Compulsive weighing

(Trudy) #1

First time post. I’ve been doing Keto since March. I don’t count macros but have have managed to lose 25kg in that time. My weight loss have slowed this month and I’ve started weighing every morning. Not only is this damaging for my psychological health, watching my weight go up and down by up to a kg each morning, I feel it is damaging to my long term journey.

I still have 20kg or so to lose but this WOE is for life so there is no rush. I’m not sure why I’m weighing all the time. Each night I promise myself I won’t weigh again, as soon as I wake I get on the scales.

Does anyone else have this issue? Any strategies for breaking this destructive behaviour?

(Lonnie Hedley) #2

If you find it destructive, get rid of the scale. Give it to a friend or family member. Raised cortisol from stress can slow/halt weight loss.

(Mandy) #3

I put mine in a closet far away from the bathroom. I will not get dressed, go get it and undress again. I’ve learned to never underestimate my laziness.

(Trudy) #4

Great idea but I don’t think I’m ready to do this…still need the fix of seeing the numbers go down. Maybe one day I will.

(Trudy) #5

That would work. I have mine under the bed but if I put them away I could bring them out once a week. Going to do this, cheers!

(Maria W) #6

I’m a compulsive weigher but am okay with the behavior. I think, for me, there were years that I didn’t weigh myself, just let myself go.

I’ve adopted the attitude that my body is complex, hormones, fluid, fat and cellular metabolism, age, stress and general well being all have an effect on what I see on my scale.

I know I weigh myself too frequently, but I feel okay because I know this is a marathon and not a race. :slight_smile:. Numbers are going to bounce and I can’t let those tens of pounds pile on like before.

That being said, moving the scale out of the bathroom is a great idea! If I felt anxiety about the the couple of pound fluctuations, I would totally do that too!

(Karen Parrott) #7

I weight myself every day and record the data, each day. It helps me to adjust what I’m doing. I started daily weighing when I had 20 left (70 lost all together).

6+ years. no problemo for me. I’m a data person, so a daily data point is just that. Data. It is a key part of not regaining my weight. It is not a compulsive behavior, for me. It’s simply a habit and tool that helps me.

(Cancer Fighting Ketovore :)) #8

Do you have kids?
If so, then do a once-a-week weigh-in with them. Let them guess guess your current weight (and reward them if they are close…say +/- one kilo. Make it fun! Or you can do it on your own…

(Trudy) #9

I wish I could have an analytical attitude, mine seems more emotive. I’ve noticed this being an issue in the last month since the weight loss has slowed, prior to this I would weigh a couple of times a week, no problems with that.

(Karen Parrott) #10

I’m a food addict in recovery. I almost ate myself to being very ill. I still could. Hopping on that scale keeps the lying disease of addiction in remission. I don’t lie to myself about what I weigh and what I eat.

I read the National Weight Registry and the Refuse to Regain book. The maintainers are all daily weighers. I get charged $100+ per month for higher insurance premiums, not to mention the many sizes of clothes - that cost me a lot of money. Now, I fund my daughters college fund.

One data point. Record it and I go on with my day. No shame, no blame. Just like brushing my teeth or hair.

For some it’s helpful not to weigh or weigh less often. Food addiction wants to kill me, I won’t let it. Best wishes to whatever each of you decides.

(Trudy) #11

Congratulations on taking ownership and your recovery. Thank you for sharing.

(Allie) #12

I go through stages of weighing every day and then months of not weighing at all. When I decide not to weigh, i put the scale away well out of sight and although I could easily go get it if I wanted to, that in itself is a reminder that I’m not weighing so puts me off.

At the moment I’m weighing every day, but only because I’m experimenting with different things and want to see what happens. The ups and downs don’t stress me out at all.

#13

I try to tell myself it is just data but I do get emotive about it. I am working on this.

If you do want to break - can you put the scale in your car or a friend or family member’s car with the agreement they get it out every week or month?

Or get rid of it and go and weigh at the local pharmacy or something?

(Marfi) #14

As someone whos lived with an eating disorder for the last 40-odd years, I still find weighing myself compulsively can be a trigger for binging. It usually gives me a mindset of either “oh ive lost weight let’s celebrate with food!” or " oh I’ve gained weight, how depressing, maybe I’ll binge".
As suggested by others, putting the scales in the garage or somewhere hard to get to really helps me. Also, as my scales seem not to be all that accurate (they’re digital and i can get several different readings if I move it around on the floor), I’ll weigh myself at the pharmacy every 2-3 weeks. The scales there are usually calibrated so I know they’re accurate. When I was going to OA, it was recommended only weighing yourself once a month because our bodies fluctuate from day to day. As you said, this WOE is for life so don’t worry too much about the weight (consider all the other awesome benefits to keto!). IMHO, the slower it comes off the more sustainable. Have faith that it will happen and use your clothes as a guide rather than the scales. I actually find the mantra “Keep Calm and Keto On” really useful to let some of those compulsive behaviors go. Good luck :blush:

(Leslie Gardner) #15

I don’t keep a scale in my home. I use the one at the gym once a week on Saturday before I work out. Weighing daily made me too anxious with all the minor fluctuations.

Having said that, I broke my own rule today. I was up 3 pounds yesterday which was the first time the scale went the wrong way since i started Keto three months ago. I was pretty sure it was water weight since I started my period this morning, but i had to check. It was.

Still–I don’t like the power that infernal machine has over me and try to keep it away from me as much as possible.

#16

Try replacing the scale with a tape measure. It’s the habitual nature of it you have to break, like smoker chew nicotine gum or vape instead. It’s a gradual process.

(Jennifer ) #17

Do you have OCD? If so, treat it like you would any other compulsion - exposure.

If you don’t, I think you just have to get rid of the scale for a while to force yourself to break the habit.

(charlie3) #18

I have an accurate digital scale at home and I like it except it doesn’t tell me much because there’s no trend line created. I’m going to get one that has a Bluetooth connection to an app on my phone so everytime I step on it a datapoint is created and eventually trendlines will appear and that’s how I’ll know what’s going on.

The way I look at it is anything I buy that helps me stay healthy is chump change compared to the cost of doctor visits and pills.

(mags) #19

I can’t/haven’t broken my weighing addiction either. I weigh every morning and record it on a tracker on my tablet. If I lose I’m happy all day. I’ve got the same tracker on my phone but I only record Saturday mornings weight. I find that helps a lot because I am able to rationalise my daily fluctuations much better. I also have a supply of clothes that I’d mothballed for thinner times. The joy of finding something that fits again gives a wonderful buzz

(Michelle) #20

I weigh daily. The daily ups and downs don’t bother me because I’m confident that I’m eating properly. I know any drastic changes are water