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Thread: Weighing yourself

  1. #1

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    Default Weighing yourself

    Well, as some of you may have know I am recovering from an eating disorder (anorexia), and consider myself pretty much recovered, although I doubt my disordered thoughts will ever go away completely...

    It's been so long since I've had any healthy perspective of myself, or of what a healthy weighing/weight assessment regime consists of. For those of you who consider yourselves healthy, or even those who don't, I was wondering how often you weigh yourselves? What criteria do you use to judge whether or not to weigh yourself? Or if you don't use scales, what criteria do you use to decide whether or not you are healthy/at a healthy weight? (How tight your clothes are, how you feel generally, etc.) Or do you disregard weight as a health parameter?

    I hope it's not too personal a question; anyone who is willing to reply I'd be most grateful. Thanks so much

    (ETA: Please do not detail your weighing regime if you have an ED. Thanks.)

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    i usually weight myself every morning. a few nights a week i stay at my boyfriend's house and he doesn't have a scale so i just don't think about it. and i know that perhaps weighing myself everyday isn't quite the best idea but over the past year i've lost about 50 lbs so it's kind of a ritual i've taken habit to in order to keep myself on track so to speak.

    a lot of people will tell you to weigh yourself once a week which i think is a better idea. it just gives you a general idea of how you've done and it's a good spread so you're not constantly thinking about it.

    i also go by how my clothes feel, but that's not too accurate for me. i'll have my "fat" days like everyone does and no matter what my actual weight is i feel like nothing fits right. so i tend to disregard that one completely.

    Fiamma, congratulations on overcoming your ED. It takes a lot of strength and courage to do what you did and make the decision to get well and love your body and yourself. I don't know you but i feel extremely proud of you.

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    muxu bero bat! gogs67's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I'll weigh myself about once a fortnight, not for any particular reason though.
    The thing is, unlike someone with an ED say, if i feel fat i won't associate it with weight but with how fit i'm feeling.
    If i start to notice trousers getting tighter then i just up my exercise for a few weeks and it's sorted.
    I only ever checked the scales regular when i was doing kickboxing as the lower weight you could maintain at a certain fitness level was obviously an advantage!
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    Quote gogs67 View Post
    unlike someone with an ED say, if i feel fat i won't associate it with weight but with how fit i'm feeling.
    Thanks for your reply gogs - that's really interesting. So when you feel "fat", you associate it with your muscle turning to fat (is it right to say that?), so you go and exercise to tone up?

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    muxu bero bat! gogs67's Avatar
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    Quote fiamma View Post
    Thanks for your reply gogs - that's really interesting. So when you feel "fat", you associate it with your muscle turning to fat (is it right to say that?), so you go and exercise to tone up?
    That's about it really.

    Weight wise i'm about 2 stone (28 pounds) heavier than i was, say, as a 17 year old, but i don't really feel any different or look that much different in my minds eye from then!!

    Weighing myself and how heavy i actually feel have always been almost two seperate things to me, the weight being pretty unimportant!
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    Karma Junkie vava's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Since I started cycling a few months ago (to try to lose weight) my weight has remained the same PAH! but my shape has changed as my muscles have built up. I am an apple shape - so still got fat belly - although more muscle - the thing to do is bite the bullet and stop eating junk. I think in some sneaky way I am eating more because I know I am using more calories up. I am happy tho and you can't have everything! Or maybe you can but it is just too much effort.

    I think i am about one and a half stone overweight..... I weigh myself when i am in proximity to the scales - it's not a conscious thought.
    Last edited by vava; Jul 12th, 2009 at 02:40 PM. Reason: naffness
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Thanks gogs And thanks to Kate too - wow, 50lbs is such a great achievement, you must be so proud of yourself. Thanks for your kind words of support, they mean more than you can imagine

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    I weigh myself every morning.

    I feel i have a fairly healthy approach to my weight these days, in that when i put on a couple of punds i don't panic, i just try a bit harder (i need to lose a lot of weight).

    I actually weigh 2 stone more than i did just after my son was born, but i look and feel better now than i did then - i am firmer all over than i was.

