Weighing myself

[Sue]

When I am trying to lose weight I can not stay off the scale. I will literally weigh myself 20-25 times a day or maybe even more. Every time I walk by the scales I have to step on it. Every time I eat something, or drink something, or exercise, or go to the bathroom or pretty much whenever. I can not stay away from the scales. I become obsessed with it and seeing the results. I have even tried hiding the scales. Thinking that if it was out of sight it would be out of mind but I would just become anxious about it so I would have to take it back out. Does anybody else become obsessed with the scale when they are losing weight?

 

[pwarbi]

I think that this can be quite common with a lot of people when they start to do something that they haven't done before because it's new and you are bound to become a little obsessed. While weighing yourself that many times a day like in your case is a little excessive, I bet if you talked to other people that have decided to lose weight then they will also say that they tended to weight themselves a lot more than what they ever did before.


The thing to remember though ids that if you weigh yourself maybe once or twice a week, you'll see that you will be able to tell a lot clearer just how much your losing because weighing yourself that many times a day, you aren't going to notice that much difference I wouldn't have thought?

 

[kgord]

Yes, it is easy to get into this one. I only weight myself once a week now, but I used to have periods where I would weigh myself several times per day. It seems to be especially common for those who are trying to lose weight who do this. Weighing yourself too often however, simply causes anxiety and I really don't think it is the best way to lose weight, you simply get too caught up in the flucutations of the numbers.

 

[fuzyon]

Of course, I tried to lose weight a couple of years ago and I used to be on the scale 24/7 which is not the best idea ever. I became a little obsessed, after every meal and bathroom "trip" I would weigh myself to track the progress, even though there was barely any difference. I think it's a much better idea to weigh yourself once a week so you can see the progress better and be motivated, otherwise it's just something that will hold you back.

 

[Alex]

It's not an easy habit to break, especially if you are watching your weight. However, weight doesn't equate to healthiness or fitness. People who are skinny are often unfit and not as healthy as they look. I was once on a boot camp and there were girls twice the size of me who were fitter than me. Everyone assumed I was fit and healthy (I'm not that bad) but I couldn't keep up with some people who weighed a lot more than me.


You need to remember weight doesn't equate to happiness either, and many models and actresses live poor lifestyles to maintain weight. This is from personal experience. As long as you are in the right target group, don't worry about your weight, as it does fluctuate throughout the day.

 

[Panic57]

I used to be like that, though I wouldn't weigh myself twenty times a day, I would do it at least three or four times. I realized that it made me depressed though, so I try to resist by only doing it occasionally. I was weighing myself in the machines in the grocery stores or CVS, that have the health checker. It allowed me to email my weight to myself and keep a chart. Plus, if I gained weight, it's fresh in my mind and I helps me avoid being tempted to buy junk food. I've found though, for long term, slowly reducing intake of processed carbs, sugar, and soda has been more helpful than weighing myself everyday.

 

[x0xLikeMex0x]

I asked for a weighing machine for Christmas once and I'm not even joking. I asked for it. These were times when I used to weigh myself 24/7 too.


It's easy to get obsessed with the number that is written on there. You'll start weighing yourself every time you wake up, eat, go to the bathroom, workout or go for a walk/run.


In my case, the weighing in became less frequent due to the fact that I hurt my leg and couldn't work out anymore. But I still do weigh myself almost every morning now.

 

[HappyKoi]

Oh my yes. When I had my eating disorder I would weigh myself many times a day. I would be so upset if the scale shifted up even a little bit. When I went to college, I didn't bring my scale, but I quickly found out that that gym at the college had one that you could borrow to use if you asked. So I would work out and ask for it several times a day. The people there got to know me and would usually already have the scale out when I got there. When I was recovering, I had a very hard time getting rid of my scale and resisting the urge to weigh myself. Even today, over a decade after my recovery, I still turn my back when I get weighed at the doctor's office. I tell the nurses it's because I had an eating disorder. Some understand. Most don't. Some get a little mean and tell me I have to look so I know if I'm healthy or not, and I'm being silly. (No, I do not, and I am not.) Getting away from the scale is a process. Try cutting down or only weighing yourself a certain number of times a day. Then try giving away your scale or donating it. Trust me, you don't need it, even if your mind tells you otherwise.

