scvb13 Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Hello, I am 2 months postop from my 2nd open heart surgery for a rare congenital coronary artery anomaly. I attend cardiac rehab 3x/week and am required to weigh in weekly. Daily weights are actually recommended as any major deviation can be a sign of heart problems and fluid retention. I'm assuming this will be ok as it is medically necessary for my situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted April 4, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 4, 2016 It is okay as medically necessary but you can ask the clinicians not to tell you your weight. Have them write it in your file and let them know that you would like to wait till the end of 30 days to know the results unless there's some indication of a major medical problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted April 4, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 4, 2016 Yes, if it's medically necessary. If it's possible, you could have someone else check your weight and write it down without telling you what it is, and just let you know if there's a problem -- as long as you're doing well, you'd never know, but if it varied by whatever amount would be worrisome, you'd be able to know. Obviously, if you don't have someone around to help you with that, you have to do it yourself. Do be sure you've spoken to your doctors about the fact that you are making changes in how you're eating -- they may need to monitor everything in case they need to make changes to medications over the course of 30 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvb13 Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 It's definitely something I need to know and report to my MD. I also have my BP checked 3x/week so that's the only other thing that will need monitoring. Labs will next be drawn in May. I'm not one to obsess about the scale but if I'm up by 2lbs in a day then I adjust my sodium intake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Tom Denham Posted April 4, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 4, 2016 I began the Whole30 before not weighing was a rule. It is better for your relationship with food and your body not to know your weight along the 30 days, but you can survive weighing. I learned some important things weighing ever day when I did my Whole30. I learned that daily changes in weight did not mean ANYTHING. The body does not change in a linear fashion. It is normal to be up one or two pounds or down one or two pounds on a daily basis. I learned that being up or down one day did not correlate well to whether you would be up or down the next day. What I figured out was that monthly trends provided meaningful information, but more frequent weighing was mostly noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scvb13 Posted April 5, 2016 Author Share Posted April 5, 2016 Thanks Tom. I am a nurse and already feel like I am not a slave to the scale. I'm very aware of the fact that fluctuations are normal, and in fact, my weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs. in a single day. I don't beat myself up over things but currently my doc wants me watching my sodium a bit more, thus the frequent weights. Normally it would not be unusual for me to go a month without weighing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted April 5, 2016 Moderators Share Posted April 5, 2016 Thanks Tom. I am a nurse and already feel like I am not a slave to the scale. I'm very aware of the fact that fluctuations are normal, and in fact, my weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs. in a single day. I don't beat myself up over things but currently my doc wants me watching my sodium a bit more, thus the frequent weights. Normally it would not be unusual for me to go a month without weighing. Can you just have the tech write it down on a chart and then present that chart to your doctor? If you know your weight can fluctuate up to 5 pounds in a single day but you're willing to or required to adjust your eating for a 2 pound change, that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I know it's doctor required, but maybe you can still do it without seeing the numbers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praxisproject Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 For my monitoring (inflammation), my doc makes a note and knows not to make any comments which give the secret away he had a bit of trouble with that part at first, always wanted to give me good news, no talking, just funny noises. If you have to do your own weigh in (so you need the number yourself) try not to "hope" or "stress" about the scale, just check it like you'd check the weather. It is what it is, it can't be predicted, there's no good or bad, it just is. If you're able to go long periods like a month without a scale, you may do better than others. The fear/hope/disappointment reaction can create stress hormones, so we're just trying to look out for you it can also make you feel crazy sometimes and we want you to enjoy your Whole30. Is the weighing mostly for fluid retention/inflammation monitoring? For anyone who struggles going a day without a scale, I would strongly recommend avoiding it, if you have any options at all for someone else weighing you and you not knowing the number. It's why no weighing is a Whole30 rule, but doctors orders always trump Whole30. If not weighing is going to make you stress more (in your context) then that's something to think about as well. The point is to reduce stress, not create it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LydiaJo Posted April 6, 2016 Share Posted April 6, 2016 Remember, there are other ways besides weight to note the signs of fluid retention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.