How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love the Scale

One of the perils I knew I would be facing with this journey is that I am very obsessive with numbers.  I was a mathematician in my previous life and it's very hard for me to break that pattern.  (This is one of those things I figure therapy will help me with.)  At first I figured that I would only weigh myself weekly to try to help curb my negative habits around numbers but then.... someone mentioned TrendWeight and everything changed.  

This site is amazing.  Seriously.  I already had a Withings scale which is hooked up to my house wifi, so it was easy enough to set up my TrendWeight profile.  (It uses Withings or the FitBit Aria scale.)  I weigh myself daily and even though I've had a few days where my weight hasn't changed, or has increased by a few ounces, it doesn't bother me at all.  Why?  Because I can really easily see my weight trends and I can see that my weight is trending down.  So minor fluctuations are just another point of data, not anything that makes me feel like I'm failing or need to start obsessing.  

I also love that the site/scale tracks my body fat % in the same way it tracks my weight.  That's yet another metric that makes me feel strong and successful.  I'm hoping that even if I reach a point where my weight loss stalls, my body fat will still be trending in the right direction.  

So now I weigh myself, happily, every morning for the first time in my life.  (I started before surgery to work on getting in the habit.)  I don't really care what the scale tells me, but I love looking at my TrendWeight graphs.  Perhaps I've just avoided one obsession by getting another one?  But this feels a lot healthier to me than what I've done in the past, so I'll take it.  

Great post! It's all about removing the emotion and understanding the numbers as data trends.

I'm finding the numbers very helpful in fine tuning maintenance too. By keeping the basic caloric principle in mind (3500 cals #/- per pound) and continuously tracking my food intake, the story is clearly revealed.

Other than normal small fluctuations associated with sodium and hormones, this morning's weight is not really a reflection of just yesterday's food choices.  Instead, it reflects the food choices I've made over the past few weeks. 

My scale is my friend!  It tells me the good and bad, and that kind of honesty is very valuable. I'm glad you've discovered the power of the scale early in your journey :-). 

That's really what I needed to do - just see it as data.  One more bit of information.  

And that's a great point - this morning's weight is not about yesterday.  It's about days before.  And if it becomes a trend, it's time to course correct.  :)

It's good that you could see your "obsession" and work through it good for you!!! Dawn

Thanks!  This was something I was super worried about 4-5 weeks ago.  :D

Me too!!! Thank you EmmyK for the suggestion on TrendWeight, I am just shocked at the difference it makes.  I was literally freaking out at all these "I've lot 25 pounds in three weeks and am in a stall" comments.  Holy smokes I'm lucky if I lose the recommended 2 per week.  I finally have 5 weeks under my smaller belt and thanks to trendweight I know I'm at 3.6 pounds per week, know the honest truth about my numbers and I'm filled with joy.  I've actually considered putting a post it note over the read out on the scale because it doesn't matter and I'll just read TrendWeight.  Seriously this should be a required tool for all of us who've struggled with these 3 digits for the majority of our lives!!

I'm glad it's working out well for you too!  Seriously, for me, it's a life/sanity saver :D