About three weeks ago I decided to not weigh myself for two months. I had been weighing myself every morning first thing and was tired of getting discouraged because of small fluctuations in weight after a bad eating day day or whatever.

However,I think this not weighing myself is NOT going well! I haven't actually gotten on a scale yet. But, I am about three weeks into it and all my pants are feeling tighter!

I am considering not waiting until the two months are up. That is a lot of time to do damage if this isn't working for me! On the other it hasn't been that long for not getting on the scale although I am pretty sure I will not be happy with what I see when I get on it. Better to be slightly discouraged for a day or two because of small weight gains rather than risk getting out of control? Or I haven't given it enough of a chance to work yet?

Any opinions? Should I wait it out or give it up?

SJ

mmhh, maybe weigh at least once a week, that seems to be the norm for most on this board.

Wow, I couldn't do that.. I get on the scale like.. probably at least 10 times a DAY... I think I would have a panic attack if I were to part with my scale lol

I can see where you are coming from though; I find that my mood is not so great if what the scale says isn't that great. :/

It IS a good idea to not get on the scale every day or multiple times a day because there are going to be big fluctuations. Pick one day a week, say, a Monday and weigh yourself every monday morning. I put the scale away under the sink so it's not staring at me when I shouldn't be weighing myself. Two months is a long time to not have a check on yourself, I suggest once a week for sure.

I weigh myself 2x a week, on Wednesdays and on Saturdays. I personally wouldn't go 2 months, partly because I don't have that much willpower and partly because I think it's good to "check" yourself more often than that to make sure you're making progress, not gaining again, etc. Make sure your plan is working. I think the once a week suggestion is best and eventually that's what I plan to do. I'm working on breaking a "daily weigh in" habit though so right now I'm comfortable weighing myself 2 times a week.

SJ,

I'm assuming you're on some kind of eating & exercise plan, and are actively trying to lose weight. Have you been following your plan? I've been going through a similar thing with the scale lately. I went from once-a-week weigh-in to hopping on at least once a day. It was too much. If I was pleased, I'd eat something I shouldn't. If I was upset, that could make me eat badly too. I made myself stop (cut back to 1x/week for now, and if I can do that keeping stable weight I'll cut back even more). I *know* if I'm being healthy or not when I'm being honest with myself, I don't need a scale to tell me. And since I started this campaign, I've been sticking to my eating plan completely. It really was a question of me being honest with myself. Our relationships to the scale have come up over in the maintainer's forum this week too.

Now, have you been doing something different in the past 3 weeks, specifically that could influence your belly area and make your pants tighter? Started doing sit-ups, or more sit-ups? Started strength training? Changed your exercise regime? Altered your caloric intake? Changed your protein/fat/carb ratio? There could be something you haven't thought of that might affect your weight or waist size.

Megan

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think cutting back to once a week is a good idea.

Megan-thanks for the input, you definitely gave me something to think about. I have recently increased my excercise AND been a little off program. I noticed when doing my cardio the other day that I felt heavier.

"I *know* if I'm being healthy or not when I'm being honest with myself, I don't need a scale to tell me."

I think you nailed it on that one! I am finding it easier to ignore a slip up because I don't see the effect right away. Good b/c I'm not discouraged, bad b/c I don't check myself and get back on track. Time to get honest with myself!

SJ

I don't weigh myself that often....I am a true scale **** and I'll stop eating if I don't see the results I want. I got the idea of not weighing for the frist 2 months of my weight loss from Bob Green Oprah's trainer. He said there are way too many weight changes within the first 60 days.

I actually weigh myself daily. I only take my weight on monday seriously, but i like seeing the changes on the scale from day to day helps keep me motivated. If i see my weight is down, i know i'm doing good, if it's up it lets me know that i need to avoid my nephews' snacks and maybe kick it up a notch in the exercise department. Probably not the best thing to do, but it works for me, so i don't worry about it.
Christine

SJ - wow, you definitely asked the right ladies about when to weigh!

I'll throw my 2 cents in too

Although my weight loss hasn't begun on this time around, I know that past success came with weighing once a week. There are definite ups and downs to all of it.

