I've stopped weighing myself, anyone else?
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TimothyFish wrote: »I think you have it backwards. You shouldn't stop weighing yourself, but it is okay to quit counting calories. You need to weigh yourself to make sure you are staying near where you should be. Counting calories is just a way to correct the problem if you gain weight.
lol really?
I log and count but very rarely weigh because I do log and count I don't have to....
those random spikes and drops are a mental game and I don't need that in my life.
Besides it's one measure that in the long run means squat if you are logging and know you are good.
ETA: basically it's 6 of one and half dozen of another.
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kistockman wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I think you have it backwards. You shouldn't stop weighing yourself, but it is okay to quit counting calories. You need to weigh yourself to make sure you are staying near where you should be. Counting calories is just a way to correct the problem if you gain weight.
This is exactly what I have been doing for the past 10 years. I would count and track just one week of the month to keep myself on track, but would weight myself weekly to be sure I wasn't gaining. Tracking the one week would keep me at or even below my GW (I loved having that 2-3 lb buffer)!
And this is exactly how I discovered that I went up about 5lbs and the lbs never came off. Tracking my calories doesn't seem to work. I tracked HONESTLY for a whole month, the lbs fluctuated, but the range was a solid 3-5lbs more than last year. They wouldn't budge.
This is been a bit demoralizing and frightening to me really. Am I going to keep creeping up as I get older? Is this a reason to continue stepping on the scale or the argument for tossing it and looking for other ways to measure my fitness?
The scale isn't a good measure of fitness, just of weight. Whether you weight yourself or your food I'd suggest letting your doctor know if you gain any more weight (even if only going by clothing tightness). The risk of thyroid problems increases with menopause so if you have unexplained weight gain it would be wise to get that checked as it's easily treatable with medication.3 -
I log my calories and I'm pretty meticulous about it, its become second nature so the calorie counting assures me I have nothing to worry about scale wise. I am in the last stages of Peri-menopause at the age of 49. Been working through the best methods and this seems to work for me and my comfort level.
When my goals change like now, I'm bulking as mentioned up thread, it necessary to weigh, not daily but weekly or so. I don't find any tool I use for maintaining/cutting/bulking a mental game, its just a tool.2 -
TimothyFish wrote: »I think you have it backwards. You shouldn't stop weighing yourself, but it is okay to quit counting calories. You need to weigh yourself to make sure you are staying near where you should be. Counting calories is just a way to correct the problem if you gain weight.
lol really?
I log and count but very rarely weigh because I do log and count I don't have to....
those random spikes and drops are a mental game and I don't need that in my life.
Besides it's one measure that in the long run means squat if you are logging and know you are good.
ETA: basically it's 6 of one and half dozen of another.
That's not exactly true. Weighing only requires about five seconds to step on the scales. Logging calories requires some action each time you eat and may require you to weigh your food and do other things to achieve accuracy. For long term maintenance it makes sense to keep things simple.7 -
kistockman wrote: »
Tell me more about recomposition. I'm not sure I heard that term before.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest
Everything you want to know about recomp.
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Go by the way your clothes fit and your energy level1
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everyone is unique of course so you should do what works for you. As a post menapausal confirmed yo yo person I can tell you that the stopping logging and the stopping weighing are for me the first step on the slippery slope of an upward yo, I liken myself to an addict of sorts. I can pretend that I am normal for a while and succeed but after a while I slip back into the old ways. So, for me personally, I think I will always need to weigh daily (and monitor trends) and count calories. So much hard work has gone into the losses over the years that it seems a shame for me to be lazy and think I don't have this issue. For me first I stop logging. boo. Then I stop weighing. boo boo. Then I start wearing stretchy clothes. YIKES! Before I know it, it's a year or 2 down the road and I am exactly where I started but fatter (because yo yo weight is usually not muscle) 20 pounds more.8
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Don't toss the scale. It's data, pure and simple. No emotion attached to the net to the number, just information you can use to maintain your healthy weight.11
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SummerSkier wrote: »everyone is unique of course so you should do what works for you. As a post menapausal confirmed yo yo person I can tell you that the stopping logging and the stopping weighing are for me the first step on the slippery slope of an upward yo, I liken myself to an addict of sorts. I can pretend that I am normal for a while and succeed but after a while I slip back into the old ways. So, for me personally, I think I will always need to weigh daily (and monitor trends) and count calories. So much hard work has gone into the losses over the years that it seems a shame for me to be lazy and think I don't have this issue. For me first I stop logging. boo. Then I stop weighing. boo boo. Then I start wearing stretchy clothes. YIKES! Before I know it, it's a year or 2 down the road and I am exactly where I started but fatter (because yo yo weight is usually not muscle) 20 pounds more.
