Everyday Systems: nosdiet: message 1359 of 3212

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--- In , "Bonnie's Mail" <ronnieb1@c...> wrote:
> Perhaps I can try to slowly stop my couple times a day habit, to 
every
> couple days, to every couple weeks, like when I stopped smoking. It 

is a bad
> habit as if it goes the wrong way I do beat myself up 

Hi Bonnie and Friends :)
I have never tried this approach so can't personally vouch for it 
re: scales. (But I did something similar with my mirrors at home 
which was really helpful)I will try it just for posterity though :)

This is the idea: Credit goes to the guy who wrote those
Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
He was trying to lose weight but every time he stepped on the scale 
it shattered his confidence, still he recognized the unhealthy need 
he had inside to go on the scale, out of habit. This may sound really 
silly but when you think of it, so is stepping onto the scale all the 
time, so maybe try it out. I think it is a great idea :)

He decided on his long term goal weight and then taped over the 
scales readout area covering the numbers so he couldn't see them.
He used a small piece of paper on which he wrote in bold numbers, his 
goal weight...Each time he stepped on the scale, rather than being 
really sad or frustrated, he saw his ultimate goal weight..It was a 
simple but beautiful reminder to stay on track and ultimately he did 
reach his goal...No beating up, no nagging...Just that goal weight he 
was aiming for. He would imagine how it feels to actually be that 
weight,through creative self visualization. Imagination can go both 
ways, why not imagine yourself slim? He found a positive way of 
dealing with a very negative behavior...I don't know how long it took 
him, but he stayed positive and avoided that vicious cycle of what 
Reinhard termed, I think, "nightmare" fulfillment.
you know...Get on the scale, see your failure or lack of progress, 
then that pre-programmed "what's the use", give up etc.....
Why not give it a try this week, I think I may do that for a couple 
of months!

About three years ago, during one of my first serious depressions
(PS By the way I should mention that I am bipolar and influences
1. my lengthy posts,love of language and communication 2.Many of my 
self-esteem issues and binge patterns...My brain doesn't know how to 
make the right mix of neurotransmitters on its own. As a result, I 
commonly will crave certain foods.

I decided I didn't like looking at a sad and drained face in the 
mirror and decided to tape up a sign that my son made for me in pre 
school...
It read,
"To Mom, You are the prettiest mother in the Universe. Love Richard 

and Rosalie (my mom) Feder" and had a giant rainbow..

Everytime I looked in the mirror I would see that lovely sentiment 
and I tried to believe it, and guess what? I felt beautiful without 
having to see my face at all...Mirrors can reflect alot of 
negativity, and so can scales..
What is inside is what really counts.
I only weigh myself when I am feeling great, not when I had a screw 
up. I don't need the scale to confirm my fears...

As Tasmanian she-devil 
Jen (just kidding Jen lol)
said in a previous post, "the scale is not your friend" 
so stop spending all your time with it. What you are looking for is 
either validation that what you are doing is going well, or just a 
reality check maybe...If you really think about it, you can find the 
answer within yourself without using that scale. If your pants don't 
get tighter, you know you are not gaining, so if all else fails try 
to just notice how your clothes feel on you. That is a reality check.
Let me know if this helps.
Have a great day :)
Debbie