How To Stop the Insanity?

punka274

punka274

Cathlete
....im tired of the scale determining my mood for the day x(

For those wise women out there that have kicked the habit of wieghing everyday...how do you do it? I mean mentally how do you just...do it?

It has crossed my mind to just put the scale up and weigh once a month and WI along with my measuring/body fat analyzing. But can i do it?lol

As long as i eat right,and workout-there is no need for me to be on the scale every freakin day x(

sorry,just needed to get that out! im so frustrated right now x(
 
Amelia, I too used to get on the scale several times a day (sometimes several times a MINUTE, if the first read didn't tell me what I wanted to see), and that was one of the nuttiest, most dysfunctional times of my life. This was back in the early 90's when I was in The Roommate Epoch of my life, and when I moved to a new house that did NOT have a scale, I just . . . didn't weigh myself. Life got a whole lot better, because I was then simply starting to eat better and walk more. I'd never, ever go back to those days, and if I weigh myself once every two years that's a lot.

You said it best: "As long as I eat right, and work out - there is no need for me to be on the scale every freakin day."

Get rid of your scale outright, and if you absolutely have to weigh yourself, do it at a gym or a doctor's office. Base your progress measurements on your workout power performance improvements. That's all you need.

A-Jock

(And, just in passing, in case anyone thinks I'm deluded about my physique, I'm sitting here in a brand new pair of size zero petite jeans, and have been this size for over 10 years.)
 
Amelia,

I am a recovered junk-food addict. I always have to watch that I dont slip back into losing control over what I eat.

When I dont weigh everyday, I tend to let my eating get out of control and gain weight. There have been times when I have kidded myself that I am "too busy" to weigh and that "just a bit, just today" of crisps / large pizza serving / other treat, "wont make a difference". The issue is that the "just a bits" become more and more regular and larger and larger in portion size. When you are busy it is easy not to look very carefully at the mirror and before I know it, I find my snug clothes dont zip up anymore and everything else looks a size too small too. :eek:

Weighing everyday is the only thing that keeps my food addiction under control. When I weigh every dmorning, it keeps me in check when I am tempted to pop junk food in my mouth because the scales tell me whether the treats are really occasional or getting a bit too regular.

The bad side of being my age (40) and relatively very fit is that it takes much longer to lose weight once I gain it. My body is used to advanced workouts and cross training, so it responds much more slowly to let go of the fat if I gain too much, even if I revert to clean eating. I am most successful at weight maintenance and not yo-yo-ing when I weigh everyday. I also think yo-yo-ing ages me.

If you have the will-power to eat clean most of the time, control your treats and exercise regularly throw the scales away.

If not I think enduring bad moods is a better alternative! :)


~* Vrinda *~
 
Toss the Scale

Amelia:

I am with you. I have been watching my weight every day this month. After today, I am planning to weigh once a month when I flip my Cathe calendar and leave that metal monster in the closet the rest of the month. That is so much better for my mental health.

I did notice this month that my weight is very consistent. I do not have daily fluctuations other than wild weight swings when I eat something that causes an allergic reaction and a small surge before my cycle starts unless I counter it with the cranberry lemon cocktail. My current weight seems to be a “set point” for my body.

I can see Vrinda’s point of view too. At my age and with a body that is acclimated to more advanced workouts, it is harder for me to lose weight now. I fight for every ounce. While seeing my current high weight on the scale discourages me, I may very well weigh more often when I get to goal so I can deal with the damage when I gain a few pounds. My “body awareness” is not as good as naturally thin women. I can easily gain 10 or more pounds before I know what hit me.

As long as you are on track with your eating and workouts, I do not see why you need to weigh every day. I have come to realize that the scale can be as much of an addiction and obsession as eating.

Blessings,
Heather B.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Toss the Scale

Heather and A-Jock,

:) What a diametrically opposite perspective! :)

I think my issue is that I am at the other extreme of obsessed with weighing. I can get so obsessed with food that I tend to forget all about weight gain and kid myself into thinking I can get away with cheating and that I will start being good again "tomorrow". Weighing everyday is my resolution now because it is the only way I can keep myself honest. I must watch though, to not let weighing become the obsession now.

