Weight? The real measure or just convenience?

So I've noticed most of the blogs and threads I've come across have focused on weight (loses, plateaus, gains and adjustments). If I looked hard enough I'm sure I'd find many other topics and someday, maybe I will look. For now I'm feeling rather like the odd (wo)man out.

I don't care what the scale says. I do not own one (technically I do, in a box somewhere in storage, needing batteries).

I know how horrible my life was at my highest weight (and long before then too). I know how much better I'm feeling now. I can see 'MY' face coming back to me in the mirror and I can feel differences in my body (especially my apron and tits).

I have energy and the desire to get out and do things (the 7-day post-op pain kicks in for a bit and with each day it is getting better). I'm longing to be allowed to get back into the pool to continue strengthening my arthritis support muscles so I'll be able to walk again.

I am able to stand long enough to do my dishes or do other little chores. All of these things are new and awesome.

Now I see the team tomorrow for my 1wk follow up and will gladly see what the scale has to say as a reinforcement of how I am feeling but it isn't the holy, all-telling 'truth' to my success.

Do we use our weight changes as a 'common language' of convenience? Am I being naive as the newbie to the scene? Is it really held in the highest place of 'esteem' as the 'one true' measure of success or failure in this world of bariatric surgery?

Now before you immediate answer 'well of course it isn't the end-all and be-all' think about how often you weigh yourself. What do you think or feel as you approach or step off the scale?

I approach the scale with a sense of curiosity and recently step off with a sense of awe and confirmation of what I already knew.

YET I was sorely disappointed when I had my consultation with the surgeon and was not weighed (5 wks b4 surgery). I was bordering on upset when I went into surgery without being given the opportunity to know my 'starting weight'. AND that night (might have been next morning) I asked the nurse to go looking for a scale with me so I could get 'some idea' of my starting point.

These are milestone moments in the journey I wanted to record... I could have done so with photos, essays, tape measurements, etc but I wanted to 'speak' the same language as everyone else.

Was I copying what I'd seen here (in your tickers)? Am I deluding myself of the value and/or importance of those three little numbers on the screen?

Time will tell I suppose.

for me , the awareness of those three little numbers, is the difference in maintaining my weight loss,without regain.

If o am not aware of them I can't maintain my loss efficiently.

You will see on my ticket, I never reached " goal", a number I arbitrarily chose.

My real "goal" was to put diabetes into remission, which losing weight did.

The numbers on the scale are another tool in our toolbox of wls success.

I've struggled with this thought myself. I don't want to be tied to numbers on a scale, and my health is what drove my decision, not my weight or clothing size. I am a body acceptance proponent, but for me that should be part of a love for, and caring for, one's body and not an excuse as too many people I've seen use it.

So I hesitated to let myself get excited about the milestones, and carry the ticker in my signature. My therapist and I talked a lot about it. In the end, what's wrong with being happy with the changes in my body? Isn't that part of the acceptance, since these changes are a result of my caring for my body and taking care of it the best way I can?

I don't like the BMI measure, I find too many issues with the calculation and the one-size-fits-all approach it takes. But it is a handy gauge for medical professionals when viewed with the right caveats. I don't like having too much emphasis on the scale or clothing sizes, but the changes are certainly cause for celebration.

I also wondered if I hadn't developed antipathy for the modes of measurement when I was at the "wrong" end of those bell curves? Now that I'm edging closer to the "normal" ranges, I'm not feeling a deep rage at the idea of weights and BMIs and straight sizes. Was I sublimating my self-hatred at those societal norms?

Ultimately, I've decided that I'm allowed to feel what I feel, and express what I feel. Right now, I'm thrilled with the numbers on my scale, and the tags in my closet. Those changes go right along with the very positive health changes in my life, so they're intertwined. I recognize that the outward changes are all most people see. People I work with who don't know about my health challenges only know to compliment me on the weight loss and what they see. I don't need to get into my medical history with them, just thank them for the nice words and move on. My close friends and family know what this has meant to me health-wise.

It's not one or the other for me.

