To weigh or not?

lottycat

Hiii,

I'm back here (again) after a long and very enjoyable break... I got rather obsessed with this app a few years back when I was going through some stuff and it kind of took over my life. But before that happened I was very happy, healthy and strong logging every day, getting fit, loosing weight and then reaching my target and trying to maintain.

Annnnyway. I'm here really as damage limitation. I am quite small framed and am very lucky to have a pretty speedy metabolism and to generally like and naturally gravitate toward healthy food. I'm also very active in my day to day life. I don't have a TV and rarely sit still. But in my long break from logging I am aware that my choices have been getting worse and the bad habits I worked so hard to break are creeping back in (my jeans are also getting tighter). So I'm here to remind myself about all the yummy healthy stuff I love and to get a bit trimmer and also to train for Tough Mudder in September.

Basically this is the thing... I threw out my scales. Two years ago I stopped weighing myself and so far I haven't looked back. I am naturally slim (about a UK size 10) and know that my weight only fluctuates by around a stone - I'm tall so it doesn't really show and I'm still very much in the healthy BMI range. I've set my target to loose half a pound a week. But I have totally guessed my starting weight and I know because of that my macros and exercise calories burned will never be entirely accurate.

Should I continue in this vein - just going by how I look, feel, how well my clothes fit? Or should I get some new scales and do this properly?

Thoughts?? thannnnnks xxx

SezxyStef

I have a scale but only because my son asked me to buy one.

I can typically go by my clothing and how it feels...

For example after a vacation at an all inclusive I knew I had gained about 7 or 8lbs because my jean were uncomfortable....I did weigh myself and yup...up 7lbs...

I think if you are comfortable not having a set weight don't get the scale...go by how you feel/look/clothes fit.

Allelito

Going by how you look, feel and how your clothes fit is perfectly fine imo! The only thing I can think of to encourage using a scale is to get to see the little changes faster. You may not see the small weight changes in the mirror, but on the scale, which will at least let you know if you're on the right track. In the end though, it's always about how you feel when you look at yourself in the mirror that matters!

Chrysalid2014

Yes. I mean no, don't buy a scale. I'm very envious of you. My sister is the same: when her jeans get too tight she substitutes 0% yogurt for cheese as her late night snack until they fit her again. And that's it.

I suppose if you really want to input a correct starting weight you probably know someone who owns a scale, or could use one at your pharmacy or something...

HumboldtFred

I refuse to own a scale because I refuse to allow my two teen daughters to assign themselves value based off of a number. When I weigh it is at work, and I only weigh every 90 days to keep from forming an emotional reward/punishment relationship with a daily weight. I do my part so I see a significant loss every 90 days and I readjust my TDEE at that time. I think if you feel good and you fit good, you are good.

leggup

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336072
"Results support the idea that daily weighing is valuable to individuals trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain. Daily self-weighing should be emphasized in clinical and public health messages about weight control."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25865175
"In this sample, frequent self-weighing appears to be part of a constellation of healthy weight control behaviors used to counteract a perceived tendency toward weight gain. "

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25683820
"Daily weighers lost significantly more weight compared with those weighing less than daily (mean difference.... The total number of weight control behaviors adopted was greater among daily weighers.... There were no differences by self-weighing frequency in dietary strategies, calorie intake, or calorie expenditure."

vinerie

lottycat wrote: »

Hiii,

I'm back here (again) after a long and very enjoyable break... I got rather obsessed with this app a few years back when I was going through some stuff and it kind of took over my life. But before that happened I was very happy, healthy and strong logging every day, getting fit, loosing weight and then reaching my target and trying to maintain.

Annnnyway. I'm here really as damage limitation. I am quite small framed and am very lucky to have a pretty speedy metabolism and to generally like and naturally gravitate toward healthy food. I'm also very active in my day to day life. I don't have a TV and rarely sit still. But in my long break from logging I am aware that my choices have been getting worse and the bad habits I worked so hard to break are creeping back in (my jeans are also getting tighter). So I'm here to remind myself about all the yummy healthy stuff I love and to get a bit trimmer and also to train for Tough Mudder in September.

Basically this is the thing... I threw out my scales. Two years ago I stopped weighing myself and so far I haven't looked back. I am naturally slim (about a UK size 10) and know that my weight only fluctuates by around a stone - I'm tall so it doesn't really show and I'm still very much in the healthy BMI range. I've set my target to loose half a pound a week. But I have totally guessed my starting weight and I know because of that my macros and exercise calories burned will never be entirely accurate.