    I have had a problem in the recent past with disordered eating . I still use food for comfort now and then but i don't binge atall, like i used to, so really i'm just happy with that.

    I do feel a bit frustrated if i can't check my weight, though.......

  9. #9
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    I know this isn't what you want to hear, but really anyone with a history of an eating disorder shouldn't weigh themselves at all. If i weigh myself, i know what'll happen. If i've gained weight, i'll panick and go on a diet. If i've lost weight i'll be overjoyed and try to keep it going and go on a diet. Either way, it's a step in the wrong direction. I'd advise you only to weigh yourself if it's really necessary.

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    muxu bero bat! gogs67's Avatar
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    Quote JC View Post
    I know this isn't what you want to hear, but really anyone with a history of an eating disorder shouldn't weigh themselves at all. If i weigh myself, i know what'll happen. If i've gained weight, i'll panick and go on a diet. If i've lost weight i'll be overjoyed and try to keep it going and go on a diet. Either way, it's a step in the wrong direction. I'd advise you only to weigh yourself if it's really necessary.

    I actually think that's precisely the kinda thing F want's to hear!
    How others have got away from the constant ball and chain of the scales which has the exact effect you just mentioned!
    Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty!

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I don't have scales and don't weigh myself at all. When I was working in gyms I sometimes weighed once a week and did body fat about once a month. Every now and again i do measurments at home of upper thigh, hips, waist , bust and upper arm. Especially if I I feeling like I'm gaining fat. Usually it reasures me that I am actually the same shape as before.
    I don't feel weight is a very useful measurement unless used in combination with other methods.

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    Quote cookey View Post
    I don't feel weight is a very useful measurement unless used in combination with other methods.
    how do you mean cookey?

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    Quote IwannabeKate View Post
    how do you mean cookey?
    It doesn't give any indication of changes in body composition or shape. It just tells you how much pressure you are putting on the earth. But you do need to know your weight to do bioimpedence testing which can be useful. But to be honest - I would recommend measurements with a tape.
    But looking back at the OP perhaps any type of measuring would work against the recovery process from an eating disorder?
    Well done on your recovery by the way Fiamma.

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Perhaps because, for example, muscle weighs more than fat. So some athletes can actually score as obese on the BMI scale when actually they're just very fit and have a lot of muscle. I think frame size has a bearing on weight too... there are so many factors at play that weight is not necessarily a good indication of health status.

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    Abe Froman Risker's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I probably only weigh myself about once a year, if that. I don't think that my scales would be a good indicator of my health, for that I'd need a body fat analyser.
    "I don't want to live on this planet any more" - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth

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    Quote fiamma View Post
    And thanks to Kate too - wow, 50lbs is such a great achievement, you must be so proud of yourself. Thanks for your kind words of support, they mean more than you can imagine
    I'm glad to hear that love. But just remember that YOU did it, and that kind of strength is inspiring . And thank you for your kind words!

    Okay I get what you mean Cookey. And I agree with measuring. It was quite thrilling actually to get measured after I'd lost the weight. My costume designer and I did a victory dance... and then we ate cookies .

    It's just been my experience that if my weight is higher, it's probably something a little "cuddlier" than muscle mass . But if I know I've been eating right and treating my body well I usually attribute it to water retention.

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I was anorexic from age 15-18, and I am 27 now and still suffer. I daren't weigh myself, I want to but don't unless I am happy ish with my body which does actually happen occasionally. If I exercise a lot. Last time Idid, I was happy. But I think i have put on since then. I do beleive it is uneccessary actually, go by how your clothes fit and how you feel.

  18. #18
    我看得懂 mariana's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Congratulations, fiamma, on overcoming your ED. Hope things continue to go well for you.

    I don't own a scale and don't weigh myself regularly. If I'm at a friend's house and they happen to have a scale I'll sometimes weigh myself out of curiosity. I don't seem to be very in tune with my weight gain/loss--I just don't always notice. A few months after I moved to London a friend commented I looked like I'd lost weight and when I went to buy a pair of pants a few weeks later it turned out I'd dropped two or three sizes and didn't even know it. I've also gained weight in the past and didn't notice until one day my pants wouldn't zip.

