Blogger Challenge #12: The Scale is a Device Designed to Specifically Mess with my Brain
Fitness Cheerleader wanted to know how often I weigh myself. When I was really big I just avoided the scale entirely, cause why add insult to injury, right? But when I started to hold myself accountable I began to weigh myself every day.
After starting training sessions with Daniel in February, weighing myself was actually kind of fun. It’s always fun when the numbers are going down.
But then it started driving me (and therefore him) nuts. (I’m a firm believer in sharing my obsessive compulsive rants.) So he banned the scale. He told me to hide it. And I did…n’t. I kept weighing myself daily. But Fitness Santa knows when I’m totally disregarding him so he pulled a Jedi Knight trick on me and told me that the stress of weighing myself was causing my cortisol levels to rise, which in turn was making me fat. Damn you, Daniel!
So I hid the scale in my closet and only weighed myself when instructed. But old OCD habits die hard and I started weighing myself daily again. When I asked him if I could eat ice cream cake for Henri’s birthday he asked me how much I weighed (111 lbs.) I ate the cake (it was amazing) and then fell into a deep sugar coma. When I woke the next morning, I weighed myself and…lost a pound! I was 110! How is that even possible?
I asked Daniel what was up with that and he said since I haven’t eaten sugar in so long my metabolism was possibly overcompensating and burned it off faster. Yes! The scale is my new friend! He said I have to keep my weight up so he allowed me to have another cheat meal, but it had to be on Sunday (my off day) and it had to be in the middle of the day, and it couldn’t be anything fried. (I love that bodybuilding is so weirdly complicated.) So we settled on lasagna as my cheat and he said to enjoy my date with Henri.
He also told me to “eat until you’re satiated but not sick.” (That’s pretty telling he felt the need to tell me that…)
Henri had a great chicken and pasta dish and I had my fabulous lasagna. I actually closed my eyes to savor each bite. The first thing I noticed was how salty everything tasted. (I haven’t put table salt on anything since February.) I washed it down with Diet Coke, cause if you’re gonna cheat, cheat! 
Halfway through the meal I literally felt my stomach expand. It was odd that I was so aware of how my body was reacting to food. And since Daniel’s little…um…”pep talk” with me after the Ice Ball I haven’t had anything carbonated to drink, not even my flavored water, so I kept feeling bubbles rise in my throat from the soda. I didn’t finish the lasagna; just enjoyed what I did eat.
Feeling pretty positive about eating a cheat meal and demonstrating self control, I weighed myself this morning. The scale is my friend now, right? FRENEMY!!!! I gained 2 1/2 pounds over night!
The scale is just messing with me now. How could I lose a pound after eating cake but gain 2.5 when I didn’t even finish my meal? Well guess what went on the top shelf of my closet again?
Good bye, scale. I hate you again. You’re mean.
How often do you weigh yourself? Am I the only one going OCD over the scale?
Lisa
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When I was losing my initial 72 lbs, I weighed myself everday at first. When it started to get closer to my vacation and I was getting closer to my goal, I weighed myself three times a day. Bad? Yes… I knew my body so well at that point. I knew what foods would make me gain 4 oz and I knew what foods would stick to me for three days straight (chinese food is not my friend). It was sad. I was so obsessed with my weight at that point; I was worried I would go back to anorexia if I kept it up. So…I made a point to only weigh myself once a week. I’m still at it. Mondays are weigh-in days!
Congratulations on losing 72 lbs. and I’m glad you conquered your anorexia – that is a tough thing to do.
Varies. I’d say a few mornings a week. But sometimes I’m more OCD than others =p
Oh good – I’m not the only one!
I was OCDing over the scale when I started lifting heavy in April. I’d lost almost 50lbs and I knew my clothes were loser and I was shrinking but the scale stopped moving. Haven’t stepped on since mid April and have no plans till until my competition.
I had to ban my scale, I started weighing myself four or five times a day sometimes, and would freak out if the number wouldn’t go down each time and find some exercise to do. It had an opposite effect, and I gave up. Now, I only weigh myself once a week, and whether I like it or not, that is IT. 🙂
I can only imagine the cortisol levels rising to Jupiter were I to weigh myself 4 or 5 times a day. I’m with you – ban the scale!
I weigh in once a week, and try my hardest not to do more – although it’s VERY addictive!
I honestly don’t know how you do it, I’d go postal!
I am starting to notice my body reacting badly to crappy food though which does help. I was never a big fast food fan to begin with and Super Size Me pretty much killed any lingering interest. But it only took one piece of KFC to convince me that my fast food days are indeed done whether I wanted them to be or not!
Isn’t it so interesting to notice the way your body reacts to junk food after you’ve been eating clean for a while? I do miss friend chicken still. Maybe the craving will fade with time.
Lisa
P.S. – Super Size Me was a really good movie.
Every couple months, I’d say. I don’t actually own a scale, so just whenever I go to the gym, which isn’t very often. 🙂
The scale is just numbers to me that mean absolutely nothing in the long run. If I’m adding muscle then I will gain “weight” but still lose inches. I only weigh myself once or twice a month to see where I stand. Mostly I go with how I feel am how my clothes fit. Hormones, water weight, bloaty days and the time of day can affect what the scale says but that doesn’t actually mean I’m gaining weight.
cheat meals suck! The sodium the additives, all make you retain water. We keep our scale in the bathroom, but I only hop on once a week if that.