Scale Back!

The Scale. Love it or hate it, for most people the scale is an important aspect of a journey to healthy living. I honestly believe that not having a scale in my home enabled me to let my weight creep up slowly. Although my weight gain became obvious when I needed to buy larger sizes in clothing, I think I might have acknowledged my "growing" situation quicker if I had a scale. I've always been a proponent of checking weight once a week because our weight fluctuates so much on a daily basis, it just makes sense to take measurements weekly. This was easy for me to stick to because at the beginning of my journey I was weighed at Jenny Craig and when I transitioned to making my own food, I weighed myself on my Wii balance board. Since it took some effort to use the balance board I was not compelled to weigh myself more than once or twice a week.

However, I recently won an Eat Smart Scale from the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans (I love this scale, it was ready to go right out of the box!) and finally have an easy way to monitor my weight.
The thing is, now that I have a scale in my bathroom, right in front of my vanity, I have become obsessed with weighing myself. The scale is always Right There and it is so difficult to refrain from jumping on to see if I've made any progress. Now I have a better understanding of all the women out there that talk about weighing themselves daily, it makes sense when the scale is so accessible!

My one saving grace is that I only document my weight on a weekly basis and I don't get bent out of shape with my fluctuations during the week. I'm thinking that perhaps I should move the scale to my closet but I'm not sure. Although I maintain that I am not letting the scale define my success, admittedly the scale is still very much a part of my journey to healthy living. And truthfully, unless I start getting bent out of shape about the numbers I see, I am likely to continue to weigh myself daily. What do you think? Do you weigh yourself daily, weekly, monthly? Never? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!



Comments

Elita said…
I'm like you, I find it VERY difficult to resist the lure of the scale since it's right there in the bathroom. I like to weigh myself every other day, after I pee and before hopping in the shower. I feel like this is my most accurate weight. However, those little fluctuations can be really frustrating so I may try your way and only weigh once a week. I've lost 13 pounds and I still have about 50 to go. Those numbers can seem so daunting so the scale helps keep me focused.
I weigh myself every time I go to the gym, so 4 or 5 days a week. It is interesting to see the slight differences in weight from day to and think about what in the previous day(s) may have caused the change, BUT I try not to take it too seriously. I have a 3 pound range I like to stay within and as long as I'm around my range I'm not too worried about it.
Unknown said…
My scale lies - constantly! So, I step on it rarely.

Seriously, no more than once a week. You nailed by saying weight fluctuates daily. You should also weigh yourself at the same time of the day.

Congrats on all you're doing!

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey
Yakini said…
I definitely know the addiction. Prior to this pregnancy (and I'm sure afterward as well) I weighed myself everyday. I know folks say it isn't good (and it probably isn't, lol) I honestly think it helped keep me on track and motivated! It was helpful to see the daily fluctuations, so I could know what i had done or not done right for that day (with regards to eating/exercising). It helped to keep my weight stable and with no huge surprises! Good or plan, I'm sure I'll resume this daily weigh-in post-partum. lol

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