Should I just ditch the scale?

  • Blah!

    I know that one of my March goals was to stop obsessing over what the scale says. So, I only weighed myself once this week. And nothing happened! I have been keeping up with my WW points, although not religiously, I have drastically changed the way that I eat (much less convenience foods and more whole grains and fruits) within my points value for the day and I have been exercising very regularly, taking vitamins, waterlogging myself, etc. But the stupid scale isn't moving.

    I did get out my tape measure this morning, and I have lost two inches on my hips in three weeks, half an inch in my boobs, and half an inch in my waist. I feel better, I feel more fit, and I see progress when I am doing pilates, or jogging farther, etc.

    How much value do you guys place in the scale? Do you measure too, or just focus on eating well and stuff? Any sort of advice here would be appreciated. It is days like this where i get so down and think that every doughnut i refused, every happy hour i declined and so on and so forth was for nothing.
  • The scale is the DEVIL! I swore I would only weigh myself on Mondays.. and so far I've weighed myself everyday this week-- twice yesterday. I know when I'm losing weight, that I tend to lose it in inches more then pounds.. but I still keep hoping that tomorrow it will say 150. *sigh*
  • haha omgosh...whenever there's a scale around..it's like i become obsessive. i seriously like weight myself up to 20 times a day. my advice? get rid of it or hide it in a closet where you can't see it out in the open. out of sight out of mind...unless u find ur self staring at the closet all the time lol.
    don't forget that when you exercise while u are losing weight, muscle weighs more than fat. u should find comfort that u are losing inches while u aren't losing that much weight b/c that means you are trimming up and ur getting toned.
    i try to not exercise until i lose excess fat ~fat turns into muscle~
    I advise to exercise lightly with cardio while using an effective diet that suits your needs. hope i helped.
    Good LUck
  • Scales are my down fall
    Like you I am also obsessed with the scale. Just last month I told myself I wouldn't get on the scale all month, I was able to do it. But then last week I said I wanted to get back into my workout, I hadn't been working out as hard last month as I usually do. Well I got on the scale last week and now I can't stop weighing myself.
    I've actually been weighing myself everyday, which is far worse than once a week. I am trying to tell myself that inches are what is important and I am starting to believe it today as I’m sitting at my desk. I am 6'1'' and today I feel skinner than I have in many years and yet I still obsess about the scale.
    I think that you need to be happy you lost those inches that is truly great!!
    I also find that since I am weightlifting I am loosing the inches but not as much weight is coming off, which doesn't mean I’m not loosing weight, just that my muscle is weighing more than the weight.
    So I guess after all this blabbing....keep up the good work don't get discouraged with the scale maybe don't even weigh yourself but continue to do your measurements. I also find getting my body fat measured by my trainer make me realize even more that I am doing something right and helps me to take one step closer to stop obsessing about the scale and learn to love myself for who I am.

    Good luck we're in the same boat
  • I too am obsessed with my scale. I am trying to take baby steps towards scale freedom. I can't just weigh once a day. It is usally twice a day, if not more. I want to try to get into the weekly weigh-ins and I need to take down some measurements. I think that will help too. I AM a slave to the numbers and I want to change that!
  • You can definitely get frustrated if you keep weighing yourself. I weigh myself once a week and that's enough for me. I also had my body fat measured at the start. I will do it again in the middle and at the end. That is my focus since I am doing weights three times per week. Your weight can only tell you so much. I find if I weigh myself too much I am prone to give up if I dont see results. Thats why I weight myself less often. I just keep telling myself that the work I am doing will show results and giving up will not. Whether the scale moves one week or doesnt the next, in the end you will lose it all if you are sticking to your plan. I also take pictures once a week at the same time to hopefully see results that way. So far, I haven't but it has only been a couple weeks.
    I would be really discouraged if I weighed myself every day. Some trainers say not to weigh yourself at all in the first month - just make the changes and you will see results in the end they say.

    I hope everyone is having a good day.
  • my scales are drivng me crazy too.. it seems like they only want to go in one direction now and not in the right direction... its very discouraging when you know you have been really trying hard.
  • The scale is seriously the devil.. I weigh myself in the morning, before I exercise, after I exercise and after I eat dinner. It just depresses me and in the end makes me eat more (because I'm not seeing progress and give up). I am seriously going to only weigh myself once a month from now on. It's too hard seeing the scale and not wanting to step on it!!!
  • Put the scale far away! I keep mine under my bed and I slide it way to the middle so its a HUGE pain to get back out!
    It sounds like you're doing great if you're losing inches!
  • I used to weigh in every day, but the constant ups and downs started to drive me crazy so I've cut down to once a week on Sunday. I also tend to lose inches before I lose a lot of weight, which is equally as frustrating. It's like you can feel your body is changing shape, but you don't really want to believe it because the scale isn't moving like you want it to. Maybe hiding the scale IS a good idea.
  • Argh...scales are definitely the devil.

    Nothing makes me feel fatter than jumping on the scales and seeing the same numbers. Doesn't matter that I run miles for the sheer joy of it and that my body has toned significantly...for some reason those nasty numbers just play tricks with my head (and not good ones)

    I maybe weigh once a week...less if my willpower is up!

    I tried clothes on the other day and was so suprised to see the way they fit had changed. I actually have a perky bum now lol.

    But one step on that scale and all that good stuff just gets forgotten -sigh-