Links mentioned…

It was my first day back from vacation and I decided to hop on the scale and assess "the damages." Ugh. Why do [...]]]> I totally forgot to mention these two things in last nights post. I swear, sometimes I think I’m losing my blogging mojo. Anyway…..

Thing #1: A Wink from the Scale Gods

It was my first day back from vacation and I decided to hop on the scale and assess "the damages." Ugh. Why do we do this to ourselves? What’s the point? Of course it’s going to show a gain. I ate nothing but pizza, ice cream and french fries for an entire week. I was on VACATION. der.

Yesterday I started my old morning routine. Woke up. Peed. Stripped. Then faced the scale. I braced myself for unveiling. Guessing what glowing red number would shine back at me. Reminding myself that it IS only a number. That regardless of what is says I have no regrets. A healthy lifestyle is about balance NOT depravation.

I take the first step on the hunk of medal to turn it on, hop up and see….

Err…..

Bat….

Err….

Bat…

Cycling over and and over again.

I either broke the scale with enormous weight gain OR the batteries were dying.

I’m pretty sure it was the batteries. At least I hope so. ;)

I smile to myself.

I didn’t really want to know anyway. It doesn’t matter.

Thank you scale gods for reminding me that I am more then a number.

Thing #2: The Winner of the Impossible

Just before vacation my Have You Accomplished The Impossible? contest ended. I was planning on posting the winner while at the beach but it totally slipped my mind.

The winner was chosen randomly. I use random.org to pick a comment out of total number left. In my opinion it’s the only fair way to choose. I can’t evaluate everyones stories. They were all so wonderful! I’m considering a series were we showcase one a week. In the mean time here is Tara’s. She was randomly selected to win the $100. Congratulations on all fronts Tara! You are AWESOME!

I’ve gone from 328 lbs to 167 lbs over the last 19-ish months. I’ve run two 5K’s when I used to think the only way I’d run is if I was being chased. I regularily ride my bike all weekend long instead of taking my car everywhere and I’ve become obsessed with yoga.

More importantly, I have successfully taken my life back. I’m no longer miserable or unhappy because I realized that it’s a choice. You can choose to be happy or sad but you have to live with whatever choice you make and I realized that I’d rather be happy. The only thing holding me back was ME!

The thing that I”ve accomplished that I never thought I could was that I am actually proud of myself. I’m bursting with pride actually, something I never, ever said before.

Unless you are reading this on Roni's Weigh or your RSS reader, it is stolen content!

Let me start this review by saying you are either going to think this product is genius OR ridiculous. There is no in between.

Why?

Well you are either a scale person or you are not. I know many (Charlie comes to mind) that have years and years of weight data [...]]]>

Let me start this review by saying you are either going to think this product is genius OR ridiculous. There is no in between.

Why?

Well you are either a scale person or you are not. I know many (Charlie comes to mind) that have years and years of weight data about themselves. Heck, I do as well! Remember my Weight Progress page?

Yea.. I haven’t updated that in quite some time. Mostly because I stopped going for my official Weight Watcher weigh ins but also because my scale habits have changed. I talked about this is an older post called Scale Habits? Gone Full Circle? where I broke down a bit of my scale history.

One of the stages I mention in that post is my daily weighing that lasted all through my losing phase and at least a year into maintenance. Not everyone will agree with this but for me daily weighing was a big part of my weight loss success. In a weird way it helped me disconnect from the number. To look at it as simply data, information. It kept me going and conscious of my food choices and how they effected the number.

During that time, every morning I’d wake up, pee, strip, hop on the scale and get into the shower (was that TMI? lol) it was a routine. I’d then jot down the number and post it on the blog like in this old post from 2007 – Yikes!

In addition to daily weighing I’d attend my Weight Watchers meeting once a week to get the "Official Weigh In" results which I would post on my Weight Progress page. Sometimes the numbers were the same, sometimes they were different but it didn’t matter. This is where I worked on that perfection gene I carry. By seeing that the scale so easily changed it’s mind (he’s a fickle jerk, isn’t he?) it helped me see that regardless what the number said on any given day, I was making progress. I was making good choices and the scale would reflect that over time.