    Quote gogs67 View Post
    The thing is, unlike someone with an ED say, if i feel fat i won't associate it with weight but with how fit i'm feeling.
    I think how fat I feel depends on my mood--if I'm feeling really unhappy, I tend to feel fat (and unattractive, stupid, etc--just down in general). If I'm in a good mood, I am happy with how I look.

    Quote cookey View Post
    Every now and again i do measurments at home of upper thigh, hips, waist , bust and upper arm. Especially if I I feeling like I'm gaining fat. Usually it reasures me that I am actually the same shape as before. .
    I measure myself occasionally this way. I do think it's a more accurate measurement--my weight seems to fluctuate quite a bit depending on how much exercise I'm doing (which is usually far too little--I'm lazy when it comes to exercise ), which I assume is from muscle loss/gain. Strangely it seems that what I eat makes little difference to how much I weigh--my weight seems mainly tied to how active I am.

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    told me to Mr Flibble's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    When I'm trying to loose weight I weigh myself every morning before eating. Last year I was using some of these, which hook up to your computer via a usb key and plot graphs like these. It's pretty helpful, as it gives you BMR which is a lot more useful than BMI with regard to figuring out how much you should be eating. You can also analyse fat:water:muscle ratios.

    I used wii fit for a while. The balance board gives remarkably similar results to the scales. The wii fit age thing is largely rubbish thou.

    I'm currently not weighing myself. I attempted after loosing weight to eat sensibily and inevitably put it back on. My body seems to naturally stablise itself out at a BMI of around 27. The reality is that if I want a BMI of less than 25 then I need to eat even less than what I think to be less that I'd like (I hardly ever bake anymore for instance), whilst having a non active job. The irony is that I feel far more hungry whilst sitting at a desk than I do at the weekend when being physically active. I think I probably need hypnotherapy or something
    "Mr Flibble - forum corruptor of innocents!!" - Hemlock

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    muxu bero bat! gogs67's Avatar
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    Quote Mr Flibble View Post
    The irony is that I feel far more hungry whilst sitting at a desk than I do at the weekend when being physically active. I think I probably need hypnotherapy or something
    No, it's a perfectly normal reaction, not exercising makes you hungry!

    I have no idea of the background or validity of this website but i have heard of the effects of the hormones talked about in the article.

    http://www.naturalnews.com/025310.html

    A recent study published in The American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology researched the affect of exercise on two hormones: ghrelin, which stimulates the appetite, and peptide YY, which suppresses it.

    The study examined 11 male students, separating them into three groups. One group preformed a vigorous workout on the treadmill for 60 minutes, and then rested for seven hours. The second group did resistance training for 90 minutes and rested for six and a half hours. The third group did no exercise at all.

    Participants recorded their hunger at intervals during the study. Ghrelin and peptide YY were monitored, as well. The treadmill workout caused ghrelin levels to drop and peptide YY levels to rise, while the resistance workout only lowered ghrelin levels and did not affect peptide YY levels. Accordingly, the participants who exercised on the treadmill showed a more suppressed appetite than those who did resistance exercise. In both instances, appetite suppression lasted about two hours, including the time spent exercising.

    These results are yet another affirmation that dieting without exercise is a much less effective way of losing weight. Regular cardio activity and moderate resistance exercise may prove to be very effective in controlling the appetite, which means it may be easier for an active person to turn down that morning donut at the office.
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    ^ Fascinating stuff, gogs, thanks for posting

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I weigh myself whenever I'm at someone elses house and happen to notice they've got some scales.
    I'm usually just a couple of kg below "obese" on those graphs with a BMI of around 29.5.
    So what ? My worst result to date is 101st out of 150 in a 24 hour mountain bike race.

    For all those women, and it does seem to always be women, who worry about their weight as if it is important, how fast can you run a mile ? How much weight can you lift overhead ?
    No, seriously. That would be a far better indication of how fit or healthy you are. Have you ever tried ?
    Worcestershire's fastest veteran vegan mountain bike endurance racer with a beard.

