[sportmom]

In the midst of all these NSV's, the scale is actually moving UP.

I am seriously thinking of parting ways with the scale. I'm talking putting it in a high shelf in the basement. Here's what I think might be going on.

1. In the midst of seeing nice shape happening things with my midsection, the scale freaks me out by going UP.
2. When the scale's not freaking me out, it encourages me (to eat junk bc I won't get caught cuz I'm doing so well!)
3. So then I have a fall-down (think 2 weeks ago).
4. And somewhere in the midst of all this insanity, I've lost over 30 pounds. (But gee, in 6 months, could it have really been 50? Or 60?)

So I'm thinking that really, this scale does nothing for me. I'm in a challenge in another forum where I need to weigh weekly, and seriously, that is the ONLY thing that gives me any reason NOT do this. I know I could still weigh just once a week (and NOT do the dance of the magic tiles), but, even that seems like it could be too much.


So has anyone tried to banish the scale? And did it backfire and get you more off plan, or was it actually the mental salvation you needed to stay POP and not play headgames with yourself? Dear Abbies, please advise me. Should I just preoccupy myself with organizing my Netflix queue and let everything else analytical go out the window?

[hikerchick]

I understand your quandry Fran.

My scale was actually a gift (well meaning by a friend that diets alot) but now that I have it it is a nemesis.

I don't know the long term effects of not looking at the scale but I didn't step on it today. I am thinking of weighing in once a week.

But honestly it sounds like you are seeing so much progress in other areas that you shouldn't need it. If you are continuing to shrink then you are doing awesome, you are loosing fat and you should be happy. Maybe you could put it away for a month and see if you miss it.

I vote for spending time with the netflix cue. Whenever I let that go I wind up getting some strange opera like Wozzeck or something. Don't get me wrong I enjoy contemporary music in small doses but once I put 3 of these super intense modern operas in a row (by mistake) and got 3 in the mail at the same time. It was quite alot of work to get through. But I suppose I digress...

By the way bravo on shrinking out of your clothes. I have seen progress so far but my dang stomach has only lost one small inch, enough to make my clothes a little more comfy but not yet obsolete.

BTW 30 lbs in 6 months is fantastic!

[msruthie]

This slider has not moved in months. The scale is way too discouraging. I would do fine when I just did cardio but the moment I picked up weight training, it went up. Very discouraging, I don't know how much I weight. I just know that when my journey started last year I was a 26 and now I'm comfortable in a 16. Good enough for me.

[nelie]

I love my scale and I'm thinking about not weighing. Its a scary thought though.

The reason is certain weight points seem to send me into an eating frenzy. Also, if I check the scale and see I'm doing good, then I think I'm less motivated to do better. I don't know. Maybe when I lose a couple more lbs, I'll try to go a few weeks without weighing.

[GR8 2B48]

I put too much into the numbers on the scale. I had not weighed at home since the end of July after joining WW again. I was losing steadily, even around the holidays. I started back weighing at home and also started gaining. I'm back on track now and no longer weighing myself.

If the scale showed a gain, I got depressed. If it showed a loss, sometimes that would encourage me too much and give me an excuse to eat more.

I gave the scale up again.

Denise

[WaterRat]

I went years without a scale at home - weighed only at WW and the doctor's office. Lost 70 lbs. Too bad I found some of those again, so I'm having to relose. Sigh.

I really don't care what the scale says - I want to be back in smaller, cuter clothes. So maybe I should give up weighing at home. (We did get a scale several years ago) I have in the past designated the scale at the gym my "official" scale (not doing WW any more or that would be it), and I could do that again.

[elisa822]

This is a question that is so close to me and I continue to struggle with it all the time!

The scale rules my emotions and I know that it's bad and I try not to let it. I think I've made improvements in this area in the last year but I still struggle.

I have been working out seriously for a few months and the scale has not budged. Now I'm pretty close to my goal so maybe maybe I could be a bit better with my food choices but I am careful so much of the time.

I'd like to think my clothes are a bit looser but I'm not sure and I haven't been shopping in a while (although I think it's coming!) so who knows.

So basically, while I know the scale can be very very bad for me, the flip side that I have to acknowledge is that I have a bad habit of ignoring all other signals (like tight clothes) if I ignore the scale. I lie to myself and convince myself that I haven't really gained any weight if I don't see the number on the scale.

To be honest, weighing every day has helped me in the past but I wonder about changing things for a while.

I'm sure that I haven't really helped but I feel your pain.

[srmb60]

This thread sent me headed for the tape measure. I haven't gone hunting for all my records but my waist is smaller than I remember. I fit in all my clothing ... it's a good lesson in how we need to use as many tools as we can get our hands on. Body composition changes everything.
I'm thinking of writing a book ... You Don't Really Want to Lose Weight ... You Want to Be Smaller.

Oh ... in case this thread dates ... I'm at least 10 lbs over goal.

[kaplods]

There are a lot of progress tools besides the scale, and which you use and how often really has to be based on what works best for you. I think the most important thing is not letting the measure (whatever it is) make our decisions for us.

