Weight Loss Support - Yahoo Article- WDYT?

What are your thoughts on this article?

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/rockertraining/5130/stay-off-the-scale

it is an interesting concept, although it wouldnt work for me. When I stay off the scale, I GAIN!!! A LOT!!!! I have to weigh in to keep my mind/mouth in check, I give a lot of credit to those who can go without weighing in.

I second StillTryin's opinion.

I need to step on the scale and see my results. Every ounce that I lose is motivation to keep going. I weigh multiple times a day... I know it isn't the best thing to do, but I do it anyway... the weight that "counts" for me is my weight in the middle of the day, as I can fluctuate as much as 6 pounds throughout one day, so I do keep my set times...

Although people do tend to weigh too often, I think the article is faulty. The author says this:

"She dives into work, stops exercising and watching her diet, and watching the scale."

Somehow we're supposed to believe that then she loses weight? I don't think so. I think she "lost weight" in the week BEFORE she stopped exercising and watching her diet--it just took awhile to catch up. But if she keeps on eating and not exercising, she'll gain it all back again.

And what's with that "affirmations" idea? I'm all for positive thinking, but what has to change is how one eats and how active one is. I don't think affirmations alone do a darn thing without that external change. "I am thin and healthy." (eats cream puff) "I am thin and healthy." (goes for the Doritos) "I am thin and healthy..." :rofl:

I'm someone who was happy to ignore the scale, and it did me no good whatsoever. I watch my weight on the scale now--just not obsessively.

Jay

The key part is believing in the process and understanding water weight. Recognizing that the scale is a tool, not a scorecard. and not the enemy

I mean I have been terribly sick all week and my scale tells me I have lost weight..DUH, but its not like I am going to say "oh to lose weight I need to stay in bed all day and not eat anything" I'm also not going to get torqued when next week those pounds come sailing back

Quite frankly I think having an idea of my normal range and fluctuations is very important for losing, maintaining, or :eek: determining just when I may need IV hydration:dizzy:

LOL Jay... actually, for some peculiar reason, when I followed the guidelines for the Fat Smash Diet detox, I lost NO weight. I ate nothing but fruits, veggies, beans, oatmeal, fat free yogurt, and tofu, but I didn't lose a single pound after those ten days, until...

...I said SCREW THIS! I went crazy with all the carbs I wasn't allowed to eat... pretzels, ice cream, donuts, you name it, I ate it! I did this for two days, and then weighed myself, and whoa! I lost 6 pounds! After that, of course, I decided to just limit my caloric intake and significantly increase my exercise level :p Crazy diet plans are not for me.

I agree with Jay, there seem to be some major holes in the argument. Oh, if only we could recite daily affirmations taped to the bathroom mirror and watch the pounds melt off! :lol:

I weight every morning and take a weekly average, and a monthly average. I compare those averages to see how much progress I’m making week to week, month to month. It’s hard to see progress sometimes when the scale fluxuates every day, I feel like this method gives me more “big picture” perspective.

It’s good to not obsess over the scale, and it’s a mistake to expect immediate results on the scale when you change something in your diet or exercise, however I find the scale a useful tool for tracking.

"She dives into work, stops exercising and watching her diet, and watching the scale. After a week or so people started commenting on how good she looks, and they ask her what she’s doing to lose weight.

When she does get on the scale again, now a week off of her ‘fitness program’ (and her obsession with the scale), and four weeks after we started training together, she sees that she has in fact lost a chunk of weight."

Nope....I've never stopped exercising and watching my diet then lost weight! As a matter of fact, thats why I've gained this weight in the first place....and, staying off the scales didn't help matters. What probably happened here was her body gaining muscles from working out...which made the scales not move. Losing weight and inches afterwards was probably a fluke....she probably was eating a little better as an aftermath of her previous diet/exercise regime.
I am a strong believer in the power of positive thinking. As a long time sufferer of depression, I've had to learn new ways of talking to myself and looking at my life. But, no matter how positive minded I might be, those scales won't move down without a lot of hard work from me.

I think the scales help keep me accountable. I tried taking the scale away for awhile, and it didn't really help me keep trying. If I slip up, the numbers on the scale SHOW me what the consequences of a slip up is, unequivocally. If I'm doing really well, the numbers encourage me.

