan to ask Hunter to do photos of me in my swimsuit or my workout shorts/tshirt. I'll want full body front and side and a face closeup. They may not look pretty, but they'll sure hit me over the head with my size. And they'll show me where I'm losing. Sometimes I'm too 'close' to myself to notice the day-to-day changes.

thanks for all the ideas!

synger--- i do have a before pic and was going to do pics at every 10% but now that i'm not going to the meetings i dont know when i'll hit my 10%. maybe i should just not be so stubborn and go to the ada meetings. they suck and i just can't see spending 11 bucks just to weigh and leave. UGH! i dont know what i want to do. LOL i might hit the ada meeting tonight and then make my decision.........

mthrgoos68 & howie6267 ----- i actually did think about just going to my doctors every week to weigh but he's an (*&%# LOL
but we also have the blood institute here and surely they have a scale.


i'll let y'all know what i decide to do.

What is it with these doctors. I've herd so many horror storys with doctors and overweight people. I watch the show "I Lost It" on discovery and some of the doctors these people have are lousey. My doctor is so supportive. She is great. I have been having appointment with her just to go in and talk and give her progress reports. It's really nice because it makes me motivated to lose.

I have a Tanita scale (one of the older ones that measures body fat too) and have found it reliable. It's put up with me for a couple of years so far and hasn't quit yet

You're very lucky, Howie.

My stepdaughter has a doctor that diagnosed her with PCOS (a hormonal problem that causes excessive body hair, extreme obesity, and some other things), and then said, you need to lose weight. That's all the jerk said. Didn't tell her how, didn't check her insulin level (a big factor in PCOS), didn't recommend she see a PCOS specialist or a nutritionist or anythng. It's quite a shame.

i went to the doctor because i was having some issues and he basically told me that i'm a fat sweat hog and that all my problems (missed periods, sweating, mood swings etc) were because i'm fat. i have been fat for 6 years and i only started having these problems last september! i was supposed to see his wife that day (she is great and very nice) but she was called to jury duty. so i went ahead and joined weight watchers. i've lost about 20 pounds and i'm still having the same problems. so i dont know if i should just give up or make another appt with his wife and tell her everything ........ i wish i didn't have to make decisions!

oh yeah... i bought the scale. i'll weigh when it comes in and that will start being my official weigh in day. i'm pretty sure i can do this without having to go to the meetings. i've got you all!

kfs151---- i did look at the scales that measure body fat too but then i got to thinking that might not be a good idea because that would just give me something else to obsess about. LOL

Hey Shelly - just wanted to say I'm in OKlahoma too! I'm in Edmond.

I also want to say - be careful about going it on your own. Weight Watchers meetings can be annoying, but the accountability you get there can keep you on track.

I am doing Weight Watchers online and it's not going so well. I'm giving it another week or so before I decide to do something that I can stick with. My friend has a nutritionist that's helped her succeed, and I may try to go there. (I tried a nutritionist once that was basically worthless.)

Anyway, just be careful! When I was going to Weight Watcher meetings, the day I stopped going was the beginning of the end.

Maybe you're a lot stronger than I am, but I just wanted to warn you - it's harder on your own!

Glad there's another Okie here!

Shelly, I say make an appt and go in and see his wife. Just to be sure that everything is okay. Angi's advice about going to the meetings is right on target, but if you really don't want to go, maybe you can set it up to weigh in with the dr. each week and you'll still have some accountability. If nothing else, you'll feel better if you go in and she tells you that everything is fine, and that's better than worrying that something may be wrong.