Did you know that some women lead perfectly happy and healthy lives without ever stepping on a scale? There are women out there who don’t even know what they weigh! If you are one of those women, as I’m sure some of you are, then you will spend the rest of this post shaking your head in bewilderment. See, I am not one of those women. I have had a long tumultuous history with that little number, my weight. About six months ago I was weighing myself multiple times a day and driving myself crazy with the implications, ie. “That was the biggest poop ever! How did I not lose any weight?!” I was even one of those nuts who would waste precious alone time in the bathroom recalibrating, checking, and even relocating my scale in case the gravity was more favorable on the other end of the room. (Note: this doesn’t work. You’d have to relocate to the moon to see a noticeable effect on your weight.)
I am not proud to say how much that number meant to me. A high number spelled doom for the rest of the day. A low number was good but made me panicky to figure out what I had done to get it. I obsessed about that number, worried about that number, and finally broke down and had one of those gut-wrenching cries that leaves you so puffy eyed that you’re embarrassed to go in public, all over that stupid number. As I sobbed to my husband I had a realization: I’ve got to get over this number.
My therapist and I came to an agreement: the end goal, which seemed too scary to approach at the moment, was to give up my dependence on the scale. In the meantime, however, I would limit myself to just one weigh-in a day. Unlike some of the things my therapist has asked me to do, I surprised myself by being able to do this one and stick to it right away. It was a relief, actually, to not be such a slave to my scale. But I still had my once-a-day ritual to keep the anxiety at bay. Because after all, everyone knows that one of the proven ways to keep from regaining lost weight is to weigh yourself every day. The number still drove me crazy but it was a more controlled crazy.
And then a week ago, my scale disappeared. In a house with three tiny tots things are often relocated on irrational whims. (Salad dressing in the piano bench? Crayons in the heater vent? My eyelash curler in the toilet? Why not!) This time, however, I strongly suspected my husband. Despite several days of whining, cajoling and begging none of the males in my house ‘fessed up nor relenquished my scale.
Fine, I thought angrily as the anxiety mounted – there was Halloween candy in the house, people! – I’ll show them. I’ll just get another scale. And so, being a cheapskate, to the thrift store I headed. Long story short: the same place that sells lead paint (right next to the baby spoons) and 8-track players and half of a sandwich maker, doesn’t sell scales.
“It’s a sign,” my husband commented dryly. “The universe doesn’t care how much you weigh.” The thought was overwhelming. I just wasn’t ready yet! And then the universe intervened on my behalf courtesy of Mary Lou Retton, of ’80s Wheaties fame.
It turns out that even gold-medal Olympic gymnasts have weight problems. Mary Lou writes on her website about how after training intensely for so many years, once she retired from competitive gymnastics she went on a free-for-all with food. And she had four daughters. The combination of pregnancy, junk food and a reduced workout regimine piled the pounds on. Being the positive sprite that we all remember from our childhood, she wanted a healthy, sane way to monitor her weight loss and provide encouragement.
So she invented Mary Lou’s Weigh. This “platform” is a weight scale. Except that the very first thing you will notice about it is that there is no window or display in which to show a number. In fact, other than a couple of colored lights, there’s nothing on the scale at all. I was dubious but I popped the batteries in and turned it on anyhow.
“Please step on the platform!” it chirped. Yes, this is the Nightrider of scales. I warily complied. “Starting weight recorded!” I stepped off, took off my sweatshirt, peed and then got back on it. Applause and cheering reverberated through my bathroom. “You are 1.5 pounds below your starting weight! Way to go! This is a new low weight for you!” (Yeah, I peed a lot.) The scale, via a bubbly Mary Lou’s voice, then proceeded to give me a healthy living tip to keep up my positive momentum.
I can guarantee you no one has ever cheered before when I stepped on a scale. Not even me. I kinda liked it. It made me smile.
And that’s how Mary Lou’s Weigh works. The machine – which surprisingly has a decent sense of humor (question: “How about if I take diet pills?” retort: “How about if you don’t?”) – never tells you what you weigh. It only tells you whether you have lost weight or gained, with no judgement for the latter and gives you an all out celebration for every 10 pounds you lose. For those of us that are good at math, one would think what’s the point, I’ll just do the math in my head. Except that for some reason I don’t. And the positive emphasis of the healthy living tips actually leaves me feeling a little better than before I stepped on it. I could never say that about my old scale. I suppose over time you could get irritated with the chirpiness of it all – I’ve only had it for a few days so it’s still new to me – but Mary Lou sells replacement cartridges that you can put in the back of the scale that apparently contain all new tips and accolades so it doesn’t get old. (In the booklet that comes with the platform, one of the questions is, “What if I get irritated with Mary Lou and shoot the scale?” The answer: “Mary Lou understands how emotional weight can be and encourages you to let your emotions out. However, if you shoot the scale it won’t work anymore.”)
