There's been a lot of discussion in the group about how often you should weigh. I'm one of those who can't stand to weigh because it stresses me out so much. I think I've come up with a solution that will work for me. I have a pair of pants that I like in my current size 18. I bought the exact same pants in a 16,14,12,10,8 and 6. Every week instead of weighing I will try the next size down and see how much closer they are to fitting. Maybe this plan will work for some others too.
Well I find weighing in daily and watching the adjusted trend line really helps keep me in check, this is actually a great alternative idea! It may take time to see changes in sizes at first, but the lower you go the faster they generally change.
Good luck and let us know how this goes for you, and include progress pictures! It would be so great to see how the same style of pants changes fit over the sizes
I'm interested to see how that works for you. I very rarely have success buying smaller clothes and shrinking into them -- but then I also weigh everyday.
To weigh or not to weigh...it really depends on the person. I've done both, and I must say I kinda felt it was better using pant size as a measurement rather than the scale. When I first changed my lifestyle I did not weigh in at all. I was way too freaked out by my scale, and even if the numbers went down they were so darn big that it discouraged me from even trying to lose weight. I had a bunch of clothes from the last 5-6 years that were too small but that I hoped to someday be able to wear again. When I started I was a tight size 24w and I had a bunch of clothes in each size down to 18. My closet was my measure of weight loss and it really worked for me because I wasn't focused on my weight, just changing my lifestyle to be more healthy. I didn't get on the scale until I'd lost nearly 100lbs and it was a huge motivation.
Of course I now compulsively weigh myself daily (hourly if I could, lol). I like the daily weigh-ins because I can see the direct consequences of my choices (e.g. the effect of sodium is just plain scary) and I've learned a lot more about my body and it's natural fluctuations. On the negative, I've had moments where I'm so caught up with the numbers that I've lost focus of my goal...get healthy. Good luck & I look forward to hearing about you journey!!!
I always by a size smaller jean and make it my next goal..sometime sthe scale dosnt move very far..but the fat does... right now im a 11, and i have a size 9 waiting for me to fit into them...
I weigh in daily because if I don't make it part of my daily routine then I will forget to do it for weeks at a time and bad things can happen. I also keep clothes in the next size down to watch how close I'm getting to fitting into them though. I don't have the same one in a bunch of sizes though. I wish I did. I've already gone from a very tight 22W to a loose 14, but I might have to do this starting at 14.
I really like the idea always having an identical pair of jeans - one size smaller!! Next time I buy jeans, I'm buying one pair that fits and one size smaller. Thanks for sharing!
I'm a daily weigher, but I also have smaller sizes in my closet that I try on periodically when the scale isn't budging. Plus there's my tape measure...
Every little bit helps!
I think the idea above about taking pictures as you go through your pants collection is a great one, even if you never show anyone (though of course we want to see!) You'll be amazed as you watch yourself shrink.
I kind of do both! I have a pair of 38 khaki's that I can't wear right now. I am wearing 38 inch jeans. Every week or so, I put the khaki's on and see how they fit. When I bought them, I couldn't button them up. Now, I can get them on, but they are still too tight to wear in public (don't want to have a blowout if I bent over!). Soon, I'll be wearing them.
I also weigh in every day. Its nice to see that sometimes the scale goes up and the clothes fit better, so I know it isn't fat gain by water retention or muscle gain.
I do so much better when I just weigh periodicaly...once a month is fine.
The endless cycle of elation, anticipation, frustration, dissapointment and then elation again...I just get too freaked... I know perfectly well when I am on track with my plan. I already have an extensive variety of sizes in my closet...things I would like to get skinny enough to wear again. When I can fit into something that has been waiting it keeps me going for weeks.
Matt - I feel your pain with the khakis. I hate how unforgiving they are. Right now I am in a size 14 for most things and the 14s are getting quite loose, but for khaki pants I need a 16 and that would be tight. I just said to heck with it and got some khaki colored jeans instead.
I am going by my clothing size. I don't really do well with scales because I start to obsess over my weight. My plan is to go every 45 days to try on a different size unless the clothes in my closet tell me I need to buy something sooner. But for the most part this keeps me from freaking out. I'm doing fine on day 11 because what I have is getting loose and that is more exciting than numbers. Never was a big scale person. I like to see what I look like not what I weigh.
I do this too. Seeing numbers go down on the scale is nice but there is something really satisfying about fitting into a smaller size pair of jeans. I also weigh in every day though. I use it to keep myself in check.
For me the buying (the shopping trip itself) of new clothes in smaller sizes has been great for keeping me on track. I go to the same places all the time and the store clerks get to know me. They are cheering me on and I have inspired some of them to jump on this train with me. Since I get rid of clothes as soon as they are too big, regaining would mean I had to go in there and get a larger size. They would see me buy a larger size and that would be devastating. That helps keep me in line.
Weighing In vs. Clothes Sizes
