To scale or not to scale?

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Mikej77
Mikej77 Posts: 112
in Health and Weight Loss
I have heard from friends that hit the gym or do lots of cardio say to stay off the scale for at least a month after starting diet and exercise. I know that it takes time to drop weight and I also know that when you include strength training you might not see lower numbers. My wife keeps saying I have lost weight and should step on scale but from past experiance I do not want to be discouraged. What do you guys do/think? If you do check scale, how often and at what time of the day?

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  • mp_deep
    mp_deep Posts: 85 Member
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    Every day i stay on scale to see progress or regress or liquid retention.
    Not too much emotion involved.
  • Absonthebrain
    Absonthebrain Posts: 587 Member
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    I stay off the scale, I maybe check it once a month. I prefer to see how my clothes feel and to take progress photos!
  • notyouraveragetalia
    notyouraveragetalia Posts: 223 Member
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    Checking daily helps keep me honest, thats just my two cents. However! I don't ever count a loss untl its been there for a whole week, and same for a gain.
  • Luvmichnata
    Luvmichnata Posts: 186 Member
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    The bottom line is you should do what feels right for you. For me, I did get on the scale almost daily at the beginning which was motivating if I had lost weight but certainly not so much with a gain. What I've learned on this journey though is that the scale is less important than how I feel in my clothes. I started heavy lifting in April and even though my weight has barely nudged my body has changed dramatically. I've pretty much had to replace all my pants, shirts are ok but the pants were falling off! So if I do weigh my self I do it in the morning before breakfast. Measuring yourself might be a better way to approach it as inches mean more to me now than the number on the scale! Good luck :)
  • jeffburgeson1
    jeffburgeson1 Posts: 1 Member
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    I do three to four times a week to keep me honest. Don't get discouraged. Just keep pushing. Remember less sodiumn will help with the water retention issue. Keep up the good work.
  • stephianz
    stephianz Posts: 1
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    Your friends are right, when you strength train and eat well, it takes a while before you start seeing the results on the scale and that can be discouraging. It's the same position that I'm in now. I just started back on my route to eating clean and getting fit and I have been weighing myself on a weekly basis. I weigh myself first thing every Monday morning wearing the exact same thing. Doing it first thing in the morning ensures more of an accurate number, as you'd be on an empty stomach and less likely to be retaining water than if you do it throughout the day. I barely see it on the scale but I definitely see the difference with my clothes and that gives me the motivation to continue. The next step would be to take measurements but that bothers me more than the number on the scale.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
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    I threw out my scale. It was a good way to measure progress at first, but I eventually learned that it's not always the best indicator (especially when strength training). There are a lot of posts on MFP showing people who stayed the same weight or even GAINED weight but look 15 pounds thinner, and dropped several pants sizes. I even posted one of those of my own! It's your personal choice, but just know that the scale can be quite silly. I prefer to take measurements and photos instead.

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