Losing Weight Isn't Your Goal.
Dano74
Posts: 503 Member
Preachination!
Weight Loss, Shmate Loss
I know, I know... bear with me here.
There's a general way of thinking in need of a revolutionary shift and/or a straight kick in the pants when it comes to tracking nutrition and/or getting fit-- the fitness measuring equivalent of fool's gold. So here it is: you're not trying to lose "weight"; You're trying to lose FAT.
Duh. Kinda. Right?
I know there's a fine line there (fat weighs something, after all) but once you wrap your mind around the fact weight isn't always fat, you'll understand why weight is a nebulous "thing" that can help but mostly hinder...and why I think constantly checking the scale for progress is counterproductive and unnecessarily frustrating. I won't deny tracking your weight has its place (baseline, starting points, monthly check-ins and all that) but when anyone invests so much hope, happiness and measured success in the readout on a scale---or pumps their fist at losing weight for the sake of losing weight-- a simple increase in the numbers on the scale will always become a "failure"... and that just shouldn't EVER be the case.
Weight Is A Number, Not Progress
Weight, by definition, is simply a measurement of gravity and little else without some additional and sometimes complicated maths. As far as a scale is concerned... eat dinner, gain weight. Go to the bathroom, lose weight. Put shoes on, gain weight. Take your clothes off, lose weight. See where I'm going with this? Any one of a thousand changes you can do to your body will tip the scale up or down but at the end of the day are your pants tight? Is your "little pooch" still pooching its way around your waist? Do your arms still look like a fresh-squeezed line of toothpaste?
Point is-- looking to "weight" as a sole source of progress is crash course in frustration. Sure it's an indicator but you can fast for a day and lose "weight" while not being any thinner than the next time you take a drink or eat a meal. Losing FAT will always makes you look thinner (aka- leaner), and in need of a new wardrobe-- and its these visual measuring sticks most folks in the process of "losing weight" want in the first place.
And really, isn't that what it boils down to: visual results representing better health over a superficial pat on the back from a machine that's got no concept of who you are, how much farther you ran or how much better your pants fit?
Personally, I say YAAAASSSS.
And Thus, 3 Reasons Why Your Scale Can Be a Big Fat Jerk
1) Your weight's going to fluctuate by pounds. I could get on the scale first thing in the morning and weigh myself two hours later only to find a two pound gain. I didn't just get fatter and neither did you. Weight fluctuates throughout the day-- what you just ate, what you're wearing, how much water you're retaining, what's in your bladder--the list goes on and on-- and none of these factors are truly reflective of where you're actually at in body fat, fitness level or transformation.
2) The scale is a mental bully. Insanely, if your expectations don't line up with what the scale reads, all of a sudden YOU'RE the failure. Never mind Junior may have been using the scale as a trampoline throughout the week or you happen to be retaining a little water. The scale reads what it reads and we tend to magically believe that's become the definition of our success or failure. We quickly forget we upped our endurance this week, pulled out a couple more push ups or cinched up an extra belt notch when we put our pants on. Why? Most folks expect the numbers on the scale to go down and when they don't, people think something in their diet or workout regimen is haywire. It's not. The scale is just using its simple measurement of time and place to be a jerk.
3) Scales are big fat liars when it comes to gauging overall success in your transformation. Fact is, your transformation is in the mirror, the clothes you fit into and the way you feel-- not in numbers on a scale. Yes, scales are 90-ish percent truthful in their measurement of WEIGHT, but you're not out to lose WEIGHT. You're out to lose FAT and get fit-- and weight can be an ineffective measurement of your fat-burning success if you're measuring up every day or even every week.
To keep from bonking into the wall of frustration, use these simple "success metric"/"sanity check" alternatives instead:
Good: Clothes. Say wha? Yeah, this is the poor man's scale. How are your pants feeling? Are clothes more loose? Need a belt? These are all signs you're losing fat and trimming up.
Gooder: Measuring tape. Measure out your waist size, thighs, arms-- even millimeters are an indicator of slow and steady success.
Goodest: Fat calipers-- a personal favorite. They're a bit trickier, but if a scale is the weight loss bully, fat calipers are the weight loss body-guard of tough love that use skin folds to measure what you're trying to lose: subcutaneous fat. Like that chump the scale, calipers can be used every week or two to monitor fat torching progress. Some body areas may be slower to respond than others, but adding all your skin fold measurements can often yield surprising drops every week.
