Newbie dilemma? ..."Scale mentality"? ...I'm not even sure what to call it?

Evelyn1

Evelyn1

New member
Okay, so here's the thing:


Last Tuesday, at the doctor's, his super-whiz-bang medical scale said I weighed 308 lbs. That, plus my equally alarming cholesterol and fasting glucose levels, inspired me to start trying to eat healthy and live right. As part of that effort, I went out tonight and bought myself a household/bathroom scale.


It says I weigh 304 pounds. So either I have lost 4 lbs over the last week (entirely possible, and if so - YAHOOOO!!!!), or my scale is not calibrated quite the same as my doc's scale (equally possible), or some combination of the two (even more possible and probably the case).


Okay, I know it's just a number. But my motivation for trying to get fit is almost entirely based on health concerns, which means that doctors are very much involved, and doctors can take these numbers extremely seriously. For instance, if I weigh 308 (or even 305) lbs, my BMI is (just) over 45 and I'm officially "super-obese." But if I really do weigh 304, my BMI is (barely) under 45 and I'm merely "morbidly obese." That's a whole different set of gravely compassionate looks and daunting medical statistics.


So which set of numbers do I go by? Should I use my home scale only for differences between one weighing and another, and take only the doc's scales numbers as "real"? Should I ask the doc if I can drop by once a week to weigh myself on his mega-accurate medical super-scale? Should I bring my home scale with me to my next doctor's appointment for a side-by-side calibration showdown?

(Should I stop overthinking this already, and go get some exercise or cook myself some veggies or something?)


Arrrgh.
 
Don't get too hung up on BMI classifications, The border between one and another means as much as being 29 years old or being 30 years old (that is, nothing whatsoever).


Use your personal scales to track your progress, they may not be as accurate as the doctors but a 10Lb loss on your scales will still be about 10Lb loss on his scale. check in with the doctor as often as they want (particularly if they have you on one of their diets), if not, every few months is fine.


Tourny
 
If you are, like many people, prone to getting a little obsessive and tend to 'spin' over a subject then the scale is not a good thing to obsess/spin about.


Maybe get all caught up over nutrition and exercise. Obsess over eating good foods in sensible quanitities and doing a specific exercise routine each day. Use those subjects to give yourself positive feedback about doing something good for your health.


You will lose weight if you eat healthily and exercise and the next time you visit the doctor you will be very pleasantly surprised!
 
Yup, that's it, I've gone "scale-ey."


Weighed myself again this morning to see if there was any difference in my AM & PM weights. When it read out the exact same thing as last night, I caught myself thinking that maybe the scale was broken and it would always read out "303.6" no matter what I weighed....


Scale mentality, right on the nose. I hereby vow not to even get near that scale until Tuesday of next week.


(edited for spellng)
 
Evelyn, I think the scale can be a great tool. But as it has been mentioned, you'd probably be better off to be "obsessive" over a clean, healthy diet, with a good balance of proteins, fats, and carbs, along with a solid exercise routine... and a little less concerned with the actual number on the scale. Worry about diet and exercise "first", and everything else will fall into place :)


BTW, about that BMI index.... It's old, and outdated. Let me put it this way, I'm in the best shape of my entire life, and my BF % right now is about 13-14%, at 206 lbs, and 6ft in height. (my BF was about 45%, 30 months ago) but since the BMI index does not take muscle mass into account, it still says I'm over weight ! And if I ever get to my long term goal, of 225 lbs, at 9% BF, the BMI index will say I'm "obese" again ! Yea.... obese like a pro weight lifter :)


Good luck on your journey :)


Fish
 
Originally Posted by Tourny


Don't get too hung up on BMI classifications, The border between one and another means as much as being 29 years old or being 30 years old (that is, nothing whatsoever).



Use your personal scales to track your progress, they may not be as accurate as the doctors but a 10Lb loss on your scales will still be about 10Lb loss on his scale. check in with the doctor as often as they want (particularly if they have you on one of their diets), if not, every few months is fine.



Tourny
Click to expand...