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    Quote Big Good Wolf View Post
    how fast can you run a mile ? How much weight can you lift overhead ?
    No, seriously. That would be a far better indication of how fit or healthy you are.
    I'm a bit perplexed by the parameters you're using here... I can't run a mile, no, nor can I lift heavy weights, and I'm sure there are many others on the forum in the same position. Doesn't mean we're not healthy though
    I do see your point, but I think the way you put it across is a little flippant and superficial. I don't mean to offend, I just don't think you seem very sensitive towards the struggles with weight, image and self-esteem that many women face.

  24. #24
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    ^ I was thinking the same Fiamma. I can't run a mile I'm sure and I can't lift anything heavy but I know I am healthy cholesterol and blood pressure wise as I was checked last year and this year.

    I am weighing myself every day lately as I have been getting into a cycle of gaining 7lbs and then losing 7lbs and then gaining it back. My weight does fluctuate a lot depending on what I have eaten the day before or if I am dehydrated or if it is my time of the month. When I am trying to lose a bit of weight I do measure myself with tape as Cookey said. You can often see results there from doing exercise.

    Also I read that measuring your abdominal fat with tape is a way of seeing if you are more at risk from heart trouble, diabetes etc. I think it is supposed to be 32 inches for women and 35 inches for men (as a maximum).

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    Pale & skinny Big Good Wolf's Avatar
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    Maybe I was being flippant, that's just my way.
    I'm glad you brought image in to this.
    What are you measuring by weighing yourself, if not just your weight ? Is it how well you conform to the image you think you should have ?
    What relevance does weight, as a number, have to real life ?

    I'm trying to be tactful here, sorry if I'm not very good at it, but this is a genuine question.
    As a vegan, you have obviously seen through the media lies about food.
    Why is it so hard to see through the artificial image of skinny = fit ?
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    Thanks for your post BGW, I appreciate it; you seem like a very thoughtful person.

    Quote Big Good Wolf View Post
    I'm glad you brought image in to this.
    What are you measuring by weighing yourself, if not just your weight ? Is it how well you conform to the image you think you should have ?
    What relevance does weight, as a number, have to real life ?
    Image is such an incredibly complex issue - it's as fascinating as it is frustrating.

    Weight.... it has no real relevance, and I'm well aware of that. But sadly we as women have been inundated ever since adolescence, by teenage then by women's magazines, who (it would seem) can only speak in terms of numbers... "Go on this diet and lose 7lbs in a week." "The Drop A Dress Size Diet." "X is size eight/six/four/zero..." Etc. Etc. Calories. How many in a portion of this or that. We just grow up having formed an idea of how much we should weigh. It's sad, I know it is.

    Quote Big Good Wolf View Post
    Why is it so hard to see through the artificial image of skinny = fit ?
    That's a tough one, BGW, and one I struggle with constantly. TBH I don't think it's simply an image thing. My father was pretty controlling, and I don't often remember my parents showing me affection as I child, although I know they loved me very much. I think the whole skinny thing has a lot to do with fragility and vulnerability on a subconscious level, a kind of cry for help and for affection, the affection I never had when I was growing up. But that's on a subconscious level... rationally I know the whole skinny thing is a crock

  27. #27
    JC
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    Quote fiamma View Post

    Weight.... it has no real relevance, and I'm well aware of that. But sadly we as women have been inundated ever since adolescence, by teenage then by women's magazines, who (it would seem) can only speak in terms of numbers... "Go on this diet and lose 7lbs in a week." "The Drop A Dress Size Diet." "X is size eight/six/four/zero..." Etc. Etc. Calories. How many in a portion of this or that. We just grow up having formed an idea of how much we should weigh. It's sad, I know it is.
    That's a really good point. And also, whilst everyone claims to see through this whole idea of image, i believe that to some extent everyone is judgmental (but not openly of course). For examle, if a friend has put on weight, you would notice. And that friend knows you've noticed, because if things were the other way round, she'd notice too. I don't know if i think this because magazines etc have made me think this way, i don't know anymore, but i'm pretty sure that's the way it works. Well that's how it works in my head anyway

  28. #28
    Pale & skinny Big Good Wolf's Avatar
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    I'm trying to help here, but I can't help thinking I may not be going about it the right way. If you want me to stay out of it, just say.

