Scale Obsession

[TexasNurseMom 5]

My very well meaning best friend gbe me a scale as a gift after my surgery. It has become an obsession. I weigh myself at lest once sometimes twice a day. And my weight fluctuates throughout he day. I can be as much as 3 lbs up or down depending on the time of day. How often do other weigh? How can I get past this obsession.

[vlp1968 83]

If the scale is frustrating you I would stop weighing yourself everday for sure. Your weight will naturally flucuate a bit. You may want to put the scale away somewhere so it's not so tempting to hop on it. I think later in the day you weigh more due to food and drink in your stomach. I only weigh in first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom. I got on the scale once a week while I was loosing. I weigh myself everyday now that I am maintaining. I look to stay within a range of a few pounds. I kind of base what I eat (or don't eat) on what the scale says.

[MollyRN 28]

They totally say that weighing yourself everyday is good for those in maintenance. I go through periods where I weigh myself every day and I know it is not good. I have put the scale in the closet and it does slow it down a bit. The thing I always tell myself is that if I weigh myself once a week, I will be OVERALL more excited than if I weigh myself everyday.

[Starrz 0]

:sigh:

[Starrz 0]

Weighing yourself in the AM is best... but not more than once a week. I wish I could follow my own advice though. It is very satisfying to see the scale go down and depressing to see it go up daily. Look at the biggest loser, they go hard 5-6 hours a day and sometimes only lose 2-3 pounds a week. Don't be hard on yourself and start measuring your inches... Best of luck, BTW i m only 11 days post...

[emptyNest 4]

I've been weighing myself every day, first thing in the morning, for years. I have a very accurate scale and my weight still fulctuates a 1/2 pound or so day to day but its usually up when I pig out the night before, so its a tool I use to remind me to stay on track.

My advice is that if you're going to weigh every day, at least get a really good scale so you can trust it.

[john47 0]

My very well meaning best friend gbe me a scale as a gift after my surgery. It has become an obsession. I weigh myself at lest once sometimes twice a day. And my weight fluctuates throughout he day. I can be as much as 3 lbs up or down depending on the time of day. How often do other weigh? How can I get past this obsession.

Yes I am obsessed. Weighing myself first thing in the morning, straight after a pee always gets the lowest reading for me. I even have a app on my iphone to record my daily weight. (I told you I was obsessed)

I'm not sure I want to get past it to be honest. I am at goal now so want to make sure I do no start to gain. Sometimes I do gain slightly after being naughty and eating some junk so will then make a extra effort for the next few days to get it back off.

[stateofzen 46]

The problem is not with weighing oneself every day-- the problem is with freaking out over normal weight fluctuations

I weigh daily and track my weight on a dry erase calendar I have hanging in my bathroom closet. This is my general pattern of loss-- up and down in a 1-1.5lb range for a week, then a day where I see a new low number. Then bounce back up slightly for a couple days (but the bounce up is to a lower number now), then a new lower number. I consider the "down bounces" a weight loss but I only count full lbs down (so I've been weighing at 193.4, but I count that as 194 until I see 193.0 or below). I do not consider up bounces within the 1-1.5 lb range gain-- because I know after tracking like this for 6 months that they aren't really. This is my pattern and I have steadily lost 70 lbs like this in 6 months. I'm averaging about 10 lbs a month, with many more "bounce up" days than bounce down days.

That's just normal. If you expect it, it isn't upsetting.

I know with others it absolutely drives them crazy to see that bouncing up and down, so they don't weigh more than once a week. If weighing every day is bothering you, give that a try.

[jenn79co 13]

In the begining I would drive myself crazy weighing myself everyday. So I stopped and only weighed at my Doc appts. 8 months in I really started to get more active and I started weighing myself once everyday in the morning. I don't drive myself crazy with it anymore. I think maybe with some time you won't drive yourself bonkers anymore.

[mnmommy07 0]

I have a habit of weighing myself every morning. That way I know what I did the day before if I lost weight or if I gained. I'd only do the morning though, weighing yourself in the afternoon or evening is going to show a bigger number usually because of your drinking and eating throughout the day.

[vickyd 24]

I also weigh daily but I only record my weight on Monday morning. If you are going to weigh daily then don't weigh multiple times a day and don't freak out about the day to day fluctuations. If you can't do that then I would suggest to put your scale up and only weigh once a week.

[newbandlady 3]

I obsessively weigh myself too. First thing I do in the a.m. and then randomly throughout the day. I'm 3-5lbs higher in the afternoon after eating than in the a.m. I know it's wrong to weigh so much but I can't seem to stop myself.

[TexasNurseMom 5]

This has been really helpful and encouraging. Thanks everyone

[doodlebugsmom 9]

I have the habit of weighing myself every morning. I dont stress too much about the number. I feel that before surgery I used to avoid the scale for months at a time. I knew that I was always going to be disappointed so why bother. Now I get a little motivation to start my day to see the scale at a lower number than when i started. I feel that I start my day off on a good note.

[punk.sauce 0]

your true weight is first thing in the AM after you pee and before you eat anything, weight yourself ONCE per week. pick every friday morning...i was the same way and i became so obsessed i had to get rid of my scale. it is soooo hard mentally and emotionally to watch those numbers change by going up! don't make yourself nuts! plus you will be super excited at the amount you lose!