weight, weight, weight... Isn't this about fitness?

bobbystrongarm

My fitness is being held back by my weight. I have better cardiovascular health and endurance than anything. Carrying an extra 50lbs is hard on my knees and shins when I'm hiking, running, jogging 30+ miles a week. So yes, weightloss is a primary goal even though I'm still out there kickin my *kitten* errrrryday!

sjanejack

For me, its about both. I mean, as i've lost weight i've already felt better and seen progress. But I like to be able to see how I can actually move around more and its actually to the point where it gets uncomfortable sitting down for not as long.

Lyerin

I am focused on both my weight and my level of fitness. I am still overweight even though I have lost weight, and I know I need to continue to lose in order to be healthier and to gain in fitness. I don't think I'm "obsessed" with my weight, but I am conscious of it and try to keep myself very honest with regard to my weight. Being honest with myself about my weight is part of my lifestyle now. Looking back, one of the warning signs for me of getting off track was not getting on the scale because I didn't want to see the number. Now, I get on the scale regardless and adjust my eating/exercise accordingly.

Faye_Anderson

Okay, the subject was my rant. So sick of all the weight focus. Are you fit? How do you define fitness? Are you scale obsessed?

My goals are none of your business unless I ask for your opinion.

Why are you stressed out about what OTHER PEOPLE do? Does my focus on weight somehow keep you from achieving or working toward your own personal goal?

QFT

RockinTerri

My goal is about overall health, which also includes weight loss. I'm measuring inches, weight, my clothes sizes, AND how I'm feeling. I go in to my primary care physician in October, and have a goal weight in mind (which he had told me last year that losing weight will help other concerns, including lowering my cholesterol).

I don't judge anyone about how they are working on this journey - you may not agree with others, but please don't judge.

ItsCasey

I don't have a goal weight. I do have a goal body fat %, and getting to that % is going to require some more weight loss, so the scale does matter to me. But it's not the most important thing. These days, I usually only weigh myself on my progress checkpoint days for my strength coach, which is roughly every two weeks. I also take measurements on those days, and once a month, I take progress photos.

I don't care about being some standard definition of "fit." I care about being able to protect and defend myself, and I care about being able to participate in the activities I enjoy without waking up the next day and feeling like I got hit by a freight train. As long as I can do those things, I consider myself "fit."

sillygoosie

I'm very fit. I'd still like to lose a few pounds so that I like my body. What's your problem with that?

Matiara

My goal is to improve my internal health and outward aesthetics, so it is about weight (fat) loss to me. I gained nearly 30 pounds in 18 months, am carrying an abundance of visceral fat in my abdomen, and my blood pressure went from perfect to prehypertensive. Both my parents have diabetes and high blood pressure, as does my only living grandparent. My deceased grandparents all had diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and/or heart disease. It is imperative that I get my weight under control.

On top of that, it's much cheaper to shrink myself back into my old clothes than to buy a new wardrobe.

My profile says that aesthetics are my primary goal, but I wrote that almost three years ago when my health markers were perfect and I had something like 15 vanity pounds to lose. This is serious business now. Improved fitness is a side effect of my weight loss regimen. I'm stronger and I have more endurance, but it's not a motivator. Seeing my mom inject herself with insulin every day is.

peleroja

I've got a pretty major issue with body dysmorphia and I can't really trust my eyes when it comes to my body, so I really have to rely on the scale to tell me how I'm doing. Nine days out of ten I look in the mirror and see such a fat girl, so my weight is at least a non-subjective thing. I have promised myself to stay in the healthy BMI range and not drop below, and having that number is really necessary for me.

olerolls

It is about fitness, but because I need to lose about 50 pounds, it is also about weight for me. The fact of the matter is that I will NOT be the kind of fit I want at this weight. I am working hard and making progress, increasing my strength and my cardiovascular endurance and decreasing my body fat and my weight. But my weight NEEDS to go down quite a lot to reach my long term fitness goals. It's just a fact.

If you are close goal - however you define that - then no, the scale is probably not a particularly accurate measure of progress. But when you have a substantial amount of weight to lose, it does indeed matter.

