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Old 12-14-2011, 12:35 PM   #1  
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Question Afraid to take a start weight!

Hi all,

I'm new to posting but have been lurking for a few days. And as it states it the title, I'm afraid to take a starting weight. Yes, I feel that I need to lose weight before actually seeing a number! (Am I the only person who's like this?)

For a couple weeks I've been trying to get a handle on what that number could be. I've been trying to lose weight with some seriousness since August and really buckled down at the beginning of November when I joined a gym. I've done at least 30 minutes of moderate or interval intensity cardio nearly every day plus strength training (also nearly every day) for the last 6 weeks. My calorie counting isn't the best, but I try stay under 1500 with the range being 1200-1800 per day.

About how much do you think I currently weigh? This seems like a ridiculous question to ask, but I've had very negative experiences with the scale before. I need to be prepared so I don't freak out. So why do I care now? I need to schedule a doctor's appointment to (hopefully) get an IUD and want to be able to record a weight I'm not ashamed to admit. I'm also just 3 short weeks from my birthday and need to renew my license. My current license lists my weight as 130 lbs, and I'm determined not to up it.

Current stats

    Weight history

    Given my current stats, I would hope I don't weigh more than 150lbs (though I'm pretty sure I did at my HW earlier this year). I think the very least I could weigh right now is 130lbs. To give you some weight history, in the 8th grade at 5'1.5" or so I weighed 135lbs and had an amazingly horrific 40% body fat. This prompted some seriously weight loss. By 16 (10th grade) I was about 5'2.5" tall and weighed about 99lbs with 13.5% body fat (size 0-3). I suffered a re-injury and slowly gained back some weigh moving up to around 115lbs post-injury (around 5'3" by that point). By the end of high school, I was ~120lbs at my present height when athletic and about 5lbs more in the off-season (size 5-7).

    In adulthood, I have become very weigh-in resistant. In undergrad, my best weight was around 125lbs and I typically wore a size 7. I began to refuse to look at my weight when I went to the doctor's. Once I believe I glimpsed 143 lbs. on my chart which made me feel terrible. A few years ago when I looked at least 10lbs better than I do now, my (now) husband (who knows exactly what he weighs) stepped on the scale with me and calculated me as 129lbs. I hit my HW (not that I know what it is) in 2010. Many of the clothes that had fit me in grad school (mostly 6/8) had become tight or didn't fit at all. The new clothes I was buying were usually 10s (the biggest size I will buy) and a little snug at that. Since I've been dieting and working out, I have begun to start wearing some pants that were uncomfortably tight last year. My grandma (the weight police) has noticed I've been losing, and a very observant security guard at one of the office building I visit ~4 times a year for work said I'd lost "a lot" of weight. (Both of these references are from a couple weeks ago.)

    Thanks for indulging my rambling!

    Last edited by January Snow; 12-14-2011 at 03:29 PM. Reason: typo
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    Old 12-14-2011, 12:42 PM   #2  
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    First of all, welcome!

    Honestly it'll be hard to tell how much you weigh just going by your measurements alone. Weight can vary wildly depending on a number of factors and two people with the same measurements can be very different weights!

    Your measurements are similar to mine and you're about the same height. As of a week and a half ago, here are my current measurements for my bust, waist and hips. I haven't measured the other areas you have recently, but from what I remember they're not all that different from yours (I think my thigh is around 21" though).

    Bust - 36 or 37"
    Waist - 27"
    Hips - 36" (might be smaller as I've been fitting into more 2s...)

    I weigh 135 pounds, but I also lift weights. You might actually weigh the same or less, but the only way to be sure is to step on the scale.

    The thing is, you can focus on measurements alone. You do not have to live by the scale. lin43, a member here had a very inspiring weight loss and she did not weigh herself until she was the size she wanted to be! If you must get weighed at the doctor's office you may be able to ask them to not tell you what your weight is.

    Last edited by sontaikle; 12-14-2011 at 12:47 PM.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 01:13 PM   #3  
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    I did the same thing in the beginning.

    I was so afraid to take a starting weight that I started my plan without one. I waited until I could see/feel a difference before I weighed in; it was three weeks before I actually weighed myself.