    Whenever I go in Holland & Barrett there are two piles of magazines on the counter, a women's health and a men's health magazine.
    They used to try and sell me the men's one, but the staff all know me by now and know they are wasting their time.
    I would point at the picture of the tanned, six packed, air brushed, young model on the cover and say something like "I did a 12 hour mountain bike race last weekend. None of the guys who beat me look like that. I'm fitter and healthier than he is."

    Why do women fall for the unachievable media image and feel they must conform to it ?
    These women's magazines telling you how to look are the same ones with lamb casserole recipes and articles about how children need cow's milk for strong bones and teeth.

    I went on a women only bike ride last weekend.
    A friend organised it and I persuaded two other women friends to go. They had the usual womens self confidence problem and wouldn't go unless I went as well to introduce them.
    Once everyone had met they all got on and I left them to do the easy girly route while I went off with the other guys.
    One thing I noticed from the conversations which I found amusing, but also a bit sad at the same time, was that the women saw cycling as a good way to lose weight, while I saw losing weight as a good way to make my bike go faster. I guess it comes down to whether you are living your life for yourself or for other peoples opinions of yourself.
    Worcestershire's fastest veteran vegan mountain bike endurance racer with a beard.

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    Hi Big Good Wolf,

    I was under the impression I had written you a thoughtful, considerate post... am I missing something?

    You are right about women's magazines. However what you don't seem to be able to grasp is that we have been conditioned by these things for as long as we have been able to read, watch various media and take it all in... Unfortunately it's not just a case of "falling for the media image" - we've absorbed it almost by osmosis. I wish it was a case of "take it or leave it", but it's not.

    Perhaps it's just me, but your language constantly puts women down. Phrases like "The usual womens self confidence problem" and "easy girly route" really don't help women feel any better about themselves.

    I'm leaving this thread now; thank you to all who have given me good and inspirational advice.

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    Pale & skinny Big Good Wolf's Avatar
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    My comment about you maybe wanting me to stay out of it was not because of anything you said.
    I have a rare gift for always saying the wrong thing no matter how hard I try not to. I'm probably doing it now.
    So often I've had a girlfriend or girl friend explain some problem to me, then when I say "Why don't you just...", they will reply with "You just don't understand do you"
    No, I don't and probably never will, but I keep trying.

    "The usual womens self confidence problem". How else could I describe it ?
    I saw a regular bike ride near where I live mentioned on a biking forum, so I just turned up at the next ride and joined in.
    One of the grrrls who goes on that ride organised a women only ride to get more women in to mountain biking.
    Two friends of mine have talked about wanting to ride more, so I told them about it.
    No matter how many times I told them it was for beginners they kept making excuses about how the didn't have a good enough bike, they weren't fit enough, they didn't know anyone else there and so on.
    Both of them only went in the end because I went along too to introduce them to everyone else and they had a great day out.

    You might see me as putting women down by saying they are more likely to have a lack of self confidence, but it's what I've seen and I'd rather try to do something about it than pretend I haven't seen it.

    "easy girly route" is how the grrrl who organised it described it.
    That's just another case of a face to face joke between friends not translating between strangers across the internet.


    Going back almost to the original topic, I've been trying to get the same two friends in to mountain biking and weightlifting for a long time.
    Reading the comments from women on this thread, they concentrate on weight loss as the goal while dismissing sport.
    Isn't it better to take part in a sport or hobby for its own sake, with both short and long term goals and with weight loss (or, more accurately, fat loss) as a bonus, than to focus entirely on weight loss with the inevitable feelings of failure when you don't reach your weekly target ?
    Worcestershire's fastest veteran vegan mountain bike endurance racer with a beard.

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I don’t weigh myself at all. We never had any scales in the house when I was growing up and I don’t have any now in my own place. Same as other people if I am at someone’s house I will hop on their scales out of curiosity but nothing else.

