I agree with scale mentality. My boyfriend's mom doesn't allow scales in the house, and maybe that is why!

I remember I would get down in the dumps if I only lost one pound or no pounds in a week. (I used to weigh myself every saturday) I remember asking someone if it could be from gaining muscle. This person told me that it could be that way for a MAN but not a lady because we don't put muscle on very fast at all, and if we do it's not that much. I asked my doctor about this anyway, and he said that was BS and that that could have been the reason my numbers weren't changing on the scale!

That's one of the main reasons I think 'biggest loser' kinda sends the wrong message is the weekly 'weigh-in' ... Now I know that most of it has probably been edited for TV, but when the 'trainer' gets angry at a guy for only losing 6 pounds that week and causing the 'team' to lose... That just gets my goat! It shouldn't matter if each of those people only lose 1 pound a week, they shouldn't get badgered for it. Also... That whole bit where all the different numbers flash by on the screen until it actually shows the weight... Can you say DRAMA?! Ok... I'm sorry I don't mean to offend anyone who likes the show, I'm sure it's good motivation--It's just I think it kinda sends out the message that you've gotta lose 13 pounds a week to be a real success, you know?

About my ticker... 130 pounds is just a generic goal. It's what I imagine myself looking best at. If I feel I look fine at 150 then I'll stop, if I think I still don't look fine at 130 I'll keep going... Besides, who said that your average at-home scale is that accurate, anyway? Step on it 5 times in a row and I'll bet you get different numbers. Heck, step on it 5 different times a day and you'll get different numbers, too!

Ok... I'm done, hehe.

-N-

this post made an absolute ton of sense

Thanks, glad you liked it.

Alright.
I have been slapped and woken up. I needed to reread that to refocus and rededicate.

Thanks.

Glad to hear!! I'm always down to lend a slap.

In truth though, if you find things aren't heading in the right direction, not just weight... but everything... we'll relook at everything and see where things can be tweaked.

I have been telling myself not to worry about the number on the scale because I know there can be a big difference - good or bad - from day to day or week to week. I still weight myself once a week . . . for now.

I've been told that you generally do not see or feel a difference until you achieve at least a 10% weight loss. Obviously, people are different but that is a general average. When I lost weight before, it was around 10%(ish) that I began to really notice a change. Before then, though, my only indication that I was doing anything positive seemed to be the scale.

I am back in the same boat - working toward my first 10%. I'd prefer to check my weight once per week until I do start to see a physical difference, just so I do see some kind of progress and do not get discouraged. I have to force myself to remember, though, that the number is not the important thing. It really does drive you mad if you strive for perfect numbers.

I really like that point of view. Perhaps I should write it down and stick it up on the wall above my scale . . .

I have no issue with weekly weighings. I do this sometimes.

I always prefer measurements though. They tend to be more telling.

I really need to capture some "befores" and do some measuring before I get too far along. B/A pics are very motivating - particularly when they are your own.

If there's one thing I regret with regards to my fitness pursuits, it's not taking real before pictures.

Same here. I avoided pictures like the plague when I was pushing my top weight (290lbs). I have started taking pictures to record future progress, though. Hopefully it will be a motivator.

If your avatar is your pic, you are already gorgeous! You should take pics!

Warning About to take a big brain dump in here. Got some things to get off my chest...

I've read this thread about 4 times this week, and I've come to the conclusion that I am obsessed with the scale. I'm thinking about putting it away and weighing once a week or once every other week. I'll weigh in on Fridays and take my measurements and post them. This scares me though. I don't know what I'm afraid of.

This is what's going through my brain:

"What if I am gaining weight and I don't know it?"

How could I not know? I'll tell you...

When I got married (almost 5 years ago) I weighed 145ish lbs.(I'm 5' 5.5") and after that I didn't get on the scale until a year and a couple months later. I had joined a gym because my clothes were getting snug and I saw pictures from Christmas and FREAKED. When I got to the gym I had a consultation with a trainer. She measured me and asked me a couple of questions and then had me hop on the scale. I was 201. I literally broke down crying. She was very nice and sat down with me in a little room and I sobbed. I couldn't believe that I had gained close to 60 pounds in a year. After that I went and bought a scale and have been obsessed since. It obviously didn't help me because I gained 34 more pounds since the sad gym day. That took a couple of years instead of 1, but I still gained it (I also had a baby...)


Anyway, so that's the fear of forsaking my scale. This time around I'm not going to avoid it completely, but use moderation. I'm thinking the once a week thing won't be so bad. I'm still scared that I'll see that I've gained and resort back to daily weighing. ..ramble...ramble...

In the morning I'm going to weigh in and then put away the scale until next Friday. We'll see how it goes...

pastelroses,I'm with you. I think avoiding and fearing the scale is partly what got me here in the first place, i.e. not wanting to see the number and being in a little bit of denial.

I weigh myself every day. Every. Day. I try to roll with the fluctuations and not stress too much about them. I record what I eat and my daily weight, and I also mark my TOM on a spreadsheet so I can trend the water weight gain that always comes once a month.

Weighing daily...at least now...is what keeps me on track. I may weigh myself daily for the rest of my life. There was a period in my life where I did not step on a scale for 2 years. In that period I jumped from 180 to 220. Never again.

One week...

One year....

Big freaking difference, which you know. Within that year where you gained a lot of weight, you had a different mindset. It wasn't the lack of weighing that caused you to gain weight. It was your lifestyle, values, priorities, etc.

You're a new you. It's a fresh start. Weighing every single day isn't going to monitor your fat. It just isn't. Since every single day you have the chance to start fresh and head in the direction you desire... try and ditch all the irrational, illogical habitual thoughts. Just check them at the door. Consciously say enough is enough. Monitor your thoughts and catch the 'stupid ones.'

You know very well that you aren't going to gain a ton of fat (especially if you are not practicing healthy lifestyle habits!) in a week's time. You just aren't.

And you know damn well that the fluctuations on the scale you see day by day have little to do with fat fluctuation and have pretty much everything to do with water, glycogen, poop, etc.

Our bodies aren't static organism with weights that revolve around fat mass. And fat mass is what you are concerned about. We are organisms that have weights that flux with multiple bodily systems. This is more apparent in the acute time periods (day to day) than anything else.

And the fat fluctuation is more obvious in the chronic time periods, ie, weekly at the least... preferably bi-weekly.

So spend some time and ask yourself why? Why do I feel the need to weigh myself every single day? Does it make sense? If not, why? How would I be better served if I tweaked my focus a bit? Is it silly to not only notate but also become emotionally attached to the variable water and glycogen levels I have in my body from day to day?

Best to you.

I don't see how me checking my weight daily is a bad thing. I really don't. You may not see the need for it, and I respect your opinion.

However, I maintain that what I'm doing works for me. I am also taking measurements and I did lose a bit of circumference this week. I realize that the daily weight changes can be due to water, digestive issues, etc. I do know that. However, since I'm still kind of starting out (began on July 5th of this year), weighing myself daily gives me the opportunity to "trend" the fluctuations and compare them to my monthly cycle, what I'm eating, etc. It gives me insight into how my body works.

I maintain that that is a good thing, and I do not stress over fluctuations. I truthfully record my weight every day and my chart does bump up and down, but the overall trend is DOWN and that is what I care about.

That's all I have to say about how frequently I weigh myself. Ultimately this is MY journey, nobody else's, and I will continue to do what works for me. I don't feel that I have to justify my methods any further.