The scale may not be everything, but I know it helps keep me in line :)

I think everyone finds a way that works for them, in dieting and in how they measure progress. Just as WW/calorie counting/Fat Smash/whatever works for some and not others, daily weighing/monthly measurements/whatever will be the best measure for some and not others.

I think this article is BS with the "all work, no fitness, poor diet", though. Healthy nutrition and exercise are key, no matter how you achieve them or measure them.

Although people do tend to weigh too often, I think the article is faulty. The author says this:

"She dives into work, stops exercising and watching her diet, and watching the scale."

Somehow we're supposed to believe that then she loses weight? I don't think so. I think she "lost weight" in the week BEFORE she stopped exercising and watching her diet--it just took awhile to catch up. But if she keeps on eating and not exercising, she'll gain it all back again.

And what's with that "affirmations" idea? I'm all for positive thinking, but what has to change is how one eats and how active one is. I don't think affirmations alone do a darn thing without that external change. "I am thin and healthy." (eats cream puff) "I am thin and healthy." (goes for the Doritos) "I am thin and healthy..." :rofl:

Jay

I was thinking the sammmmeee thing. :)

The article is complete and utter bs.

One of her students was obsessed with numbers on a scale, and was disappointed that the only quick change was her clothes fit her looser. :?: My gods, that's terrible! Her body was developing more lean mass AND shedding fat…it's a good thing she quit that diet/exercise quackery!

Either the student or article writer is insane, or the article is very poorly written. Additionally, it sounds like the author is some kind of motivational speaker and that turning turning peoples' weight-loss efforts towards affirmations would help her bottom line.

I'll stick with science for my advice, particularly the NWCR's continuing research, rather than articles with one student as a story/reference pulled out of someone's behind.

Thanks all. I read that and was wondering if I was that tired or just totally misunderstood the whole mess. When the scale is going up I try to remember MORE WATER and when it goes down, give thanks!

Okay while I agree the scale can be frustrating especially if your gaining muscle as you lose, you really need to just be aware of also checking measurements in order to get less discouraged and look at the whole picture.

When I don't have my scale out is when I tend to gain the MOST weight if i'm off program. Period. I would have maybe never gotten to 300 in the first place if I knew I was that close to it.

While it can be frustrating when your close to goal and the weight just creeps off I find that weighing myself weekly (okay I admit I DO do it daily) is a huge motivator to keep going and get feedback on how well what I've been doing is working.

I don't have a working pair of scales anymore, I've been that person demotivated by working hard and seeing no results and reaching for the chocolate for comfort. I now weigh in monthly at my doctors.

So I am just sticking to plan and trusting that if I keep at it the weight will come off. To me its less important now that it comes off regularly.

Kitty

I agree that this article is utter BS. I love how the "I see this all the time" is thrown in right near the beginning, so that we can't dare question her crazy logic. :\ This is the sort of thing that meshes nicely with the logic of those people who are still in denial. (I probably would have framed it and hung it on my wall not too long ago.)

I would debunk this article in a mature fashion rather than just slinging these words around, but she didn't take the time to gather proper evidence for her conclusions, so I'm not going to take the time to give a well-thought-out response. ;)

Thanks for posting this! :)

I was afraid I might offend someone if I said, "BS comes to mind", but I guess not:lol:.

I think mind over matter in this case is wishful thinking. If it works, why aren't we all thin?

The kinds of argument the author use drive me mad (both in the angry and insane sense). It's more mind over matter doody, that implies one can control reality with merely the force of will. Not only our our actions to blame for our weight, now our thoughts are as well.

A watched pot will boil (as quickly as an unwatched pot, though it may not seem so). Thoughts and attitudes do matter, and it is possible to be too focused on the scale, but be careful in saying things that imply that the bottom line is so simple.

A recent study found that (on average) people who weigh daily DO lose more than those who don't. That doesn't mean it's best for everyone, but it certainly challenges this author's oversimplified theory.

I'm addicted to weighing. Daily. Sometimes more than once. I can't help it. I just want to KNOW. But when the numbers are higher, I don't feel like giving up and sabotaging my diet...I feel like crap and punish myself by eating a lot less than I normally would so maybe tomorrow it will look better. But when the numbers are down, I am encouraged to keep going. I can't imagine not weighing on a regular basis. Maybe that's an entirely different issue, though, lol.