I dont even aspire to buffness. I just want to have a reasonable body fat % and not be too jiggly. I am content to fit comfortably into size 6 US.

~* Vrinda *~
 
RE: Toss the Scale

Vrinda, I am exactly like you. Weighing everyday keeps my eating under control. If I see the scale start to creep up, I know it's time to take action with my eating habits. If I only weighed once a month, or even once a week, it would be far too easy for me to let my eating get out of control and start shoveling down the junk food because "ignorance is bliss", as they say. For me, weighing is a daily reality check. :)
 
I posted about this in a similar thread.

How did I stop letting the scales run my life?

I changed my goals...period. My goals are NOT aesthetic based (pounds lost, BF%, size of jeans, etc), they are now completely PERFORMANCE based.

I ran 5k this week and shaved a minute of my previous time from two months ago. Tonight, I'm working on increasing my 10 rep overhead squat by 10 pounds.

This change in goal setting can do wonders for your attitude...trust me.
 
While I understand everyone's point of view and respect their own reasons for weighing or not weighing, I really, really like Gayle's perspective about it all.

THAT, is a true measure of fitness=performance, the joy you take in pushing your body respectively to its limits. There is nothing like it. You feel so powerful and good about yourself when you reach these personal fitness goals. Good for you Gayle, I could learn a thing or two from you.

I get caught up in bodyfat and leaness, not really a number on the scale but my body's appearance.
 
<<You feel so powerful and good about yourself when you reach these personal fitness goals.>>

Exactly, tneah!!! It's a bigger high than you (or at least I) can get from any weight loss.
 
While I'd love to have the healthy attitude Gayle has (I applaud you Gayle!), I do limit myself to the doctor's scale at the gym, and never weigh myself more than once per week, and preferably once per month. Maybe that would be a good short-term goal for you? I believe in baby steps! ;)

Daily weighings are truly meaningless. They tell you absolutely nothing. Annual weighings, as A-jock mentioned, are the most meaningful. Monthly weighings can be somewhat meaningful, particularly if they're at the same time of month each time. Knowing that keeps me off the scale. It's too easy to lose the forest for the trees.
 
RE: Toss the Scale

Emily,

So glad to meet someone in Cathe Land who shares my nemesis.

Everyone on this thread,

Here is an article about successful long term weight management. One of the strategies this study found, that is common to people who kept weight off after the initial loss, is regular weighing. (Daily is ultra-regular, I realize, but this Len Kravitz guy does not seem to think daily/weekly is a bad idea.)

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/winning.html

I know.....I know! For every study out there about fitness that declares a finding there are a dozen to declare the opposite.

~* Vrinda *~
 
RE: Toss the Scale

Hi Vrinda, great article!

I'm another daily weigh in Cathe-ite. Like you and Evily, it's my reality check. I can see whether my "treats" are becoming "regulars" in my diet. My scale gives me a wake up call to pay more attention to what I'm eating and how hard I'm working out. If I don't tackle the 3 lb gain, it surely will become 10! Different strokes for different folks though, and this approach works for me.

Jonahnah
Chocolate IS the answer, regardless of the question.
 
RE: Toss the Scale

Jonahnah,

I love your tag line. You can have all my chocolate (and cake and cookies if you wish). My answer regardless of the question is greasy food. Crisps, fries, onion rings, pizza especially if it is Chicago deep-dish, samosas. Also nuts. I can consume 1000 calories worth of nuts in one go with "mindless" snacking when watching a movie. In sane periods, I ration myself a measured daily serving of them or toss a few in my salad.