Lupercalia

While I do care about changing my body composition for the better, I don't obsess over the scale at this point. Earlier on, I did...and that was important for me to do as a morbidly obese person with a number of health issues that were being made much worse because of my weight.

I'm still overweight/overfat. But right now I'm much more interested in getting stronger, faster, and better in general. Fat loss is a benefit that is a direct result of my focus on those goals. That's how I view it.

I don't make weight loss deadlines for myself, or set goals based on the scale or my body fat %. Instead, I have strength and performance goals that I work towards.

cats847

The only weight I'm concerned about is the one I'm lifting on my barbell

kf5ljp

I'm here to rid myself of my fat and to build some muscle, how is that measured? by stepping on the depression machine (scale) Then after I've said my last good bye to the fat, I will measure myself by body mass. I am looking at all aspects and not just calorie counting. IF the day arrives that fat is not measured in lbs or kilograms, then I will easily switch over to that measuring system,,,until that day arrives, I'll make a date with my depression machine at least once a month.

AmyZ46

Okay, the subject was my rant. So sick of all the weight focus. Are you fit? How do you define fitness? Are you scale obsessed?

I can't even see fitness from where I'm standing ....

Once I get to less than 200 pounds I will start thinking about how fit I want to be, But right now all I see, feel ,think about is losing weight. So yes , At this point I am obsessed with the scale . I weigh myself every day . I try to only log once a week . I think about it all day, every day ...Is that bad?
I mean ,I feel great , I am so very happy when I walk 3.7 miles in an hour on the treadmill yes . I started weight training today and I'm proud of myself but the only measurement I have right now is my weight . I am weak , I am fat but dang it I can lose weight !!


Amy

alisonlynn1976

I'm not obsessed with the scale, but I do care what it says. I also pay attention to measurements, clothing size, how I look in clothes regardless of the size, and my progress with exercise (such as being able to lift a heavier kettlebell or use a higher resistance on the elliptical or whatever).

Seesawboomerang

The scale was what made me notice I'd got fat. My eyes deceived me but I couldn't argue with a number.

ron2e

Personally fitness is secondary for me. Losing weight has led to increased fittness almost as a by product, I move more because I can and want to), but its all about driving that scale down. When I get to the stage where weight becomes less of an issue, THEN I'll think about fitness more seriously and it may become the primary issue. But not yet.

JBliss1108

Okay, the subject was my rant. So sick of all the weight focus. Are you fit? How do you define fitness? Are you scale obsessed?

When I decided that I needed to make some lifestyle changes, I signed up for MFP and set out to lose some weight. At that time, I mistakenly thought that weight loss was the only measurement/metric that mattered. So, at one time I was scale obsessed. As I started reading the message boards and learning about becoming more fit, I realized weight loss isn't the end all/be all.

My sense from reading the message boards (and also from personal experience) is that a large number of people join MFP because they have weight issues and those weight issues need to be addressed before anything else, so it would only make sense that initial 'being fit' measurements would be based on what the scale is telling you. I think that once people start having some success on the scale, clothes start fitting better, etc., people realize that fitness isn't ALL about what the scale says.

I started running and recently completed a 10K and am now working on getting ready for a half marathon. I also lift weights a couple days per week too. I have learned through experience that you can lose inches and not have to lose weight to do so. I have realized that the scale isn't as important as I once thought it was, but I'm not going to lie, I like to see the scale moving in a downward direction because of all the running/calorie counting I do. Ideally, I'd like to lose another 25 to 35 pounds.

TeresaMarie46

Okay, the subject was my rant. So sick of all the weight focus. Are you fit? How do you define fitness? Are you scale obsessed?

My goals are none of your business unless I ask for your opinion.

Why are you stressed out about what OTHER PEOPLE do? Does my focus on weight somehow keep you from achieving or working toward your own personal goal?

^^THIS^^.......After all, this is My FITNESS Pal.

stephaniemejia1671

TL;DR

Yeah, I would do the same, that's the best part!!