Here's why you don't care

“You stepped on the scale today and the reading was dismal. Here's why you don't care:”

Okay, fine, so you care a little, but you have to access the whole picture. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you look better than on your last weigh in? A little toner here, a little less pooch there? Were your measurements improved? If you're putting on muscle it's got some weight to it - the good news is it takes up less room on your bod and it looks a whole lot nicer. Lastly, do you feel better? Sometimes we get so caught up in all our peers that we forget there's so much more than fat coming off. There's cholesterol and blood pressure lowering, there's more stamina, there's pride and confidence building. No matter what that scale says each month, remember that it's just a small window into the new you.

Are you kidding?  I would care and it would **** me off.  I weigh at my lowest only because otherwise I could free fall into I don't care what I eat, been there done that, had the wls to prove it.

Hi,

I think what I was trying to convey is there is more to good health and looking good than the scales.  We can get tunnel vision and forget about all the other benefits in getting healthy.

All the other health benefits are directly related to the number on that scale. And freefall is so easy. Its hard even with daily weighing and "knowing". For me daily weighing is essential. Even more so than logging and measuring. But ideally all three go hand in hand.

On June 2, 2014 at 3:32 AM Pacific Time, shoutjoy wrote:

“You stepped on the scale today and the reading was dismal. Here's why you don't care:”

Okay, fine, so you care a little, but you have to access the whole picture. Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you look better than on your last weigh in? A little toner here, a little less pooch there? Were your measurements improved? If you're putting on muscle it's got some weight to it - the good news is it takes up less room on your bod and it looks a whole lot nicer. Lastly, do you feel better? Sometimes we get so caught up in all our peers that we forget there's so much more than fat coming off. There's cholesterol and blood pressure lowering, there's more stamina, there's pride and confidence building. No matter what that scale says each month, remember that it's just a small window into the new you.

I don't usually agree with Lady Heidi! But I do here!  Watching the scales like a hawk is the way I maintain. I was actually less fixated when I was losing than I am now.

Maybe your use of the word "dismal" gives the wrong impression as it implies a significant gain. I agree if you mean just no loss or a few pounds which may be temporary.  But a dismal reading is a matter of concern for most of us. And a major concern for those of us trying to maintain.

i agree about all the health issues but, once again, you are being too general in your advice.

Justifying dismal readings on the scale with positive affirmations about how healthy I was living is exactly what got me fat enough to need weight loss surgery. 

A dismal reading on the scale now means that I have not done well with following my food and exercise plans.  I don't make believe it is new muscle.  I tell myself that I am slipping and that I need to get back on track. 

I weigh daily and know before I even step on the scale what it is going to say. 

I did not go through this surgery just to fall back into old habits and to get fat again.  The scale tells me the truth and I don't argue back that I am healthy and it does not matter what I weigh.  I want to stay at my goal weight and that is my reason for getting on the scale.

Unlike Heidi, I do not wait until I am sure that the scale will say what I want it to say.  I am afraid if I get of control that I will not be able to come back.  So it is daily weigh-ins for me and I pay attention to every ounce gained or lost.

I don't weigh daily (for me that would be excessive and place too much emphasis on what I weigh rather than it just being one small part of my life), but not stepping on the scale because I knew that it wasn't going to say what I wanted (whether I was actively dieting or not) is exactly how I got to over 300 pounds so I couldn't agree with you more on that!

Lora

Heh heh. Make believe it is new muscle. How many times have we heard that? On the weigh (sic) up, we make believe about a lot of things. The dryer shrank my pants. I have a slow metabolism. I'm still losing inches. We'll believe anything except we're eating too much.

I definitely DO agree that there is far more to being healthy than what the scale says (and the number obsession that often rules OH sometimes makes my head feel like it is going to explode), but I also know that ignoring the scale and telling myself that I was still healthy (my BP, cholesterol, and blood sugars were all very good for many years, even with a bunch of extra weight) contributed significantly to me getting to over 300 pounds.

I think this is an area where it is crucial for people to find a balance.  

For me -- and this is only my own solution -- the balance is found in weighing weekly rather than daily (and re-weighing 2 days later if the scale shows an unexpected jump, just to be sure it is fluid and not fat)  but also paying attention to the other things.

I do not allow a two-pound gain to stress me out, but I also am mindful of that gain when making my food choices.  If it hits 4-5 pounds, though, I take active measures to get the weight creep back off.  I refuse to allow myself to go back to being heavy.

Lora