Exercise! Love it or hate it, let's motivate each other to just DO IT!

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 10-28-2002, 12:22 PM   #1  
Sarcasm Queen
Thread Starter
 
Sahvara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: NY (the state, not the city)
Posts: 61

Default Does anyone NOT weigh in???

Hi there,

I'm very new to the exercise forum. I don't even lurk. You see I've been avoiding exercise for a long time. And last week Wednesday I decided to go ahead and bite the bullet. 5 times a week I will go to the gym, while the other two I will do Pilates. Well so far I've kept my promise of going faithfully.

However, I can't weigh in because pound gain will discourage me too much and a pound loss will bother me because I ONLY lost one pound. So, I'm wondering if anyone else has tossed away the scale and works out for the sake of working out and being healthy rather than for the reflection of the numbers on the scale.

How successful have you been with your exercise? Has it worked steadily or have you hit bumps along the way?

~Sahvara
Sahvara is offline  
Old 10-28-2002, 01:35 PM   #2  
cac
Senior Member
 
cac's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: NY
Posts: 152

Default

It took me a month of exercising before I weighed myself. I knew I was at my high weight. Like you I would get discuraged if I saw know change. By waiting that month, my pants were loose instead of tight and I knew I had made a change no matter what the scale read. In fact had lost 5 lbs.

cc

good luck!
cac is offline  
Old 10-28-2002, 05:00 PM   #3  
Senior Member
 
KiraR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Missouri
Posts: 109

Default

Sahvara~ Hey girl!! Well, you know I weigh in, and I know what you mean about feeling like it's "just one pound" when you lose. But hey, think of it in terms of how much butter that is! It's pretty good.
Since it isn't benficial to you to weigh in, don't. I'm with cac, maybe try doing it once a month or so.

You can do this!!
KiraR is offline  
Old 11-03-2002, 02:21 PM   #4  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Canada
Posts: 7

Default Does anyone NOT weigh in???

Hello Sahvara,

I wanted to let you know that I tossed the scale away wow, I can't even remember how long it has been, I absolutely have no idea what I weigh except for when I go to the doctor and even then I tell him sometimes I don't want to know.. I prefer to go by how my clothes feel.....

So you are doing Pilates??? I am looking for some information on them, as I want to start doing them, but am not sure about it? Is there anything that you can recommend?? or any tips????
How much space do you need and are you moving around alot...

Anything that you could provide would be so greatful...

hank you in advance

Heath
Beybran is offline  
Old 11-06-2002, 04:20 AM   #5  
Uber-Moderator!!
 
MrsJim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Posts: 5,020

Default

Saw this thread and just had to jump in...

I stopped weighing myself earlier this year and have never looked back. Doing bodybuilding (started with 3 Body for Life Challenges and now doing a program called "Camp Pam B" - actually I'm currently taking a week off whilst in London) I might have lost, oh, maybe 10-12 pounds as far as the scale goes, but went down from a size 10 in April to my current size 4.

I posted two quotes at the Body for Life/Bodybuilding Forum (here at 3FC under "Diet Plans") that I thought were worth repeating for your benefit - I find them PRICELESS:

I don't have to tell you that there are many, many folks out there who religiously weigh themselves once a week - shoot, once a DAY - and guess what - they are still fat..still depressed...letting that little number rule their lives. That's why earlier this year, I decided to BAG the scale, TOSS the calipers and go strictly by 'look and feel' i.e. the Pants-o-meter. Ann at www.leanandstrong.com had a great post on this the other day...
Quote:
Pants-O-Meter NEVER lies...

I have been in shape most of my adult life, and I have used a measuring device (my doctor's scale) maybe 12 times in the past 20 years.
Who needs it?
Or calipers?
Or even a tape measure?
Clothes never lie. You're either bursting the seams of a size 4, or it feels comfortably loose on you.
It's a daily reality check.
There is no fooling the Pants-O-Meter.
For years, my husband's weight yo-yoed up and down by as much as 50 lbs......and he faithfully weighed every step of the way.
It took BFL for him to learn that The Little Woman had it right all along.
The following is from the book "Diary of a Fat Housewife" by Rosemary Green...showing once again that the scale can really derail your motivation and progress...
Quote:
Just prior to June 7, I lost 5 pounds, taking me from 262 pounds down to 257. Compared to 132 pounds, a measly 5-pound loss sounds almost too ridiculous to mention - if you've never been fat. But I call attention to it here because that five pounds can have a negative psychological impact on the extremely obese person. It's a five-pound leeway to eat! You see, you can easily have a candy bar or bake a batch of cookies "for the family" (who are we kidding?) because you are down five pounds. If you pick up a pound or two, you'll still be down a pound or two from where you were. And no one will notice.

Brother! Do you realize how pathetic that last sentence is? "No one will notice" is the all-important consideration. I mean, you can eat like a pig for days, be sick to your stomach constantly from eating too much garbage, be too big for your seat belt, be unable to tie your own shoes or play on the floor with your children, be out of breath after climbing one flight of stairs, be signing your own death warrant by abusing your poor little heart and clogging your skinny little arteries...but heaven forbid someone should 'notice' you've gained two pounds!
MrsJim is offline  
Old 11-07-2002, 12:08 PM   #6  
Sarcasm Queen
Thread Starter
 
Sahvara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: NY (the state, not the city)
Posts: 61

Default

Ah yes... pilates,

You don't need that much room at all. I purchased an exercise mat. Very standard... and I can do the tape on that. Even though... the mats that the people have on the tape are HUGE. It's not necessary. I do Winsor Pilates - simply because I broke down and bought them during the infomercial. So they are really the only exposure that I've had with pilates. I think I'm gonna pop in a tape and do one.... Good Luck!!

