I think frequent weighing is a necessity IF one wants to keep the weight off permanently. 2 -3 lbs can quickly and easily turn into 5 - 6 lbs, which can turn into 9 - 10 lbs, which can turn into 15 and so on and so on. The scale is a tool that is available to us. A quick and convenient way to assess - what we weigh. No reason to fear it or shy away from it. It's available - it provides certain information, certain VITAL information concerning our health. Why not use it?

For me, the goal is maintaining a lean, fit body, not a specific weight. One can very easily gain fat while maintaining her weight. One can also become more lean while maintaining, and even gaining more weight. I'm not saying that the scale has no place for anyone, but it's important to remember that just because it shows a number you like doesn't necessarily mean you're "maintaining."

Not so sure I agree with this. I think it wouldn't be THAT easy to gain fat while maintaining the same weight.

I do think that staying within a certain weight (range) is a fairly good indicator of maintaining. Not the only thing to consider of course, but it is an easy, quick and valuable tool to be used along side with other things.

I'm not sure why the scale gets such a bad rap. It is what it is. Nothing more. Nothing less. :dunno:

Actually, people gain fat while keeping their weight consistent all the time. I think many dieters underestimate both the degree and the impact of loss of lean mass. I know I did for a long time. I've since recovered, hence the devaluation of the scale ;)

Hmm. Maybe "dieters " underestimate it, but lifestyle changers, maybe, just maybe, not as much. ;)

I just don't see the scale becoming less useful as a tool to track what I'm doing. I'm happy to add weight if it is lean muscle mass, I'll certainly accept a higher number on the scale for that.

Whether you're on a temporary diet or you've changed your lifestyle, if you're not taking important steps to preserve your lean mass, your body composition will shift in an undesirable direction.

Exactly.

I think for any reasonably bright and sane person, I should be able to figure out what is going on if I am getting heavier or staying the same weight and yet my measurements are going down (or staying the same), my clothes are getting looser (or staying the same), and this is happening at the same time that I'm working out more or am lifting weights.

Honestly, to suggest that we are stupid enough to NOT grasp this concept is a little insulting. Everyone's seen the pound of fat versus a pound of muscle. If my measurements are going down and my weight isn't changing I KNOW what is happening.

And if someone can't grasp that concept and is so fixated on a number and getting smaller isn't enough for them, I promise you that the scale is the least of her problems and she was going to fail eventually anyway...

Not to be harsh, but saying that weighing everyday is childish and somehow makes us less successful is insane and kind of annoying. Weighing daily or weekly AND paying attention to measurements and/or waistbands is a proven way to maintain!

I'm sorry you feel that way, I don't think anyone wanted to suggest that those who weighed daily were stupid, childish, or less successful. I suppose it is a suggestion for those who are too fixated on numbers. I understand that a lot of girls here can weight themselves daily and be okay with it, but I see twice or triple as many posts from women who are at a breaking point because they have gained 1lb or have only lost 1lb. It's sad. I suppose this only applies to those women (and men).

The article said that, not people on this board. The article said "If you need daily weigh-ins for life, you're stuck in 1st grade of health school." It was that to which I was referring.

And I wasn't trying to demean those people who are fixated on numbers, only suggest that until they get past that point, they are going to have problems with the lifestyle change they are attempting. It's not the act of weighing that is the problem (as suggested in the article), it is the attitude of the weigher. And the lifestyle change is never going to work until someone realizes that a scale is a tool, not the Holy Grail, and learns to listen to the other signs of their bodies (i.e. measurements and waistbands).

It's early for me still and I'm a little stressed by a week-long MIL visit. Perhaps I was a bit brusque. If so, I apologize!

Ugh, MIL! Don't worry :) The article just proves that everyone seems to have the magic solution. Nobody has the magic solution except their own willpower and determination!

Drina - I'm not trying to be argumentative with this question at all, I promise, I'm just trying to wrap my head around what you are saying. I know that a person can be 'skinny fat' and can be leaner and tight at a higher weight, what I can't figure out is how you can lose lean mass and gain fat while maintaining the same weight? If you lose the lean mass and add equivalent volume of fat wouldn't you weigh more?

I've been maintaining for about ten months and I started weighing every day back in February. I have a spreadsheet that I enter the numbers into and then generate a cute little graph with my trend compared to high and low redlines. I have an obsessive, somewhat addictive, personality, and the daily weighing, while appearing obsessive from the outside actually helps me control that crazy. When I was weighing weekly during weight loss I thought about the scale all the time. When I first started maintaining I thought that would settle down, but it didn't. I thought about the scale even more often, then, worried about what the higher calorie intake would do to my weight. Tracking the number every day and being able to quickly glance at my average lets me better understand blips without panic. Plus, I have found it fascinating to look at the impact different things have on my system - exercise, a milkshake, a low or high calorie day, a five mile run, etc. It has given me a much greater understanding of how my body works. I know that I weigh a little higher now than I did because of the strength training I've done, and I can track that increase over time, as well.

And, I do tend to pay more attention to my clothes fit than to the scale. I just really like numbers and excel graphs. :)

Thanks Tyler. That's exactly the point I was trying to get across, but couldn't find the right words.

Shannon, if you equate volume, you would actually weigh less while getting fatter. For example, say you gain 500 cc of fat and lose 500 cc of muscle. Since muscle tissue is more dense, 500 cc of muscle (which you've lost) weighs more than the same volume of fat (which you've gained), so you'll weigh less even though you've gained fat. On the other hand, if you equate mass, you would weigh the same but be a little larger. That would be like losing a pound of muscle and gaining a pound of fat. The number on the scale stays the same, but you're a little bit flabbier than you were before.