    I like to try to keep active and maintain a 80-20 rule with food. I eat good healthy food 80% of the time and have a bit of what I fancy 20%.

    I know when I have over eaten and not exercised over a prolonged period as my clothes feel tighter and I don’t feel fit. I don’t know how else to explain it - I just feel sluggish.

    I also find I am heavier in the winter than the summer - maybe I was a bear in a past life and have not got out of the eating to hibernate frame of mind!!!

  32. #32
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    Glad you/re better fiamma!
    I do not weigh myself at all, I haven't a clue really. i just have child memories of having to weigh in with the school nurse in the start of every school year, and as I always was very bone and slight (happy days....) she'd just tut tut and make notes, and I hated that.

    I am trying to ose a bit of weight, and have lost a good bit already actually, but weight? Nah not interested, just numbers to me, I go by clothes sizes, and finding muscles I didn't know i had =P

    My mum is very weight and sized obsessed and think that has but me off that behaviour quite severly - i don't want to feel that way about myself when I get to her age, I'd rather be healthy and happy, and fit to enjoy life.

    I DO have a problem with comparing myself to other people and feeling really huge (I'm a UK size 14) and feel like i want to lose a bit now, as it's making me very insecure about a lot of things in my life...

  33. #33
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    I'm UK size 14-16... Don't weigh myself.

    I would like to lose some weight, but again go by clothes size.... When I'm slimmer I'd like to tone up and androgynise my appearance.

    Haven't weighed myself in ages... All I know is that I am just outside the healthy BMI for a short arse my height. I like to have something to cuddle around me, it makes me feel I can be protective of loved ones, it makes me feel stronger in a way...

    However, the health issue also worries me. I have hypermobile joints and don't wish to have another scoliosis, or more painful limbs... I want more energy, a healthier body and to maybe I think it will help me to improve my career as well.

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I find it so hard to not weigh myself since I'm trying to lose weight. I got rid of my scale but there's one at work and at the gym and I can't stop myself. I get so upset afterwards but I go crazy not knowing.
    "To reduce suffering means to reduce the amount of ignorance, the basic affliction with us." -Thich Nhat Hanh

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I'm in a bad place self-image wise right now. I am putting on weight (yes, I weighed myself a week or so ago ) and I hate it. I keep trying to convince myself that it doesn't matter, that once it gets cooler I'll be able to do more exercise and blah blah, but my head's so messed up I'm tempted to go back to my wicked old calorie limiting ways. I could really use some help but don't know what to do and I will not go back to therapy; I can't afford it, and there have to be better ways. I want to diet but I'm sick of depriving myself I suppose it will all work out.

  36. #36
    Fervent vegan DiaShel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I completely understand how you're feeling. It will work out, just avoid going down that unhealthy path.
    "To reduce suffering means to reduce the amount of ignorance, the basic affliction with us." -Thich Nhat Hanh

  37. #37
    cookey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Quote fiamma View Post
    I'm in a bad place self-image wise right now. I am putting on weight (yes, I weighed myself a week or so ago ) and I hate it. I keep trying to convince myself that it doesn't matter, that once it gets cooler I'll be able to do more exercise and blah blah, but my head's so messed up I'm tempted to go back to my wicked old calorie limiting ways. I could really use some help but don't know what to do and I will not go back to therapy; I can't afford it, and there have to be better ways. I want to diet but I'm sick of depriving myself I suppose it will all work out.
    Anyone who is recovering from anything will have good days and bad days - in fact we all do. Try and remind yourself how far you have come and what your goals are. Then think about whether your actions lead you towards or away from your goals. It can also help to remind yourself how you have managed to overcome other hurdles in your life and apply the same strength that you had for them.