I have to say I’m excited to have found this. It seems like a good intermediary step to weaning myself from the scale. I still only do it once a day but this time I have my own cheering section. Now, if I can just keep my kids away from it…
What do you guys think? Do you weigh yourselves? Are you fully emancipated from the scale? Interested in getting your own Mary Lou’s Weigh? Go check out the free helpful weight-loss tools on her site and then come back here and let me know what your fave tip is to enter the contest. You guys have until Monday! Happy not-weighing!
I weigh myself once in while, and usually cringe at the number.
I know that I need to make more time to sit and breathe deeply, but I never do, unless I’m teaching a class. I like Marylou’s relaxation techniques, and I think I’ll go try one now.
‘Cause I kinda need it, lol!
I do the exact same thing with the scale. I get on and if it doesn’t say what I want, I get off, move it to a different part of the floor and try again. I usually do this until it says what I want it to say…I’m guessing there’s some sort of depression point on my bathroom floor that allows for my delusions. I weigh myself at least once but usually more every day. I hate the scale and haven’t found one that’s consistent yet. Mary Lou’s weigh sounds hilarious and genius. I went to her site and will most likely utilize the recipes section. I think I exercise enough, but healthy eating is a tougher one for me. Hopefully the recipes will help! Thanks Charlotte, win or lose, I’m going to get me one!
I need this!! I am obsessed with my scale and it would be so nice to have a way to keep track without really knowing. ya know?
My fav tip is to count your blessings as a way to de stress. I am a stress eater, so maybe if I try this instead of eating, controlling my weight wouldn’t be so hard.
I saw Mary Lou a couple of years ago. She and my husband were doing physical therapy rehab at the same place. She’s so tiny!!
You know… when I go to the doctor, I end up going to 2 or 3 (related to migraines). SO – I get weighed each time. The first appointment, I think to myself – ah… I need to recalibrate my home scale. The 2nd appointment? There’s a 3-4 lb. DIFFERENCE. Tell me how that works within ONE DAY appointments! WHAT?!? Just bugs the HMO out of me. So I just don’t know who or what to believe anymore… I think I’d like to try the MLR scale just so I don’t fret about why the difference between all the scales. Hm.
With Thanksgiving mere weeks away (SO excited to go home and see the fams) I liked Marylou’s relaxation tip to “Count Your Blessings”. I was feeling particularly stressed out last night and couldn’t get to sleep so I took a few moments to quickly jot down those things that I am grateful for in my life.
Great post! :]
How interesting this exists. I had thought about something kind of similar. It wouldn’t have a display, like this one. You’d weigh yourself each day and it wouldn’t tell you. But you could plug it into your computer once a week, it would download the weights, and then just give you a graph that had been smoothed out for the week, so that you could see if you were on an upward, downward or maintaining trend.
For me, this would be great. Weighing every day tends to dictate how I feel that day. Weighing once a week seems too imprecise. Sometimes I eat a big meal the day before, or eat very little. There could be a big swing, based only on the day before. By weighing everyday but only getting feedback via a smoothed-out line, I think it would get rid of both problems.
I like this idea. If it did body fat too (maybe it does and I missed that) it would be better, because my weight can stay about the same with my shape changing A LOT!
I weigh myself once a day, at least. A few months ago I got a good scale, that does do body fat (how accurate are these anyway?), and realized that I weighed more than I thought, because my old scale was WAY off. I like it too because it can tell me my sons’ weights more accurately.
I’m not happy with its current reading, but I’ve been doing a lot of emotional eating and being lazy. My daughter just turned 13 and now wears the same size jeans as I do (well, as I was until a couple weeks ago), and that messed with my head. I’ve realized the problem and am trying to fix it though.
