We always tell our patients not to weigh on their home scales between visits, or at least not more than once per week. Why? Are we just sadists who enjoy the look of shock when you weigh-in at the office? No….at least not on most days. The reason is that scales lie – they lie like rugs! Especially when you’re overweight, your daily weight will fluctuate up to several pounds depending on water retention or loss, hormonal changes, medication side effects, you name it! It’s important to pull the camera back and see the forest over the trees, to see monthly trends in weight lost rather than one day’s gain or loss. But the opposite is true once you reach your goal weight. Why? Because the easiest way to stay thin is not to work too hard at it – to MAINTAIN rather than OBTAIN. Once you reach your goal, set a tiny little range in which you can fluctuate. For me, it’s my weight +/- 2 pounds. With daily weight-tracking, if I start to get toward the top of that range, I start making small modifications to come back down, like controlling my voracious salt appetite, limiting the treats, etc. Losing 2 pounds is not that big a deal, losing 20 is huge. Maintaining within a small range is easy if you keep close attention focused on the scale. But yo-yoing up and down is both physically and psychologically hard and not worth the trouble. If the horse gets out of the barn, you’ve got a corral there to contain him. Don’t let him get half-way to Philadelphia before you try to rein him back in.
17. January 2009 at 5:59 pm
I am a little obsessed about weighing. I weigh every morning before I get in the bath and almost every night before I go to bed. I allow myself +/- 2 pds. It has worked for me. It is a habit I want to maintain after I am at my weight loss goal. I never want to be 375 again.
19. February 2009 at 9:50 am
I know what you mean about being obsessed with weighing. My husband threatened to throw away the scales if I didn’t stay off of them! I struggled with my weight for so many years that I used to dread getting on scales. I had the lap band August 27th 2008 and I have lost a LOT of weight… so yes, in the beginning I was being obsessive about weighing (I was facinated to see the scales moving down!) every day before work. I work in a physician’s office as a medical assistant so I am constantly standing in front of the scales in the office. I would weight at home, then when I got to work. Bad thing to do… scales vary. Clothes, shoes, lab coat with pockets stuffed full… I finally stopped, and will weigh once every two weeks just to make sure I’m staying on track. I also keep a journal of everything I put in my mouth. I find this helps me figure out what I can and can’t do
with food choices. If we go out, I find it easier (on me anyway) to take a few bites from my husband’s plate. He always makes sure to order something he knows I can have. At home, I eat from a saucer or a small bowl.
The best part of all… I DON’T have to go to the women’s plus size departments!!
23. February 2009 at 10:39 pm
I love it! You’re healthier and a cheap date to boot now that you can eat off of hubby’s plate. Win-win!
17. March 2009 at 3:51 pm
Does anyone ever talk about the emotional part of this ‘tool’? I was a compulsive overeater. I have had to relearn how to cope with my emotions since now I can’t ‘eat’ them anymore. I used to think about food all the time. Now it is only something I need to survive but I like to make the food count (max protein, vitamins, etc.). I’m still learning.
17. March 2009 at 8:18 pm
I think you bring up an excellent point, and one I’d like to explore in future posts. For now let me say that despite all our focus on education at support group, emotional support and connection are what it’s really there for. Because the change in habit is not just intellectual but emotional as well we really encourage everyone to come and share and cry on each others’ shoulders or laugh together or whatever is necessary.