Tracking weight vs. not paying attention to the scale?

goingbackdown
goingbackdown Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I haven't weighed myself in two years. I was obsessive with the scale years ago when I was anorexic, and then was forced to gain weight and also gained more weight as a bulimic. Since then I have been afraid to weigh myself. But I'm trying to lose weight again, and I'm wondering, what do you think are the benefits of tracking your weight? I have measured my waist, and I've gone from 29.5 to 27 inches over the last couple months. I've also noticed my clothing being loose. So I know I'm losing weight, but I'm struggling with whether I should start weighing myself again.

I'm 5'7" and am guessing I weigh around 140 but am not sure. I think I got all the way up to 160 at one point when I was binging a lot, but I know I'm much smaller than I was then.

Replies

  • vswilliams
    vswilliams Posts: 13 Member
    I actually just heard that a study shows women who weigh themselves daily have more success with weight loss. I guess because you are more aware of what you are eating because you know it will show up on the scale.

    I personally weigh myself everyday but that is because I am losing weight based on my diet not on exercise. When I was exercising it was pointless to weigh myself because I was losing inches and not pounds.

    Hope that helps!
  • 2aycocks
    2aycocks Posts: 415 Member
    If you were previously anorexic, then you don't need to start watching the scales (numbers) again.

    How tall are you and how much do you weigh now? Do you "really need" to lose weight?
  • mlrodgers381
    mlrodgers381 Posts: 71 Member
    Because of your past, I would not have a scale in your house. It has a definite negative effect on you. I would find a friend with a scale where you can go weigh yourself once a week...and ONCE a week ONLY!! Then I would plug that information into MFP, find out what the calories you should be eating are....then follow it. I myself am doing very little exercising, so my calories are lower, but if you're going to be doing exercising, make sure to log that and eat back at least 1/2 of those calories back. If you don't you could cause yourself harm..because you're body wouldn't be getting enough to function. I would maybe focus more on the measurements and knowing things like your clothes are fitting better, etc...and please just concentrate on moderation and dont go too far in one direction or the other...slow and steady wins the race as they say...that's my suggestion.
  • EmilyEmpowered
    EmilyEmpowered Posts: 650 Member
    If you were previously anorexic, then you don't need to start watching the scales (numbers) again.

    This!! Go by how you feel and the fact that your clothes are fitting better. Starting to weigh again may spark up that obsession with the scale once again. I just started weighing myself again, started falling into that weighing myself multiple times a day trap, and got rid of my scale once again! Maybe only weigh yourself occassionally when you find yourself around a scale, but I wouldnt start the habit up, personally.
  • Nyumi
    Nyumi Posts: 6 Member
    I need to weigh every day to keep me focussed. There are apps out there that will graph the daily changes and "smooth" the graph out to show whether your daily fluctuations add up to a gain or a loss etc and project your estimated weight loss. I've tried the whole weigh myself once a week thing and it just didn't work for me, but I only weigh in here once a week.

    That said if you've had problems with anorexia before maybe you could try something a little less strict. Once a week or maybe even once a month just so you know where you are?
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
    I personally am very anti scale. I don't get motivation from it. it just makes me neurotic and depressed. it's better to go by how clothes are fitting. If I had a scale and found I wasn't losing very fast (Even though you don't lose very fast on a reasonable diet) I'd be depressed and it might sabotage my efforts. Without one I just keep plugging away as a lifestyle change.

    I also have a problem with water retention which can really mess with you.

    Scales are not at all helpful IMHO. Measuring tape is.
  • baileyaad
    baileyaad Posts: 19
    I'd get a measuring tape rather than a scale.

    I'm going off of how my clothes fit. I'm a couple weeks in and the jeans that were previously tight now are a bit loose. I don't know how many pounds I've lost so far, but something is obviously happening! The scale gets me depressed when I accidentally gain a pound or lose nothing.

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