To Weigh or Not To Weigh

Every diet program I've ever attempted has advised me not to get on the scale every day. Weigh in once a week. Don't focus on the number. Don't set yourself up for daily disappointment.

It must be good advice, because it seems to be globally dished out.

It's just not advice that works for me.

I get a bit mentally wrapped up in my diet, especially in the beginning stages. I have a tendency to think that I have worked much harder than I have. I can be a bit of a diet drama queen. Some days "I had a salad for lunch," in my head is "oh my God, I gave up mexican friday! I wouldn't have been able to resist the chips, and what would I have ordered? Maybe fajitas. Could I even really just eat the meat out of a taco and throw the rest away? in public? how many calories is that green sauce? Well, we just stayed in and ate the salad, blah de fucking blah."

The problem with my diet DQ is that she mistakes mental effort for physical effort, and expects to lose 2 pounds a day for all of that thinking about chips.

A daily weigh-in gives me the reality check I need.
A daily weigh-in reminds me of why I started dieting in the first place.
A daily weigh-in keeps me honest.

It keeps me from rewarding myself with "just a little piece" of cheesecake well before I have earned the reward.

A daily disappointment? Eh. Nothing more than finding out that my scratch-off lotto ticket didn't pay off: Would have been nice, but intellect tells me the number on that scale isn't going to plummet every day.

Disappointment to me, is waiting SEVEN days to get on the scale and finding out the number didn't budge. If I wait 7 days, what I won't know is that perhaps 4 days ago, I dipped 3 pounds, and then had too much salt the day before weigh in. I have to then wait ANOTHER 7 days to find out if that was the case?

No thank you. I've become too much of an instant-gratification, zappos.com, delivery tomorrow girl to wait 14 days to "find out" if my efforts are working.

My weight dropped 3 pounds within 2 days of starting South Beach. This morning, the scale dropped 2 more pounds. Yipppeee!!!

I've lost 5 pounds. It's Saturday morning, and I get to celebrate my efforts all day. Well, I won't celebrate, exactly, but I'll face the day knowing my efforts are worthwhile, and I gotta keep on.

I'm so glad I don't have to wait til Monday to feel this!