Using the Scale

Hi,

Just want to say that I am happy I found this place and that all of you have been a great inspiration to me as I wait for surgery.

I have a question about weighing one's self. Once you have had the surgery, I am assuming that at various appointments afterward, you are weighed and this information is tracked. What about weighing yourself at home? Is this something that most people continue to do? I am asking this because in the past when I have lost weight, I am usually addicted to my scale and would like to be free of this obsession after weight loss surgery? Is this possible? I would love to hear how others cope with this. Thanks for your input.

Hello Smoka and welcome

I personally find I am more scale obsessed since having surgery then before. I have decided to log every step of my journey and that includes daily weighing. I don't get on the scale more then once a day, just in the morning. I find it helps me to stay on track and although I've embraced the new way of eating very well, daily weigh ins also help me to recognize how even the smallest thing off my daily menu plan can change the number on the scale, even if just by a couple ounces. I don't obsess for get upset when I hit a stall or the scale only goes down 1 ounce, I do it to log it so years from now I can look at where I was and the process it took me to get to where I am. With that said, that is just me, I've read some do weekly or even bi weekly or monthly weigh ins, everyone will choose what works for them.

Thank you. It's good to hear another's perspective.

Hello

I'm a daily weigher.   Very scale addicted indeed.

 My past has proven that I get out of control when I start to ignore things or let them slide.  I could easily let my weight creep up quickly if I didn't stay on top of the number game.  

My research has pointed to the fact that people who weigh  often,  tend to be more sucessful, although I'm sure many others will disagree.  I would find it shocking after being involved in this process that someone would not be number "obsessed" as your days revolve around counting ,weighing, tracking and measuring foods and liquids and the weight comes off so fast that it becomes your full time job.

Whatever works for you is probably my best answer.

Wow! Thanks for the insight. This certainly is a learning process.

Daily weighing isn't for everyone, and there are plenty of people who do monthly only.

But in my case, it's been the best decision. Not weighing myself regularly, contributed to me being able to ignore my weight and health for years. I don't feel addicted, or obsessed. Kind of the opposite. My weight fluctuates constantly, and is affected by so many factors, calories being just one. I hop on the scale once in the morning, and track it. I look at the weekly average, and monthly trends. So long as the average keeps going down, I'm good.

It's  been rather liberating (for me).

Having said that, I know it's not healthy for some people to go that route. There are other metrics you can use to keep yourself on track.

Like how many days are you sticking to your plan in a row. As long as you are compliant, the weight will come off. 

Body measurements

tracking your fitness. Look at what you are able to do. (I.e. How many steps can you climb without getting winded or sore, or how long it takes to walk 1KM) then each month, try again and compare your stats. 

Good luck! I'm sure you'll find a system that works!

Thank you for your reply. I think body measurements would keep one motivated as well.

This is a personal decision. I need to tract for my own peace of mind. If it gets out of control I know to put the brakes on whatever is causing the gain. 

For some people it becomes an unhealthy obsession. Only you will know which you will be after the surgery

Thanks for replying. I really appreciate everyone's opinion and knowing about everyone's experience. I am really excited about the surgery and making wise choices. Actually, my reason for any question I ask here would be to make wiser choices even before going into surgery. 

I haven't had surgery yet - but I can relate to being scale addicted. when I stopped weighing myself, I gained 12lbs (from August to end of December) I tried to convince myself that it "wasn't THAT bad" because it could have been way more. But I wonder if I was paying more attention, would I have been able to stop that from happening. We all know how easy it is to get carried away.

That being said, I have made several lifestyle changes and started to keep track of my weight, activity and what I eat. I weigh myself Monday morning, SOMETIMES Wednesday morning, and then usually Friday or Saturday morning. Monday weigh ins reminds me to keep my eating in check over the weekend.

I have tried to change my attitude towards the scale as it literally used to determine my mood - if it went down I saw it as an opportunity to cheat (makes no sense at all) and if it went up, I would get upset and sometimes self-sabotage. I try to look at it as another tool to measure if I am headed in the right direction, keeping in mind that daily fluctuations are normal. I KNOW that if I am doing all the right things that I control the scale, it does not control me.