  38. #38
    muxu bero bat! gogs67's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Quote fiamma View Post
    I'm in a bad place self-image wise right now. I am putting on weight (yes, I weighed myself a week or so ago ) and I hate it. I keep trying to convince myself that it doesn't matter, that once it gets cooler I'll be able to do more exercise and blah blah, but my head's so messed up I'm tempted to go back to my wicked old calorie limiting ways. I could really use some help but don't know what to do and I will not go back to therapy; I can't afford it, and there have to be better ways. I want to diet but I'm sick of depriving myself I suppose it will all work out.
    When you feel like that, and there's no one around to talk to about it, just try and do a little exercise for 5 mins, some sit ups, jump rope/skip, press ups, etc, anything to get these endorphins going, however slight!
    if you end up doing these kind of things 10, 15, 20 times a day, however many you want, you will notice a difference in you're muscle tone within a week without a drastic limiting of your food intake.
    That, in turn, will help your outlook to swing to the positive!
    Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty!

  39. #39
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I used to weigh myself daily. Since I moved in April I don't have a bathroom scale....but I'm putting on weight....well at least I feel like I am, so I'm thinking I'd like to go and buy a scale. I want to confirm if I am putting on weight or if it's my paranoid imagination.

  40. #40

    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Reading this thread makes me really surprised at how many people don't actually weigh themselves!

    Personally, I weigh myself every morning, though every time I get on the scales I'm amost too scared to look down! (I am trying to shift some excess flab at the moment!) I can generally tell you how much I weigh to within a pound or three (depending on how much I've eaten).

    A lot of people tell me it's unhealthy to weigh yourself every day or so, and I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I think if you've had or got an ED then you should probably avoid the scales at all costs. Personally, I find that weighing myself every day isn't a big issue, it's simply just part of a routine, but I think that if I had the choice, I'd advocate the banning of scales, since they're so easy to get obsessive over.

  41. #41
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    i have to weigh myself sometimes i've found, or else my weight goes up and up and i sort of get in denial about it, until my pants won't zip! i have found it better to get on the scale at least once a week and if i've gained a couple of pounds i pay more attention to what i'm eating until it goes back down.

  42. #42
    still singing smallhelen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    Although I don't have an ED, I am a bit obsessive compulsive about my weight and my food. I usually weigh myself every two days, but at the moment it's every day, and I have combined this with using a tape measure (have lost about 1 1/2 inches each off my waist, hips and thighs over the last six months). I do make a connection between my weight and my health, and I feel better when I am at my ideal weight (just the weight I am happiest at, not a medically proven thing). The holidays have been tricky, cos I got to my desired weight just before Christmas Day, then spent three days at various family members' houses, and put on some of the weight I'd lost. I know it's not a disaster, and that I'll get back there again, but it's just so frustrating to have lost control. Holidays are also harder as I'm not at work, and can go into the kitchen at any time for food. (OCD thing about routines, I guess.)
    I think part of my obsession is related to the fact that both my mum and my sister are obese, and I am reacting against that.
    On the plus side, my lovely brother-in-law bought me a yoga mat and some ankle weights for Christmas, and I have already used the mat three times. Hadn't done yoga before, but bought myself a dvd and am already finding it relaxing and refreshing.
    :smile:

  43. #43

    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I agree with big good wolf, but I go about talking about it differently.

    I am healthy and fit by any holistic method. I compete and win races in triathlons, swimming, and water polo regularly. I am at the high end of my BMI, but I'm also more muscular than the average, but not as muscular as real weight lifters. I run several times a week for 5+ miles each run, and swim 4 times a week for 3500+ yards each.

    I'm fit.

    I weigh myself only when I'm trying to reach a weight goal. That's very rare, as my weight goals are only to make me bike faster, not the other way around. Low weight doesn't equal good health or better performance. My goal is winning, not loosing weight or anything like that.

    Having the goal of competing has had the side effect of me wearing the same size jeans I wore when I was in HS at 32, after gaining some inches post college. I don't really go for jean size or loosing weight. I just go for the training, and the goal of winning.

    That's what I do.

    I know that it is hard for people to focus on competing, or goals in sport, when for most people exercise is an bitter pill to take in the goal of health, or in a goal of fulfilling a specific body image.

    IMO, going for sport and exercise that way will rarely bring the fun and the results. I've seen countless swimmers (I moonlight as a swim coach) fail and quit, because they just wanted to be healthy or loose some pounds. Working out is hard. It hurts, its uncomfortable, and it certainly takes time. Most of all, it takes regularity.

