The End of an Affair...

We said our goodbys this morning.  I changed its diapers (batteries) and tucked it into the closet.  That fickle, mechanical piece of metal is no longer going to determine how I feel on a daily basis.  No more will I allow it to validate OR shame me, OR cause me to doubt OR dictate in any way how I will work my program.  I journal, I exercise every day, and I'm eating correctly.  I have confidence in myself and this process.  So, GOODBYE, SCALE.  I'm not hopping on you daily for that emotional rollercoaster of a ride anymore.  Once a week is fine, (and while I'm thinking about it, I MAY look at you once a month)  It is time to trust me- my ability to be responsible and accountable--not some wanna'bepiece'a@#$%scrapiron.  So, there--rant over.  FULL Disclosure here---I'm 5 weeks out, and have hit the inevitable stall.  Just saying.

I started out looking at mine once a week.. now its like 2 times a month... its better that way... numbers seem bigger

Good for you! I've never been very militant about weighing myself. I do so now about once a week, but I don't have a set day. I keep track of my monthly surgiversaries, though. In any case, I can tell when I'm staying on track and when I'm not (I mean, hello, I know what I'm eating and if it's a good/bad choice, if I'm getting enough hydration, and my exercise), so the number on the scale is usually what I expect if I'm being really honest with myself. I'm sure you'll break your stall soon enough! 

Thanks, I'm trying

When I was at you stage. . . . .I used the number on the scale to determine how my day was going to be. I am so glad you now see it is a number, a marker, not the deciding factor of how you are going to feel. Way to go!

Will you really be able to resist? I know I can't. I even brought my scale on vacation with me. Some vets say weighing every day keeps you accountable. I don't think I could go a werk...definitely not a month!!! Good luck!!!

I have noticed you are attached to your scale - nothing wrong with that. ;0)

This is what I think about scales and frequency of weighing. If you want to weigh daily, weekly, never - that's a personal decision, of course. But if you look at "the value of weighing", I think then it varies by individual. If a person struggles with accountability, daily weighing makes good sense. However, if you are like me and adhere totally to my program, daily weighing doesn't serve that purpose for me. Instead, since I lose slowly, daily weighing just reminds me of how s.l.o.w.l.y it really does go - which is de motivating. We just have to know ourselves and understand our relationship to the scale. I would love to weigh once a month, but don't have the strength (at least not yet).

Now, when I am in maintenance and the rules of the game are less clear, I will weigh daily without fail. That is then, this is now.

Smiles, Annie

Hoping so--see post at the end of the thread.  I'll post back one way or the other.

Can't say I follow this myself because I can't resist weighing every day, but I have heard that the general 'best practice' is believed to be weekly weighing during the weight loss phase (when we follow a much more restricted regime) and daily weighing during maintenance (when adjustments must be made in response to the numbers).

That does make sense to me, in the same way that exercise is thought to be actually more important in the maintenance phase (for stress relief, mood stabilization, lifestyle maintenance, etc). That's certainly not to say we shouldn't exercise during weight loss for retaining muscle mass, setting healthy habits to take us into maintenance, etc.

Thanks, everybody, for the feedback!  Can I really stay off the scales?  Let's call this an excercise in discipline and integrity.  I said it- now can I do it?  I'm beginning to see clearly that this whole process is only partly the physical thing (ok-a big part is-I'm not trying to minimalize that) but--A BIGGER PART IS me growing up (at age 58- ha!) and becoming who I say I want to be; strong, honest with myself and others as well as healthy.