So maybe I'm a little tough on scales-- but that's only because I've seen them frustrate far too many people. Stick with your MFP protocols, eat smartly, work out if that's part of it all... and your guaranteed results will be in your "before" and "after" pictures, not in the digital readout.
Weight Loss, Shmate Loss
I know, I know... bear with me here.
There's a general way of thinking in need of a revolutionary shift and/or a straight kick in the pants when it comes to tracking nutrition and/or getting fit-- the fitness measuring equivalent of fool's gold. So here it is: you're not trying to lose "weight"; You're trying to lose FAT.
Duh. Kinda. Right?
I know there's a fine line there (fat weighs something, after all) but once you wrap your mind around the fact weight isn't always fat, you'll understand why weight is a nebulous "thing" that can help but mostly hinder...and why I think constantly checking the scale for progress is counterproductive and unnecessarily frustrating. I won't deny tracking your weight has its place (baseline, starting points, monthly check-ins and all that) but when anyone invests so much hope, happiness and measured success in the readout on a scale---or pumps their fist at losing weight for the sake of losing weight-- a simple increase in the numbers on the scale will always become a "failure"... and that just shouldn't EVER be the case.
Weight Is A Number, Not Progress
Weight, by definition, is simply a measurement of gravity and little else without some additional and sometimes complicated maths. As far as a scale is concerned... eat dinner, gain weight. Go to the bathroom, lose weight. Put shoes on, gain weight. Take your clothes off, lose weight. See where I'm going with this? Any one of a thousand changes you can do to your body will tip the scale up or down but at the end of the day are your pants tight? Is your "little pooch" still pooching its way around your waist? Do your arms still look like a fresh-squeezed line of toothpaste?
Point is-- looking to "weight" as a sole source of progress is crash course in frustration. Sure it's an indicator but you can fast for a day and lose "weight" while not being any thinner than the next time you take a drink or eat a meal. Losing FAT will always makes you look thinner (aka- leaner), and in need of a new wardrobe-- and its these visual measuring sticks most folks in the process of "losing weight" want in the first place.
And really, isn't that what it boils down to: visual results representing better health over a superficial pat on the back from a machine that's got no concept of who you are, how much farther you ran or how much better your pants fit?
Personally, I say YAAAASSSS.
And Thus, 3 Reasons Why Your Scale Can Be a Big Fat Jerk
1) Your weight's going to fluctuate by pounds. I could get on the scale first thing in the morning and weigh myself two hours later only to find a two pound gain. I didn't just get fatter and neither did you. Weight fluctuates throughout the day-- what you just ate, what you're wearing, how much water you're retaining, what's in your bladder--the list goes on and on-- and none of these factors are truly reflective of where you're actually at in body fat, fitness level or transformation.
2) The scale is a mental bully. Insanely, if your expectations don't line up with what the scale reads, all of a sudden YOU'RE the failure. Never mind Junior may have been using the scale as a trampoline throughout the week or you happen to be retaining a little water. The scale reads what it reads and we tend to magically believe that's become the definition of our success or failure. We quickly forget we upped our endurance this week, pulled out a couple more push ups or cinched up an extra belt notch when we put our pants on. Why? Most folks expect the numbers on the scale to go down and when they don't, people think something in their diet or workout regimen is haywire. It's not. The scale is just using its simple measurement of time and place to be a jerk.
3) Scales are big fat liars when it comes to gauging overall success in your transformation. Fact is, your transformation is in the mirror, the clothes you fit into and the way you feel-- not in numbers on a scale. Yes, scales are 90-ish percent truthful in their measurement of WEIGHT, but you're not out to lose WEIGHT. You're out to lose FAT and get fit-- and weight can be an ineffective measurement of your fat-burning success if you're measuring up every day or even every week.
To keep from bonking into the wall of frustration, use these simple "success metric"/"sanity check" alternatives instead:
Good: Clothes. Say wha? Yeah, this is the poor man's scale. How are your pants feeling? Are clothes more loose? Need a belt? These are all signs you're losing fat and trimming up.
Gooder: Measuring tape. Measure out your waist size, thighs, arms-- even millimeters are an indicator of slow and steady success.