    That way I already was encouraged and knew it was working, so even a high number would not seem so daunting.

    My sister-in-law started a walking program and eating healthy two years ago. She has lost about 150 pounds (I'm guessing) and she has STILL not weighed herself. She is going by clothing size. I don't know what size she started at but now she is in a size 16. She is still losing weight, and her health hasn't been this good in years! So she has proven it CAN be done without ever weighing at all.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 01:20 PM   #4  
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    I say jump on the scale. It is only a number and it does not represent you as a person. If you have someone who you trust, have them record the number for you without you looking.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 01:38 PM   #5  
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    I started in June & the only time I have weighed myself was about three weeks ago. I was below my goal weight. I estimate that I started at about 180, judging by the fit of my clothes (i.e., I was in the highest size I've ever been). Like you, I did not want to get depressed by seeing my starting weight. Also, I wanted to focus on changing my behaviors, not on the number on the scale. This worked out well for me. I don't know whether I had plateaus or anything like that; all I knew was that if I kept doing what I was doing, my weight would go down, and it did.

    Now that I know my weight and I'm trying to figure out the calories I need to maintain it, I plan to weigh myself every 3-4 weeks.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 01:42 PM   #6  
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    Your progress is amazing! I admire everyone with the courage to post their true stats and (sometimes less-than-flattering) pictures. I would have liked to have gone the non-scale route, but unfortunately I'm going to have to know what I weigh in the somewhat near future. I've also been trying to lose enough weight to ensure that I'm not questioned at the BMV when I renew my license. I don't they'd be too amused if which my complete lack of knowledge on the subject. Fortunately, I have what I call a "skinny" face (high, well-defined cheekbones, sharp jaw line, no extra flesh), so I'd be a little surprised if the folks at the BMV dispute my "weight".

    Density definitely plays a large role in how much someone weighs. My husband is a very trim (~10% body fat), small built 5'7"ish guy with a 38.5" chest and 30" waist, but he weighs around 143lbs. And I repeat, he's a skinny guy! Of course being married to a Mr. Six Pack creates a (mostly internal) pressure to always weigh less than him and have an equally nice body. Right now I don't think my body is particularly dense. In the last month my arms have become toned and fairly sleek but not big. My calves are similarly muscular but not very big.

    I have some goal measurements in mind. I'd like to get my waist down to 25", belly button to 27.5", hip bones to 35.5", butt/low hips to 38" and thighs to 21". I'm not looking to lose a ton of weight even if I could because replacing my entire wardrobe would be awfully expensive. Especially bras, pretty fuller cup bras are hard to find and pricer than common size ones. I hung on to some smaller clothes that I'll be able to wear and plan to be buying smaller sizes in the future, but I'm not going for a 2. (Although I do own, and fit, one skirt that is a 2.)
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    Old 12-14-2011, 01:55 PM   #7  
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    Weight wise if I stepped on the scale today (which I probably won't), I'd be hoping to see 135. I'd be discouraged at 140, depressed at 145 and at risk for a total breakdown at 150+. If by some miracle I'm doing better than I think, I'd be quite pleased to see 130 and ecstatic (not to mention incredulous) if I saw 125. Right now one twenty-anything would make me very happy.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 01:56 PM   #8  
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    What are you afraid of, exactly? You weigh WHATEVER YOU WEIGH, regardless of whether or not you know the number on the scale.


    Go ahead & jump on that scale, girl. SEE THAT NUMBER? Get mad. Be sad. Feel whatever you feel, you have a right to it! - BUT THEN - GET OVER IT. You're HERE for a reason. Because you want to look better, feel better, take better care of YOU. You have a right to that, too!!

    Record the weight. Record all your measurements, your clothing size, your feelings, your attitude, your goals. Yeah that's it! - WRITE IT ALL DOWN. Because you're going to see some changes in upcoming weeks/months. And if you want those changes to stick, you need to be able to look back & see how far you've come.

    So on now - go jump on that scale. DON"T BE AFRAID OF A NUMBER. YOU. CAN. DO. THIS!!!

