Numbers

Curious how not to make myself crazy over the numbers. One week after surgery I was down 8 pounds. I'm only recording on Mondays, the day of my surgery, but the scale keeps calling to me to step on it and I don't like the numbers this week. They've hardly changed at all. I still have a few days before my week 2 weigh in but..

How does one not go insane wondering if this is working?

I stay off my scale as much as possible... in the beginning.. I weighed only twice a month.... now I only weigh monthly

I told myself to only weigh once a week but I can't help myself either! I think I am in a stall this week and it's driving me a bit crazy but then I think since I started opti I'm down 30 lbs, a consistent loss of 5 lbs a week. This would never have happened without surgery. Add in your opti loss, you have lost a lot of weight in 3 week!

I guess it's all about perspective, isn't it! In 3 weeks of Opti and 1 post surgery I've lost 24.5 pounds. And I wouldn't have done that on my own so...

But still I want it all gone now!!!!

We had surgery on the same day and I find myself doing that too. I'm thinking I should weigh myself once a month because I need to stop obsessing over the numbers. It is hard though because I want the validation that this isn't for nothing but as I'm starting to feel the difference that should be enough? Maybe? Hopefully?

Just the fact that I am off all my high blood pressure meds should be enough validation but come on, I want to through out my big clothes and move into something smaller!!

It's so hard not to compare what others have lost monthly, isn't it?

I have had the exact same experience. I seemed to be averaging about 3 pounds a week since surgery. It seems to stall and then I loose a few. I weigh every morning but only record once a week and that is when I notice the changes. Also when my weight stalls sometimes that when I notice my clothes are getting too loose. I think it is a normal part of the process and I think it is good to remind yourself that you are down and not up like before surgery!

Hey Karen,

I'm a daily weigher too. And I understand it can be hard not to feel the struggle of having emotional reactions to what the scales reports on a daily basis. Here's the thing: as you get further out in this journey, it's not only going to report stalls, it's going to report increases!!

How I deal with this: I promised myself at the beginning of my journey that the scale was just data (hence reporting). It is not the be all and end all. I use it as data to monitor as one factor how I am doing. When I see that it is stalling or showing an increase, I use that data, in conjunction with OTHER data from my life to make a decision about if and what I need to change. Have I made poor eating choices? Is it "that" time of month? Am I on medications ie antibiotics? Have I been on vacation? Have I been sick? Have I changed up any food? Has my activity changed? Has my intake of liquid changed? Has my mood been different? Has there been a major life event recently?

I do the same thing , btw, when I have big losses. I am curious what may have contributed to that.

I do not always have answers... sometimes I do. But it is always good data. And the stalls and gains always pass. Because I always stay or get back on track. This is a marathon, not a sprint. And we got this!!! :)

Great advice as usual. I think sometimes it's difficult to keep in perspective because I know that this time I really should be successful, not like all my past dieting and failure attempts. This lifestyle that I have adopted really will be my success. It's just so exciting to see numbers on the scale that I haven't seen in xx number of years that I want to see more. Human nature I suppose.

Totally!! I had all the same feelings and fears in the beginning. And I wanted it all gone right away. And remembered everyone saying how fast it was, and it felt so slow at first!!

But I promise, you will look back, in what seems like no time, and think "wow!!"

Tomorrow is my 7 month surgiversary, and with Opti, I am down 98.5 lbs. Crazy!! I am down from size 26 jeans to size 14. I mean, that's crazy too!!! And in 7 months!!! Looking back, that's SO fast!

It will happen... hang in there girl. You got this. :)