Why the Scale Obsession?

Come ON folks. The numbers on the scale are SO meaningless. Drink a liter of water and gain over two pounds. Have a round of diarrhea and drop four pounds. Eat a couple extra pieces of bacon and retain five pounds of water from the salt.

It is STUPID to be on the scale all the time. There are SO MUCH better ways to measure your progress. Quit making yourselves crazy with the scale, ESPECIALLY early out.

I will go so far as to say that if you are hooked on getting on the scale multiple times per week, you have a psychological issue. Knock. it. off. Look at OTHER ways of seeing progress. See how much further you can walk, how much easier you can bend. What can you do with your kids that you couldn't a couple weeks or months ago? What kinds of clothes can you wear now (non-stretch jeans, anyone?) that were out of the question not so long ago? What meds have you dumped?

STOP THE SCALE OBSESSION!

I'm struggling with this, as we speak.  When I first got home from the hospital, it was fun to weigh in and see the number go down.  It had been years since the number went down; I was just so used to it going up!  Almost 2 weeks and 20 pounds later, I know that this quick "loss" isn't going to keep up and pretty soon my bodies natural defenses are going to kick in.  So I know I need to stop.  But I swear, it's like crack! 

Intellectually, I KNOW that it is STUPID to be on the scale all the time and I KNOW I should be using other markers to measure...but I'm having trouble determining what those might be.  After years of the numbers moving up, I'm just craving the "quick fix" of them moving down.  I guess it's time to hide the scale...

Take your measurements!! Repeat once a month and keep a running tally of inches lost.

Pick out one top and one bottom that fit you more or less correctly at the point where you started your preop diet if you had one. Otherwise go from the day of surgery. Try them on once a month and note the changes in fit.

Set goals that have nothing to do with any kind of measuring or weighing. These might be fitness goals, a bucket list of things to accomplish that you couldn't do before surgery, or anything that you have to work for.

I am so with you on this topic.  I hate the fact that my life was RULED for so many years by
a number on a wheel.  If it was good, I was good.  If it wasn't what I wanted (i.e., "bad") then
I was, by extension, "Bad". 

When I began my WLS journey, I decided to not let this happen anymore.  That's why I try
to encourage our fellow-journeyers to stay off the scale, to weigh only at their doctor's offices.

It's amazing how much this feels like freedom;  not being under a constant scrutiny all the
time. 

I don't have a scale in my house to this day.  I track myself by clothing fit.

I hope others are able to do this as well.

I do weigh almost every day, but I DO NOT let it rule me or my mood.  I know that realistically we are up and down by a pound or so due to so many reasons, so I don't sweat it.  But, like you said, I can actually walk through the entire grocery store and do my shopping without feeling like I'm gonna pass out.  I can go to the gym and work out for 1.5 to 2 hours and be okay.  I can keep up with my kids and husband.  I can wear clothes that feel good.  There are so many NSVs in this new life!

Thanks for this reminder and I hope others will take the advice for what it is, GOOD ADVICE!!!!

If it's not ruling you, then you aren't obsessed :-). If you don't have unrealistic expectations of the number being lower every time you get on, that's good.

You KNOW I'm a non-scale Nazi---but even so, I kinda get off on weighing at the doc's office. (Even though sometimes it pises me off!!!)

The last time I weighed ---at the doc's!---I was UP four pounds. The VERY SAME DAY, I went home and put on a garment that used to be tight---and it was LOOSE.

Scales suck.

(The DS rocks!)

It is so hard for me to not obsess, especially bc if I don't weigh in regularly I will gain. The scale keeps me accountable in my own OCD way I guess. I have been on vacation since 7/28 and away from my scale and it hurts lol

I use my tightest clothes rather than the scale to keep me accountable. I have just started weighing again after my TT (to make sure I don't lose too much weight), and I can't wait to put it away!