How Often To Weigh?

I didn't have a scale in the house because I know in the past when trying to diet, I'd be on it every day. I broke down and bought one today. I had my initial consultation on 12/9 and I weighed 268 pounds. I got on the scale this morning and weigh 252 pounds (granted on 12/9 I had on heavy boots and food in my stomach). I can't believe I have lost 16 pounds in a little over 2 weeks. And I can honestly say that I haven't really been too hungry if I sip water. I have completely gone cold-turkey on all foods that I know contain carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta, breads), and I only eat carbs that are in veggies, yogurt and things like that. Going to try my hardest not to back paddle and fall back into bad habits.

I told my folks, sister and daughter that instead of making my crock-pot mac & cheese for tomorrow, I am going to make a broccoli, cauliflower and parmesan cheese dish; and fried cabbage with bacon, onions and green peppers. Hope this goes over OK...

Are you pre-op?  I was just curious but either way, I think you are doing great!!!!  I've noticed when pre-op's do well before surgery, they are just that much more successful after.  You seem to be going down the right path!

Happy Holidays & keep up the great progress!!!

Hi Jen, thanks. Yes, I am pre-op. Don't have a surgery date yet. I am almost 3 weeks down on my 6-month wait. My next appointment is 1/9/14.

I  started out weighing every day. at some point i tried once a week. i've gone back to every day because i have to track my food etc right now to gain a little weight per my trainer. i do better with every day ot two, but it's up to each person. if you weigh every day, you will freak out as we all did at the tenth-of-a-pound increases and decreases each day/minute/hour but for me, i eventually learned how to ignore that and just make sure the scale is going in the right general direction, or in my case now, maintaining in a five-pound range. maybe some day i'll do it less frequently but i don't worry about it. Whatever you decide for now, it's not in stone and you can change it up whenever you want. i will never totally put the scale away though, I think every "failure story" I've read contains "I quit weighing myself" so I've learned from that.

Good luck!

Thanks for the response DataChick. I am going to try for once every couple weeks (preferably a week before my next appointment) just to see if I am on track. Happy Holidays to you.

Looks like you're making some great changes as a pre-op patient! Congrats!! Making those changes before surgery was one of the best things I've ever done - I think it's made things a bit easier for me post-op.

I do weight myself everyday... but sometimes I find myself getting a little too wrapped up in the number. I have recently started debating whether or not I should put the scale away for awhile. On one hand, I want to remain accountable and make sure I continue to move in the right direction - but on the other hand, when I don't see losses, I tend to get a little obsessive. I dont' know... it's hard call to make! I would just say - prepare yourself (pre and post-op) for stalls in the weight loss and know that if you are sticking to a good eating plan, then the scale will begin to move again eventually!!!

Thanks for the reply Nikke. WOW, you have done fantastic with your weight loss! I know when I was doing WW I was on the scale every day and when I gained a bit, I got frantic and would get on there constantly, that's a vicious circle for me. I think once every couple weeks will get me going. I was thinking monthly at first, but that is too long to check my weight, just in case I put on a little weight, I want to have a couple weeks to get it back off before I see the doc and nutritionist. Hope you and yours have safe and happy holidays :)

I don't see having a scale in the house as a bad thing...it's a tool, just like your sleeve is going to be.  The scale keeps you accountable for what you eat and drink every day, and one of the things that got many of us to the point of needing WLS was lack of accountability.

That said, I generally weigh 1-2 times a week.  Every Sunday is the beginning of my week, weight-wise, so I weigh every Sunday morning at 11:00 (I strive for consistency).  Come Thursday, I usually will step on the scale to see how I'm doing at that point in the week, especially if the week is not going as well as I think it is.  This gives me a couple of days to tweak things a little (increase fluids, increase protein are usually what needs to happen) before my official weigh-in on Sunday morning.

Your broccoli cauliflower dish sounds AWESOME!

That's a good routine. I am hoping to weigh only often enough to ensure I haven't gained before I visit my doctor and nutritionist. Hopefully that will be once every 2 weeks or monthly. I can't wait to make/try the broccoli cauliflower di**** looks yummy. The recipe is here http://www.yummyinspirations.net/2012/05/cheesy-cauliflower- and-broccoli-bake/#sthash.qWxx6XU8.7SZfK6MI.dpbs

It's funny, I am actually enjoying cooking and preparing my meals ahead of time. Never thought I'd enjoy that LOL.

I weigh every day and I've learned a lot about my body that way. The trick is to use it as a tool to give you feedback. Beyond reflecting my caloric intake, it tells me things like when I'm consistently eating too many carbs (carb bloat), drinking too little water, eating too much salt.