This is a VERY long introduction to the product I’m about to review but I thought you should know where I’m coming from before giving my opinion on what I know will be a controversial product (controversial as in whether or not it’s a good idea.)

Basically the BodyTrace eScale is a regular bathroom scale with a big mouth. It wirelessly uploads your weight to the BodyTrace Web site so you can see your progress online!

Now.. I know it sounds scary and I realize this isn’t for everyone BUT if you are a like me and want to daily weigh, this thing is a life saver! I spend hours tracking my weight by hand and figuring out Excel to make my cheesy little graph…

Then I stopped after getting a new computer when I refused to buy Microsoft Office. Part of me wishes I kept them up. I like looking back at the data. I’m a geek, what can I say?

If I had the BodyTrace back then I’d have not only a prettier chart…

…but one that also tracked my BMI AND is interactive (you can slide and zoom into particular time periods when you are logged in). I may be alone, but I think this is freakin’ cool! –yes I know, geek, already established. ;)

Here’s how it works… you tap the scale to turn it on, hop on, get your reading and then ZAP! it sends it to the web site for you. It couldn’t be any easier.

The scale is sharp looking too. Something you wouldn’t mind having in your bathroom. And I believe if you don’t want to use the upload feature, you don’t have to. It could be used as just a regular scale as well.

I only have one teeny tiny complaint about the whole BodyTrace weight management concept and it’s this…

I absolutely HATE it when I get generic advice from a tool. This reminds me of the Wii and how absolutely brutal it could be with it’s weight loss advice. I wish it would just report the facts. That’s it. That’s all. I don’t need some backhanded comment about how long it’s taking me or how much I gained or whatever. Simple show me the figures. That’s all you need to do. And besides, being down 5 pounds in 2 months is FREAKIN AWESOME! no?

Regardless of that one little nit picky fact, I really do like BodyTrace. I recognize not everyone agrees with the daily weigh in philosophy but if you do this is a fun, easy way to record your scale readings.

I’ve joined the BodyTrace Affiliate program so if you are interested in learning more and possible purchasing one of your own, please click here. I’d appreciate it! Thanks. :)

Update: Gyula the Founder of BodyTrace has replied to our concerns about the unsolicited weight comments. Click here to read her response.

FULL DISCLOSURE: BodyTrace contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to review their product. I was not paid for this review but they did send me the scale free of charge. I’ve been using it for a few months now. I did join the affiliate program and will make a small percentage of any sales that are made when a customer follows this link. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. I refuse to endorse produce I do not like or would not use myself.

Unless you are reading this on Roni's Weigh or your RSS reader, it is stolen content!

Topics included in this video…

Do you weigh yourself everyday?

This question fascinates me as I’m been on both sides of the discussion. I do believe in weighing everyday but I don’t actually do it [...]]]> Since I’m giving the scale, oh I mean platform, away I thought it was the perfect week to ask part of Jodi’s question…

Do you weigh yourself everyday?

This question fascinates me as I’m been on both sides of the discussion. I do believe in weighing everyday but I don’t actually do it anymore. I truly think it depends on where you are in your own personal journey. To read my history with the scale click here for my Scale Habits post.

In short, I haven’t weighed myself in a few weeks! Lately, I’m really trying to find my way without the scale. Ask me after the holidays if I succeeded! :~P

Right now I’m more interested in if YOU weigh yourself every day and why you do or don’t.

Unless you are reading this on Roni's Weigh or your RSS reader, it is stolen content!

The Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform motivates and guides you through an achievable 10-pound weight loss with audible feedback (yes, that’s Mary Lou Retton talking to [...]]]> A few weeks ago I received an email asking if I would be interested in reviewing a scale for the site. Oh, excuse me, I mean a "Weigh Platform"…

The Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform motivates and guides you through an achievable 10-pound weight loss with audible feedback (yes, that’s Mary Lou Retton talking to you), including music, applause, fun electronic tones, helpful health tips, positive reinforcement and daily messages of encouragement. After the 10-pound goal is achieved, the Platform resets automatically so you can either maintain your weight, or go for another 10 pounds.

