Weighing in...in front of others

[Pandora]

... you all weigh in the same room but only the ladies taking the meeting can see the weight. ...

This has always been my experience - WW, TOWN - only you and the weight recorder see your weight.

I didnt like the practice at our TOWN group where everyone had to state how much they had gained or lost though - kind of defeats the purpose of only the weight recorder seeing you weigh in.
Even worse was the practice where the person who had gained the most had to take a toy pig home for the week.
ETA: SNAP Tinks

Both of these were complained about and subsequently stopped.

[Bathsheba]

We don't own scales at home, never have. I don't believe in them. Even though I have a thyroid condition which means my weight really fluctuates I won't buy them. I weight myself every few months at the doctor's surgery and if it's a concern I discuss it with my doctor. It's like any other health statistic. It should only be interpreted by the person in conjunction with a trained professional. So many things influence weight and the average person doesn't have a complete enough knowledge to correctly assess what a certain weight means. For a start: MUSCLE weights more than FAT. A person with a weight "problem" might have been really working hard to build muscle and the last thing they need is for someone to wrongly interpret that as meaning they have gained more fat. Fluid retention is another factor.

It's great if you can distance yourself from your weight enough to weigh in front of others though. That can be a sign that you are really ready to make changes and want to be accountable. But no one should recommend you do this. Humiliation as a modifer for behaviour is so last century. Surely education is the best strategy.

My Dh doesn't know how much i weigh just as he doesn't know what my current iron levels are or my exact height to the centimeter.... if I thought his input would be helpful i'd tell him. He can see with his eyes how my clothes are fitting and if he has any concerns then that should be enough to raise a discussion.

LOL at Trill's DH knowing her weight due to being a good estimate of farm stock!

[BrightSparkles]

I sooo totally understand where you are coming from!
I get so angry and frustrated with this type of behaviour as well.

You've done and are doing soo well! Keep up the awesome work! xx

[Roryrory]

Just a different perspective (one which I must admit I have adopted from my very slim DH). I used to have issues about people knowing my weight but now think - people can actually see my size. I can't stop that. I could be 100kg but if I looked and felt like a fox because I was training for an iron woman contest the number it wouldn't matter. Similarly if I weighed 70kg (my "ideal") but had low self esteem the number wouldn't matter either.

So I have no probs with people knowing my weight. I am now 83.3kg. It is obvious I could do with losing some weight. So being circumspect about the number would only draw attention to that fact, and make people think I was somehow defensive about my size (which I am not - I am overweight and I take responsibility for that).

Not saying this is the right way to feel, but it is a more "male" perspective which can sometimes be helpful....

[Bathsheba]

I "get" that Rory Alot of what you mentioned is true... although regarding the "reponsibility" factor I know quite a few women like myself who have thyroid (metabolism) issues which is hard to take responsibility for. I'm a "lucky" one in that I have an over active thyroid (meaning that periodically my metabolism speeds up too much = rapid weight loss). But there are women who have the opposite, a slow functioning thyroid. From what I have read these women REALLY struggle to lose weight no matter how good their diet is. On a side note I really recommend a thyroid test if you feel that this could apply to you. I have also read that post natally 1 in 10 women suffer from a thyroid condition... and often it is misdiagnosed. It can be mood altering too so imagine being in the situation where your weight problem is due to a medical reason beyond your control and yet being told to be accountable for that. Although I do also agree that there are many women who DO need to address their diet... deal with the sugar addiction or whatever... and take responsibility for their food choices. I think though that the first step should be to see your doctor and get the facts. You have to know what you are dealing with.