My continuing scale saga...

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 2:53 pm

I'm a scale-a-holic and find myself on it sometimes several times a day. Well, yesterday I weighed myself after my first 2 weeks of no s and found that I've lost 10 pounds! Then I got overconfident and snacked all afternoon! Duh! So then last night ? (no kidding) one of my kids overloaded the toilet with toilet paper and then my 'innocent' teen daughter hit the flusher really hard (force will work right?) so that the stopper got stuck up and the water kept running all over my bathroom, the lower level below and all over my electronic scale. It now won't work. Coincidence? I think not! Only God has that good of timing. I'm thinking I should lay off the scale for a while!

At least it didn't break because of excess wieght!

gingercake · Post by **gingercake** » Fri Nov 07, 2008 4:39 pm

Ha! Well, I have been trying to break the scale habit. I weakened this morning because I felt so good, and then let the number bother me for about an hour and reminded myself why I stopped weighing in the first place. 1) because of how much I let it get to me and 2) the way it can, as you describe, change/influence my behavior in ways that are not long-term helpful.

Think long and hard before you decide whether or not to replace it!

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Wed May 13, 2009 3:44 pm

Alright, well I ended up going maybe a week and bought a dial scale because I didn't want one that would "remember" my wieght. HA! So, now... how many months later, my son knocked over a scented oil thing and it ran all over the plastic screen dial cover and etched the plastic, so now I can't really read it. How many scales so I need to go through?

So... I went back to the store feeling really good about my loss so far ...16 down from my Christmas re-gain of 20 that I had lost...in other words: lost 20, gained 20, lost 16 so far. I bought another scale. This time I found a "forgetful" digital scale that won't calculate body fat either! I don't want to know that!

But... this scale is up 3 pounds compared to my old one (doesn't that always happen?) So, do I adjust my starting weight even though I'll be depressed until I loose huge. Or, do I adjust the weight that I've lost which may also be depressing? Hmm....

Nichole · Post by **Nichole** » Wed May 13, 2009 3:59 pm

Jeez, your kids are messy! And congrats!

la_loser · Post by **la_loser** » Wed May 13, 2009 4:49 pm

You do neither. . . you just "check yer britches". . . and watch to see when you have to tighten your belt or move the button or have to take them in with a safety pin to keep them up! Or at least when you can zip up your jeans without having to lie down. [just my own little test. . .

] Or pick out some outfit you haven't been able to wear in a while and do a little "test" ever so often to see if you can wear it now!

Much more reaffirming than a number on a scale-and probably more accurate!

Congrats on the "double loss"

butterfly1000 · Post by **butterfly1000** » Wed May 13, 2009 5:17 pm

I used to weigh myself every day, and since I wasn't really putting much effort into changing my habits (I had full of good intentions in the morning, and they deteriorated as the day went by), it was discouraging. At the beginning of May I told myself that I wouldn't weigh myself until the end of May, but last Friday, I couldn't resist and I went on the scale. Since I had a few green days prior to that, I was down a 2 lbs, which was encouraging. However, it could have backfired on me if I had gained or not lost, because even though I was feeling good about how it was going, the number on the scale would have brought me down.

This week hasn't been going well, so I'm not sure whether the confirmation of it on the scale will help or discourage me.

I think we need to find a balance between weighing in every day and not at all (whether it's weekly, monthly, etc.).

Renee: You're doing really well! I believe in one of your posts you said you were starting to feel boring -- boring GREEN is good -- it means that it's really becoming a habit this new way of eating. KEEP IT UP!

Butterfly

bluebunny27 · Post by **bluebunny27** » Wed May 13, 2009 5:20 pm

Great anecdote Renee, I like the part about mischievous lil' kids making a mess in the bathroom ... as long as it's not *MY* bathroom of course.

That was certainly emotional eating, it can happen ... when you are happy, sad, frustrated, angry, etc. I have this problem too sometimes, although I have been quite good for a while now (Except for my red day on 5-9 !)

Good thing you're on the way down now .... try not to do the rollercoaster anymore, alright ?

Weighing yourself every day is dangerous though, well, that's my opinion ... A lot of things can influence your weight up or down a pound or two, this could lead to emotional eating or just feeling depressed ... I wouldn't weigh more than once every 3 days in any case (I'm doing it every 5-6 days right now)

I'd say you use the weight on the scale and then you work harder to lose those extra 3 pounds,

That's the problem when you change scales of course.

My scale doesn't have that option to remember the weights either ... why would anybody want that ?? Seems annoying ! Maybe next time I'm at a friend's or a relative's I'll sneak into the bathroom to check out their scales, just to see if they have that memory thing on there ... then I can note all the numbers down, the data ... later when I go back there I can check the scale again and I see the difference up or down from the previous time !! Good idea !!??

Cheers !