I think you are me.
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I don't look at the scale, it is all about how you look in the mirror3
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If you gain 3 lbs, your clothes will tell you. If you lose 3 lbs, your clothes will tell you. Your mirror is the best gauge.1
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I have not quit weighing in yet, but am thinking about it. Quit logging in June and weight is static. I never even had a scale until I joined here. I would LOVE to tell it goodbye! I've been at maintenance for a couple of years. Everything still fits. Go for it!1
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Scales can be the worse enemy, specially when starting out. Measurements are a more accurate way to keep track of progress.2
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I think you should continue to weigh yourself regularly, the way you were doing. That's how you would know where you stand. Just remind yourself, for those freaky, out of nowhere extra lbs, that it's a fluctuation, if you didn't do some serious overeating and accept it as such. But the only way you would know if it's a fluctuation or a real weight gain, if you have information and data. And scale provides that, so why would you reject it? You talked about changing your approach to the numbers on the scale, and i think that should be your focus. To learn to be ok with water weight and fluctuations, not letting it affect your mood for the day. It's just an honest tool, quick to use and to get your data from. It's like getting an unpleasant email, not worth throwing out your computer because of it. You're in control of how you process the information scale provides, so don't ditch it, work with it.6
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If you gain 3 lbs, your clothes will tell you. If you lose 3 lbs, your clothes will tell you. Your mirror is the best gauge.
This is so true for me. I've been at this for a while now so I can easily see when put on water weight with certain non-stretchy clothes, by how my ring fits and sometimes I can see it (others can't though).1 -
Don't concentrate on weight concentrate on body fat % and get a scales that can read it for you. Which also means when you get random spikes in weight you know if it's putting on fat or muscle. Plus muscle weighs more than fat so sometimes taking measurements can help if you're not happy with the number you see on the scales. Just be dedicated to what your goal is and maintain what you see as ideal for you.4
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I have been a yoyo dieter all my life. If I don't weigh, it is very easy for me to fool myself into thinking I haven't gained all that much. I usually wear my clothes loose and comfortable, so they aren't much of a gauge. The mirror is even worse, because I look in the mirror and see all my flaws, no matter what I weigh. At 120 lbs. I see all the fat that still exists, not the fact that I am thinner than I've been since high school. I weigh myself about once a week, sometimes every other week. I know from my ring whether I am retaining water or not, so I choose days when I know I'm not (i.e. not after a hard workout or restaurant meal.)
Menopause does not necessarily mean you'll gain weight. I started running at 54 and my weight went down to levels I hadn't seen in years. I did have thyroid and anemia issues that had to be dealt with - but both are easily diagnosed and treated. If you just can't shift those 3 pounds, it is worth getting a complete thyroid panel done (not just TSH).6 -
What I would suggest is that a weight range come into play instead of a very static "number". I would also weigh myself every day at the same time on the same scale and take the average for the week and use that as my number. Then compare next week's number with the current number.
I understand that lots of people have different issues with different things (unhealthy relationship with food and with the scale are very common). I suggest that a mind-set change is in order (which is easier said than done and does not happen overnight).
I just look at the numbers from the scale as validation for the week's work or for kicking me in the *kitten* for slacking. It is a tool.....just like food and just like cardio. Nothing more.
But, until you get there......I would suggest that you concentrate on how you feel and how your clothes fit. Just make progress on the mind-set thing..... 1
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