One of my failure triggers is allowing the scale to tell me who I am (how good, how bad) and what I can or "should" be doing (what, when, and how much I need to eat or exercise).

There is no right or wrong answer here, only what works best for you (and I'm not talking only about how much and how fast you lose weight - but also what allows you the best peace of mind.

[nelie]

Last night, I decided that I'm weighing once (maybe twice) in the month of March. I weighed this morning. I'll weigh again on March 31 or April 1st. I'm such a scale addict so we'll see how it goes.

[sportmom]

Good for you Nelie. I haven't weighed, and won't again for awhile. I know I won't like what it says, so what is the point. I am putting it on a high shelf in the basement today, on my way to workout!

[elisa822]

I did have my DH hide the scale once but I don't know if it lasted more than a week or so. It is my crutch and while I love/hate it, I do know that in my past it's when I avoided the scale that I really gained weight.

I have a friend who does not own a scale and has probably lost 50lbs. in the last year or two. She only knows what she weighs when she goes to the doctor. I am so proud of her but I'm pretty sure that I couldn't do it.

Definitely the answer is - whatever works best for you!

[BfL_Cat]

My experience has been, that when lifting while losing weight, the scale can pretty much be a useless tool to measure progress.

Much better indicators are body fat measurements (if done well), tape measure measurements, photos of front/back/side views and lastly the "pants-o-meter".

Often you are shrinking and firming up, but because of the muscle you are gaining, the scale will not move. I personally went down 5 clothing sizes for only 30# of lost weight. This took a year in my case. It was what I saw using these other tools that kept me motivated and kept me going.

Now, the downside of this, for me, was that when I had some sort of "temporary insanity" and stopped working out, I stopped doing all of these things. If I'd at least kept weighing myself, I would have caught my weight gain sooner than later, which would have been a good thing, because it was very hard to turn that ship around.

So, today, I do weigh myself, weekly or biweekly, just to keep on eye on what is happening there, but that is not the only way I judge my progress.
Cindy

[Lydia227]

Hi Fran:

I have a love/hate relationship with the scale too. I do weigh myself each morning at the same time and usually it is a surprise, up or down, each day I step on it. In my case, the scale can fluctuate all on it's own by about a pound or two. Other factors like the amount of humidity in the bathroom, if I have any food in my stomach from last evening, or a heavier carb day two or three days ago can affect it too. I keep all of this in mind when I look at the reading.

The thing is I try not to let the scale have too much power. It is not the whole picture just a part of what is going on and really, not a very accurate one at that. Also, I know when I am really four pounds heavier or when I really have lost those four pounds. I can feel it.

I have also noticed something else too. I will lose inches before the scale will reflect an actual weight loss of a few pounds. My clothes will begin to fit better but not reflect in the scale. It's the weirdest thing, I can go for two months without any real loss wake up one day and find that suddenly I'm three pounds lighter.

So, I still weigh myself daily but it's just one of many things I use to track my efforts. If the scale is not being kind it gives me an opportunity to really reflect upon my habits in the past week or two. If I have been working out five to six days a week and doing it with intensity, eating squeeky clean, getting the water in and not eating past 7:00pm and there still hasn't been a change, I just keep on doing it because eventually it will drop for me. During this time I also think to the scale, "It's okay if there isn't a loss today because I'm still going in to do my workout and I'm still going to do my best to keep my food clean. This is what will keep me fit, healthy, and it's what I want to do regardless of the rewards." If I have a good reading I smile for a minute and think "Okay, this reflects the consistent work I put into myself for the last three weeks. Enjoy it and keep doing more of the same." I try really hard not to fall into the "lets relax" mindset because of a loss. I will only gain if I do that.

The problem is with consistency in these things because as we all know, life does get in the way. (Think cubscout meeting with chocolate cake that everyone tried to goad me into eating including DS1, I didn't but these things happen to us all week long...)

Anyway, good luck with your decision. For me, I still need the scale. It just part of the routine for me but again I try to keep it from taking over, good reading or bad reading.

[Is that really me]

Originally Posted by hrbabe

2. When the scale's not freaking me out, it encourages me (to eat junk bc I won't get caught cuz I'm doing so well!)
3. So then I have a fall-down (think 2 weeks ago).

I truly thought I was one of the few people who fell into this category. My brain thinks "ooo, I've lost 2 lbs, go eat something you shouldn't" How duh is that? I then tend to fall way, way down the hill and have to climb back up it all over again.

I've decided that the scale is, in the words of Monk, both a blessing and a curse. I've decided to only get on the thing every two to three weeks. Am concentrating on the exercise and really trying w/the food (always, always the bigger challenge of the two, for me anyway). I took my measurements a few weeks back and will use that and how my clothes fit to get an idea of how things are going.

I never trust the scale anyway. I always think that if I've lost a lb or two, that if it is still off the next time I get weighed, then I've actually lost the weight. The scale can fluctuate too easily!


Jo