Thanks for the reply & reassurance, Tourny. I have a whole lot of emotional energy behind my drive into this fitness effort, and some of it seems to have gotten twisted around the (metaphorical) axle of my new scale. :doh:


(And if I could choose the names for which labels were attached to what, I'd rather be "super" than "morbid" anyway.
smile.gif
)
 
Originally Posted by Spinner1964


If you are, like many people, prone to getting a little obsessive and tend to 'spin' over a subject then the scale is not a good thing to obsess/spin about.



Maybe get all caught up over nutrition and exercise. Obsess over eating good foods in sensible quanitities and doing a specific exercise routine each day. Use those subjects to give yourself positive feedback about doing something good for your health.



You will lose weight if you eat healthily and exercise and the next time you visit the doctor you will be very pleasantly surprised!
Click to expand...



Thanks, Spinner. I do tend to get "spun up" about things, and I appreciate your help in "talking me down."
smile.gif



I am channeling my obsessive tendencies into nutrition and exercise as well (...you wanna see my double-page daily health journal layout? And my food diary spreadsheet is still a work in progress, but coming right along...). I guess I need to stop running around obsessing about everything all at once.... :willy_nilly:
 
Originally Posted by Fish Chris


(...)



BTW, about that BMI index.... It's old, and outdated. Let me put it this way, I'm in the best shape of my entire life, and my BF % right now is about 13-14%, at 206 lbs, and 6ft in height. (my BF was about 45%, 30 months ago) but since the BMI index does not take muscle mass into account, it still says I'm over weight ! And if I ever get to my long term goal, of 225 lbs, at 9% BF, the BMI index will say I'm "obese" again ! Yea.... obese like a pro weight lifter :)
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply and encouragement, Fish.
smile.gif



Yeah, I was reading on the links on the BMI calculator page in "Tools" that BMI would be a very good indicator of all the things it's supposed to indicate if I were 5' 4," 26 years old, and had average muscle and bone density. I happen to be 5' 9," 49 years old, and have well-above-average bone density. It's rather inaccurrate to be me (or to be you), I guess.


(BTW, and FWIW, you sound like you must be a seriously handsome hunk. ;) )
 
Originally Posted by Coach Kristi


I know the feeling. It is hard to overcome self-defeating habits. We can get so caught up in obsessing about the scales that they are our worst enemy.





I have written quite a bit about that in my blog. I am doing a 100 day weight loss challenge. I have just completed my first 50 days and am pleased to say I have lost 5 inches off my waist. You can see my pictures on my blog, Click on Journey and go to day 50. www.100days-mic.com. Also my 50 Days Before and After photos are in a Youtube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bG1Ux2yvQM
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply and the sympathy, Kristi.
smile.gif


(Although I have to admit that I have so many and such egregious self-defeating habits that I would be thrilled if obsessing over the weight shwom on my scale were the worst of them...)


Congratulations on your sucess so far, and good luck in the next 50 days of your challenge. It's really inspiring to hear others' stories of weight loss success. :hurray:
 
Many of us have headed down the direction you are going with the scale and learned the hard way that it is a poor measure of success for weight management and yet it does seem like the obvious choice of tool.


I have finally succeeded in managing my weight along with my health by 'doing' rather than analysing, by researching diet and exercise rather than over planning or over thinking.


Like you I am not a young woman (48 years old) and spent a long time arguing with my weight (from 110 pounds to 200 pounds and everything in between!) but in the last 5 years I have finally worked out that my weight and my health is not outside of my management. But I had to shift my focus:


- do more 'doing' and less thinking and by 'doing' I mean exercise, buy and eat the good foods (see FishChris reply and this site for good ideas about food)

- ignore the scale, it can be misleading and often demotivating

- if you don't weigh yourself then you can't use the BMI which can also be misleading and demotivating

- and keep 'doing' every day - use all your energy to get up and keep moving and eat plenty of good food while you do


Eventually you get used to being more active, enjoy the healthy foods and it all becomes ingrained in the way you think and the decisions you make on a daily basis.


And remember this is a marathon and not a race!


Good luck with your journey...
 
