Scale obsessed?
I have had the privilege of reading some incredibly insightful blog posts this week. Reading these posts have helped open up some answers to questions I had or helped me reflect on where I am and where I was.
Bobbie @ Anonymous Fat Girl had a really good post today on how her journey hasn’t been all about the scale. And that she will post weigh-ins if they are significant but otherwise doesn’t want to base her life or her journey around the scale. It’s a really good post and I encourage everyone to read it! 
After reading her post, I pondered about my own relationship with the scale. I have been a bit scale-obsessed lately. I weigh in every day or every other day. Somewhere in my mind I have it that if I don’t keep intense track of the scale then I will lose track of it and get off-path. I realize that it is more involved than that. I am practicing simplicity.
Every week I worry about weighing in. Will I lose? Will I gain? And I hate that I allow that damn number to dictate my mood for the day. I am obsessed with getting down to 290 but not so obsessed that I wear myself out dieting. I’m actually taking everything one step at a time… one day at a time… one moment at a time.
So maybe it’s time for me to step off the scale for awhile.
I actually found a rather helpful article at SparkPeople.com entitled “4 Signs It’s Time to Step Off The Scale“.
They list the 4 signs as:
1) Constantly worrying about weighing in
2) Weigh-in more than once a day
3) You can recite your weight to the nearest fraction at all times.
4) The scale determines how you feel about yourself for the day.
So yeah. I think I might need a bit of a break. Maybe for a week or two.
Are you scale obsessed? How many times do you weigh yourself during the week if at all?
Posted in
Once a day, first thing in the morning. I know that many people consider that scale-obsessed, but it really doesn’t dictate my mood. It’s an automatic self check in the morning to make sure I’m keeping myself on track.
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I think that’s great that you take a break from the scale!
It varies. Sometimes every other day, and sometimes twice a week…
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I weigh every day and have for years, regardless of my weight at the time. In the past I did let the number affect me… my mood and emotions were dictated to some extent by that darn scale. But mostly I need to confirmation of where I am at. Like this week… the scale is confirming that my off-plan eating is adding up fast and that it is time to get very serious and take action. I know many dieters (from blogs and my forum) who walked away from their scales and are much happier for it. You may find the same.
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Hey there. My wife is a little on the obsessed side and she definitely lets the scale dictate her mood for the day if not the week. I’ll have to direct to this post so she can see that there’s other factors besides the scale. Thanks!
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Thanks for the shout out Kellie!
Have a great weekend!
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K Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 12:30 pm
Thank you for the amazing post (as always)!
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Interesting, I have been feeling the same way. In fact I just posted a blog about it before I looked at yours tonight. I have been stepping on the scale every morning and on Saturdays after I work out. I was so disappointed at WW last night, and vowed to myself not to step on the scale this week and to not worry about the number next week when I weigh in. I feel good with my food choices, and the amount of exercise I do, and that is what matters right now is how I feel about myself. Not the number that is on the scale.
Good post!
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