I feel like a complete jackass. I just spent a whole day eating well and going to the gym and all I had to do was look in the mirror and tell myself I'm thin?
Man, I'm stupid.

Well it seems to be working so I'm going to skip the psycho-babble and stick with lower calories and more moving around.

I'm not going to bash the power of positive thinking, or even imagery. The whole time I was pregnant I kept seeing myself finishing my marathon at 128 lbs. This despite the fact that I hadnt been 128 since I was significantly shorter. This despite the fact that I had started millions of diets in the last 20 years.

But...uh...you have to do the rest too. I counted calories, I exercised (and I weighed myself nearly every day). The positive thinking is what got me through the self sabotage which is crucial for many of us.

So its not as easy as she makes it sound "just think yourself thin" but having a clear mental imagery of success has worked for many athletes and it can help.

I think the article was just very poorly written, and that the author was trying to make the point that people shouldn't get discouraged and quit a new healthier lifestyle just because the scale isn't showing immediate weight loss. Looking just at the last couple of paragraphs:

"For most of us, the act of ‘watching the pot’ is an indication of impatience, and lack of trust, which quickly turns into, “this isn’t working and, I quit!”
We create (or contribute to) an ongoing cycle of failure. What we need for success is a positive outlook with optimistic expectation, but it’s hard to do after years of failed diet and fitness attempts. You can however, undo the negative self-fulfilling prophecy through positive affirmations and greater awareness. Affirmations will recondition your thinking, and a heightened awareness will allow you to not take actions that sabotage your progress. Stay off the scale; you only have control over the actions that you take, not how quickly the results come. And unless you are from another planet, it’s unlikely that, on a physical level, your body is much different from everyone else’s. It will respond positively to increasing your exercise and reducing your caloric intake if you just trust, give it time, and stop sabotaging yourself."

Isn't this similar to the response that's often given here on 3FC to a newbie who's frustrated because they've just gotten started and aren't seeing much weight loss? Keep going, you'll see losses eventually, don't get discouraged, don't stop doing all the new healthy things you're doing?

There are some sentences where it seems as though she's saying just thoughts by themselves will cause a bodily response of holding onto weight. I think that's very unlikely. I don't think that getting on the scale, by itself, is a sabotaging action. But I do think that constantly checking your weight can sometimes lead to feeling discouraged, which in turn leads to giving up and sabotaging actions like stopping exercising and going back to old eating patterns.

She does give short shrift to the alternative option of continuing to weigh, but not taking the numbers too seriously or being discouraged by them. Like many of you, I think I need to weigh myself daily or I'll stop paying attention altogether. But "a positive outlook with optimistic expectation" is the coin of the realm here on 3FC, and what I think she meant by positive affirmations. Not that feeling good about yourself will lead to weight loss by itself, but that you have to continually give yourself positive affirmations to continue exercise and calorie reduction, rather than letting the scale rule your reactions and behavior.

I have to weigh daily, because I gained a LOT of weight when I quit doing it.

It really helped me to graph my weight as I lost, to keep the little day to day fluctuations from driving me crazy. Looking at my graph, I could see that I kept coming back to that same downward curve of weight loss, even after a few horrendous week-long vacations with way too much off plan eating. Now that I'm near the end of my weight loss journey, that curve has flattened out, and I'll be working hard to keep it that way!

Rainy

After many, many dieting attempts, I fell into that theory of don't worry about your wt. and it will come off. I stayed off the scale for literally yrs. All it got me was fatter and fatter and uber fatter.

I now weight at least 2-3 times a week. If I see a gain, I weigh daily until the gain is gone. I don't want the wt. sneaking back on me again. I've done that enough times to have learned my lesson by now.

The writer based her theory on ONE client. How scientific of her!;)

I agree with others that said the article was mostly just poorly written...but not totally off base. No, you can't just "think yourself thin" (as the author may be implying) but "thinking thin," positive imagery and affirmations can be an important part of our weight loss goals. I simply mean If you set yourself up to succeed you will...likewise if you set yourself up to fail you will.