Spinner1964 (my birth year BTW, I assume yours also
smile.gif
)


This is so true, it should be written into poetry or something
smile.gif



Seriously though, this has been exactly the case for me ! Sometimes I even start to get kind of full of myself, thinking > "I could never go back to living like I used to"..... But at the same time, I can never forget how miserable and hopeless I felt, and how hard I worked to get back to where I am. If ever I fell off this wagon, it would be the end of me !



Originally Posted by Spinner1964



Eventually you get used to being more active, enjoy the healthy foods and it all becomes ingrained in the way you think and the decisions you make on a daily basis.



And remember this is a marathon and not a race!



Good luck with your journey...
Click to expand...
 
AHi FishChris. I had to learn that everything I had been taught about nutrition was wrong and I had to teach myself how to exercise. Then I had to experiment with what worked for me and have the discipline to stick to it until it finally became entrenched. Then people started asking for my advice and I did try and help some people but it has become obvious to me this is a personal journey and unless a person makes a commitment to themselves it doesn't happen. I don't worry about 'slipping back' now. I've changed. That surprises me even now but I know I'll never change back. Mostly I am relieved I got my head around the problem early enough. My family have a history of CVD and die in their 50's so as I head into my 50's it looks like I dodged a bullet! :hurray:
 
Spinner, a huge congrats to you !!! :)


Hey BTW, my Grandfather (fathers father) died of a heart attack, at age 47.

My father, died of lung disease, complicated by alcoholism, at age 47.


I am 47 years old now ! Three years ago, I honestly didn't think I'd live much, if any, past 47 years myself (and the way I felt back then, nor did I care)


But now I'm thinking, "I better live to at least 50, or 52" ! I'm going to need at least that much time to get "up to" 225 @ 9% BF ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But with all that said, their is no guarantee on life. {Life insurance. Ha ! Now there's an oxy-moron for you :)


On the other hand, whether I live 1 more year, or 30 more years, either way, I know that my quality of life will be infinitely better, during my time alotted.


Peace,

Fish
 
Thanks to you both, Fish & Spinner. :)


It looks like we're, in some ways, all in the same boat. I'm 49, and my body seems to have decided that being this near 50 means no longer keeping my cholesterol and glucose numbers in the "not so bad" range, as it had for years; but sending them straight into "no good at all" territory. On my doctor visit on 2/14, my fasting blood glucose was 120 mg/dl, my Total Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio was 6.4, and the rest of my lipid panel was just as alarming. I've tried plugging these numbers and my other risk factors into various health risk calculators; and, according to the statistics, there's a pretty good chance that I'm already dead. :eek:


More to the point, there seems to be a near certainity that - unless I make some drastic lifestyle changes - I will be dead within the next 5-15 years.

And I just heard that my mom's next-door-neighbor (a very nice lady & good friend to Mom) has recently been in and out of the emergency with heart trouble, is having too much trouble breathing to carry on a phone conversation of any length, and is not expected to be with us too much longer. She's 62 years old. That could so easily be me 13 years from now... ...unless I start living & behaving a whole lot healthier.


So drastic lifestyle changes it is. Fresh veggies & fruit, whole grains, minimal fat intake, daily stretching routine, and working my way gently into physical activity and exercise. I've already lost about 5 lb,* my tight clothes are fitting better and my loose clothes are fitting baggier, and I'm feeling better than I have in a very long time. :coolgleama:


(*Note: not that weight loss itself is the best indicator of the health changes I want to make, but it's not like I can do my own blood test panels at home....)
 
Hey Evelyn, I totally hear you !


One thing though, when you said > Fresh veggies & fruit, whole grains, minimal fat intake < Of course the fresh fruits and veggies are great, but fruit still has a lot of sugar in it, so you don't want to overdo it.

Whole wheat is better than totally processed bleached flour products..... but I try not to eat too much grains in general. I have 1 large whole grain bun (200 cals) with my sandwich every day, but that's all the bread I eat. Other than that, I eat 1 1-2 to 2 cups natural rolled oats, from my bowl in the morning, and 1 bowl with dinner.


