* gulp * I bought a scale!

Okay, people - I have a really petty dilema I've been pondering the past 2 days.

I haven't owned a scale in YEARS.  A) because they didn't make scales that would go high enough for me for a good portion of my adult life, and B) because I didn't want to become obsessed with stepping on one too frequently. I'm not entirely sure what possessed me to buy one NOW, before I reach my "right" weight, but I did.  And I'm already nervous about getting on it too often, so I'm not leaving it out on the bathroom floor.  (can't - the master bathroom is too small!)  So I'm pondering a couple of issues.  Will leaving it standing up on end between my vanity and my throne throw off the mechanicals inside?  I truly DON'T have room to leave it sit flat on the bathroom floor, and I'm pretty sure using it on our carpet will give inaccurate readings. And - (here's the truly petty part...) Do I adjust my ticker to reflect what MY scale says, even tho it's off from what the clinic scale says?  Or do I do the math and revise my ticker to reflect what my new scale says minus the difference between it and the clinic scale??   I know, what a pathetic thing to worry about when people have lost so much in the past few days...  but - what would YOU do?

Depending on what kind of scale it is, I don't think bouncing it around would be too good for it.  I'd find a place for it and leave it be.  When I had a larger Dr. type scale, I had it in my laundry room, because I didn't have room in my bathroom and needed a spot for it on a hard floor.  Can you do that?  Do you have a place in the basement or furnace room or laundry room?  That way too you wouldn't be on it too much if it's not out in plain view. As far as your ticker...I would just be consistant.  Use your scale or the clinics.  If you use your scale, you can update it more frequently.  I would just pick a day and set your ticker to what your scale says and call it good.

Oh, gee...I just did the same thing last night.



Did you buy a digital scale? or a regular scale? I bought a regular one this time b/c I didnt' want to worry about batteries (again). I would think the digital ones might be more prone to getting screwed up if not kept flat. The regular ones can be adjusted to "0" each and every time. So I've got mine standing up when not in use as I too do not have the room or flatter surface anywhere else in the house to leave it.




And I would just go by your scale now vs. the clinic. I found just in the 2.5wks. that the docs scale vs. mine now was off a few pounds - probably b/c of the fact they go by tenths of a pound and I was only recording to the nearest pound lost. Just be consistent.
Now comes the hard part...only weighing 1x a week.

I agree you should leave it be if it's a digital one. ok to stand up if it's the old fashioned kind. I've heard different ideas on the weighing daily... some say it's ok... some say don't do it. I weigh myself every morning first thing. I know it fluctuates depending on the time of the month a little, but for me I think about it LESS if I have my daily weigh in... if I do it once a week I think about it ALL the time... I guess it's just a matter of perspective. Your looking gorgous by the way!

Thanks, sweetie!  You're looking fabulous yourself!!!

Darla~I am wondering if your scale would be fine on carpet just so long as you are not weighing yourself on it on the carpet and that way you could store it in a closet somewhere if you are worried about becoming obsessed and then just take it out at the designated time.  Like Lisa I also weight myself daily and that helps keep me going.  I know that it will fluctuate depending on different factors.  I have also learned that if I give into the snack monster later in the evening my loss is a lot less or none the next day so I keep that in mind as the evening comes.  With regards to what number to use on your ticker I would go with your new home scale since you will have access to that more frequently and then you will be able to update more often.  I do not think it is pathetic to have these concerns I believe they are all valid concerns for your life right now.  I hope you are able to find a good conclusion for you.  ~Nicole

Darla,

I am a daily weigher too. I find it keeps me on track more than weighing less frequently. I keep my scale flat on the floor (it's digital) in a spare room on a wood floor. I can slip it under the bed in this room and slide it out each morning.

When I did not weigh myself daily after the first couple of years post WLS, I began to gain because I let some old behaviors creep back in to my life. Since my revision, I weigh daily each morning and log it, along with other details like food intake, exercise, and other weight influences like TOM,  having a cold, or emotional stressors. This keeps me on track.

You have to figure out what works best for you and your personality. I track my weight from my own scale, not the doc's.You'll find what works best for you! One thing I've found over the years is that maintaining my loss takes more vigilance and awareness than the initial weight loss phase took.

Good luck, and remember that if you do weigh daily, use the data to understand how your body functions and don't compare yourself to anyone else. You have done GREAT and I know this pattern will continue.

Cheryl

I, too, am a daily weigher.  However, whatever the scale says Monday is how my ticker gets adjusted.    I obsess less when I weigh once a day.  I don't know why.  I have also noticed that different days during the week I weigh more.  Not sure why, but I have learned not to freak out about it either.   Ya gotta find your groove and make it work for ya!   Good luck lady!

Darla, If you find yourself getting obsessed with the scale (I admit I am), then let me know and we'll start the first chapter of Weigher's Anonymous.  It'll be for all the other scale addicts out there....  I vote to put the scale somewhere flat, but not readily accessible, like the bathroom.  I moved mine to the laundry room because I refuse to weigh with clothes on (except in public of course!) and don't like running thru the house in my skivvies! I say use the weight you will use the most often.  Use your original starting weight, of course and if you plan to monitor your weight on your scale, then use your scale as the current weight amount.  It may be off a couple of pounds from the doc scale, but it's all good and will all wash out in the end.  I use my doc's weight for my surgery weight because he weighed me at the hospital and I had forgotten to weigh at home, and use my scale weight as the current weight.  I figure if there is a couple pound difference, really how much difference will that make in the long run? Love ya hon!! Debi

Thank you for your perspective, Debi - your comment about "if there is a couple pound difference, really how much differnece will that make in the long run?" REALLY hit me where it hurt!  And I mean that in a good way... My head was mucking with me over that, more than anything.  My loss on my ticker was from my weight on Tracy's scale, which of course I was THRILLED with!  My weight on MY new scale is a bit different, which was not to my advantage.  What a bunch of hooey!?!  I had never weighed on Tracy's scale before, but because I liked what it said?   WOO HOO!!!   Now MY scale reads a few pounds heavier, and I'm all   ...   psycho...  SO, much as I hate to, I will adjust my ticker to reflect what MY scale says.  And I had a revelation - I will put my scale on a board, so I can slide it under the bed when not in use, but use in ON the board, ON the carpet, when I want to take a peek! Thanks, everyone...