from day to day or, if I force myself, every few days. I don't think I'm alone in this either. I notice folks saying things like "gained 2 pounds after vacation," too. My experience with daily weigh ins is that I gain or lose at least two pounds each day. I usually weigh myself in the morning after a trip to the potty.

My question is: doesn't our weight tend to vary due to a bunch of variants like water, etc., from day to day? Or even over a several day period? If I weigh myself before vacation and a week later weigh in two lbs heavier, shouldn't I do myself a big fat favor by waiting another week and if I'm still 2 lbs. heavier then declaring "OK. It IS 2 lbs." Should I do myself an even bigger favor by tossing the scale out the window?

Hard to get into the maintenance mind set after induction sheds the pounds so fast. I've been bouncing back and forth between 162 & 165 for two weeks.

Thanks -- Ginger

Yes Ginger you are correct.

Which is why most of us long term LCers, try as best we can to calm people down when they gain a pound or two or three. Most of us gain/lose upto 10 pounds a day due to water/food consumption. Imagine if you watched the scale every time you drank or ate something. You will drive yourself batty.

We advise and recommend people stay off the scales and go more by measurements or the "pant-o-meter". How loose are you clothes feeling today?

I can't tell you how many people I have seen gain a single pound and threaten to give up and quit because of it. I guess they don't realize that 16 oz of water is a pound and we drink almost 4 pounds of water a day.

Throw the scales out! Relax and enjoy a wonderful way of eating and losing the extra baggage.

Ginger, I had to laugh at your being concerned about weighing daily. When I first started, I was weighing up to 4-5x a day. Talk about being obsessed. Now I only weigh in once a week at a diet support club. And I don't worry if I gain or lose. I just know I'm trying!

Hi Ginger,

One of the best things about this "diet" is that I don't feel the need to weigh myself every day. Mind you, I kind of fell in to the pattern. When I started LC in late July, my attitude was sort of, "Yeah, right...I'm going to eat steak and butter and cream and I'm going to lose weight." So I didn't bother to weigh myself for a week. I got on the scales for the first time, sure that I'd gained, and I'd lost 5 lbs. Then 3 days later, I got on again, (just to double check) and I'd lost another 3 lbs. That did it for me.
10 days is the magic number for me. And I'm looking forward to the day I can throw the scales in the garbage.

judy