I've often debated whether to weigh myself daily, weekly, monthly, or at all!
Lately, I've been hopping on the scale every couple of days. Sometimes, it has been much to my chagrin. But I'm actually starting to realize that it's not such a bad thing. When I work really hard, I see the impact right away (ahem, most of the time). When I mess up, I also see the impact. I feel accountable, because I'm starting to relate what happens to the food I put in my mouth.
Conversely, when I weighed myself once a week, I see a "real" loss (or, ahem, a real gain!). I'm not subjecting myself to the trials and tribulations of daily gains. However, lately, I started to develop the mentality of "having time to pay for my sins". You know, I'd have a bit of a crummy eating weekend, but would tell myself that I had five more days to "make up for it" before weigh in. Not a good outlook.
I don't want to get all obsessive with the scale, though - it isn't healthy. I'm not sure how to strike the right balance. I think I'll stick to weighing in every 3-4 days for now.
As it stands, I'm down 1.5lbs from the weekend. But let me tell you, I have earned it! I ate like a saint yesterday. My body was trembling from the sugar/refined carb withdrawal. I drank chamomile tea fiendishly, in an effort to quell my crabby mood. I keep telling myself that in a few days' time, it'll all be worth it. Right now, though, I have a headache and could kill for a piece of dark chocolate.
I'm also starting to understand the "jenga" game of weight loss. Adding a layer at a time to my habits is helping. I used to think that Monday was my "fresh start" day - I'd eat perfectly, drink all of my water, exercise, etc. Instead, I opted for water and diet. When I'm on firmer footing with my eating, I'll start throwing in exercise. Otherwise, it feels too extreme, and I'm not able to stick with it.
So, I'm back at my cumulative 3lb loss. I feel very hopeful about making that bigger this week - I've been hovering around the same weight for way too long now.
Bring on the chamomile tea!
6 comments:
I tend to weigh myself often, because I think it's important to learn how your body tends to lose or gain weight. For instance, I know that if I have a really good day or a really bad day, it usually doesn't show in the scale for a couple of days.
Now that I'm on WW, I weigh myself Thursday, Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. (my WW weigh-in is Wednesday evening, but I weight at home Wednesday morning). For one thing, it keeps me from being surprised at WW, which is better for my sanity, but it also is a good indicator of how my week is going. If the number is bad on Saturday, I know I need to step it up for the rest of the week if I want to show a loss on Wednesday.
Congrats on the lose. Hope you have another great week.
Congratulations!! All you can do is focus on the moment you are in. :)
I need WW again
i can totally relate to your comment about having a bad day but then knowing you had 4 more to "make up for it" before weigh-in... though i used to do the daily thing, i found that seeing my ups/downs didn't really help anything... for me - weighing myself once a week is enough because it's a constant event... we all gotta do, what we gotta do... :o)
congrats on the loss and for sticking to it! nice job! :o)
p.s. i'm sending you some dark chocolate right now! ;o)
You may have just convinced me to start weighing myself again. I like the day to day accountability.
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