Now, as for the fats > Fats are very important, and GOOD for your diet. Of course you don't want to go over board, but I'd say to shoot for a "medium" amount of fats, and just try to get it from sources such as nuts, avacados, olives / olive oil, or (my favorite ;) Salmon !


Finally, you left out the most important one ! (Okay, so their all important, but....) Protein ! Now, I don't think your trying to be a totally buff body builder, like I want to be :) LOL.... but none the less, I'd say you should shoot for at least 100 or 125 gm's of protein per day.

Lean chicken breasts, fish, egg whites (which taste fine, scrambled, and seasoned :) I eat 8-10 jumbo egg whites every morning) and maybe a protein shake here or there, are all good ways to get your protein.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and hey Evelyn, do some research on macro balances.... This is one of the most important aspects of a healthy diet. Most personal trainers and dietitians recommend something along the lines of 30% carbs, 35% fats, and 35% protein.


Once you know about this, you can plan your meals like > Okay, these 2 or 3 items will provide my carbs, fat, and proteins. You might sometimes realize that two of your items have a lot of fat, and you really only need one of them..... Or, Wait a minute.... I really don't need that many carbs.


That was me, tonight; I made my big tuna, tomato, avocado, and egg whites dinner, with salsa all over it.... then realized that I was getting plenty of carbs, "without" my nightly bowl of oatmeal (with craizens ;))


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for such a ramble. I've just been on this kick lately where I feel like its almost my duty to help somebody up from the same place I used to be at ! It's like good karma, or passing on the blessing :)

So if their is anything else I can help with, please let me know :)


Peace,

Fish



Originally Posted by Evelyn


Thanks to you both, Fish & Spinner. :)



It looks like we're, in some ways, all in the same boat. I'm 49, and my body seems to have decided that being this near 50 means no longer keeping my cholesterol and glucose numbers in the "not so bad" range, as it had for years; but sending them straight into "no good at all" territory. On my doctor visit on 2/14, my fasting blood glucose was 120 mg/dl, my Total Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio was 6.4, and the rest of my lipid panel was just as alarming. I've tried plugging these numbers and my other risk factors into various health risk calculators; and, according to the statistics, there's a pretty good chance that I'm already dead. :eek:



More to the point, there seems to be a near certainity that - unless I make some drastic lifestyle changes - I will be dead within the next 5-15 years.

And I just heard that my mom's next-door-neighbor (a very nice lady & good friend to Mom) has recently been in and out of the emergency with heart trouble, is having too much trouble breathing to carry on a phone conversation of any length, and is not expected to be with us too much longer. She's 62 years old. That could so easily be me 13 years from now... ...unless I start living & behaving a whole lot healthier.



So drastic lifestyle changes it is. Fresh veggies & fruit, whole grains, minimal fat intake, daily stretching routine, and working my way gently into physical activity and exercise. I've already lost about 5 lb,* my tight clothes are fitting better and my loose clothes are fitting baggier, and I'm feeling better than I have in a very long time. :coolgleama:



(*Note: not that weight loss itself is the best indicator of the health changes I want to make, but it's not like I can do my own blood test panels at home....)
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted by Fish Chris


Hey Evelyn, I totally hear you !


One thing though, when you said > Fresh veggies & fruit, whole grains, minimal fat intake < Of course the fresh fruits and veggies are great, but fruit still has a lot of sugar in it, so you don't want to overdo it.

Whole wheat is better than totally processed bleached flour products..... but I try not to eat too much grains in general. I have 1 large whole grain bun (200 cals) with my sandwich every day, but that's all the bread I eat. Other than that, I eat 1 1-2 to 2 cups natural rolled oats, from my bowl in the morning, and 1 bowl with dinner.



Now, as for the fats > Fats are very important, and GOOD for your diet. Of course you don't want to go over board, but I'd say to shoot for a "medium" amount of fats, and just try to get it from sources such as nuts, avacados, olives / olive oil, or (my favorite ;) Salmon !



