Weighing scales are bad for my mental health...I think...

Petal

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#1
I went on a diet recently and lost around 15lbs of weight but when I was up 1.5lbs i went totally off track, it really hit me hard and upset me as stupid as that sounds and went back to my old unhealthy eating habits. Should I stay away from the scales completely(as my title says) and focus on the health aspect of things or how clothes fit OR maybe agree with myself to just weigh myself once every 8-12 weeks or something like that? or once a month? suggestions of any kind will be entirely appreciated. I need to lose a huge amount of weight.

 

Petal

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#3
What about asking your doctor to weigh you and only tell you if it is concerning?
Can I ask what exactly you mean by concerning? I'm unsure what you're thinking.

My doctor is always telling me I need to lose weight and last year I started the year with the nurse weighing me every 2 weeks but that fizzled and faded out, I was losing about 2lbs a week which was good but don't think I want to set myself up for failure again :(
 

Kiwi2016

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#7
Agree with the idea of clothes fitting looser as I've never had as scale as otherwise when trying to lose weight it can go up or down or plateau which can all seem so disheartening at times....
 

secretkey

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#8
Actually when I started dieting I'd obsessively weighed myself every day but I found that my weight fluctuated almost every day or even every week, so now I only weigh myself once in a while, like every couple of weeks or every month (particularly after my period). The idea of clothes fitting looser is pretty good, but personally if I had a target goal I'd weigh myself just to keep track of how close I am to that goal. You can always try both? (fitting clothes and weighing once in a while)? XD

All the best to you in losing weight!
 

Brân

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#9
As an anorexic with a disorder - weighing scales were the worst thing that happened to me but I gained a better perspective of myself with clothing sizes (and a lot of therapy) - it's not 100% reliable, because different stores have different sizes, but if you have a favourite one, then go by that. If you're working out, you might gain in muscle too, which won't be a bad thing. There's no easy or foolproof safe way to measure or track weight loss - just a good mentality - you can do this and stay safe! :)
 

Petal

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#10
Screw my idea of starting in the new year, what's wrong with starting tomorrow lol Not only did I gain weight but my face is oily (that happens when I eat crap) and I get moody, I guess we are what we eat. Starting 12pm tonight everything I eat will be jotted down and any exercise and how much water I am drinking. Still pretty unsure about weigh-ins. :confused:
 

Petal

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#11
Screw my idea of starting in the new year, what's wrong with starting tomorrow lol Not only did I gain weight but my face is oily (that happens when I eat crap) and I get moody, I guess we are what we eat. Starting 12pm tonight everything I eat will be jotted down and any exercise and how much water I am drinking. Still pretty unsure about weigh-ins. :confused:
Nah screw that, will enjoy the rest of this year and start on Jan 1st. Will weigh myself every month on the same scales and go from there, will have my nurse supervise me :) Last year she was pretty good, it was me who failed lol Losing weight is a tough game, its so mentally challenging. People don't realise how hard it is especially keeping it up. Looking forward to my breakfast roll in an hour lol, might as well enjoy the last of the year and be a healthier person in 2018!!
 

Freya

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#12
You know how I feel about the scales (and how I feel about losing 15lbs in less than 4 weeks!!) It's a dangerous cycle and it can be horrible for mental health. The problem is going on a diet - you say healthy eating but you don't do healthy eating, you do "diet" and restrict yourself and stop letting yourself have this or that food. You know what healthy food is - so do I - so do most people. You also know that people of a "normal" healthy weight eat breakfast rolls and cake and chips etc - they just do it in proportion and healthily. It is mentally challenging to break habits but honestly I think that has to be the first step - not cutting out whole categories of food and halving your food intake etc. Pull back, be mindful of what you eat, but eat something if you genuinely want it. Just make sure it is a moderate portion not a binge. I guess, eat like a "normal healthy person" and learn those habits instead.

Stay away from that scale!! I will not be getting on a scale until April 1st - focussing the first 12 weeks of the year on self care, being good to myself, eating like a regular healthy person without depriving or cutting or dieting. Need to get rid of the lose/gain/lose/gain cycle!
 

Petal

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#13
Thanks, will think about that and no not getting on any scales in the near future lol



Have to disagree on one thing though, I do feel I ate enough and healthy according to my food diary and not ''diet'', even KFC thrown in there. My illness probably contributed to a lot of the weight loss. Was sick for 2 weeks but still made myself eat.

I would preferably like to lose 2lb a week consistently ... I don't know how to achieve that.
 
#15
I don't know about your dieting regime or plan but just to share my experience (sorry if it is uncalled for), I lost about 30+lbs gradually and slowly over a year. Took me some determination to stay away from fast food/junk food/snacks for months as well as some obsessive calories counting coupled with 2 hrs+ of exercises on weekends (though I have stopped exercising for months since I don't have the energy lol). I had one cheat day every week where I could eat a bigger portion or throw in a snack/dessert but otherwise most of the days I ate smaller-than-usual portions of regular food (sans fast food/junk food) as long as it fits into my calorie-limit. My method is probably a little unhealthy I think lol. Maybe if you're not sure what food you should take you could check with your nurse or nutritionist?

It's not easy but all the best! (hugs)
 

MarkahMalady

Well-Known Member
#16
Omg Petal, scales make me CRAZY. I have two and at my worst I'll weigh myself about ten times a day, don't make yourself nuts. Just do your best keeping track of your intake, that's really all you need to keep track of. Measuring portions alone was a huge help for me. Good luck with your ongoing efforts! :)
 

DrownedFishOnFire

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#18
Am sorry just saw this thread now. Sorry it is making you feel like crap. If that helps I fired the wingthings digital scale earlier few months ago and went with a different one and it was 100% more consistent on weight. I only paid $30 for it vs wingthings being $125 on sale. Go figure.

I go up 10 lbs in one day give or take. It does drive me nuts if it throws me different numbers no matter where I put the scale but weighting myself the same time of the day (mornings upon waking up is the best time)

@Petal hugs
 
#19
I do not think that showing you the truth somehow damages your mental health. You should be grateful that this digital scale shows your correct weight. This will help you understand that the diet you are using right now isn't helpful. And that a different diet will bring more advantages to your body. So you should not be disappointed at all. From my perspective, this should motivate you even more, and it should make you understand that if you want to lose weight, you have to work harder than you are right now.
 

SamB

SF Supporter
#20
I’ve been up and down in weight my entire life. I think what is most interesting is that it isn’t the number that effects me so much as if I went up or down to get there. If I have gone down to get there it makes me happy and if I’ve gone up to get there it makes me sad. It’s the same number so really I should be the same level of happiness but for me it’s the journey rather than the result that effects my mood the most.
 

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