    That health or looking good reasons don't usually hold up when time is tight, and working out is uncomfortable. However, when working out with friends for a goal like a charity event, or a competition, working out turns into the gift itself. Its no longer a chore, but a pleasure.

    Only then it becomes easier to focus on the goal rather than the weight, or the jean size.

    Our culture has burdened women with ideals of size that don't equal health. The path marketed is for low self-esteem rather than a goal of helping others, or of owning our own bodies and enjoying them. If the goal is to enjoy our bodies and take back our minds from the marketing that's colonized our bodies, then having a goal different than just "looking good" or "having low cholesterol" needs to be defined. I've rarely met a swimmer who stayed the course, swam hard, all to reduce their cholesterol. I have, however, seen swimmers improve infinitely because they wanted to complete a charity race three months down the line, or because they joined with their old friend and want to get faster than the other.

    The way to take back our health and our minds isn't through a scale or a mirror: we need to look outwards and enjoy our community, friends, and do sport together. A goal or a competition is one way towards community sport, but its not the only way.

    Oh, and I weight myself about once a week on average. When ever I go to the pool/gym and am not in a hurry (which is rare), I stop and weigh myself. Usually around the same time of the day, and same day of the week, once a week.
    context is everything

  44. #44

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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I used to weigh myself regularly. I had a set of scales in the bathroom and would often weigh myself.
    Then I started to understand myself a bit more (I am in my 40's and have 2 psychology degrees but I didn't understand myself at all until recently) and I realised all the weighing was psychologically unhealthy.
    So I put the scales away under the furniture in another room.
    Now I just weigh myself every few months or so when I think my clothes are getting either a bit tight or a bit too loose.
    I also get weighed when I go to the Rheumatology Clinic, which is a few times a year. But I never make a point of noting the result.
    I find putting the scales away somewhere where it would be more inconvenient to use them, is very helpful for me.
    I know I am not either think or fat, so why weigh myself?
    See my local diary ... http://herbwormwood.blogspot.com/

  45. #45
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I agree with xrodolfox, exercise and having goals that are about performance rather than size are best.

    I had an eating disorder when I was younger and was extremely thin (Im 5 foot 9 and I was under 7 stone). Some days I would feel thin and sometimes fat, on the fat days I would try to avoid talking to folk that I knew in the street because I thought I would disapoint them. When I met my ex he was horrified at how thin I was, he could see all the bones in my ribs, he still talks about how awful it was.

    I sometimes still have a really poor image of myself but I bought a full length mirror and scales and I have photos of me so I know that Im not actualy fat. I weigh 8.5 stone now and I exercise loads so feel healthy. Anorexia is rubbish.

    I weigh myself at least twice a day, sometimes more often but at least I dont stop myself eating.

  46. #46
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I'm the right weight at the moment and have been for some time (I'm 9 stone and 5 foot 7), but I am prone to losing weight when I'm ill/stressed/lazy/busy. I know when I'm getting a bit underweight because my clothes are looser and I start to feel dizzy when I stand up or am standing up for an extended period. I also get ill more frequently. I feel so much healthier when I'm heavier. I weigh myself once every few months.

  47. #47
    patientia
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I weigh myself a few times a week, but sometimes 2 weeks pass between measurements. My scales show fat percentage, muscle percentage and water percentage, too (I understand that measuring them that way doesn't give really accurate results).

  48. #48
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    My mother has been slim all her life although she is not naturally slim and puts on weight very easily - this is how she stays the same weight for years.
    She decided on a healthy weight for her height using charts and BMI then once she reached that weight she then weighed herself every morning, if she is over her desired weight she eats a healthy but low calorie diet that day and if she's under she eats what she wants. It seems to work for her and she can then keep tabs on whether she is over or under weight and eat accordingly.
    Silent but deadly :p

  49. #49
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    Default Re: Weighing yourself

    I've recovered from an eating disorder too. I own a scale, but I weigh myself just a couple of times per month. I avoid using my scale when I feel I put on some weight: it really helps me to stay calm

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