Finally, you left out the most important one ! (Okay, so their all important, but....) Protein ! Now, I don't think your trying to be a totally buff body builder, like I want to be :) LOL.... but none the less, I'd say you should shoot for at least 100 or 125 gm's of protein per day.

Lean chicken breasts, fish, egg whites (which taste fine, scrambled, and seasoned :) I eat 8-10 jumbo egg whites every morning) and maybe a protein shake here or there, are all good ways to get your protein.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and hey Evelyn, do some research on macro balances.... This is one of the most important aspects of a healthy diet. Most personal trainers and dietitians recommend something along the lines of 30% carbs, 35% fats, and 35% protein.



Once you know about this, you can plan your meals like > Okay, these 2 or 3 items will provide my carbs, fat, and proteins. You might sometimes realize that two of your items have a lot of fat, and you really only need one of them..... Or, Wait a minute.... I really don't need that many carbs.



That was me, tonight; I made my big tuna, tomato, avocado, and egg whites dinner, with salsa all over it.... then realized that I was getting plenty of carbs, "without" my nightly bowl of oatmeal (with craizens ;))



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sorry for such a ramble. I've just been on this kick lately where I feel like its almost my duty to help somebody up from the same place I used to be at ! It's like good karma, or passing on the blessing :)

So if their is anything else I can help with, please let me know :)



Peace,

Fish
Click to expand...




Hey, Fish! Thanks for all the support and encouragement, and the advice. :)


I think I was unclear yesterday - when I said things like > Fresh veggies & fruit, whole grains, minimal fat intake < I meant to be summarizing the high points, not laying out my detailed menu plan. No way would I ever skip protein entirely (or even partially :) ). And everybody defines things a little differently - I think of oats (and rice, barley, buckwheat, teff, quinoa, etc...) as "whole grains" along with whole-grains breads & rolls. I lump potatoes in with my "grains" too, since we're talking nutrition here instead of botany. :)


For me, "minimal fat intake" means no less than the equivalent of 3 tsp/45 grams of cooking oil, and no more than 5 tsp/75 gm. When I've lost weight before (20 years ago, I lost 70 lbs, got to my goal weight, and maintained it for about 2 years before I began sliding back up this same slippery slope...), I've found that less than 45 fat grams per day turns me into a crazed, voracious eating machine who is liable to start gnawing on the furniture if nothing better is handy.


I'm still figuring out just how I want to plan & track my food (grams? calories? fats as "fats" or broken down into saturated, mono- & poly- unsaturated, trans, minnesota, etc....?), how to balance the fat/protein/carbs tripod, and all of that stuff. I've got some more reading/research to do before I can pin down how I want to do what. I'm also trying to ease myself into this and avoid feeling that I must get everything all completely and perfectly on track and up-to-speed right away.


In the meantime, I'm using a rough-draft plan, sort of based on half on what I remember from having done Weight Watchers and half on stuff gleaned from "Nutrition for Dummies."


This is a semi-typical day (as you'll see, I was in grip of a serious granola jones). Bear in mind that:

1) This is less than two weeks into a truly massive, radical change in eating habits. Yes, the veggies are low and the fats are high - but the veggies are there & being eaten, while the "cookies/ice cream/cakes-&-pastry" food group is absent.

B) I'm counting in tems of servings. One serving is generally 15 grams, or 1/2 cup, or about the amount that a reasonable person ought to think is a reasonable serving. I'm re-learning just how much of what is 15 grams, and how big half a cup is, so some these are proabaly off.

iii) I've added some notes numbered with subscripts, in the hope of clarifying things a bit.



