Other Measures Besides the Scale - What's Your List?

[WazzuCoug]

Today I was thinking about other ways you can measure your success post-op besides just waiting for the scale to drop. It's difficult not to "scale watch" because so much of our life prior to surgery was about weight and BMI (a really crappy method), and if we've been on diets before, it was almost always about weight.

Here are some of the things I am going to be measuring my success instead of weight:

• How many medications I'm able to drop (three so far, more soon)
• If I'm able to rid myself of my CPAP - success here would be even if I moved to an oral device or if I didn't need anything.
• How my clothes fit - body changes will be happening regardless of the weight on the scale
• How far and fast I can walk - I'll challenge myself to go a bit further each week and/or a bit faster pace
• How often I am doing physical activities with my daughter (basketball, hiking, volleyball, walking)
• How often I am doing physical activities with my wife (birding, hiking, walking, sex - sorry to be blunt, but let's get real - more is better!)
• How often I engage in my hobbies (photography, videography, wood and metal craft)
• How well I'm keeping our property in top shape (weeding, planting, building, tractor work)
• How often I am social with friends and relatives
• My body composition - i.e. body fat and muscle to fat ratio - measured at the doctor
• How I feel in general
• My overall quality of life

You may have a different list, but it might be a good exercise to make a list of where you can measure success besides the scale and focus on making those things better. Working hard toward some of those other goals may help with your weight loss too!

The key, I think, is to avoid stress about weight and focus on living life and doing things that will enhance your life in general. The scale is still going to be a part of it, of course, but there are many other things in our life that are more important than that.

What's your list?

 

[dianeseattle]

The first time I saw a list that didn't involve the scale was in July of last year when our dear member, Texnoble, posted, calling it a "Non-scale Victory," or NSV. I love that she pointed that out because most of the victories that you're going to have are non-scale victories. Here's the thread from last year.

Non-Scale Victories

We all experience some weight scale anxiety. Many of us have gone through stalls where the scale just won't budge. All the time our body is still changing, adapting and shifting throughout the weight loss. Let's make a list of NSV that we have recently or fondly remember! I know many of them...

www.americanbariatrics.org

Of course, there are messages from former members going back to the beginning of 2013 using this phrase. But I think that because it's weight loss, we do have a knee-jerk tendency to attach all victories to the scale. It's really great to look at the rest of your life and see how many elements have improved that did not involve the scale.

Hey Tex, where are you and what are you doing? Let's hear something about your most recent non scale victories.

 

[dianeseattle]

My non-scale victories include:

• Not being stared at by strangers and family because I'm so fat;
• Shopping for clothes;
• Being able to hike;
• Actually going to the Y to work out;
• Learning to swim;
• Admitting how much I love food and eating the food I love sensibly;
• Medication changes;
• No fear of diabetes killing me;
• Never having a conversation in a group of people where we all talk about how much we need to lose weight while noshing on fattening food;
• Never feeling a compulsion to run out to the little convenience store on the corner to get something awful to eat or drink.

 

[gzar]

What's your list?

Awesome!

Our lists have a lot of the same stuff.

CPAP - gone around 3-months post-op.
Blood pressure meds - gone.
Diabetes meds - 3 of 5 gone, expecting to drop the last 2 during next 3-month follow up
Clothes - I went through around 3 rounds of buying clothes as my waist dropped from 46" to current 30" all my old stuff given to goodwill

Aerobic activity - I'm trying to become a runner, currently up to 6.5 miles continuous 3 days per week, with plans to continue increasing, starting up a marathon training program who knows where it ends up

Strength training - lifting weights 3x weekly, just recently catching up to my pre-surgery strength levels for some movements, not all
Other activities - walking 2-4 times weekly for 30-60 minutes, cycling, playing tennis occasionally, hiking and trail running

Aches and Pains - I can't remember the last time I had back pain just sitting or standing, and it used to be just always there from my big belly
Overall feeling - I feel amazing and extremely capable of doing anything I want.
Relationship - great, my spouse is wanting to get a sleeve surgery now and is starting the program so I suppose I've been a good example

Eating habits - better but I still struggle with cravings and my sweet tooth. Okay my habits are a LOT better, but there's still room to improve especially in food prep so I have healthy options available 24/7. I do get exhausted spending so much time cooking and preparing.

Depression - I think I am doing good and have been for a while. I'm trying to stay positive and being thankful for what I have. Or a different way of putting it - instead of dwelling on all the unmet expectations of life, I think I have finally and truly cut my losses on some things that were important to me, and moved on. I'm nearing 50 years of age, maybe this is common. There are things in life that I apparently I was never meant to have or experience, and I am trying to be okay with it. This was something I decided that actually led up to me investigating weight loss surgery, not a result of it.