~* Vrinda *~
 
Scale Perspective

Vrinda:

I think the scale is more useful when you are MAINTAINING a healthy weight. For me, seeing that high number every day is a constant reminder that I am fat. I can almost hear my scale laughing at me and mocking me. :p For those who are at goal, it is a good reality check. If you are an emotional eater, it is easy for your weight to get out of control when you are not looking. For me, seeing the 200s makes me nuts! I am obsessed with getting to 199. LOL! The number distresses me even when I know it is not “real” weight (like when I gained 12 pounds Sunday after consuming soy protein).

I am curious about your culture. Do women in India battle the same eating disorders, food obsessions, and body image issues as American women? I am just wondering if this battle is as prevalent in other countries.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
RE: Scale Perspective

Heather,

I just wished with all my wishing might that you have success in 2008 with your fitness goals, whatever you set them to be.

I agree about what you said about weight-loss versus maintenance. Sensible, healthy weight-loss is not dramatically quick and a constant battle with the scales is just not worth it. Life it too precious to waste on obsessing with a number.

Most people in the West, and a few in my circles here would probably think I need to "improve" on my body, even when I am in my target zone. My personal body-shape goals are not very stringent at all.

In vast sections of Indian society - especially in semi-urban or rural India, issues like body image are practically non-existant. Priorities are different and far more basic.

In the major cities, with the middle class and up (which is a large number considering our population), Westernization, including the obsession with body shape is a change occuring at a palpable pace.

I dont know anyone here who is anorexic or bulimic and have met very few Indian women of any age, who are under-weight by choice. Until about a decade ago, Indian standards of what was attractive was far more lax than in the West. Even models and film stars were far more fleshy than their Western counterparts. In the South, being what the West considers plump was considered a pre-requisite for being sexy. However with proliferation of Western fashion, Western brands, Western TV programming and media here, this has changed so much. Ideals for body shape are now similar to the West, in urban India. I still think there is less pressure here on women as far as body image is concerned. I hope that lasts, but am sure it wont.


~* Vrinda *~
 
I had to google for Susan Powter which did take away from the impact somewhat, but Oh Beavs!...that was smart...and funny!

~* Vrinda *~
 
Beaves,LOL-is that the women that had that very short, shaved hair in the late 80's? Our was it the early 90's? I did think of her when i typed that famous phrase this morning...

Thanks for all the replies ladies:)
 
I'm with Vrinda that weighing regularly works best for me; otherwise I get oblivious. Recently I put on some weight again and I'd been in denial and avoided the scale. When I did finally hop on again I got quite a shock (so I started doing Body for Life to kick my butt back in gear). The only reason I finally decided to look at the scale again was that I wasn't fitting in my jeans (which I'd only gotten small enough for a few months ago). I don't want to have to go buy fat jeans again!

Anyway, I think we all have body maintenance things that can make us insane. For some, maybe it's best to chunk the scale, but for some of us we need that reminder (and I'd read similar articles like what Vrinda posted so it makes me feel better if I check often).

The only advice I can give is to try to just weigh once a week if it's getting obsessive for you. Also, if you do weigh daily, just do it once a day at the same time. Like if I weigh it's always first thing in the morning and naked (the scale's in my bedroom for that reason). That way there are fewer variables. Also if I'm in a hurry and throw on clothes, I skip a weigh-in and catch it the next day. My house is too cold to strip down any more in the day, anyway.

[font face="comic sans ms" font color=purple]***Lainie***
My fitness blog: http://fitnessfig.blogspot.com/ http://bestsmileys.com/exercising/7.gif

If you want to give God a good laugh, tell Her your plans.[/font]
 
I know you know this already but I am a daily weigher inner:) Unless I had treats the night before, then I tend to stay away from the scale b/c I know it will be up and for some reason my mind thinks I gained 2 lbs of fat over night, when really its just water.
As the others say, weighing regularly helps keep me in check. If I only weighed when I went to the Dr's office, which is once a yr, or to a gym...which I never go to..LOL I would never know how much I weighed.
I know the scale can be evil as well. So I guess in reality you need to decide if you can handle what the scale tells you everyday! hehe If you can't and it will drive you nuts, then prehaps you should give you scale to DH to hide and ask for it once a week:)

Lori:)
 
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