The scale has stopped!

jujecarp

How often should I weigh myself and what do I do when the scale won't move??

arditarose

You can weigh yourself as often as you like, but you should understand that weight fluctuates, not just weekly but daily and that weight LOSS is not always linear. If you weigh once per week, at the same time and under the same conditions, you should see a loss. If you don't, it doesn't mean you're at a "plateau" until it's been quite some time. Then you need to tighten up your logging, because you're not in a deficit.

nordlead2005

weigh yourself every morning after going to the bathroom and before doing anything else (taking a drink, brushing teeth, showering, etc...).

Use that information for trend analysis. Either use an app on your phone, or use a website like trendweight.com, or use a spreadsheet. Whatever makes you find is easy to use.

As for not losing. Even someone who weights and logs meticulously can have a "stall" for 2 weeks, only to have it rush off later. I've had it happen twice and every time my weight loss catches up to my plan. I'm currently 1lb ahead of plan over 22 weeks.

If you stall for longer (3-4 weeks or possibly longer), then re-evaluate your process. Are you weighing your food? Do you measure liquids? Do you cheat yourself or do you log everything? Are you eating out a lot with a lot of wild guesses? If you can answer and evaluate those questions honestly and they aren't the problem, then you may need to reduce your calorie intake. This can be due to a decrease in activity or just because you had a small deficit to start and you've lost weight.

PinkPixiexox

Non-scale victories are just as important! :]

I'm on maintenance now but toward the end of my weigh loss, there was a month where I *only* lost around 2lbs. I was a little annoyed - until I measured myself and discovered I'd lost 8 inches that month! Get out that tape measure

shadowfax_c11

weigh myself pretty frequently but I usually check in with my afternoon number. When get home from work I am usually 1-2 pounds lighter than I a when I wake up in the morning. Using trendweight is a huge help in seeing what is really going on even when the scale is being obnoxious. Sometimes the scale doesn't move for days or weeks, sometimes the numbers bob up and down before things stabilize at a new low. Bodies are funny things. Try not to let the scale get to you. It is just a tool.

If you get stuck for more than a couple of weeks you might need to take a closer look at your logging to be sure that you are being accurate and consistent. If you are. Then you probably just need to keep going and wait it out.

debrakgoogins

Weigh as often as you choose to. Log every day and log accurately. There are extended gaps in your logging and you come dangerously close to your limit on the days you do log. Underestimating the weight of the even one of the foods you are eating would result in a higher calorie intake than is represented in your diary. If you are consistently going over on calories, you are not going to lose. I also notice that your diet is extremely grain carb heavy. There are almost no fruits, vegetables or lean meats in your diet. Try adding more lean meat protein and beneficial fats to stay fuller longer. I know that's hard to do - I'm a carb lover as well.

I_Will_End_You

I'm a fan of weighing daily. You can use an app like Happy Scale, log your daily weight and make sure the trend is downward. It helps people to see that your weight will fluctuate constantly and not to freak out about it.

rankinsect

Yeah, stalls are frustrating. I've had one for about ten days now, finally had a small dip but not nearly as much as I should have lost over that time. Just gotta take it and be patient. I know there's no possible way I'm eating even close to maintenance, so I am clearly burning fat and retaining fluid. It'll eventually come off.

brb2008

I will tell you my choices and how I handle it and maybe you'll see something that could help you!

I weigh daily, after using the toilet but before anything else. I want a lot of data so I can hopefully start to see a trend. Im giving myself 30 days to evaluate my current plan and to know if its working. I say 30 because each morning the number jumps around like crazy due to so many factors that I cant even list them. I have lost 6lbs over night! I actually deleted that one because it was throwing off my charts. So thays my plan, tons of data points to evaluate a trend over time and NOT even stress an ounce about the day to day. Some will chose to weigh weekly to evaluate data but I would prefer to really see my body's pattern. Maybe I can identify foods that make me bloat haha.

shrcpr

catscats222 wrote: »

statistics show that people that weigh themselves daily lose more weight
http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/how-often-should-you-weigh-yourself
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/12/us-weight-loss-scale-checks-idUSKBN0M82NC20150312
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/behindtheheadlines/news/2015-06-19-weighing-yourself-every-day-may-help-with-weight-loss-/

From the second link:
Getting on the scale every day may boost enthusiasm for healthy behaviors and lead to greater weight loss, according to a new U.S. study.

“Since keeping track of your diet can be hard, we discouraged participants from tracking diet in this study,” said Steinberg. “Instead we asked them to focus on just weighing daily to monitor progress as a way of determining whether their diet and exercise habits were working.”

Seems like the reason is increased focus, so if there's something else that focuses your efforts (like logging your food into MFP) that would work, too. (Bolding above is mine.)

My unscientific, uninformed hypothesis. And, because I really, really don't want to weigh daily.

mysteps2beauty

jujecarp wrote: »

....................and what do I do when the scale won't move??

Be thankful it hasn't moved in the "wrong" direction...LOL.

SergeantSausage

When you set up and maintain an appropriate Calorie Deficit, and maintain it over time, the scale pointer is *guaranteed* to move.