Have you read this thread?

I haven't weighed myself in years. I've been dieting for nearly eight months now and I have no idea how much weight I've lost, all I know is my inch loss. I'm trying not to think in terms of the dreaded 'diet' either, just trying to keep to a path that I feel I can cope with long-term. I have an idea in my head of what kind of physique I'd like to attain eventually, but sometimes I wonder if I'm being realistic.

It can also be a little hard to mentally process how much progress you've made without a few concrete benchmarks. Sometimes I wonder if I knew my weight loss in pounds, would I feel like I'd achieved more? I don't know. Part of the reason why I don't weigh is because I'm 5'11" and I have quite a large frame, so the weight I am is always going to be outside the average, if you know what I mean.

i feel that you can drive yourself crazy looking at a scale...these changes that you want to happen to ur body take time...and if people dont see immediate results...they automatically start to second guess everything

Hahahahaha, wow. That was so dumb and funny.

Yea, James was a good member here. He's missed.

This is a good thread.

Thanks Kelly, glad you enjoyed it.

This thread has been very helpful. I enjoyed some of your analogies and it makes so much sense to me. This is the first time I've tried to lose weight that I've actually tracked my measurements along with my weight loss. It's funny because I, too, had the scale mentality and if I lost only a pound or went up then I would be devastated but if I measure myself once a week or every few weeks, I'm thrilled at even a 1/4 loss in measurements in a particular area.

As an example, I had lost about 5 lbs in my first week in January and now my weight loss has slowed to 0.5-1.5 lbs lost per week, it seems (healthy weight loss). However, I'm still losing inches and I figure that I'm gaining some muscle (also evidenced by my increased endurance during exercising). I figure this is healthy weight loss...I'm eating right, I'm exercising, I can feel myself getting stronger and I'm looking better as well my clothes are fitting better. These are all much better indicators of success than my weight. At this point, I think if I was losing more than a pound or two a week then I'd be afraid that I wasn't doing this properly. I'm in this, this time, for the long haul so if it takes me a year to take it all off, then so be it.

I hope that all makes sense, I guess my point is, that I'm over the scale mentality, though I do still weigh myself. I don't place all my expectations on that number.

I'll definitely keep this thread in mind when the mentality creeps back up on me again, as it surely will!

Thanks!!

You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it.

I find the goals that I hit are specific, and have a measurable way of tracking them. That goes for weight loss. You subconscious mind is a powerful thing, and if you can get the message congruently through to it in clear terms it will be your best ally.

So for me, I had to make my goals specific, with specific dates (and pictures).

But the scale is the WORST body metric you could measure. In fact, I dare say, you use it you are setting yourself up for failure. As we all know, muscle is far more dense then fat. And once you start exercising your muscle mass will increase. The BMI index is just as misleading I feel.

For me much better body metrics were the measuring tape, and fat calipers that I could take measurements at home.

Those gave a much more accurate picture of the results I was after.

If you can't measure it your can't manage it. But be sure to choose a way to measure that matches the true goal you have (fat loss and muscle gain).

But I found that weight-loss is not a linear process. Nothing in nature seams to be. You'll take 2 steps forward, 1 step back, then another 3 forward. So if you measure too often you'll get discouraged during a natural and necessary step backward period. For me a tried not to, as tempting as it was, to measure before my set dates (every 2 weeks).

That's not so much the problem as much as fluid volatility in the body. For anyone who has been execising consistently, muscle gain while dieting isn't much a concern. At least not to the point that it's more effecting of weight over fluid flux.

Did you read the first post in this thread? That's what I said.

Im finally starting to realise that the way I look and feel is more important than what the scale shows...not gonna lie though, its taken me some time to drop the 'scale mentality' but it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

Very good post..

Cheers Steve.

I am still very much in the scale mentality, I will freely admit, but I am not so sure it is a bad thing in my case. I have said this before but I feel it bears mentioning again that the scale keeps me honest. It rewards me when I have done well and prods me when I get lazy. I think that later on when I get closer to my goal I will not have to think about the scale quite so much but I still envision using the scale as a way to keep tabs on myself.

For some it works great. For most I encounter, they're emotionally attached to a number that's not measuring what they're interested in. 3-5 lb swings mean the world to someone and it really doesn't make much sense.

If it works for you and you understand what's happening and can emotionally detach yourself from that... great for you.

I can't always emotionally detach myself from it but I really do see the scale and the numbers it gives me as a way to keep track of what I am doing or not doing. Not only that, at my weight two or three or five pounds doesn't really look or feel all that different so the scale reminds me that I am indeed making progress.