Wow, what an awesome scale! I tell you that I have been obsessed with the number thing for YEARS…..before I got married and we celebrated our 20th anniversary in August (I got married at 17 but yes, I am old, just not THAT old 🙂 My husband sometimes takes mine and hided it and one day I spent almost 8 hours searching before I finally found it….had to know the number…..it does dictate my mood and today, well let’s just say the mood was HORRIBLE because I have eaten the right foods, kept calories where they should be to lose and exercised and today I am up 1.4lbs…..that threw me into a major tizzy for sure. I wish that I were not so number obsessed 🙁 I mean I know I shouldn’t be, I know there are fluctuations, etc but darn it I need to be losing right now…..yes I have taken the number game too far, too low in the past….don’t plan to go there again if I can help it…..I drive hubby insane but yet he is sort of used to it after all of this time…..I checked her tips out and must say that I NEED to work on these 3 most…. love your body and your mind, be nice to yourself and Turn fatigue and stress into energy and peace….she has come up with a great way not to be so hard on ourselves with that number! I hope you continue to enjoy yours and I will definitely be adding that scale to my ever growing *fitness* wish list! CJ (cj@johndavidinsurance.com)
“You’d have to relocate to the moon to see a noticeable effect on your weight”
Which only proves what an unreliable measure of attractiveness weight is… 🙂
My favorite tip is:
“The first step of avoiding extra calories is knowing where they hide. Three crackers and a little cheese is a whopping 500 calories. Twelve tortilla chips is 300! However, one corn tortilla, torn up into chip-size pieces is only 58 calories. Your power – and a big wake-up call – comes from reading labels. Even a “healthy” “low-fat” granola bar can easily contain 500 calories. Think of all the fruits and vegetables you could have before you got to 500.”
This is such a GENIUS idea!!
Even though I have the best of intentions with my scale (hence “off the scale”) I still hoof on it fairly often. But whatever the number is, it still equates to Not Good Enough in my head. Seriously, I could lose 3lbs from the day before and instead of going “yayyy, go me!” my brain says “you know, a coupla years ago you were THIRTY POUNDS lighter. So don’t get excited. You still SUCK.”
But I can’t get rid of it, I lived without it for a whole year during recovery and I felt completely out of control.
It’s a fear thing.
TA x
I’ll admit it. I didn’t look at any of her tips. I was too busy trying to figure out if that waist on the side could really be hers.
VERY COOL sadly I love the tip snooze to lose and aspire to live that some day 🙂
(ok and I obsessed about that short blah comment the way some people scale obsess :))
That it such A FAB idea!
The number is the bain of my life, I can’t get out of the daily weighing, and it dictates my mood for the rest of the day. Damn that number.
My favourite tip on Marylou’s site it to “Shop on a Full Stomach”. If I shop when I’m hungry that’s me finished for the rest of the week. I’ll sucumb to the temptation of unhealthy foods, and wake up to a fridge full of unhealthy stuff which I have to ressit the rest of the week. Shopping when you’ve eaten, that’s a good tip.
CP x
After losing a good bit of weight several years ago, I was anti-scale. If the pants were feeling snug, then it was time to cut back. My husband then went and got a scale for our bathroom. Being the serious runner that he is, he wanted to keep a tally on his weight after intense workouts. One or two pounds can add precious seconds to a runner’s time. So, our bathroom scale taunts me every morning.
Unfortunately, I do not weigh myself consistently. I’ll jump on randomly, sometimes fully clothed and sometimes not. Plus, I always get on at different times throughout the day. I probably only weigh myself about once a week, but the number varies by about 5 pounds. It it’s up, I freak out and strip down to nothing, go to the bathroom, and I’ve even taken out my hair clip to try and get the number down. Yes, scales are evil!
I looked at Mary Lou’s Website. I immediately went to the recipe suggestions as I love to cook. I think I’m going to try the Mexican Chicken recipe with black beans. It sounds so easy!
I would love a scale without the number! Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?
I only get weighed once (maybe twice?) a year when I go to the Dr. My husband and I came upon scales in IKEA for $5 not too long ago, but I decided not to get it so I wouldn’t become a slave!
I also like the “Count your blessings!” Have a great day!
I usually weigh myself every morning… just to see where I am. I have an “official” weigh in then once a week that I do myself at a the same time, on the same day and in generally the same clothes. I record that number on my computer then for me and my blog. I try not to let it bother me too much but of course some days it does. I do want to lose weight though so I need to know how am I am doing. I also know if I didn’t weigh myself I would easily start ignoring if my clothes are getting tighter and would pretend everything was fine. Mary Lou’s scale sounds like a great alternative though!
I obsessively weigh myself every morning, immediately after I pee, in tshirt and panties or less. Sometimes, if I feel bloated or weigh heavy, I will only drink coffee until I BM, then weigh myself again (hence why the biggest poop EVER comment had me rolling on the ground). If I leave the scale sit out, I am on and off it all day long.