    The sooner you face your fears, the sooner you can conquer them!!!
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    Old 12-14-2011, 02:13 PM   #9  
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    You have to start somewhere. Stop thinking about it and just do it. It may take a minute to swallow, but it will empower you shortly after. X is my start, Y is my goal, now let's GO!
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    Old 12-14-2011, 02:21 PM   #10  
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    If you really are concerned/nervous about your weight, you can go by size instead. I absolutely REFUSED to weigh myself when I started, I knew that it could very possibly further derail me because it would seem like too big a challenge...and I would fail again. I just started working out. I focused on finishing the 30 Day Shred without stopping once, then getting to the next level, then Jillian Michaels longer videos, then running a mile, 2 miles etc. Finally, I started on clothing sizes...trying on stuff that hadn't fit before etc. I know this is not for everyone but my weight is high, always has been. Even at a small size 8, I weighed 160 lbs so I just can't go by that.

    I think there was a really great response above as well - maybe start working out for a few weeks and then get on the scale so it wont seem so daunting since you are already committed to changing. Good luck.

    Sometimes I am afraid to look at my credit card balance at the end of the month, but once I finally build the courage to look, it's never as bad as I thought it would be LOL!
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    Old 12-14-2011, 03:12 PM   #11  
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    I'm going to go against the grain a bit here and say ... if you don't want to weigh yourself ... don't.

    Almost everyone on here has a goal weight but if you were to talk to them about what they were trying to accomplish not a single one actually cares about weighing a specific amount.

    They want to be healthy, feel great, and look better. (Maybe not in that order)

    Thus - there is no reason at all to ever weigh yourself.

    The best ways to keep track of your progress are pictures and measurements because the scale lies.

    Thus, as afforementioned, if you don't want to weigh yourself ... don't.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 03:24 PM   #12  
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    Thanks all!

    I've been attempting to lose weight seriously and with at least some success for six weeks now, and I was watching what I ate (although much less strictly) for about 3 months before that. That's why I'm reasonably confident that I'm under 150lbs.

    The other side of working so hard without knowing your weight is the great possibility for disappointment when you finally put the number on it. "All of this work, and I still weigh ___ lbs." Besides having to weigh in at the doctor's and list a weight on my license, I'm very goal oriented. I definitely do want to know what I weigh when I get down to a size I think is acceptable, so I'll have that benchmark for maintenance.

    One thing I've realized in talking/typing all this out is that I do have a goal weight. As of today my goal weight is 125lbs. Once I get there, I'm going to evaluate whether I need to lose any more and work on my body fat if needed. I also have some non-scale/size goals that I'm going create a thread on.

    Last edited by January Snow; 12-14-2011 at 03:30 PM.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 03:31 PM   #13  
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    If the BMV does question you about your weight, don't take it personally. It is a routine question - similar to routinely asking someone for their ID to buy alcohol, even if you are 60 years old. They do it because it is their job, they don't care at all what you weigh.

    I have also had a fear of the scale, I must to admit. It does suck! Eventually I got on. It also felt sort of good knowing instead of guessing. But, as most others have said, it is simply one way to measure your weight loss - but there are also other ways.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 03:31 PM   #14  
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    Do you mean that you are going to eat a lot less if you think your weight is higher than you'd like it to be for the weigh-in at the doctor's? Please don't! That sort of thing derails a diet, and your weight at any one moment is a transitory thing which doesn't matter long-term. Besides, I've had four IUD insertions and never been weighed for any of them. The size of your uterus is the only thing they need to measure, along with making sure that you're not pregnant and that you don't currently have an STI. If you need to estimate your weight for your driver's licence then I wouldn't be too bothered by that, because your weight is going to change anyway, and I bet loads of people have not-quite-accurate weights on their driver's licences.

    I didn't buy a scale for my first month of losing weight. Some people never use the scale at all. You're measuring and you're paying attention to dress size, so it sounds like you do have a decent way to measure your progress. I wouldn't fret about it further, to be honest.

    However, if it's going to keep on bugging you that you don't know your weight, you may be better off weighing yourself now and getting it over and done with.
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    Old 12-14-2011, 03:54 PM   #15  
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    you can just track your measurements and keep doing what you're doing!! you don't have to concentrate on what the scale says.
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