Like Holly said, seeing my weight keeps me on track and motivated. I am connected to fitbit and mfp and get badges and support on my continued progress. However it is not all what the scale says that matters. You say you can see the differences ans that is amazing. Don't weigh your self as often as some others if you don't want to. My first couple months I only weighed once a month.

Edit: Made quite a few typos while writing this on my phone from the stationary bike lol.

I think that it's not all or nothing. Weight is a real measure, it also gives a convenient way to talk about progress/change, for me it's also an indicator of where my mental and physical health are at any given time.

I weigh daily - I use Trendweight to follow the trend of my weight and ignore daily fluctuations.

I have goals for health and exercise. I ran a half marathon in March, I graduated with my AA just this month in Exercise and Sport Science - with a 4.0 no less! People are constantly posting NSVs here and celebrating their non-scale achievements - we just don't tend to fill up our signatures with all of the non-scale stuff.

The weight does matter. We get to choose our goal weight or range, but it is important. In my 10 years here the people who say the weight does not matter seem to be the ones who gain it all back. People who never weigh are usually the ones who come back after a long absence and are "shocked" that they are now 50-75-even 100 pounds higher than their lowest weight. Nope. You were just in denial.

I have heard many times, "But I look better with 10 extra pounds." And then the 10 multiplies. Once you gain, it is harder to lose it the next time.

Weighing several times a week keeps my mind in the game. The weight does matter. Even more so for us who started out with a BMI over 50.

What I see in the mirror is very much different to how I feel. It's this "body dysmorphia" that causes me to value the number on the scale possibly a great deal higher than others do. That and the fact that I've worked extremely hard to get where I am. The number on the scale, in addition to my loose skin, are reminders of where was, and am going.

The only reason I have my numbers in my profile is because there are a lot of people out there doing research, and are curious to see how well it has worked for others.

Best of luck in your journey.

Weight is absolutely a measure-- but it's not the only measure. Healthy weight/BMI can be one of your goals, and it will likely be one of the goals your surgeon sets. But weight is not a perfect sole indicator of health, so it's important to consider other measures.

My initial goals were:

• Get off my blood pressure meds
• Get off my CPAP
• Ride 40mi in the annual city bike race 1 year post-op
• Eventually have a healthy pregnancy
• Get to 160lb (still "overweight" BMI but smaller than I'd ever been)

Hit all those goals, and more! And honestly, I'm more proud of being able to control my BP and complete a triathlon than I am of any numbers I've ever hit on the scale.

Weight like oral temperature, blood pressure, measurements, blood tests, BMI are metrics. Just numbers. However they help humans determine if something is workin or not working correctly. Be it a doctor who is taught what the bell curve for weight looks like and where your number is on that curve. Or clothing manufacturers know that breast, waist, and hip measurements of X means a certain size.

The issue is for you to determine what metics will help YOU determine if YOU are heading where you want to go. Be it sailing north-by-northeast to get to an island you want to see, or weighing and measuring everything you eat and drink helps YOU know what nutrients in what quantities you are eating.

Using a scale to measure your mass, is just a number. However if this week's number is higher than last week's. Weight will vary more rapidly than body measurements so small changes maybe detected sooner. You have an opportunity to question why the change. If you don't track anything then you are a drift with no way to tell if you are heading toward or away from your goal.

Your mileage will carry, but I hope you enjoy the journey.

I weigh every day. Pre-surgery, I was healthy fat, so I didn't have resolution of co-morbidities or getting off medication as a way to gauge success. So, I had to rely on something to tell me where I was in the process. I chose the number on the scale. Does it define me? No. Do I allow daily fluctuations to destroy my mood? No. Did I let stalls derail me? No. But I weighed every single day. Now in maintenance, it's the way I have to make sure I stay on track. I can (and sometimes do) eat things that may not be the best for weight loss. I stay on plan 90-95% of the time, but I do stray. Weighing daily allows me to see increases and allows me to address them before they get out of hand. I'll never allow myself to get 10lbs or more above goal (hell, I panic when I'm 5 lbs above goal) because I know how hard it will be to get it off. Is the scale the only way to determine success? No, but it's my way.