Scale addict - and kicking the habit

[jesmadi]

Long story short I love the Whole30. I never really liked sweets and felt like carbs were more fillers than food so this way of life seemed more natural to me. I am overweight and have decades of failed diets behind me.

So I am on day 12 and loving how I am feeling - my clothes are fitting a little better, my brain is clear, I have more motivation in all areas of my life... But my challenge (aside from random tantrums from my food demons) is Not. Getting. On. That. Scale!

So while others have dreams of pasta and Ding Dongs I dream of my scale nightly. Last night I dreamt that I stepped on and weighed 20 pounds more than when I started this. I woke up in a cold sweat, lol.

Anyone find that damn scale to be a demon that the whole30 is addressing as much as our food choices?

[Cara in Canada]

I am a weigh-aholic as well. I'm on day 6 and haven't put it away yet. I need to see the number move to keep me motivated to stick to this. I'll admit that it being for 30 days is helping, but I have a lot of weight to lose and I expect that it would come off faster than it is. Monday AM is my last weigh-in and then I'm asking my husband to literally hide the scale from me. Its really an unhealthy relationship. God luck- I feel your pain.

[amyjo]

I've been struggling with this, too. I'm on day 18, and I've stepped on the scale twice--once because hubby did it and I was curious, and the second time because I was frustrated, irritable, and needed the motivation to stick with it. I haven't kicked it completely, but once a week is a million times better than eight times a day!

[Marci0393]

I could have written every word of that post! I am on day 6 and am still weighing every day.

[Daisy R]

I too dream of getting on the scale! I would wake up feeling bad about giving in and weighing myself before day 31 lol. I wish I could look at it, but I definitely want to stay away from the scale. My relationship with is so unhealthy and I think even after my Whole30 I'm going to only weigh myself every 30 days, so I don't drive myself crazy.

[Lisa@SwissPaleo]

The scale.....it's an awful addiction. I went to a conference last summer and Robb Wolf said "Tie a bow on it and give it to somebody you hate". For me, the problem with scale addiction and getting your motivation from seeing the number go down is what do you do when the number stops going down (either because you've reached your goal or hit a plateau)? I used to be a toal scale addict and when I lost a significant amount of weight a few years ago, I got a real buzz from the changes on the scale and the regular compliments I got from others. When the scale stopped moving and people got used to the new me and quit commenting on it, I went into a real funk. Yes, I was one of those kids who would do anything for a smiley face or a sticker from the teacher

[kshacklett]

I'm debating getting rid of mine all together because I don't have the self control. I put it in the closet so I have to take it down every time I use it, but it's definitely come out 5 times or so on my whole30 (I'm on day 29!) I can go a week or so without weighing, but once I do, I'll weigh myself again later in the day, then the next day, then after a workout...it just snowballs.

[Mrs.Smith]

I am used to weighing myself ever day on a diet, even twice. Morning & Night of course I weighed myself when I started the Whole 30, then put the scale away. A little over a week into my Whole 30 I just needed to see if I was losing weight. I broke down, cheated, & weighed myself. I swore, I just had to see if it was working. Well it is, had lost 10lbs so far.

This morning I had that urge to weigh myself again, no one is home, no one will know, but resisted. I'm on day 21 & can most certainly wait another 9 days to weigh myself.

Being obsessed with the scale could be part of the yoyo effect with our weight. The Whole 30 is about breaking unhealthy habits. If you really can't stop weighing yourself that is the best reason not to do it. Put it in a different room, or have your husband put it in the trunk of his car to keep it away from you.

Maybe try weaning yourself off of it, weighing once a week, then every ten days or two weeks etc.

Good luck!

[TrayS]

Get rid of the scale! I, too, was a daily weigher and I hid the damn thing six months ago and have probably stepped on it 10 times or less in that time period.