Since I hover right around my maximum weight by Navy standards, I dont think MLW would work for me, because I need to know that number until I get and stay a substantial amount under it. But, I really like the concept. Hard to imagine such a little person having a weight problem, but it just goes to show that we are all susceptible.
So I have to ask: How on earth did you come across this contraption? It’s amazing. Space age. Like the Jetsons!
My favorite tip on her site: “Don’t deprive yourself.” WORD.
I weigh myself, but am more concerned with the body fat percentage that pops up. The only thing that’s irritating is that the scale gives me a percentage that’s 6% higher than what those measure-your-neck-waist-and-hips formulas give me.
And as I’ve lost weight and gotten more definition (Only to see the percentage on the scale increase), I’ve started using the formula.
My favourite scale would be kind of like that, only it would have no chirpy voices and only three settings:
– Your pants won’t fit any more
– Yay, your pants fit!
– your pants won’t fit any more
Can you tell I’m still annoyed about not fitting in my pants?
I used to weigh myself every morning. It became a time I looked forward to and dreaded at once. I finally stopped, because I didn’t like how that number determined my mood for the day…I still hop on up there every now and then to “check in,” though.
I love ML’s tip on the importance of relaxation. I forget how great bubble baths with candles can be! Now if I could just find someone to run the bath and light the candles for me every night. 🙂
I weigh myself occasionally. I’ve gone for months without doing it. Really, once you have developed a good body sense, how you feel is the important thing. It’s not just with weight that people get off balance with numbers. Medicine is all about numbers, too much I think. Patients get too involved with their numbers, and if they are “off” a little, they get too depressed!
Sometimes I like to wear a watch, that just has Mickey Mouse smiling at me, without any hands to tell the “time!” After all, we all know what time Mickey says it is!!
This – “If you feel tired but have had enough sleep, and are not sick, then try exercising for 5 minutes. Then see how you feel. If you feel better, continue exercising as long as you feel well. If you still feel tired, stop and rest. Wait for another day. Not every day can be ideal for exercise” – was like a lightbulb for me. I am an all-or-nothing gal, so giving myself permission to do just a little bit is huge. I am def going to bookmark her site and I am going to check out that scale! Thanks for the info!!
That is the best idea I’ve heard of in a long time! That’s fantastic that she did that.
I get on the scale but the number isn’t the big deal for me; it’s just to make sure I’m staying on track. So that scale would be perfect. Hurray for Mary Lou!
I was a once a week weigher, but quickly escalated to a once a day weigher – now I try to pretend the scale is missing because it hasn't been friendly since May.
I like Marylou's healthy eating tips for what to have in your fridge & pantry – if I don't buy cookies and chips I won't be eating them.
I like this idea.
I really like this idea.
Really, really like this idea.
I’m too tired to think up something more coherent, but have I mentioned that I like this idea? Just checking.
I like the work outside your comfort zone. That and buy smaller plates, I love a full plate.
I’m a bit nervous about this thing for eating disordered types. The big celebration for losing weight? What if you need to put on weight? Or if you’re at a goal weight? The cheering section might get addictive. I wonder if it works the other way if you’re below like 100 lbs? and I suppose if you were trying to put on weight, this isn’t the scale you’d buy anyway.
Also, I like her ‘things to keep in the pantry’ list. Usually when I eat something unhealthy, it’s because I didn’t think ahead of time and stock up on healthy grab-n-go food.
That platform? Sounds fabulous. Last weekend I got SO frustrated with my scale (the cheapest one I could find at Wal-Mart… two years ago. The reading fluctuated by over 5 pounds depending on whether I was leaning forward or backwards… even a little.) that I threw it away. And I usually weigh myself once a day – or, I used to.
Checked out the site too, which is also fabulous. My fave tip? All the recipes! I’ve got some tried and true healthy eating dishes, but am definitely craving some variety, and lots of that stuff looks YUM!
Hey Char –
I ended up buying the WiiFit for my sons birthday in August. (Really it was for me, too!!) Every day it wants you to hop on and do a daily Body Test. It weighs you and tells you your body fat and shows you if you are balanced physically. I always hop on for the test after working out for the day in the evening. Sometimes if I don’t hop on at the same time every day, it says that our body fluctuates 2-3 pounds during the day. It also has other cool fitness/wellness tips, so it was a great investment for us. But I’m glad you could find a machine that doesn’t rely on a “number”. That will be great for you! Congrats!
