Not weighing myself during weight loss

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Replies

  • amtyrell
    amtyrell Posts: 1,447 Member
    I would actually go opposite direction. I would encourage you to weigh every day and use a trend app so over time you learn that fixing weight is normal. I find the trend app too a lot of fear of scale from me. I use Libra for Android.

    You can do this but in order to have success the easiest you need to know your calories burned which is related to your weight. When you live or exercise your weight is part of the calories burned calculations. So failing to weigh is basically making it much harder on yourself.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Ok guys I'm stepping on the scale this morning. Lol. Don't want to see the number!! So ashamed and in disbelief if it's as high as what I think it is. I will track my weight every month and take pictures every 3 months.

    You can do this! I started off very nervous about the scale, but it's become just another tool. I am a big fan of the "eat as much as you can" approach. When I started logging (5'2", 208 lbs according to the doctor in January), just maintaining was a win - I'd been gaining weight for years, so realizing that I could control whether I gained or lost was huge - and importantly, not nearly as difficult as I thought! I started slow, but I have found there's a real momentum that builds as you realize that yes, I can do this! After an initial whoosh drop I was losing at a half a pound a week for a few months (with a bit of a stall in there, but so it goes), then a pound, and I'm actually approaching that magic two pounds a week number now, almost nine months after I started (sadly not any taller, but rounding 183 lbs). You can do this and it doesn't have to be torture!
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    jdog022 wrote: »
    The various TDEE calcs put your maintenance around 2500 calories per day at a Sedentary Level. You might even be light exercise at 2800 cals per day. Now these numbers and calculators arent exact but 1500 will be unsustainable. You will want to eat your arm off and fall off the wagon in a week or less. Your body will not be able to metabolize enough fat per day to make up for the gap created resulting in Lean body mass loss too. You dont want that.

    I think a starting point would be 2000 cals or 1900 + Eat Exercise calories back. Same thing. You can safely lose 1 pound per week for now. Key phrase for now. Every ten pounds lost you will want to drop the calories 50 or so per day.

    Maybe for the first month don't weight but if you look in the mirror one day and know you lost a bunch of weight you might regret not knowing where you started. I think its also nice to have to track and make adjustments. You'll make adjustments this entire journey.

    if OP is 300lbs she can safely lose more than a pound a week. 1% of bodyweight is a good rate of loss.

    you are right and i misspoke. I guess I meant that she might be less miserable starting at a 500 cal per day deficit vs 1000 and see how that goes for a couple weeks. nothing is more important then long term adherence obviously. but if the OP can do it by all means.
  • smc92079
    smc92079 Posts: 219 Member
    edited August 2017
    Ok guys I'm stepping on the scale this morning. Lol. Don't want to see the number!! So ashamed and in disbelief if it's as high as what I think it is. I will track my weight every month and take pictures every 3 months.

    Remember. It's just a number. A data point. As hard as it can be, don't obsess over it. Just say "OK, this is where I'm starting from." Seeing the number or not seeing the number doesn't change the fact that you know you want to lose weight. But the better informed you are, the better chance you have at making good decisions and feeling good when you see the number go down. And it will go down as long as you are consistent. Best of luck to you! Feel free to add me if you want support/encouragement.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    On the calories, I like the Price is Right analogy that your goal is to come as close to the number without going over :)

    I am totally going to use that!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    For some of us, getting on the scale every day is a way to start the day with a reminder of what we are doing. If I'm not getting on the scale regularly, I tend to forget to eat within calorie limits.

    Over the long term, the scale is the only way to make sure you are in a calorie deficit. Yes, body measurements can serve as a replacement to some degree but not with the precision the scale will.

    You may find you want to get on the scale once a month or every couple weeks so you can adjust your calorie consumption to get the results you want. There's a problem with this in that daily weight varies a great deal based on water weight. This goes up and down by a few pounds simply based on sodium consumption, weather, exercise, elimination, injury, hormones, etc., etc. Thus, a single day's weight may not tell you much. The scale says I lost almost two pounds since yesterday. That's not really possible except with water weight.
  • jazzledazzle0214
    jazzledazzle0214 Posts: 12 Member
    I know what you mean by being obsessed with the scale, and if I didn't see any changes from one day to another I would feel bad. This time around I decided to weight myself every month instead of every day and focus on getting the nutrients. Good luck!
  • Chesirekate
    Chesirekate Posts: 72 Member
    I had a similar issue, I would get so obsessed and upset with the number on the scale it would completely derail me. So I stopped. I made a commitment to focus on making healthier choices, and committed to running 3 days a week. I didn't exactly know my start number, but I had a pretty good idea. When I went to the Dr. 6 months later, I'd lost 25 lbs. Since then I've found my self starting to obsess about weight loss instead of creating a healthy lifestyle. I'm working on refocusing. It all depends on what works best for you.
  • tag624
    tag624 Posts: 166 Member
    I would say weigh about once a month...I have lost 90 pounds...and stopped getting on the scale so much, it can really wreck your day if you see a number you don't like
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    You could weigh monthly. I don't know how you can track the effectiveness of your progress with no weighing at all.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
    Ok guys I'm stepping on the scale this morning. Lol. Don't want to see the number!! So ashamed and in disbelief if it's as high as what I think it is. I will track my weight every month and take pictures every 3 months.

    Weight yourself in a unit you don't understand then :-) If you are a lb person weight yourself in Kg :-) Seriously it will give you a number and tell you how many calories you need but without any psychological impact. You know what is best for you and what works though so good luck. You can do it. Plenty of people on here have :-)

  • JasmineDiver22
    JasmineDiver22 Posts: 148 Member
    WORK OUT: so since I'm so over weight, im trying to just walk 20-30 mins a day moderately. My heart rate was at 155 just by me doing 20 mins at 2.5mph... that's really high isn't it? Or is that normal for someone my weight (286) @ 5'2, 1500 cal a day in order to lose 2 pounds per week @ the age of 23.
  • KrystinaMTL
    KrystinaMTL Posts: 1,338 Member



    THIS !
    nowine4me wrote: »
    You don't need extra stress while trying to lose significant weight. If the scale is too much for you right now, stay off. Take pictures and compare month-to-month and use a pair of pants as a gauge. Weigh when you are ready.

    It took me years to figure out that the scale simply provides data, not a measurement of self worth, eventually you will be curious :D

  • NR81206
    NR81206 Posts: 54 Member
    Since everyone has pretty much covered everything, all I want to add is:
    You're doing awesome, by taking the first steps to a healthier lifestyle & I hope you kick a s s !
  • candilc9
    candilc9 Posts: 21 Member
    Think of it this way, if you know where you start, you'll be very proud of the hard work you do and it will motivate you to keep going.
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