thurs 2/23/12


breakfast:

coffee 1

muesli 2, 2oz: 1 fat, 1 grain

granola 2, 4 oz: 1 fat, 2 grain

milk, 4 oz: 0.5 dairy


lunch:

toast3, 2 slices 2 grain

PB, 2 Tbsp 2 fat, 2 protien

raisins4, 1 oz 0.5 fruit


dinner:

zukes, 12 oz 3 veggies

hotdogs5, 2 ea 2 protein

toast, 1 slice 1 grain

butter, 1/4 tsp 0.25 fat


snacks:

granola2, 4 oz 1 fat, 2 grain

raisins4, 1 oz 0.5 fruit

milk 4 oz 0.5 dairy

dried

apricots4, 6 pcs 1 fruit


totals: 5.25 fat 1 dairy 4 protein 8 grains 2 fruit 3 veggies


min (approx 1500 cal): 3 fat 1 dairy 3 protein 6 grains 2 fruit 3 veggies

max (approx 2500 cal): 5 fat 2 dairy 4 protein 9 grains 4 fruit 5 veggies



Notes:

1. No, I am not giving up coffee. This is not open for discussion. Not even a little bit.

2. Granola is comfort food for me (I was raised by hippies), and it was that kind of day.

3. From whole-wheat bread.

4. Yeah, it was all dried fruit. I hadn't been to the store that has the good fresh fruit.

5. Hebrew National all-beef, boiled for (partial) de-fat-ification.


Not a stellar day, but not too bad. I was way high on fats - will have to watch that carefully. Proteins and grains were above minimum, but not by a whole lot. Would be much better to at least double the veggies - I'm working on that.
 
Originally Posted by Fish Chris


Spinner, a huge congrats to you !!! :)



Hey BTW, my Grandfather (fathers father) died of a heart attack, at age 47.

My father, died of lung disease, complicated by alcoholism, at age 47.



I am 47 years old now ! Three years ago, I honestly didn't think I'd live much, if any, past 47 years myself (and the way I felt back then, nor did I care)



But now I'm thinking, "I better live to at least 50, or 52" ! I'm going to need at least that much time to get "up to" 225 @ 9% BF ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But with all that said, their is no guarantee on life. {Life insurance. Ha ! Now there's an oxy-moron for you :)



On the other hand, whether I live 1 more year, or 30 more years, either way, I know that my quality of life will be infinitely better, during my time alotted.



Peace,

Fish
Click to expand...



And well done to you too Fish!


I have an Uncle who had a triple bypass when he was 51. He had to quit work and now lives a quiet life because he a) scared himself and b) has limitations. Plus I have a Grandmother, Grandfather and Uncle who all died in their 50's, 2 from massive heart attacks.


I don't think we can eliminate risk and nor should we try. In fact, if anything we realise life is precious and we need to enjoy the time we have and, as you say, quality of life is as important as life itself.


And whatever keeps you motivated to stay well Fish...if 225 at 9% keeps you going in the right direction then keep at 'em! :hurray:
 
Hello Evelyn,



I believe after years of dieting and focusing on our weight, we become obsessed thinking about it and spend a lot of time analyzing....Analyzing in the long run turns into postponing, yeah we 'look' busy and we are learning a lot, we are aware of what we are doing, but as mentioned above....we need to start doing!!

There needs to be a balance of input =output. Exercise of any sorts is a essential! The more muscular we are, the more calories we burn just being alive!

It looks like weight-loss has become a must for you, and that is great! We won't make changes until it has become a must for us.It helps if you~ set goals, write them down. What do you want to be like, to feel like, to look like, what do you want to be doing five years from now? Make it real! Then write down, what if you do nothing....what will you feel like, what will you be like, what will you look like, what will your quality of life be?? Make this weight- loss your must!

Instead of focusing on your weight daily, use that energy to move, walk, swim, join an aqua-fit class (easy on your joints).I agree with Spinner , it takes hard work and diligence, especially when we are getting older and our bodies are changing.

How many things are we going to have to tackle at once? Weight loss, getting in shape, menopause and everything else life gives us?Make a plan for a life style change, include daily exercise until it simply becomes a habit.

I personally don't like counting calories or measuring every portion of food...I like to practice constant awareness. Why am I eating, what am I eating, how much am I eating. Many times I discover I just want to satisfy my taste buds, or I am and emotional eater, or I am eating stuff straight out of the package and thus lose track of how much I am eating.

What is all this dieting and exercise for~ but to ensure a great quality of life? We do not know how long we have to live, but we do contribute to our health and happiness.


Good Luck,

Louise
 
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