mine is one that has stayed the same. i change it but i've been 142-145lbs for like a year. i go ahead and change it but it's not much of a difference. i change the inches in my signature too which have gone down a little more than my weight but still very very slow.

I do tend to change my ticker immediately after a loss (I'm so excited, I want instant gratification), but I give myself a little more leeway on gains. If it's a huge overnight gain that is probably water weight, I drink tons of water and tea and watch the scale, as long as it's dropping daily, I don't consider it a "real" gain, so I don't change my ticker. With my period, I can easily gain 10 to 12 lbs overnight, just in water weight. I also don't adjust my ticker up as long as I'm within a couple pounds of my ticker weight.

I do my ticker for me, and for no one else. The way I update it is based on what encourages me most in my weight loss. I don't watch people's tickers, because I don't consider the information relevent, and even if I did, I have no way to verify that their tickers are accurate. I'm not accusing anyone of lying - but it's unverifiable information. As is virtually all the information and advice found in a web forum like this. Someone can claim false credentials, or actually have the credentials, but it doesn't necessarily mean the advice is sound. I often mention that I have a bachelors and masters degree in psychology, but I wouldn't ever expect anyone to take my advice more seriously because of credentials that can't be verified.

I've met physicians with crackpot theories (that I know contradict their medical training), so even with professional credentials there's no guarantee of sound advice.

Theory and practice are sometimes very different skills. I feel I have the equivalent of a PhD in weight loss and nutrition, because I've put alot more effort into the field than I did in obtaining my degrees. But, there are a lot of great teachers who are lousy practitioners - it's where we get the phrase "those that can do, those that can't teach." Not all writing professors are published authors.

When credentials or experience is important to me, I make sure that I'm able to verify the information. I wouldn't trust a door-to-door surgeon, for example. Or if someone told me a plant was edible, I wouldn't take their word for it, if I hadn't verified the information or their credentials in recommending it. However, if someone who says they're a professional chef gives me a recipe, I don't need to verify their credentials to try the recipe.

Most of the weight loss process (and advice we're likely to get here) is at the recipe level, not the surgery level - so there's no reason not to try technques that sound like they might be helpful.

There is some surgery-level stuff here. Weight loss surgery, vlcd's, prescription and otc weight loss drugs... and those are topics that I do believe credentials are important. While I may find the information and advice I find here on those subjects interesting, I'm not going to make any decisions on those subjects based on the comments and advice I read here. I'm going to do further research and consult credentialed professionals, and will verify credentials.

So, I think you've got to evaluate the advice based on what your needs are.
If you need credentials (even if it's the credential of having acheived maintenance or significant progression in weight loss) then you need to look in an arena in which you can verify the credentials. There's no guarantee that a person who is steadily updating their ticker downward is truly losing, or if they're just saying they are. Even photos can be altered or misattributed (everyone here remembers the Kim/Atkins fiasco).

I think that dishonesty is relatively rare (or maybe I'm just an optimist), but because there's no way to recognize dishonesty when it occurs, you have to take every piece of advice with a grain of salt.

I change my ticker every Friday, loss or gain. Though I did stay at 161 for several weeks awhile back so I was bummin I couldn't move it down...but thrilled I didn't have to move it up!

I think there are some people who are perfectly happy losing weight v...e...r...y...s...l...o...w...y... And that's great if it works for them. I however wanted to be at a normal weight while I was still young, (43 ) and while my skin had a glimmer of elasticity left. LOL

I weigh daily and change my ticker and my profile weekly - usually every weekend.

Though, for the last 8 months it hasn't moved

I have never had a ticker but do note stats on the sidebar. I was maintaining for a while and then gained. finally changed my 'current' stat after a while. Then I gained some more and just recently changed it again.

It never occurred to me that someone might note that I'm talking about my gains and struggles and not see my sidebar move and make that the reason not to listen to things I have to say!! Though, I can think of lots of OTHER reasons they might not listen to me!!!

I don't feel like this is a very positive topic. I don't know why I even answered. I guess I felt obligated to answer since I am one who's ticker hasn't moved. Of course no one has to listen to me. The only advice I really ever give on weight loss is "weights are fantastic!!" and many other women who do much better than I can attest to that fact.

I just got mine but you can bet your bottom i'll be changing it as soon as possible! lol!!! With a lower number too!

I never had a ticker. But always kept my stats on the side bar.

The year I was losing, though I weighed every day, Monday was my "recording day" and I changed it every Monday. I never had to think about changing it to a higher weight, because I lost every week with the exception of 2, where I stayed the same.

The second I hit maintenance. That was another story. I've barely been the same weight 2 weeks in a row. So it was after a couple of months' that I just put up the 120's, not an exact number. I have had a couple of ventures into the very low 130's. They were after a rough weekend and I knew that it was elevated water weight and didn't bother to change it.

As far as listening to advice. If it's good advice, I"m all for it. Doesn't matter what that person weighs or how much they've lost or not lost.Good advice could be from someone who's ticker states that they haven't lost even a single pound. Just like *ill* advice can come from someone who's lost many pounds.

Her current weight is in the 120's.

I don't really have anything new to say about tickers but ... once in a while I come across a poster who's posts are head scratchers. I have, in that case, gone to read more about them ... older posts, profiles, intro's ... Sometimes a little history helps me understand a poster's point or opinion better.

Now, this may be something that everyone already knows, and so I apologize for stating the obvious...

Every time you change your ticker, it changes globally in every post you've ever made. So, if you find a post I made in, say, 2005, the ticker will say the exact same thing it does here...

So, Kiramira, I'm just curious--do you write down what people's tickers say, and is that how you know when someone's hasn't changed in months?

This is why I have dates along with my ticker. As you can see, from May 15 to now (July 8) I am down 4 pounds. It has come back up a pound, and I haven't changed my ticker. If it becomes too much of a lie, I'll correct it.

Jay

Hi there!

I was just wondering, that's all. I know that there are a bunch of posters whom I follow regularly and, having the somewhat OCD-ish personality that I have, I recognize when the tickers go up and down. Usually not a pound or two's difference, but I will notice. For example, Ms TeawithSunshine has had a heck of a time in the 170s, so when she posts, I am SO rooting for that ticker to change!!! And it finally has! She's in the 160s now and I pm'd her my congratulations because I was SO rooting for her and could relate to her struggles. And Ms Velveteen is rockin' the scales since she started and deserves the recognition.

And NO I don't write down people's weights as there IS a difference between INTEREST and STALKING !!!

Just like the post about Ms LoriBell meeting her goal -- she hadn't posted it, but Ms RockinRobin had noticed that her ticker had changed and she had made her goal. And she let us all know so that we could recognize her for her achievements and her effect here. I don't think Ms RockinRobin was writing down the stats, but WAS keeping an eye out. Because she, like ALL of us, were rooting for her.

So, there are some posters whom I follow with interest, just to see how the journey is going. I think we all check out others' tickers, no? And there are some who seem to be doing really well and give great advice, but their tickers haven't changed. So I was just wondering about why this is, as just for ME it is a priority. Just trying to get another point of view about IF it is important for others to post, and IF I put too much personal importance on it, and how others feel about it.



Kira

It's so funny, because I hardly ever look at other poster's tickers, except when they ask for advice on something and it might be useful (like, for example, their loss slows down...well, if they're getting close to goal, that's natural, or if someone is showing a ticker weight of 300 lbs and eating 1200 and starving). Really, other than that, other peoples stats don't have a ton of meaning for me, personally.

Which doesn't mean I'm not proud of people when they accomplish things, or that I don't care about those accomplishments...not at all! Just means that I wait for those people to announce them and then away.