Goodest: Fat calipers-- a personal favorite. They're a bit trickier, but if a scale is the weight loss bully, fat calipers are the weight loss body-guard of tough love that use skin folds to measure what you're trying to lose: subcutaneous fat. Like that chump the scale, calipers can be used every week or two to monitor fat torching progress. Some body areas may be slower to respond than others, but adding all your skin fold measurements can often yield surprising drops every week.
So maybe I'm a little tough on scales-- but that's only because I've seen them frustrate far too many people. Stick with your MFP protocols, eat smartly, work out if that's part of it all... and your guaranteed results will be in your "before" and "after" pictures, not in the digital readout.
27
Replies
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Question: If I'm sure I'm abiding by my calorie goals, is it really safe to put the scale away for a month? I'm upping my exercise intensity (& adding weights) in the coming weeks and I'm afraid I might freak out over a little swelling. Sorry for asking you to repeat yourself when you've already written something so thoughtful.0
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Oversimplifying, there are two camps.
OP is an eloquent advocate for one camp: Weigh infrequently, don't let the scale dominate you.
The other camp says: Weigh at the same time every day, under the same conditions (first thing in the AM, after bathroom, before eating, and naked is usually proposed). Record it. Over time, learn to understand your personal weight fluctuations, and what causes them. Knowledge is powerful, and the scale will never again be able to dominate you.
There are lots of variations and considerations of each, but that's the cartoon version.
Fundamentally, each person has to decide which approach best fits his or her personality and outlook.34 -
Oversimplifying, there are two camps.
OP is an eloquent advocate for one camp: Weigh infrequently, don't let the scale dominate you.
The other camp says: Weigh at the same time every day, under the same conditions (first thing in the AM, after bathroom, before eating, and naked is usually proposed). Record it. Over time, learn to understand your personal weight fluctuations, and what causes them. Knowledge is powerful, and the scale will never again be able to dominate you.
There are lots of variations and considerations of each, but that's the cartoon version.
Fundamentally, each person has to decide which approach best fits his or her personality and outlook.
Thank you. I'm going to have to think about this.2 -
Oversimplifying, there are two camps.
OP is an eloquent advocate for one camp: Weigh infrequently, don't let the scale dominate you.
The other camp says: Weigh at the same time every day, under the same conditions (first thing in the AM, after bathroom, before eating, and naked is usually proposed). Record it. Over time, learn to understand your personal weight fluctuations, and what causes them. Knowledge is powerful, and the scale will never again be able to dominate you.
There are lots of variations and considerations of each, but that's the cartoon version.
Fundamentally, each person has to decide which approach best fits his or her personality and outlook.
I fit in the second camp.
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Oversimplifying, there are two camps.
OP is an eloquent advocate for one camp: Weigh infrequently, don't let the scale dominate you.
The other camp says: Weigh at the same time every day, under the same conditions (first thing in the AM, after bathroom, before eating, and naked is usually proposed). Record it. Over time, learn to understand your personal weight fluctuations, and what causes them. Knowledge is powerful, and the scale will never again be able to dominate you.
There are lots of variations and considerations of each, but that's the cartoon version.
Fundamentally, each person has to decide which approach best fits his or her personality and outlook.
Good points- particularly about having a view of the long game and gaining control over fluctuation anxiety. I'd just go back to my generalization that in my experience for most beginners, a daily weigh in is more frustration than encouragement.1 -
A timely reminder not to get to caught up in what the scales reflect, thanks OP this post is both insightful and encouraging!
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Both "camps" mentioned are recommending the same underlying mindset, though - detaching emotionally from the number on the scale and not letting the progress of that number dominate you. Those who recommend infrequent or no weighing do so in order to push the scale number further down their list of priorities and focus on other things. Those who recommend daily weighing and graphing do so because it makes each reading part of a cloud of data and so makes each reading less important compared to the overall trend. I use the second approach but I can see how either can be effective.13
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I'm in the 2nd camp too.
I weigh myself daily (naked after using the toilet each morning) but do not experience any anxiety or frustration because I take the long term view that it's the trend and not each daily weigh-in that matters.
