Even if you aren't ready to do anything else I believe doing this one thing...
could make a difference. Try it for a month and see if just the act of writing down your weight doesn't inspire you to eat less or workout more. I really believe that the scale is just another tool and that it can be used to your advantage. I know, for me, that weighing DAILY is key for maintenance. That one act sets the tone for the day and says I'm still engaged in the process... that I'm still being mindful and conscious about my weight.
When I stop weighing in it is the first sign that I am no longer *playing the game* that I have disengaged and that I am no longer exercising or paying attention to what I eat. Time and again when I look back at my calendar the times I have skipped weighing in for a few weeks (or a month or so) are times when I have given in to outside stressors and have been sabotaging myself. Every freaking time I stop weighing in my weight has crept up past my maintenance range. I think getting up and weighing in not only keeps me honest and accountable for what I'm doing to my body... it also sets a positive "can do" type message for the day, no matter what the number. This one act says to myself that I'm still showing up and that this is still a priority for me.
Try it!
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Also on the topic of weight loss I thought that Bob Greene's webcast with Oprah the other night was FANTASTIC (FYI it wasn't about Oprah... so don't let her deter you). I took a couple of pages of notes and thought his "circle of life" exercise was on the money (and I hate journal type exercises). You can download it on Oprah.com or iTunes.
11 comments:
That's a good idea. I weigh myself every day (well, a couple of times, I may have mentioned that I'm overly amused by how much one can gain/loose throughout the day. There are definately nights where I think "ooh what did dinner weigh tonight") but I think of my actual weight as something of a range.
I think I will start writing it down.
Also, I'm nowhere near my goal weight, but I alraedy feel so much better in my body. (30lbs does make a difference!)
I agree 100%!!! I weigh myself everyday. I don't write it down, but I know how much I weigh and it keeps me in check. I truly believe that is what kept me from gaining 5 pounds over the holidays.
Elizabeth,
30 lbs is huge! Congratulations!
Robin,
I really think it is the key to maintenance... you have to stay engaged and weighing in sets the tone that you are still making conscious choices. When I don't do it I end up gaining every time.
my freaking high tech scale is saying LO and won't work, i can not figure out the darn batteries needed
Feener,
Have you got a Tanita? That happened to me last month and it took me a month to replace them.
I got the batteries at Target... CR2032... the big round kind.
Nodding enthusiastically. It's really helping desensitize me. I was up almost two whole pounds on Monday, and now I'm right back down to where I was last Friday. Weird! I'm really excited to see what the numbers will do once I shift into weight-loss mode.
Fist pump Mrs F!
I am making the calendar as we speak........
Thanks for the great tips.
I am down to 204 today from 212 on 12/26! Whooot Whooot!
Heather,
I'm totally into the Beck stuff... I think those are really helpful exercises to identify which steps you use to sabotage with.
Me, Myself & I,
Way to go!!! That's tremendous!
RE: Beck: oh good -- I really think it's amazing. Today's experiment sounds really tough though. Yikes.
I watched the Oprah webcast last night (all freaking NINETY minutes of it) and also thought it was excellent. Especially the part about how if you break a promise to yourself, you are reinforcing the belief that you're not worth it. I promised myself that I wouldn't eat chips at the Mexican restaurant, and kept thinking of that as the basket sat in front of me. I didn't eat any. I also found it fascinating that the brain derives pleasure from reinforcing those core beliefs. I realize that it's all a head game, and once I can get my head on straight, weight loss will be easy.
I weigh myself daily. I don't let it RUIN my day but I do use it as a guide for the day.
If it's down...I keep on keeping on.
If it's up...I buckle down and see where I need to tighten things up.
It helps me stay on track and more in control & accountable to myself.
Thanks for posting about this. I hope it helps many others.
It's like you're in my brain. I'm weighing in on our Wii Fit, but when I skip a couple days, that's when the graph takes a shocking upturn. Great tip.
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