Ups: you don't see the daily fluctuation. Bloatedness at night will affect you differently than when you wake up the next day. For instance, i weight 183 yesterday morning, 183.5 last night, and 181.0 this morning. (I knew my short weight obsession would help today!.. now I can advise ) But I didn't eat anything last night and all I did was sleep between the 183.5 and the 181. But, in 6 days I'm weighing in for real and I'll adjust my sliding bar to reflect it. Fingers crossed that it goes down!
Okay, I rambled. In a nutshell, your motivation won't fluctuate as much if you weigh weekly. You won't see the natural body fluctuation and you won't take it the wrong way.

Downs: You may not lose every week either, and that can get depressing also. If you're good at keeping track of menstration, you may realize that your weight may not go down as much, or at all, when you're on your period or right before. If you've waited an entire week to weigh in, and you don't change, it stinks. But, if you stay good, even if the scale gets stuck on a number for awhile.. it'll move if you keep working at it.

I would say get on as much as you want, but only take it seriously once a week. Also, pick the day of the week that works best for you. I like Wednesdays... two days afte rthe weekend to get things toghter, two days before the weekend not to blow it again. I won't weigh in on Monday if I've slipped a little (even by just having some beer) on Saturday night. And if I weigh in on Friday, I'll blow off the entire weekend knowing that I have until next Friday to lose it again. So, Wednesday it is in my house! (Okay, but this week I forgot so it was Thursday). Okay, so Wednesday or Thursday in my house!

Either way, don't do the two month thing. You'll 1) go nuts, and 2) if it doesn't meet your expectations, you may get discouraged.

keep on truckin! and don't be scared of the scale.

Honestly, I think weighing any less than monthly while actively trying to lose weight is counter-productive. The scale shouldn't be the only measure of success, but it does need to be a part of it if you gain your motivation from losses on the scale. Maybe you could compromise and weigh in every other week, giving you enough time to not focus on the scale, but keeping you in check twice a month. That way you can check to make sure that what you're doing is working. Can you imagine finding out after two months that your diet wasn't working for you? Yuck!

I like seeing the changes on the scale too. Like this morning I got up and my weight was really down, so all day I have been good and I was more motivated to go work out this afternoon because I can't wait to see the numbers go down more. And like you, if the scale's numbers are on the higher side.. I tone the eating down a bit and workout extra hard.

i have been avoiding joining the gym lately (I mostly run outside, and meet a trainer in the park) partially I believe because the scale is there, and though I know I have lost inches in the past week, am afraid my weight didn't really go down. pls, this was the scale that told me I weighed 204 once upon a time, so who knows - that scared me because it was 20 pounds more than I thought I was (admittedly i had gained weight over the last semester though )

so i understand your fear of not wanting to wait - but maybe it has just been your tom, and you are a bit bloated?

as long as you are being healthy I am sure you are doing fine!

I weigh myself daily, and will weigh myself every time I use the bathroom that the scale is in. Its just become a habit I guess.

I don't know, maybe I'm weird, but I don't get upset and want to go binge when I see the number go up through out the day. I understand that your body fluctuates and that you are going to weigh more right after you eat. For me, it helps to see how my weight changes, whether it be up or down, because then I don't freak out when I see it go up .5 lb. Yes, it makes me feel good when the number goes down, but I don't base my whole day, and my mood for the day on that. If I got my butt out of bed at 5:45 am to exercise, that makes me feel a whole **** of a lot better than the number on the scale could ever make me feel.

The only number that I take seriously, is on my official weigh in day. And if my clothes are fitting better. Thats actually the only number I *really* care about anyway... my pant size.

I also agree with jenicra. I think you have to weigh yourself more than every 2 months.... because you need to know if what you are doing is actually working, or if you need to tweak something. I cant imagine finding out after 2 months that this whole time I wasn't loosing anything and having to start all over, and figure out what I was doing wrong.

~Liz

Hmmm maybe, but I am down 4 sizes since the end of March and thats my motivation...the new clothes! I went through a lot when I was younger with scales and it became a really unhealthy habit so I do not want to revisit that again. Maybe you are right though Jenicra...I think I may peek at the scale on the 15th to see whats going on.