Should I continue in this vein - just going by how I look, feel, how well my clothes fit? Or should I get some new scales and do this properly?

Thoughts?? thannnnnks xxx

I completely relate to the app taking over your life. I've taken intermittent breaks since August largely because I just get mentally weary from logging and examining the analyses, etc. But I find the only way I lose weight is by engaging with this app, reading the message boards, etc. I'm getting married in July and I just said that I would stick with the app at least through that time. Anyhow, I have found that the scales keep me plugged in to this whole process. I hate that I cringe every time I step on, and kind of peek through a half-open eye to look at the number, but when I stop weighing myself, it then opens the door to stop logging food. When I stop logging food, I stop losing weight.

If there was a way to not let this app and general journey take over one's life, I would love to know it.

segacs

vinerie wrote: »

If there was a way to not let this app and general journey take over one's life, I would love to know it.

Moderation. It's just like eating one square of the chocolate bar instead of the whole bar. You can log and track your food in 5-10 minutes per day without needing to spend hours on the app or obsess over every little calorie.

You brush your teeth every day but most people don't let that take over their life either. You just make it part of your routine and then focus on other things in life that matter more.

If you find yourself spending hours and hours each day on the app or in the forums, consider that a warning sign and look for other things to do instead. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.

BeginnersBootcamp

No scale!!! I was the same a few years ago, I got so oobsessed over this app and the scale that it became an issue. This time I have only weighed myself twice and only then it was because my bootcamp instructor wanted to see my starting point and progress. No scale and I am so much happier this time!

runningforthetrain

britishbroccoli wrote: »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336072
"Results support the idea that daily weighing is valuable to individuals trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain. Daily self-weighing should be emphasized in clinical and public health messages about weight control."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25865175
"In this sample, frequent self-weighing appears to be part of a constellation of healthy weight control behaviors used to counteract a perceived tendency toward weight gain. "

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25683820
"Daily weighers lost significantly more weight compared with those weighing less than daily (mean difference.... The total number of weight control behaviors adopted was greater among daily weighers.... There were no differences by self-weighing frequency in dietary strategies, calorie intake, or calorie expenditure."

I have to chime in and agree with all this research. I threw out the scale- I completely underestimated- even with how clothes fit how much weight I gained by about 15 lbs- that wouldn't have happened if I had been weighing. My vote is weigh.

DearestWinter

runningforthetrain wrote: »

britishbroccoli wrote: »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16336072
"Results support the idea that daily weighing is valuable to individuals trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain. Daily self-weighing should be emphasized in clinical and public health messages about weight control."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25865175
"In this sample, frequent self-weighing appears to be part of a constellation of healthy weight control behaviors used to counteract a perceived tendency toward weight gain. "

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25683820
"Daily weighers lost significantly more weight compared with those weighing less than daily (mean difference.... The total number of weight control behaviors adopted was greater among daily weighers.... There were no differences by self-weighing frequency in dietary strategies, calorie intake, or calorie expenditure."

I have to chime in and agree with all this research. I threw out the scale- I completely underestimated- even with how clothes fit how much weight I gained by about 15 lbs- that wouldn't have happened if I had been weighing. My vote is weigh.

I also vote for weighing. I had 10 lbs sneak up on me because my clothes still fit fairly well. Everything has some stretch nowadays so I didn't notice. And, of course, I would buy new clothes and since sizing is so inconsistent I didn't notice my size was trending up.

Once I get to my goal I plan on weighing regularly so I can just keep tabs on what's going on.

rosiebenfield213

I think it's totally down to how you think you feel about yourself and your attitude to weight loss.

For me, scales are a big no-no, I've used them previously and began to obsess, it became part of a stepping stone into serious health issues. Haven't weighed myself in months and honestly haven't been happier. I adjust how I eat depending on how my body is feeling and looking and just keep to my calorie goal - I can't say this is the fastest way to loose weight, as shown by the facts given above, and I'm not dropping the pounds as I once did - but I don't think that's important. If you're happy and know you're not overeating then you shouldn't need scales!
But that's just my experience and I believe everyone handles it differently, some benefit massively from scales as it gives them a sense of pride and achievement - personally I take even minor failures too literally so a few pounds here and there really got to me.

Trust yourself

smileysarah66

I am having the same problem of getting scales or not...don't want to become obsessive but also want to see if what I am doing is working! I am in debate with myself currently ... Half says yes other half says no. My mum never let scales in the house as she would b obsessive, will I be the samw?! ...