~Sahvara
Sahvara is offline  
Old 11-13-2002, 04:08 PM   #7  
Uber-Moderator!!
 
MrsJim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Posts: 5,020

Default

Another good quote I found at Lean & Strong today - having to do with the numbers on the scale:
Quote:
This is from Frank Zane, a former Mr. Olympia, who also happens to have a Master's degree in math:

"With the tape measure, with the scale, with the calipers, even with the water displacement method of bodyfat measurement, all you get is a number---a description of reality, not reality itself.
"If these numbers were so important, they would be part of the judging criteria for bodybuilding competition. But they are not. In competition, as in life itself, judgement is based solely on appearance."
MrsJim is offline  
Old 11-25-2002, 03:47 PM   #8  
Fighting the Krispy Kreme
 
(Not)JustaPrettyFace's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Colorado
Posts: 24

Default

To weigh or not to weigh...
I wish that I could throw away my scale completely, but I can't. I just can't. But instead of weighing myself everyday as I'm inclined to do, or even once I week, I put my scale up on the highest shelf in the closet and only get it down maybe once a month. That way, if I want to weigh, I have to put some effort into it. Turst me--this is a lot better than keeping it beside the sink in my bathroom. When it's so available, you feel inclined to jump on it any old time. By keeping a scale, but keeping it out of your reach, you can weigh, but if you keep eating properly and exercising, you will see a real difference every month, instead of day by day. You get a more accurate reading by doing it once a month instead of everyday; you're not as affected by day to day gains and losses that don't mean anything. Once a month is the way to go!
Check out this page to learn why the scale lies: http://www.***************.net/articles/scale_lies.htm
(Not)JustaPrettyFace is offline  
Old 11-25-2002, 05:54 PM   #9  
Junior Member
 
Delight's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 4

Default

I rarely weigh myself for the same reasons you mentioned. I just go by how my clothes fit.
Delight is offline  
Old 12-25-2002, 02:25 PM   #10  
Living Juicy
 
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 64

Talking

I do weigh in once a week because I belong to TOPS (take off pounds sensibly) BUT I am really trying to not let that mean anything to me. Instead what I am really doing is measuring myself with a tape measure once a month and that is what makes me really happy or aggrivated. Since I am starting to lift weights I know that my weight is not going to be my TRUE identifyer of health beause muscle weighs more. SO, I am much more happier when my pants are loose than I am that the scale went down a couple of pounds. ALSO, I have lots of water weight that can fluctuate 5 pounds in a day sometimes. So, anyway, I believe more in the measuring tape than I do the scales!!!

Great job on getting to the gym, it sounds like you are really doing GREAT! I would like to get into Pilates soon too, I hear people get some GREAT results from it!!

DivineMsJunebug is offline  
Old 01-03-2003, 01:26 PM   #11  
Hanging in There
 
DawnStorm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Wheaton MD
Posts: 114

Exclamation

Even though I have a scale I rarely use it--I just go by how well my clothes fit, especially my work clothes.
DawnStorm is offline  
Old 01-03-2003, 03:38 PM   #12  
Hardcore UFOs
 
choci's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Buffalo, NY area
Posts: 97

Default

It's been very interesting reading everyone's perspective on this issue! I myself have been a daily weigher since I started on my journey just over two months ago. For me, weighing every day keeps me accountable and makes me much less likely to overdo it at any given time. I do try, however, to keep in mind all the things that people have talked about and referenced as far as the evils of the scale go. I guess what I do is keep track every day, but keep in the back of my mind that progress over a longer length of time (every month, for example), is what is most important.

I think I may have a different feeling about how to use the scale as time goes on. I have been very gradually including exercise into my routine, and starting this coming week that will mean strengthening exercise as well -- muscle building.

Thanks for all the tip about assessing your overall fitness and weightloss *without* using a scale. I will keep it in mind!
choci is offline  
Old 01-04-2003, 09:32 AM   #13  
Junior Member
 
Kriscook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Posts: 5

Default

I rarely weigh myself either. Manly because it depresses me! I go by how my clothes fit (tight right now!), Maybe I will start weighing myself, I joined the YMCA 2 days ago! But I won't weigh for at least a month when I start working out. I NEED to see progress!
Kriscook is offline  
Old 01-06-2003, 12:06 PM   #14  
Member
 
FluffyGal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 36

Talking Hate the scale!!!

I too hate to weigh myself. For the same reasons many of you do as well. I get on,and it goes up..I get so discouraged. It goes down a pound, and although I am glad it went down...I think.."Only A pound!" Humpff.!!"
I generally go by how my clothes are fitting me. When they seem to be much looser, then I weigh. I only weigh about once or twice a month, but since coming to the sight it has been more frequent. Although, I think that has been my downfall this past week, and made me more sad than anything. I am going to go back to my old method of weighing myself.
Good luck and happy thoughts for you all!!!
FluffyGal is offline  
Closed Thread

Related Topics
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Weigh-In: Gain or Loss? leighish 20-Somethings 764 07-31-2009 02:55 PM
Weigh in on Sundays? net knee WW At Home 19 05-18-2008 03:28 PM
Thursday Weigh-In Results thread for February Tina WW Clubs and Groups 43 03-04-2008 10:17 PM
Does anyone not "LOOK" their weight? not2fat2bpretty General chatter 48 08-03-2006 09:16 AM


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 06:26 PM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.