That scale sounds fun! 🙂
I don’t have a scale at home. I used to have one of those body fat ones, but the batteries ran out and I threw it out. Basically, I weigh myself when I’m at the gym, usually 1 or 2 days a week. I don’t necessarily care too much about the number in particular, but more so about making sure I’m not letting it get out of control. I use a tape measure for my waist occasionally, because I feel that’s a better measure than weight.
A few months ago I would have said that Yes, I know my weight down to the nearest 100grams! I’ve been avoiding the scales for the last while, and trying to just go with how my body feels or how my clothes fit. Unfortunately I do participate in a weight-controlled sport though… so I can’t avoid them much longer! :o)
I’ve been staring at the same range of numbers for 2 months, and I’ve had to do some mental gymnastics of my own over that. It took me until about 2 weeks ago to make peace with that number, realize that sometimes the body needs to spend some time stabilizing – I guess I shouldn’t have expected to be able to zip all the way down to my goal without some hiccups, and I’m lucky the first 100 went so fast. It’s going to be fighting tooth and nail for the last few, but what are the options? Give up? No way!
Sorry – bit of a tangent there. I weigh myself most mornings (unless I did something stupid like drink all night or eat dinner real late). I totally celebrate each ounce below my lowest weight, and I give myself about a 1-2 lb leeway upward to not get crazy about since I fluctuate even if I weigh in the morning, nekkid, after the toilet. And the poop thing cracked me up too.
I’m glad this is working for you, I always loved Mary Lou! I’m pretty sure I’d do the math in my head and ruin what this thing is supposed to do, but who knows. I definitely liked the sleep tip – that’s one thing I never did before trying to lose weight and I think it’s helped! Exercise makes me sleep earlier, and sleeping more makes me more refreshed! It’s the opposite of a vicious cycle! 🙂
I would have to say that my favorite tip was:
Eat at the table.
With the family if you have one, but in any case, set the table nicely and make it a pleasant, leisurely event. Savor each bite, and put down your fork in between. Think about your food – where it came from, what it took to get here, how it’s benefiting you. Have a relationship with each meal, a little fling if you will, then – having taken the best it has to give – move on. You heartbreaker, you.
I am not good about eating at the table. I tend to eat on the run or while I am doing something else. I will definitely have to try this one.
Jenn
Comedy Gold: “What if I get irritated with Mary Lou and shoot the scale?” The answer: “Mary Lou understands how emotional weight can be and encourages you to let your emotions out. However, if you shoot the scale it won’t work anymore.”
As for the tips: Chilled water – let this become your drink of choice. Add a wedge of lemon to make it extra refreshing
I love the tip: Devour a Book
I have found that its an easy way for me to take my mind off of the food hankerings which linger after dinner.
Am I the only person who NEVER weighs themself? EVER? I had a baby a year ago, and I didn’t even let them weigh me during pregnancy. At the doctor’s office I politely say “I decline to be weighed”. If they insist, I stand on the scale backwards and ask them not to tell me the number. My weight has never been important to me, just that I feel and look good, and my clothes fit (almost!). I don’t want to be a slave to a certain weight.
Anna–I don’t weigh myself either!
Unfortunately, I find that I have the same thoughts without the scale–just with less frequency. Some days I feel great and other days I don’t; it’s the same as I would feel with the scale depending on the number for the day. It definitely helps to not weigh myself though and I hope you reach your goal, Charlotte.
I saw Mary Lou in Hawaii last year with her three girls. We were on the same beach. Her girls are ripped! I believe they’re all under 12–but have some serious muscles as does Mary Lou. Mary Lou looks fantastic and still obsesses about her weight, as do you Charlotte, and seemingly every other woman here to varying degrees. Maybe we should all share our “ah-ha” moments–those times when we realize we are not a number on a scale or the tag on our pants.
Thanks for the post–what a great scale! I’m going to share the website with a few friends to encourage them to transition off their regular scales as well!
What a great idea! I was getting too crazy due to the scale so I stopped weighing myself for about a year. Unfortunately I put on about 10 lbs or so.
My favorite tip was to stop and take a breath. Too often I don’t and wind up in a tizzy, thus making me susceptible to my biggest obstacle; emotional eating.
Holy cow. This? IS FREAKIN’ AMAZING. LOVE. And the tips and the recipes and the whole shebang. (Yes, I love it so much I actually used the word “shebang.”) I have bookmarked her website and might actually buy a platform. I love the idea of being able to weigh myself without being able to beat myself up. Seriously.
EMANCIPATED.
for now anyway…(does that count?)
