The FastDay Forum

I actually just guessed my current weight to calculate my fasting calories, but this week I will weigh myself at the doctors.

I know its going to be higher then when he last weighed me, and I always dislike his *hmmm's*. But I refuse to buy scales as I get obsessed and depressed by them.

I have tried to train him to say NOTHING when he's typing in the number but he inevitably slips up. I don't like positive *ahh's * either. (I know super sensitive) It just does my head in. I just want to get on with my 5.2 (3 fasts so far).

I could be making a mountain out of an ant hill here, but has anyone similar problems?
Cheers
Jo

[Tracieknits]

I understand that - I have been there. There's not much you can do other than take deep breaths and calm yourself, otherwise your blood pressure will rise, which will add more fuel to the fire.

I have a very obese friend, very morbidly obese, who is the same way. If I had to guess her weight, I would say 350 pounds, easily. Her weight started creeping on with the birth of her first child 15 years ago She has no idea what she weighs and she practically goes into a panic when she has to go to the doctor to get weighed. She also avoids the doctor.

She's actually what encouraged me to start weighing more often - I figured if that's what can happen when you stick your head in the sand, then I need to know my weight. Hubby and I actually got a wifi scale that connects to our computer and logs the data for us (he's an engineer and we're both OCD). I have been weighing daily since we got it in October. To determine gain or loss, I look at weight averages for the week or month.

I don't let the number make me crazy, I use it to educate myself about cause and effect. Ate way too much salt last night? Yes the number rose, but it's probably all water. I use it to remind myself either to rein it in a bit, or congratulate myself on a job well done.

So while you don't need to weigh every day, I think weighing on a regular basis is very smart.

I wish doctors would realize that making people feel bad about their weight doesn't help. I had a doctor here try to blame my back problems on my weight--a back problem I've had since I was a skinny 14 year old.

In this case, maybe it would help to let your doctor know that you are taking positive measures to reduce your weight and that the number will be better next time. Or just ignore him, if you can.

About scales: I started out this WOE not having scales in the house. We have a health clinic at work where I could weigh myself once a week. No one else saw the number, though. After I started losing, I felt I could handle having scales in the house, and I also realized they would be the key to maintenance when I finally got there. I bought some of these all-singing, all-dancing body fat % scales (though they're Japanese, so I'm not always sure what they're telling me!) I weigh daily now. The few times I've stalled a bit, weighing has been stressful, but I'm getting better at not letting daily fluctuations bother me. At some point, I would like to be comfortable enough with maintenance that I go back to weekly weighing. I think I'll need to maintain awhile before I feel comfortable with that...

Yes, when I first started 5:2 I was dead against weighing. I did it weekly at first, when I was losing but when I hit the plateau, I didn't want to have my nose rubbed in it and I stopped weighing. I strongly disagreed with the every-day weighers. Then I joined the Christmas club and the rule was : weigh every day. So I did, against my better judgement. It proved to be a revelation. I finally understood that my weight fluctuated all the time. If I only weighed once a month, I might get a high weight and feel bad, but if I weighed myself again the next day, I might get a much lower weight- as much as 2 kg lower! So now I weigh every 2nd or 3rd day and write it down and I see a gradual see-sawing line, going down.

Hi @Jo05
I like @MaryAnn 's advice. Just let your doc know your feeling positive about the changes your making and your looking forward to the health benefits that you hope to get overtime. ( I was going to suggest shopping around for a new doctor- I just adore my doc) but that may be unhelpful. I've got a feeling that within the next 3 months you will be a regular weigher because you will be interested in seeing the downward trend and as @SallyO says the wild variances will be part of a pattern that you understand. Or maybe not. Its totally your choice Jo and there's no pressure either way. Just our support so that you know whatever you choose is grand and we totally support you.
Xxx julianna

[Debs]

Hi Ladies,
I am now weighing daily after great misgivings and logging it in a graph to see what happens. The daily variations are amazing, but the highs are getting lower and the trend line is definitely down. Being 'bunged up' doesn't help though Sorry!!

Dear Ladies,
Reading your your experience is really helpful and I appreciate you sharing.



I think I will get a pair in about three months and go ahead and weigh often like you lucky ladies.
Thanks @Tracieknits, I looked up the wifi scales, they are around $170 so I will reward myself with a set of these after I reach 3 months.
Thanks @MaryAnn for reminding me maintenance might be a future process for me to navigate and scales would support me then. I have a long way to go, but it's good to hear you and others talk of maintenance on here, its encouraging.
It's good to read that you also had reservations about weighing @Sallyo, and it worked out a revelation weighing. That's helped me because I am kinda curious.
Yes @julianna I have pondered shopping around for a new doc, and I will ponder doing that, although it was him who put me onto 5.2. So he gets a few things right .
@Debs, I just looked at your graphs, and you're right they wiggle about all over the place. Which as most of you are saying is helpful to realise as those lines can swing around 2 kilos either way.

Thanks so much

Jo

[janeg]

I can sympathise with your dilemma, Jo.

One thing to bear in mind is that the measurement of your waist is a very good indicator of your health. Telling the doctor that your waist measurement is diminishing and getting closer to the magic half your height may mean more to them than numbers on the scale.
Just a thought.

I now weigh daily too. I always add it to the progress tracker each Friday even if I don't like what I am seeing. My progress tracker is an honest line that goes all over the place but at least the trend is down. My GP is doing 5:2 too so that helps. @Jo05 don't forget to measure!

I weigh daily too, though only record it on my Progress Tracker once a week. I have become a lot more chilled out about the daily fluctuations and as long as the general trend is downwards I am happy. And I weigh myself whatever - regardless of whether I think I've been 'good' or not - for me it's just a way of making sure I don't get on the slippery slope of not weighing because I don't think I'll like what the scales say and then being too scared to weigh at all and therefore going back to my bad old eating habits.

@janeg
cheers, I will keep that in the back of my mind, and thanks for reminding me to measure. I haven't yet – so now its on my list to get a measuring tape.
Thanks for the reminder to measure @Wmr309 also, and I think my doctor will be elated I'm fasting too and I will be using the tracker as soon as the bravery returns.
Thanks @loversghost, I do like the idea of weighing becoming something that reminds me I'm strong regardless of what it says.
This thread has eased my worries quite a lot. I'm trying to cover all bases, in case something really topples me. I might blog soon to record what I've learned.

Many thanks
Jo