Scale Debate

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  • How often do you weigh yourselves? I do it once a week, I am afraid daily would be really discouraging if things aren't moving (or are moving the wrong way). What does everyone do?
  • I do it everyday. I like this because I get to see the daily fluctuations. I know that one day I can weight 2 lbs (or something) more than I did hte day before because I'm retaining water. If my weekly weigh in day happened to be on a day I was up, it could wipe out an entire week of weight loss, or even show a gain, and I'd have no idea that I was really doing just fine. When I decided to start weighing and recording daily, I just had to tell myself that some days i would see gains and other days I would see losses, and i would be successful if I saw a downward trend.
  • Same here, same reason. Every day. Fluctuations happen. By weighing daily I get more exposure to the fluctuations and am more willing to accept them. Not that I am ever overjoyed to see the scale go up, but I think it is a lot less traumatic if you've seen them again and again and learn that they are just temporary. Since I lose slowly and fluctuate greatly, I could easily be up on a monthly weigh-in day and without daily experience, I would find that very upsetting.
  • I weigh daily..It helps me on making healthy food choices!
  • Daily. I am familar with the pattern of my fluctuations. I can usually tell if I will be up before I even get on the scale. I know if my face is puffy or my tummy is bloaty or my muscles are sore. There are rarely bad surprises once you learn your body. I have even had a day where I was really bloaty and puffy and was all excited because while I was "up" I wasnt as up as my up was last week so my up is now lower. When I realize that I HAVENT seen a number in a long time that is pretty fun, almost more exciting than the new lows.

    Plus, one of my first symptoms of going off plan is to stop weighing. It usually stops even before food recording stops.
  • I just did 3 months straight of daily weigh ins. I thought I learned a lot about my body and the way I lose weight. I really liked having all the info to look at and see my patterns. I found that the fluctuations didn't bother me because I could see these patterns and had a pretty good idea of what was behind them - specific things I ate, too much salt, TOM, etc.

    However, I'm currently on a scale break and won't be weighing until June 21. So why would I do that if I thought daily WIs worked so well?? For me, staying in the teens has become a tough barrier for me. And I found myself too fixated on the number on the scale instead of just working my plan. Plus, I've got a sick kid and have been having very sleepless nights which means I'm not even following my own patterns for when I go to bed and get up, which plays a big role on the scale for me. And when I found myself thirsty one of these past nights when I'd been up with my son but started to think I shouldn't have a glass of water because it would mess up my WI, I knew I gone too far.

    The thing about the scale is that is needs to be a tool. A tool to see your progress, a tool to keep you on track and honest with yourself and a tool to motivate you to keep going forward. But in my case, it had become a burden. Only you can figure out the best way to use the scale, and it may take some trial and error. don't be afraid to weigh daily, if you are curious about whether it would work for you. Or the other end of the spetrum, there are some successful people here who only weigh once a month or even less often. Or like me, where I'm mixing it up according to what feels like the right thing at any given time. Just like there is no one single perfect way to lose weight, there is no single perfect way to use the scale.
  • Daily.

    I'm in tune with my ups and downs enough to not get all wiggy over whatever the scale is reading.

    But I know once I stop the weighing and food logging, I am risking a relapse because then I'm not as in touch with what is going on and what I am eating. Too easy to under or overestimate the food and exerice.

    I'm so over this extra weight, I'd rather just keep on logging!

    A.
  • I do it weekly at my WW meeting.
    I will sometimes have a sneak peek at the gym but I get put off if I see a number I dont want to see before my official weigh in.
  • I do it daily but I only write it down on Sunday mornings. It's actually part of my morning routine.....wake up.....go to the bathroom......wash face......weigh. I thought it would drive me nuts, but like some of the others have stated, I have learned not to freak out if I see a small gain.....It does help me make better choices throughout the day! If you can do it without freaking out, I think it's fine, but if you are the type who would get discouraged easily- I would say stick to once a week or even once every other week. Measuring is also a very good idea for another way of monitoring your progress!
  • I think I like the idea od weighing everyday just because like many of you have already said; it's help you in knowing your body.
  • I do it daily, but I wish I could stop. It's almost compulsive now, and it also helps me eat right, like Liliann.
  • hubby and i are trying to differentiate this time around as a lifestyle change versus a diet- so he has hid the scale. i think we'll weigh in quarterly.... it's honestly driving me a little nuts, i'm not seeing any differences in the way my clothes feel.
    i have "cheated" in that i did measurements. even though my clothes aren't feeling much different i have lost a lot of inches, so at least i must be reallocating my fat or something... haha.
  • Daily.

    Before I really didn't understand my normal fluctuations, but now I do, and so they freak me out less.

    Also, I USED to think my clothes were fitting looser sometimes when in fact I was gaining and just picking stretchier clothes to wear. I'm the master of denial.
  • While loosing I was doing it every Sunday, Now I am doing every other day.
  • Quote: hubby and i are trying to differentiate this time around as a lifestyle change versus a diet- so he has hid the scale. i think we'll weigh in quarterly....
    Quarterly as in every 3 months?!! Wow, that is some willpower!