At first I didn’t get it. I mean how is Mary Lou’s Weigh platform going to help me lose 10lbs? Is it going to have some kind of secret plot with my fridge to lock after a certain time? Maybe it’ll drag my butt out of bed and tie my running shoes on at 5AM? Oh, oh… I know, it sends a signal to my MAC so it displays subliminal message that I’m REALLY not hungry when I’m working too late. Seriously, it’s a scale people!

But then I tried it. This is no normal scale. It has no display. That’s right, you read that correctly. There are no numbers staring you in the face. You hop on and it talks to you! You’re thinking, "yea so what… it’s still going to tell me a number I don’t want to hear." But you’re wrong! It NEVER tells you how much you weigh. NEVER!

Ok, are you are now probably as confused as I was. :)

Here’s the deal.

Day one, you get on the scale. It doesn’t tell you how much you weight. It just gives you a motivating message.

Day two, you hop on again. This time it tells you whether or not you are up or down from your starting weight from day one and my how much (ie 1lb – you can also set it to kg). You get another motivating message. Oh! and if you are down. It claps! That’s right the scale gives you a standing ovation! LOL How cool is that! If your weight went up, it gives you some encouraging advice. You can hop on the scale when you want to, daily, weekly, whatever I’m just using days as that’s what I did. It has a goal of 10lbs. Once you hit that you can decide if you want to set it for 10 more or to maintain.

Honestly, I think this is GENIUS! How many times do we get depressed about that miscellaneous number staring up at us? I have to admit, I’ve been avoiding the scale recently because I don’t want to see mine. But with this scale I can just measure my success from this moment. I’m not bombarded with a number that may throw me into a deep depression and derail my efforts. I actually look forward to hopping on the next day to see how I’ve done and to hear the fun messages

Don’t get me wrong it, has similar downfalls as regular scales but I think it has some advantages. I like that it doesn’t focus on a particular weight and I like the encouraging messages (I’m cheesy like that). It also has settings for 2 people. So if you are trying to lose with a friend it can remember each of your starting weights.

In all honestly, I’d really like to keep mine! LOL But I decided to give it away. I’m out of the habit of weighing daily and since I don’t really want to lose even 10lbs it will be "wasted" on me. I’d rather see someone else get a burst of motivation with a new gadget. I know I would! :~) Oh! and it comes with a really cute, motivating book and CD (that I didn’t watch… I never do lol)

So here’s the contest deal…

Simply copy and paste the code below and put it in a post on your blog as your entry. It can be it’s own post or just tacked on to one you already plan to write. Then simply leave a comment here with a link to the post so I can check it out. That’s it!

<p>I entered <a href="http://ronisweigh.com/2008/12/mary-lous-weigh-platform.html">the Mary Lou's Weigh Platform Giveaway</a>! <br />
Check out <a href="http://ronisweigh.com">Roni’s Weight Loss Blog</a> for more information.</p>

This is what it looks like…

I entered the Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform Giveaway!
Check out Roni’s Weight Loss Blog for more information.

For all the non-bloggers who want to enter, don’t fret! Simply sign up for BlogToLose and use your free blog space there to enter! It’s really easy and you’ll have a space to enter for future contests, even if you decide not to blog anything else. Plus you can chat with me and use the message boards if you like. Actually, you can use the space to enter other blogger’s contests as well. :~P Just a thought.

And before you ask… YES I will ship anywhere! :~)

So enter before Sunday, the toddler and I will randomly pick a winner Sunday night at 7PM EST. Good Luck! And I’ll post the winner next Monday.

Good Luck!!

Unless you are reading this on Roni's Weigh or your RSS reader, it is stolen content!

It’s true, it took me longer to come up with my bubble blurb then to write the post. My creative juices ran dry today! :~) On with the thoughts!