You can't get a good data set to determine the trend unless you weigh yourself daily and by computing a 7 day moving average the data becomes less erratic and the trend more readily apparent.3 -
It seems like everyone here either measures body fat in some manner or uses a measuring tape. I haven't done this. I weigh daily, hoping to see a downward trend because I do have a ways to go. I also measure myself by looking in the mirror and how my clothes fit. Lately my jeans have been a little looser so I know I am making progress, and when I stand in front of a mirror I see my belly doesn't stick out quite as far as it used to. Should I be measuring my body fat or using a measuring tape? It seems like how clothes fit is one of the best measurements to see what direction you are going.0
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Whatever you're comfortable with and can sustain is what is best for you. I have used a measuring tape, but once a year...I don't weigh myself every day, but more weekly or biweekly...like you, I'd rather count on how my clothes fit, how my body feels. Everyone has their own way..xo1
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I would say that calipers are not the best method of tracking as in the very lean or overweight category (of which I assume many people are if they are on a weight loss forum), then it is hard to take consistent readings. Measuring tape and scales are all you need as long as you don't let the readings dictate success.1
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I think for the major part of a weight loss journey the scale is a major component. But it is a component and not the only part of it for me. Getting healthier is my goal, but there is no way to sugar coat the fact that I need to have that number on the scale be a lot smaller in the long run. Once I get closer to goal I will re-evaluate and start making the scale a lesser component of what is needed to get healthy, but for now, being morbidly obese, the best thing I can do is lose weight.4
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I know the scale is an imperfect method, probably more so as I get closer to goal. But it is a starting point & an easy method to use at home alone. I currently weigh every day but I don't record every day so I'm not using those data points to their best advantage. I do know that my weight goes up up down up DOWN down up up, and so on. I'm not too bothered by that. I think it WILL bother me if, because of a change in exercise, my weight is static or even goes up for several weeks. I'm asking myself now if I can be a rational adult and face the scale every day like it's just a tool that I am, perhaps, asking too much of, or if I'm just gonna throw the freaking thing in the creek.0
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Wow - well stated and definitely a real du'h moment. Of course it's fat we are trying to lose but having it stated out right really changes how you think about. Also with you 100%, weight is just one number to track among; body measurements, fat%, calories in and out, daily water, cardio time/effort as well as lifting. The more numbers you track the more points of improvements and success you will see. If you don't track it you can't improve it.0
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Sorry, you can delete that post from ESCgtb2020 - account I created trying to work through access issues with UA:
Wow - well stated and definitely a real du'h moment. Of course it's fat we are trying to lose but having it stated out right really changes how you think about. Also with you 100%, weight is just one number to track among; body measurements, fat%, calories in and out, daily water, cardio time/effort as well as lifting. The more numbers you track the more points of improvements and success you will see. If you don't track it you can't improve it.0 -
I'm in the 2nd camp too.
I weigh myself daily (naked after using the toilet each morning) but do not experience any anxiety or frustration because I take the long term view that it's the trend and not each daily weigh-in that matters.
You can't get a good data set to determine the trend unless you weigh yourself daily and by computing a 7 day moving average the data becomes less erratic and the trend more readily apparent.
Same approach here, I track the 7 day average. That was one of the hardest things to get over, letting the daily weight undermine my motivation, especially when it was the only number I track. It really helped when I started tracking more than just my weight. It helped me to be indifferent to the daily numbers, all of them, and focus on the weekly averages and trends.1 -
makingmark wrote: »I think for the major part of a weight loss journey the scale is a major component. But it is a component and not the only part of it for me. Getting healthier is my goal, but there is no way to sugar coat the fact that I need to have that number on the scale be a lot smaller in the long run. Once I get closer to goal I will re-evaluate and start making the scale a lesser component of what is needed to get healthy, but for now, being morbidly obese, the best thing I can do is lose weight.
This is what I was thinking. My scale hasn't budged in many months. Yes, I've made fitness gains and my body shape has continued to change during this time, but there's only so much "transformation" possible at 200 lbs. Now the scale needs to move again, so yes, weight loss is my goal (preferably due to fat loss, of course).0 -
Unfortunately, insurance companies that set rates based on BMI don't care how my clothes fit.6
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Just an example: I weigh every morning, after the john, naked, before anything else. I have one of those bluetooth scales, so it tracks very nicely. Here is a print of 3 months of daily weigh ins. I am on a slow bulk for strength trainig, so the line is going the "wrong" way.