 

[kelden]

Nope. I was always skinny, thereby I can't relate with this much. But I remember becoming quite concerned about gaining weight when I was at the gym doing lifting workouts. But nothing that I could lose my mind of.

 

[fcuco]

Using the scale basically once every hour just like you are describing is obviously very problematic and not healthy at all, not to mention the fact that our weight varies a great lot during the day as various factors come into play, if you are trying to lose weight you should weight yourself exactly once every day and always under the same exact circumstances: immediately after waking up is a good time, always at the same hour. Not to mention that you probably don't remove all your clothes and you can add a few pounds depending on what you are wearing.

This sounds very unhealthy, I hope that it is not combined with any type of eating disorders, my advice to you is to remove the batteries of the scale after your first weight in every morning.

 

[djanx]

I know what you're feeling. While I haven't felt that way for weighing scales, I certainly have felt that kind of an OCD related to other things in my house. Really, the only way to overcome is to consciously stop yourself and focus on something else that's engaging.

 

[oportosanto]

Come on, 25 times per day is definitely too much... I am trying to lose some weight too, but the main issue is that I am not changing my diet, so I don't lose any weight. Sure, I am not gaining either because I exercise, but at the most I hit the scale once or twice per day, not more than that.

 

[Sue]

I am glad to see that I am not alone in this one. Thank you everybody for your replies they do help a lot. I am trying to get better at it but it is not an easy thing to do.

 

[amy88]

The only time I have really obsessed about my weight on the scale was when I was pregnant and it was hard on my self-image when I just saw the scale going up and up despite my efforts to maintain my exercise routine and eat well...I felt like then, I did obsess and weigh myself multiple times a day. I'd also critique every last thing about my appearance - I think maybe to a degree it was hormones playing a part in how I felt, because I do think that it was extreme at times.

 

[OnThePath]

A lot of people get addicted to the scale, this kind of thing is pretty normal, actually.  What helps for me is to actually not worry about my weight, but how I feel.  If I feel like I'm exercising and eating a pretty good diet, success will follow.  You may just be focusing on the wrong things.  Weight is really just a number.  How you feel, your energy level, your comfort and happiness are what is really most important.  Weight is just a number.  It's not necessarily an indicator of health, happiness or even physical condition.  Do your best and let God do the rest.  :smile:

 

[rikka]

Oh, I almost became like that. In my first kilogram loss, I was trying the scale many times a day. Then, I realized it will not work because the number will still stay the same. My obsession right now is weighing every morning and afternoon after exercising on a fasted state. I get frustrated at myself when I see the same numbers week after week despite my efforts, but I can't help not looking at the scale. It's like the quantitative result had got me a little too far in my weight loss journey rather than also relying on the qualitative result.

 

[clair02]

I also went through something similar when I was trying to lose weight. I would weigh myself dozens of times every day. Eventually I had to force myself to stop that behavior because it was having an effect that was opposite to the desired one. I would keep weighing myself and when I couldn't see the evidence of my hard work, I would get discouraged and end up giving up on my diet. 

 

[LionTurtle]

I know it's really hard to resist but I would only weigh myself once a week, usually on Sunday. Weight fluctuates throughout the day so I did it first thing in the morning.  My mistake was weighing myself two or three times in succession, the numbers always seemed to change, and it made me feel hopeless. I've learned to go by nthe first number you get.  But now I'm not even brand enough to weigh myself every week  :sad:

 

[Rebel]

I've never had this issue but if it's becoming that obsessive compulsive you really do need to stop. The average human will gain and lose between 2-3 pounds a day. You're not actually losing it either. When your stomach is empty you are naturally lighter. When you are full you are naturally heavier. Actual weight loss will not happen during the day.

 

[djanx]

I didn't know that the average human will change weight that way every day. But, I guess it's water weight or something that reduces by the end of the day or something. Monitoring is not bad, its the OCD that's bad, unless it's for something that helps a person become fit. Watching the weighing scale over and over again doesn't help. Monitoring it weekly does help.