Marc

mimi · Post by **mimi** » Wed May 13, 2009 5:42 pm

I, too, have a big problem with the scale and the "numbers" it does with my head when I see a number I'm not happy with. Sometime about mid-February of this year I decided that I wasn't going to weigh obsessively any more. I toyed with the idea of weighing at the beginning of each new season (something someone on these message boards did) and weighed on March 20, the first day of spring. And that's been it until I decided to do the May Challenge.
I really had to do a lot of self-talking to get on the scale for it! And it was really hard! Because I'm trying to establish habits now, I don't think I'll weigh any more for the time being. Maybe in June when the first day of summer arrives! In the mean time, I'll use my habit calendar and LA Loser's advice to use my clothing as a gauge of how my size is changing.
Mimi

Happy Cooker · Post by **Happy Cooker** » Wed May 13, 2009 6:44 pm

I can't imagine why a person would weigh herself several times a day--are you doing scientific research on weight fluctuations in a 24-hour period? No? Then if you can't stay off the scale, throw it out.

A hundred years ago NO PRIVATE HOMES HAD SCALES. Honest, people lose weight all the time without knowing the numbers involved. Like another poster said, do the britches check.

Find something different to get obsessed about, then just follow No S, do some daily exercise, and you WILL lose weight. Unless you're really enjoying the repeated cycles of self-denial and reward by munching out of control. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but I am trying to be helpful.

Kathleen · Post by **Kathleen** » Fri May 15, 2009 2:00 am

I've tried to break the scale habit, and then I realized it just plain didn't matter whether I weighed myself or not. What mattered was no snacks, no sweets, and no seconds on N Day!

Kathleen

StrawberryRoan · Post by **StrawberryRoan** » Fri May 15, 2009 3:00 am

I weigh every morning and every night - always have. It is interesting to see how many pounds one loses overnight (it is usually three, sometimes four). I guess if one ate a lot or had a lot of sodium, it would be less.

So, I can usually calculate my morning weight by the evening weight.

Wasn't hungry for dinner tonight at all, what's up with that? I made a huge healthy chef salad and only picked at it. I think it is because I was just exhausted from weed eating for about two hours. I am compulsive about having to trim around all my flower beds, trees, fountain, etc. in the yard before I mow.

Oh well.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Mon May 03, 2010 4:48 pm

Bumping this up for an update. My Walmart glass top forgetful scale is doing great. I does and always has weighed a bit less (about a poun) if I lean back, so save doing that for Friday weigh-ins.

The glass is washable, the stuck-on grip stuff son't eventually peel off because there is none. It's a health-O-meter. I would definitely buy one like it again. Very dependable and I have not even had to change the batteries yet and we're a family of 4 and I weigh at least daily.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 2:14 pm

oh my gosh!!! Would you believe my nice glass-top digital scale was shattered into a zillion tiny glass shards by one of my kids? What I'm learning is to not get glass scales, don't put anything near to fall on it, and that if I'm just not meant to have a scale... I am one stubborn person. I'm off to get yet another scale!

ShannahR · Post by **ShannahR** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 5:56 pm

I don't know renee...

Maybe the universe is trying to tell you something with all these scale problems you're having!

jk

kccc · Post by **kccc** » Wed Aug 04, 2010 10:33 pm

This is too funny! Adds a whole new dimension to "dropping weight."

Hope the new one lasts longer.

Good luck! (And I'm glad you can laugh about it!)

DaveMc · Post by **DaveMc** » Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:19 pm

~reneew wrote:oh my gosh!!! Would you believe my nice glass-top digital scale was shattered into a zillion tiny glass shards by one of my kids?

It really does sound like someone doesn't want you to weight yourself too frequently. (The prime suspects being God, or your kids.)

July2010 · Post by **July2010** » Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:14 am

I was weighing myself (and still am) each morning usually an hour before breakfast. I was following the plan 100% and exercising and I noticed for like 5 days my weight went up a couple pds and I was doing everything right. I got discouraged one day and ended up with a failure and today I didn't follow the plan. But, I did exercise. I am planning to rededicate myself to the plan and keep going forward because I have no other option. I don't want to give up and gain what I've lost and I want to make this a way of life. The scale really can hurt you and I think I learned it. I need to try to weigh myself once a week and see if that helps any.

~reneew · Post by **~reneew** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 1:50 pm

I just had to re-visit my scale saga. So much has happened.
#1 regular digital scale - died in toilet flood my daughter made
#2 dial unfloodable - son dropped scented oil on it and it etched it so bad I can't read it.
#3 washable waterproof glass - same daughter shattered it into a zillion peices
#4 plastic digital - slowly loosing acuracy. I liked that though!
#5 new stainless steel, sturdy, great! - lost acuracy week one. returned.
#6 different model of stainless steel one - switches from lb. to Kg. by itself, but I'm keeping it.

About 5 years ago I was standing on my Dad's huge upright Dr. scale wondering if I should try to find one of those, but thought na... too expensive. HA! I should have. He's had his since the 80's

Over43 · Post by **Over43** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 6:08 pm

My scale broke a few months back after 25 years. At first I almost panicked, but now I don't miss it.

NoSnacker · Post by **NoSnacker** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 11:05 am

I bought a new scale and gave my old one to my daughter..it was time for a change..digital but doesn't record, etc.

I was and can be a scale addict.

But I think this time around, I will weigh weekly instead of daily. Then hopefully I can weigh monthly.

When it goes down we feel fantastic, when it stays the same we are discouraged, when it goes up, we are always ready to throw in the towel.

Let's not give the scale the power it should not have in our lives..

Here is it less scale time.

Everyday Systems

My continuing scale saga...

My continuing scale saga...

Neither!