To weigh or not to weigh, that is the question

dohayoussef123
dohayoussef123 Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay guys, two weeks ago I made the conscious decision to not weight myself anymore. Why? Because I would weigh myself and if I gained, I'd let the number on the scale dictate how I felt during the day and the rest of the week. And if I lost weight, I'd feel the need to reward myself with a cheat meal. Only, it never really turns out to be just a cheat meal. I would end up binging and then wipe away all the work I'd done the week before. Basically, the number on the scale would do crazy things to me haha. I've been on my weight loss journey for the past year and have lost about 16 pounds and aim to lose another 13 pounds by the end of the year, so not much more to lose.

Now, I don't plan on weighing myself because of what the number on the scale would do to me. Instead, I'm counting my calories, eating healthy and working out 3/4 times a week. Is it a bad idea to not weigh myself at all? Or should I try and weigh myself once a month? I want to know what would be healthier for me.

Thanks

Replies

  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    If it works, it works. I'm on a weighing hiatus for psychological reasons myself. I am payin gattention to my lifts at the gym, eating a slight deficit, and looking at my body composition more. I am on hiatus until at least end of the month.

    Pictures, measuring tape, how clothes feel, are all other ways to determine if you are losing. The scale, imo, is good for getting general trends.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    once a month is a great idea unless your pants start feeling too snug
  • illyich
    illyich Posts: 195 Member
    Last time I was losing I weighed everyday. I don't think it really set me in a good frame of mind. This time around, once a week only. I agree that abstaining from weighing can be a good thing for some people that let the number dictate everything else.

    I should really start measuring myself.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Do whatever is going to work for you.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    I have similar issues with using the scales.

    I'm very strictly logging every bite and drink and not depriving myself when I have specific cravings ...just eating less of whatever it is. I am dropping a lot lot lot of inches and have had to move to smaller clothing after just over 30 days into this (even undergarments ). I have a lot to lose so I know that will slow down eventually, but as long as I can SEE progress I plan to completely avoid scales.

    Keep doing what works for you :smile:
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    illyich wrote: »
    Last time I was losing I weighed everyday. I don't think it really set me in a good frame of mind. This time around, once a week only. I agree that abstaining from weighing can be a good thing for some people that let the number dictate everything else.

    I should really start measuring myself.

    Yup, I was getting too fixated. When I lost weight without counting cals years ago I oly weighed myself a few times the entire 6 months I lost weight. Lost 50lbs! After my break I'll probably resume weekly or bi-weekly weigh-ins.
  • healthy_life2015
    healthy_life2015 Posts: 215 Member
    I have had psychological issues with the scale but for some reason weighing every day actually works much better for me. I think the reason is that I would put so much pressure on the weekly weigh in, and I would stress that I would not lose or that I would gain. If I didn't like the number then I had to wait a whole week to see it change again and ohmygoshwhatifitdidntgodown!!!!!!! I would still weigh myself every day but it didn't "count". Now I weigh myself every day and track it, and I feel less pressure because I know I will get to weigh back in again tomorrow if I don't like what I see. It makes the natural ups and downs more manageable for me emotionally. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not. I didn't think this would be healthy for me but it actually works so much better for me!

    Another tip I have is to round to the pound. Stressing over fractions of a pound is pointless (at least for me trying to lose about 40 - don't know about OP's situation). It makes me feel better to not worry about that level of detail and just focus on each pound lost!
  • jeffd247
    jeffd247 Posts: 319 Member
    I'm torn on this issue.

    I like to weigh myself every day so that I can track how my weight fluctuates based on the foods I am eating and how active I am. I also tend to be more disciplined in terms of tracking calories when I am weighing myself every day.

    Like the OP, the number on that scale can really affect my mood if it doesn't say what I want it to say. I have noticed recently, however:

    1. I have more energy
    2. I'm performing better during my workouts
    3. I'm less hungry
    4. I'm stronger
    5. My clothes are fitting better.

    I think using the scale as the "only" metric for success is a mistake so I need to break my measuring tape back out. Checking those measurements weekly might help offset and number on the scale that I don't like.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Do whatever is going to work for you.

    This.

    I weigh every day because I like to see how what I eat, my cycle, my exercise, etc. affect my daily weight. But I can stay pretty level-headed about it. I might think "ugh, that carb fest is still affecting my weight" but it doesn't make me totally freak out. However, we are all different and if you can't deal with the fluctuations, limiting your weigh-ins is fine. Do what works for you.

  • MythicalMe84
    MythicalMe84 Posts: 80 Member
    I tell myself I won't step on a scale but can't help myself. I have to see what it says. I have only lost 1 pound in almost 3 weeks but my clothes are fitting looser. I am exercising almost every day and do not understand why I have only lost 1 pound. That is why I am back on here giving MFP another go. I do want to start measuring myself and see what progress I have there.
  • HaggisWhisperer
    HaggisWhisperer Posts: 125 Member
    I used to weight myself every day, but like you it was starting to dictate to me how I felt. I didn't tend to reward myself with food if it went down, but if it went up it did make me develop a "stuff it" type mentality and I'd go and eat a load of nutritionally questionable food and totally blow my calorie allotment for the day (days). I'm cutting down on the weighing now - I weighed myself a couple of weeks ago for a Baseline (got a bit of a post Christmas shock with that one) and now I'm not going to weigh myself until Easter. I'll probably still use the measuring tape every couple of weeks though. I'm not sure whether this tactic will work or not, but I figured I had to try something different.
  • fireguychris
    fireguychris Posts: 58 Member
    illyich wrote: »
    Last time I was losing I weighed everyday. I don't think it really set me in a good frame of mind. This time around, once a week only. I agree that abstaining from weighing can be a good thing for some people that let the number dictate everything else.

    I should really start measuring myself.
    I did the same thing.. and as soon as it stops.. the ambition dies down... this.time im weighing every few weeks.. using measurements instead.

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