Should I or shouldn't I...

Ok, so I promised myself that I would NOT be a slave to the scale.  That is all about the BIG picture Muscle/Water vs. Fat.  All of that sounds fine and dandy to the mature Candice.  But then there is this child inside of me screaming out....weigh yourself!!!!  Weigh yourself!!!!!  I purposefully decided not to purchase a scale pre-op.  I only weigh every two weeks when I see my surgeon.... Should I buy a scale???  I apologize if this seems petty, but please help me!!!!!

i don't know if you should, but i have one. i weigh every morning and track my weight on fitday.com. i find it to be encouraging. and when i see the numbers stick for a few days or more, i up my exercise. you don't have to be afraid of the scale. it's just a tool. once you get towards your goal weight you'll need a way to monitor your weight that doesn't involve a visit to a doc's office. you don't need a doc for that.

Fitday is great isn't it!! Love that! Good avice!  Thank you...

I completely understand your dilemma! When I would go on diets in the past I was a nut about weighing myself.....every time I went in the bathroom! Too much pressure! I actually had to tell my husband to hide the scale on me and not bring it out except once a week. Post surgery, I hope I will be able to control the urge. Our bodies fluctuate to much day to day...a once a week weigh-in should be a good judge of how your doing. Also, I know that we are all concerned about the number that we want to reach but ultimately aren't we just trying to get to a comfortable place with our self? JMO

Wendy,  You are so right!  This is about be comfortable with ourselves.  I think that what has happened is I don't feel much different than I did a month ago.  I want to at least feel some progress.  However, patience has never been my virtue.  I think I need to work on this relationship with a scale as much as I do my relationship with food.  Thanks for your insight... Candice

It depends on if you can handle weighing yourself.  I weigh daily... always have... the scale does not ditctate my life. If it goes up - I am fine... if it goes down - I am pleased... if it doesnt move... I dont let it frustrate me. To me... the total package is more important than a number on the scale. On the flip... my friends life revolves around the scale... it goes up - she has a horrible day and will starve herself... if it does down - its not good enough... or its a trick... or the scale is broken. She has a horrible relationship with her scale. So basically it comes down to you and your personal decision. If you have been weighing every two weeks.. then you may want to stick to that for now. Eventually I feel a scale is a good tool for long term success... Im sure you do not want to go to the Dr every 2 weeks forever. I find it helps me 'keep my weight in check'... Ive learned my weight patterns and know how much I fluctuate... if it goes up more than normal and stays there... then I know I need to make a change!

I have to say that I have a scale. I have found myself slave to it at times. One of the things that has really worked for me is to just "chart" my weight once a week. I find I don't get on and of 10 times a day that way. Charting it once a week ... Check my profile. You'll see the table I use to chart it ... anyway, charting once a week helps me see the bigger picture. I can see ... with that bit of perspective, that I tend to drop some weight and then I hold for a while, then I drop again. It helps me see some tangible progress ...sometimes I just don't see it in the mirror or even my clothes.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is if you can use it as a tool that helps you see your progress vs. something you flog yourself with, go for it. I flogged myself for a while, now it's just a tool.

A few years back I was on Atkins and lost 70 pounds (needless to say I gained them back.. LOL).  But I was strict about only weighing once a week.  However, this time I am weighing every other day or so.  I just get so excited to see that number going down more and more.   Yes.. I am a scale addict.  But, I don't worry too much if I don't loose a day or so in a row.  I just like seeing that I weigh so much less now than I did a few months ago!!!

i'm guessing that in our pasts, the scale was always the indicator of how we had failed. it proved to us again and again how we had no control. it always turned on us eventually. and all we wanted was the scale's approval! hopefully, we have the right combination of tools now -- our docs, our surgery, our nutritional education, our exercise habits, our vitamin supplements, our measured intake of good foods, our support groups, our monitoring tools ... if you recognize now that there are many components contributing to our success at getting healthy, you may now be able to use a scale as just one of those components.  there's a lot of room on the spectrum between scale slave and monitoring tool. if you get one and it doesn't feel right, you can always put it away or get rid of it.

I weigh every morning.  It helps me to keep myself in check especially if I'm having a day that I am really craving sweets or carbs.  I think it's an individual choice and you have to do what's right for you. Hugs, Donna