Weighing in on weight control

Weighing in on weight control
Have you ever tried to lose weight? I'm guessing that the
answer is probably yes. Most of us, at some time, have
looked at diet books, diet pills, potions, anything we
could find to get rid of unwanted pounds.

My question is not "did any of these methods work, long
term?" because I am pretty sure the answer is "no." My
question is "how often did you weigh yourself, and did it
help?" I suppose if you are currently trying to lose
weight, you can simply change the "did" to "do and does."

You should know that I once weighed about 25 pounds more
than I do today. I have been on many different diets, and,
for me, none of them worked. Well, they did work, while I
was on them. But once I stopped the diet, the weight came
right back. While I don't exactly remember all the diets
I've been on, I do remember the scales I've been weighed
on-both my own, and at the group meetings I used to attend.

And when I belonged to group programs, I remember I
wouldn't eat the day of the meeting, because we had to
weigh in. Then, after the meeting I would go out and eat.
I'm afraid I wasn't a very good groupie.

Let me tell you about my experience with owning a scale. I
have a professional scale-you know, the one with the
weights, the big one that you move every 50 pounds, and
then the smaller one for the individual pound. Many years
ago I conducted my first weight control group out of my
living room in State College, PA. I guess I bought a good
one, because it still works.

Over the years, I have found that weighing myself doesn't
really help me with controlling my eating. I used to weigh
myself all the time. I'd weigh myself at the beginning of
the day, and then at the end of the day. Eventually I
learned that the numbers on the scale weren't always very
helpful. Of course I weighed more at the end of the day,
but it wasn't from gaining fat-it was simply the weight of
the food and drinks I hadn't digested.

As I "evolved" my weight control programs, I would only
weigh myself every few days. But even that didn't help me.
See, if I found I had gained weight, I would be depressed,
and I would eat more. Conversely, if I saw I had lost
weight, I would be very excited, thinking, "If I did this
before, I can do it again." Guess what I would do? Yes, I
would eat. So, for me, weighing myself every few days was
no help at all!

Each person finds his or her own weight strategies, for
better or for worse. I think, for me, the best thing is to
just not weigh myself at all, or perhaps maybe once every
few weeks. The reality is, I know when I have overeaten.
Luckily for me, I don't punish myself, and I try to just
move forward. I have learned to balance my overeating with
periods of eating less-and according to my doctors' scale;
my weight has stayed the same for the last 10 years (plus
or minus a pound or two).

If you are a person who weighs yourself all the time, try
giving yourself a week off-you know you deserve it. Pay
attention to how you are feeling, emotionally. Hopefully,
giving yourself this week off will be a liberating
experience. Perhaps you will learn something about your
behaviors, and realize that if you aren't a slave to the
scale, you don't have to be a slave to your diet.

If you can learn to trust yourself not to rely on a single
number, you will be able to learn to trust yourself to make
healthy choices for yourself. Perhaps?over time.. you may
discover a way to lose weight-a whole new way.

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