I think my favorite has to be “Variety is an effective key to enjoying exercise too.” because it is good to remember to switch it up so you don’t get bored. Love the idea of this non-scale!
I never weigh myself. I’m one of those, go-by-how-my-jeans-fit kind of people.
I think partly this is because it is the way I have always been – when I first was losing my “extra” weight during high school, I don’t think we had a scale, so I never weighed myself. Now that part has become habit. But mostly, I think it’s because there are just too many things that can affect my weight (Have I gone to the bathroom yet?, Did I exercise yet?, How much salt was in that soup I had yesterday?) that if I get a number higher than I expect, it completely ruins my mood. And I hate that about myself – so I don’t do it.
Along those lines, I really like the “Count your blessings” tip. Because sometimes I get SO wrapped up in all of this weight/body image STUFF that I forgot that life is about so much more than that.
Good luck with the not weighing! I think it will help you!
aw i love Mary Lou. I just want to put her in my pocket.
No entry for me- I dont like to weigh myself, no matter what the number is I find that it messes with my head too much. as long as my pants fit i couldnt care less.
Kelly Turner
http://www.groundedfitness.com
Ok, so I have nothing to say about the tips, but wanted to tell you that your post was hilarious, and I totally looked at the toilet after pooping yesterday and thought “huh, I should totally weigh myself now”, which made me laugh a LOT. In the bathroom. Because of poop. Good times. Thanks. 🙂
Hi Charlotte!
Love Mary Lou’s idea … what a positive way to encourage people, and help people who are struggling with the scale.
I think my big scale issue happens when I go for the weekly WW weigh in … it is so hard to face that scale each week and have the number recorded.
I’d so love to have a Mary Lou’s Weigh!! So, to enter the contest, my favorite tip from Mary Lou is the 7-4-7 breathing technique for relaxation.
Great post!!
I like Mary Lou Retton scale as well, I hope this one works out better for you.
If not, then I’m sure there are some boys in your life that will “Take Care” of the scale for you.
I definitely loved the be nice to yourself tip. The area I struggle most with for sure!!!
I do weigh myself, but it’s more reflexive than anything else.
It seems like such a useless number to me. I’ve been unhealthy at 160, and in great shape at 180. The lowest weight of my life corresponded to a time when I was barely eating (hmmmm) and I wasn’t particularly healthy.
I’ve been ‘stuck’ at 200 pounds for the last six months, yet made huge strides in body composition. If I was only looking at body weight I’d have no way to measure my progress.
is it okay if I love my scale? It doesn’t determine my mood or self-worth for the day. Because I take before/after photos, measure myself and my bf%, and wear non-stretchy clothes to tell me how I’m doing, I’m not sure if that makes it okay to use a scale as part of my tool kit, or just really sad and pathetic that I need so many tools to feel good about my weight. You’re turning me into your OCD self with all this self analysis. So, I’ll just keep weighing myself and tell Marylou my self-worth for the day doesn’t come from her little accolades! My self worth comes from inside, really!
Ok, Charlotte, this got my attention. Cool idea! I don’t regularly weigh myself, but Mary Lou’s scale just sounds like fun! When can I try yours??
I like the part about celebrating the victories. I’m beginning the uphill battle of loosing the baby weight and last week I went out on a walk twice and one of them was in the rain! I call that a victory!
I used to weigh myself every day for quite a few years (ah, the “wonderful” life of disordered eating…). Now it’s more like every few weeks.
I wouldn’t buy or use that scale myself.
Mary Lou was a fabulous athlete! Like many of us, life brings challenges our way. These can be quite revealing. I’m glad she is doing well!
i like that it will give me a pep talk while i’m naked and depressed! sign me up, thanks
I used to weigh myself daily, but i’ve slipped off the wagon in the last 3 or 4 months…i’m failing the skinny jeans test and think that’s why i’m scared to weigh lately. this scale might get me back on the straight and narrow (emphasis on narrow). Thanks!!
I just found this scale and thought of this post. (http://www.withings.com/) It's wireless and sends your (and your husband's, kids' and dog's) weight to a website/iPhone app which makes a graph. That part's fine and clever and all, but what I think I'd do if I had the $150 to buy it is tape over the display and just let it send the info to the website. Now, this doesn't work if you're just going to log on the second you weigh yourself but I think it would work for me. That way I'm not confronted by my daily (or even weekly) weight, but instead by a bumpy line that might be going generally up, down or staying flat.
I don't think the Mary Lou scale would work well for me, because there's too much judgement in gaining or losing (though the relative number does seem like an improvement!).