Before my Jan W30 began, I forgot - FORGOT!!! - to get on it to see my starting weight. See, it is possible to break the addiction! You just have to slap yourself for a few weeks (or longer) each time you feel tempted to get on it. Or better yet, bookmark this http://whole9life.com/2012/08/new-health-scale/ and read it instead. Every time!

So going into the end of my W30 I felt and looked slim and was getting all kinds of compliments and my clothes fit - it was great. I was thinking surely I'd reached a new "low" weight. So on Day 31 I stepped on the scale. I did not lose. a single. damn. pound.

I do not have a logical explanation for this. I still feel great, but I wish I could go back in time a few days and "unweigh" myself. I can clearly see that there was no benefit - none whatsoever - from looking at that number.

So again I say, get rid of the damn scale!!!!!!! Mine is going into the garage sale pile.

[Moluv]

I'm a scale junkie too, but more than that a dorky rule- dog- so if the rules say don't weigh, I can't and won't because it would mar my triumph of completing the challenge. If bending the rules a little doesn't bother you though, what about this trick- tape something motivational over the display of your scale. It could be a word, a picture, a number, the actual rules which FORBID WEIGHING. Then your body can carry out this unhealthy habit without your mind continuing to be polluted by it until you can finally stop. We all had to give up myriad bad habits to claim our Whole 30 success- I'm only on day 7- but know I earned them fair and square. I think, and I say this with love, that all of you justifying weighing in are missing one of the biggest benefits o the W30 and owe it to yourselves and this community to address why the scale has power over you and let it go.

[Moluv]

P.S.- not weighing is still my single biggest temptation. I only put the scale under my dresser- mere feet from where I sleep I can hear it taunting me first thing in the morning. But it is also now my biggest victory. It's worth the effort ladies!

[lulucandoit!]

It was good to read this thread today. It has helped me further commit to not weighing myself. I am not ready to give the scale away. I will weigh myself after 30 days. At least I will allow myself to. But this thread has made me really think about how I have used this for years to measure whether I am good or not for that day. Instead of paying attention to how I feel, I paid attention to how much I weighed. Do I really want to go back to that? No, I do not.

[Veronica Evans-Lacaille]

Never mind the scale! Not only am I on it twice a day, Im even worse! Ive been tracking my weight daily on a graph so I can see the little line jiggy-jag up and down. To myself its to "try to figure out what works for me". Obsessed is an understatement! Ive got the BMI markers and a sliding estimate so "if I continue to loose" at this rate, where will I be next November... etc. I can definitely see why you feel a sense of control over the process with the scale! This might be the biggest challenge for me too!

[MrsStick]

As a non-addict, I don't quite understand the need to weigh myself all the time, but I will say this:

I'm in my 4th week of an extended W30 (non-intentional probable-soy consumption in week one) and I just saw a friend for the first time in two weeks (since I've been out of town the last two weekends). When she saw me, in my loose uniform (hooray, ACUs!) she said "you look like you've lost weight! You look skinnier!" as she grabbed my arms. I just smiled and thanked her. Unfortunately, my work does make us weigh in periodically, so I know a number from a little bit ago, but I will say that it is on par with where I was while I was deployed. And that's where I ought to be. And if I've lost a tad bit more than that, then it's even closer to my deployed weight, and that makes me a happy person. Not because I really care, but it's nice every once in a while to know that I'm back to what I was last summer when I was walking a mile to and from work every day (even weekends) in the 90+ degree temps! And working out in the mornings!

[Melelina]

I have decided that my dragon is the scale, not sugar. I finished my W30 2-3 weeks ago. Not a single day went by when I didn't worry about whether or not I was going to gain weight. When I finished, I was happy with the loss I had and so very relieved that yes, I could actually eat all this fat and not gain weight. It was all good!

Then the following week, I weighed myself and I had stayed exactly the same. All of a sudden, because of that damn scale, I went from being very positive about eating this way to feeling very negative. As my husband said to me...you were happy with how you looked in the mirror until you got on the scale. And he was right!