Outlook - super high. I am absolutely positive that 3 months from now I will be healthier, stronger, more mentally sound and focused. I am looking forward to life and am positive about my future

My appearance - still shocks me. When I see a picture of me I see a my bone structures staring back. When I smile instead of my cheeky grin I see the entire side of my face erupt in thin wrinkles and my teeth look huge. When I see a full body pic of me I look like some skinny stranger. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed, it's not a negative body image struggle - it's just weird.

Hobbies and stuff - really have taken a hit since I'm spending so much effort and time being active, and meal preps. I played guitar and drums for about an hour last week - the first time in a couple months.

Other stuff - wife and I are considering selling our huge house and downsizing, getting an RV and start spending alot of time camping and maybe even downsize to the point of going full-time RV living. We are in the dreaming phase. It's actually liberating, the idea of having less stuff and less responsibilities, less house, less lawn, less stress. We are both excited at the endless possibilities.

 

[eladams2015]

Mine are:

Health is improved - off a lot of meds and fibromyalgia pain has improved some since not constantly carrying another person around on my body
Able to cross my legs and/or sit "folded" on the couch now that my thighs and gut are not in the way
Shopping at normal stores and ability to shop online for clothes.
People can hug me and their arms go all the way around
My hubby can actually pick me up now
No one stares is disgust when eating in public any longer

There are so many more, but here's a start...

 

[missyinacage]

First, thank you for posting this. I know myself and a few others are sick of the scale right now, so this not only a great idea but really appreciated!!
And here are mine:
I am currently off all medication that does not directly relate to surgery (Protonix) No BP, diabetes or cholesterol meds.
Which was the WHOLE point, so WOO HOO!!
I feel great, I have more energy and can really feel the difference.
I can sleep through the night without tossing and turning due to the pressure on my joints due to my weight.
I also love sitting with my legs crossed.
I recently gave in and bought 2 new shirts .. and they're too big. So, I had to return them for an XL. Which I think are too tight (but hubby likes them lol) but HEY, I started in a size 24/3X so I danced around my house in celebration!

 

[Taxman]

1. Energy like I haven't had in 30+ years
2. off cholesterol meds
3. off most of the BP meds (more to drop soon!)
4. expectation to be around in 25 or so years when I hope to have GC graduate from college.
5. no pain in the knees and an expectation that my knees (replacement ones) will last another 15-20 years (surgeon estimate)
6. buying clothes online and having them fit!

 

[Jensdish]

I haven’t had surgery yet (hopefully Oct), but this thread inspires me so much! I know I will read it again and again when I’m struggling. Hail to the Warriors forging the path so that we might follow.

 

[jennyhenny0330]

- Not sharing the same size clothes as my husband 2x
-Not having to visit Plus Size section racks
-Shrinking my fatty liver
-Lowering my cholesteral
- Climbing a flight of stairs without panting!
-Going shopping with my mom and not having to find a place to sit in a store
-Being able to participate in school sports activities (I'm a teacher)

 

[WazzuCoug]

I haven’t had surgery yet (hopefully Oct), but this thread inspires me so much! I know I will read it again and again when I’m struggling. Hail to the Warriors forging the path so that we might follow. ❤

Go ahead and start a list of all the non-weight things you want to accomplish. It helps keep the focus right where it should be. Most of us didn't get to the point of surgery "just" because we ate too much. We used food to deal with different things and it became a habit, an addiction and a disease. Weight goals and celebration are great, but it are the non scale victories that have the real meaning and worth!

 

[LisaLisa]

Like Jensdish, I haven't even had surgery scheduled yet (shooting for October) reading your lists is a good reminder for why I want to do this. I am looking forward to:

• pain free knees! more than anything!
• cpap be gone! (fingers crossed)
• fewer meds (no more metformin at least. I'm lucky in that my BP and cholesterol are good w/o meds)
• more energy!
• insulin resistance gone! I'm thinking this will make a huge difference to be able to maintain weight loss
• tons of activities that I've not felt comfortable doing to include dancing, hiking, kayaking, biking

Of course, I can't wait to shop in normal sizes. I'm a bit of a clothes horse, and have been known to say that "the reason god made me fat was to keep me solvent." Might have to keep an eye on that, huh?

 

[WazzuCoug]

Awesome lists! Great goals! There are so many good things to strive fore besides the number on the scale. Look at these lists often. Pin them up somewhere, add to them if you see something on someone else’s list that rings tru for you. Don’t let a plateau phase you, strive for those things on your list and keep moving forward!