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While many of my clients goal is to lose weight, I try to focus on them getting fit. Because getting fit will usually require them to lose some weight anyway to attain it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I'm glad OP knows exactly what I want to do with my body and my relationship with a body weight scale. Can OP tell me when my new phone case will arrive in the mail?
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I disagree with your "Goodest". Fat calipers are a poor way to measure for most. Even in good hands they have a high rate of error, and in not-so-good hands (which is far more often the case) they are extremely inaccurate.
I think your list of good, gooder, goodest is backwards. Calipers can be misused, tape measures can be pulled tighter or looser, pants don't lie. Pants are either loose or they aren't. But even they can misrepresent fat loss if you are bloated since water weight adds inches as well as pounds.0 -
Camp 2, here!2
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I used to be the same way as OP. I'd weigh whenever without any rhyme or reason. The only problem with this for me was that one week I'd be at my lowest in months and the next week I'd see a 7 lb gain. I would get frustrated and give up again. Mental weakness was my crutch. Now, I weigh in every morning after I wake up, use the bathroom, and get naked before showering. I see the gradual decline and it helps me to maintain focus. Just because I decide to go heavy on the chinese food the night before and wake up to a 4 lb gain doesn't mean that I gained 4 lbs. It means I'm retaining water. Being able to see a graph projecting my weightloss and showing those numbers has been a huge help to me. Mental weakness be damned. I'm going to continue to weigh in daily and keep my mind focused on the big picture.1
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While many of my clients goal is to lose weight, I try to focus on them getting fit. Because getting fit will usually require them to lose some weight anyway to attain it.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Yes! And getting fit causes one to want to move more and do more, which burns more calories for TDEE.0 -
I've just now reached the normal weight for my height bmi. At 5'3 and 139 I would gladly trade losing pounds on the scale for "ALL FAT LOSS" that surrounds my stomach.
I dont care to lose another pound but I have no choice if I want to get rid of this gut. I've lost over 30 pounds and am happy with the rest of my body, sadly I'm forced to lose more weight to get a flat stomach.
Dont know how to feel about it.
I hope this is the part when they say the stomach is last to go? I'm pretty lean elsewhere.
I'll just keep lifting and dieting until I say screw it.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »I disagree with your "Goodest". Fat calipers are a poor way to measure for most. Even in good hands they have a high rate of error, and in not-so-good hands (which is far more often the case) they are extremely inaccurate.
I think your list of good, gooder, goodest is backwards. Calipers can be misused, tape measures can be pulled tighter or looser, pants don't lie. Pants are either loose or they aren't. But even they can misrepresent fat loss if you are bloated since water weight adds inches as well as pounds.
Fair enough. My main point was to bring awareness to a shift in mindset for those who DO rely entirely on a scale. My experience with calipers has been a good one and one I find, when consistently checked every week, does yield a more measurable trend than the scale.1 -
Camp 2 as well. Daily weighing has helped me learn about what my body does. For example, I "gain" during ovulation. I never knew this until I started weighing daily and noticed that trend over a few months. The scale readings combined with my app to track my cycle helped me put 2 and 2 together, so now I don't fret over seeing that jump.1
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »I've just now reached the normal weight for my height bmi. At 5'3 and 139 I would gladly trade losing pounds on the scale for "ALL FAT LOSS" that surrounds my stomach.
I dont care to lose another pound but I have no choice if I want to get rid of this gut. I've lost over 30 pounds and am happy with the rest of my body, sadly I'm forced to lose more weight to get a flat stomach.
Dont know how to feel about it.
I hope this is the part when they say the stomach is last to go? I'm pretty lean elsewhere.
I'll just keep lifting and dieting until I say screw it.
You might need to start lifting weight if you don't already. My stomach is always the last to go, and it is much smaller than it used to be but there is still some pudginess there. I'm at a healthy weight and BMI for my height, and I know that lifting will help it go down quicker than doing cardio solely, but I don't know what I'm doing in the weight's section, I can't afford a PT right not, and I really can't afford a gym membership right now that has a good free weights section, so I'm just taking it slowly and hoping that once I hit my goal weight range it will look a bit smaller.1
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