So I have put the scales in the storage room, and at some point I plan on getting rid of them. (I only wish they weren't such good scales 'cause that will make it harder to throw them out.)

I refuse to let the scales and my weight have that kind of control ever again.

[Moluv]

Good for you Melelina!

[CaveGirlTri]

I stepped on the scale 3 days ago and my goal is to not step back on until day 31. I needed to read this today as well because I work in a facility where there is a scale 10 feet from me all. Morning. Long. I can't move it. I'm worried that it will be a long 30 days, not because I'm concerned about weight loss. It's more of a curiosity. But when I walk away without getting on that square piece of metal I feel a small sense of accomplishment.

[TinaGlows]

I'm also addicted to the scale. I used to weight myself 3-4 times a day! I'm sooooo sick of it.

Today I started the whole30 and I threw the scale away. Very radical but I think it's the only way.

Let's see how it goes

[lulucandoit!]

I think that is a great idea tina. I weighed myself after 30 days and it has taken a solid week for the urge to weigh myself to diminish. It's a weird thing, almost like I want a report card. The scale has nothing to do with my health or how I feel. I actually do keep a health diary of symptoms, temperature, heart rate, etc. so I have a good idea of my health. The scale is a dragon I need not to feed.

[HeatherM]

I have a scale addiction as well. Through previous attempts at Whole 30 I've come to the realization that I use it as punishment as well as an indicator of success. If I end up going off a program, for example, I'll find myself wanting to step on the damn thing so that I can beat myself up even more.

Today is Day 2 of my Whole 100 and I'm going to take a stand and donate the fancy scale to Value Village. I don't need the scale to tell me if I'm where I want to be. My clothes and athletic performance will tell me that.

[lulucandoit!]

I have no idea why, but I have wanted to jump on the scale today. What do I really want? I just had a two-day unplanned experiment in non-AIP food pain. I ate almonds, I was in severe pain for a day and a half with increased heart rate and general uckiness. I feel so much better today. I am eating great. At any rate, I came here to tell on myself. I will not get on the dang scale!

[tooblu96]

I will admit... I stepped on the scale this morning. It's the only rule I've broke in Whole30 (as far as I know), and I'm on day 18. I do feel disappointed in myself. Yes, the scale moved, but does it really matter? No, it doesn't. I wish I'd never done it.. And it's not even the most reliable scale in the house. The scale I normally use, I took the batteries out and had my sister hide it from me.

[Hkroyall]

First day of the whole 30 and I am afraid to get rid of my scale! Reading these posts is already encouraging, so I hope to not way again until day 31! Here I go!

[Star]

Hey all!

I just FINISHED my W30. I was dying to weigh myself the whole way thru, phobic I wasn't losing weight...anyway I controlled myself! So I stepped on the scale yesterday, day 31...and I DID NOT LOSE A POUND!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll skip straight to the bright side of things. Had I weighed myself mid-way and discovered my lack of weight loss, there is no way I would've continued my W30! Which is rlly dumb!! Yeh, I rlly wanted to lose weight, but this has been an amazing experience nonetheless.

My whole 30 helped me say GOODBYE SUGAR! GOODBYE GRAINS! GOODBYE BINGING AND BLOAT AND SELF-LOATH....

I am just so glad I fought that scale urge, and instead of catapulting back down into despaired bad eating, I finished a W30 in a dignified fashion

And guess what? The weight will come off in its own time! No weight loss isn't as depressing when you're proud of yourself. I feel detoxed and in-control and on nearly day 33, all I have re-introduced is a little milk in my coffee.

YAY!

[Meganelizabetho]

I was doing really well avoiding the scale... I didn't even think about it much... Until I was on day 15, and my nutrition homework asked me to weigh myself. I should have just used my start weight, but I hemmed and hawed and stepped on the scale for the sake of that homework. Ever since then (day 23 now) I've thought about getting on the scale.

It's just as much an addiction as everything else that I'm struggling with.