Do you weigh in and Measure each time or Just Weigh only
mpkpbk2015
Posts: 766 Member
On the check in screen it gives you the option of entering your weight. It also has a place to put your body measurement. Do you weigh and measure or just weigh? Please explain your logic behind doing 1 or both. Does the scale tell the whole story each week of how much you followed the plan? What insights can you get from measuring ?
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Replies
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Scale does not tell the whole story - especially if exercise is involved, and the several known water weight fluctuations.
I use measurements monthly since they don't move as fast as scale weight anyway.
Those measurements also happen to be used in 3 different body fat calc's to see an average trend there.
I have it in a spreadsheet though since I find it easier than MFP.
For that month I'll also get the figures for amount eaten, changes in weight, and what that means for my apparent TDEE. With variable exercise that isn't really useful going forward for me though, but still...
But yes to measurements, especially the spots you know you gain fat first.
Nothing like a 2 lb gain without a measurement increase to calm you that nothing bad is happening.
Conversely nothing like an increase in waist size and weight stays the same coming out of heavy cardio season to say - watch it!0 -
I weigh daily. It doesn't tell the full story, but I look at the long term trend and that's enough for me. And I do mean long-term, a week is not enough at my slow rate of loss, out even a longer: I can clearly see the trend over 2 months.
I measure occasionally, but I'm very irregular about it. That reminds me, I'm way overdue now, it's been 6 months I think 😁0 -
I weigh daily, and take measurements whenever I can find my tape measure, which is like once every few months. I feel the scale tells as much of the story as I need to know on an ongoing basis.1
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I weigh daily. It doesn't tell the full story, but I look at the long term trend and that's enough for me. And I do mean long-term, a week is not enough at my slow rate of loss, out even a longer: I can clearly see the trend over 2 months.
I measure occasionally, but I'm very irregular about it. That reminds me, I'm way overdue now, it's been 6 months I think 😁
glad I could serve as a reminder. And the only reason I measure weekly is I hit plateaus and I want to feel like I have accomplished some loss even if it's just a few inches. But your right about long term trends.1 -
Scale does not tell the whole story - especially if exercise is involved, and the several known water weight fluctuations.
I use measurements monthly since they don't move as fast as scale weight anyway.
Those measurements also happen to be used in 3 different body fat calc's to see an average trend there.
I have it in a spreadsheet though since I find it easier than MFP.
For that month I'll also get the figures for amount eaten, changes in weight, and what that means for my apparent TDEE. With variable exercise that isn't really useful going forward for me though, but still...
But yes to measurements, especially the spots you know you gain fat first.
Nothing like a 2 lb gain without a measurement increase to calm you that nothing bad is happening.
Conversely nothing like an increase in waist size and weight stays the same coming out of heavy cardio season to say - watch it!
I hear ya - I like your spreadsheet idea , I may have to start doing that hadn't thought of putting it in that format. Thanks .0 -
I personally dont find measurements that accurate. I know I swell up from time to time, I can tell because my shoes are tight or my socks dig in but more accurately I wear a small thin bracelet and sometimes its all loose and falling up and down my wrist and other times I can barely budge it. Its just water but because I know I swell up, measurements for me are highly inaccurate. I weigh most days and just see the dial going up and down and accept the ups because thats just water as well and its mostly downward trend wise.1
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I do 90% of the time. Weighed sunflower seeds this morning.
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 do 90% of the time. Weighed sunflower seeds this morning.
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
Nice scale - wow that's great. thanks for your response 90% of the time that's impressive.0 -
I personally dont find measurements that accurate. I know I swell up from time to time, I can tell because my shoes are tight or my socks dig in but more accurately I wear a small thin bracelet and sometimes its all loose and falling up and down my wrist and other times I can barely budge it. Its just water but because I know I swell up, measurements for me are highly inaccurate. I weigh most days and just see the dial going up and down and accept the ups because thats just water as well and its mostly downward trend wise.
Thank you for sharing, water weigh is a pain, that's why I only weigh once a week. Have a great day.0 -
I only took measurements monthly. Measurements are going to significantly lag behind the number on the scale, especially in places people normally take measurements. When I first lost weight, most of my initial 20 Lbs came from my extremities, my neck, and a bit in my face...so things like my wedding ring started getting loser, collars on my shirts weren't as tight, feet shrunk, etc...not things (well maybe neck) that most people would normally measure.0
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I weigh daily for trend data, and very very rarely measure (we're talking once a year, if that). For now I'm happy enough with the scale and watching how my clothes fit, plus it's helped me get used to the normal fluctuations so I don't panic over them.
There are two reasons I don't measure more often: I'm lazy, and I don't trust myself to accurately measure in the same spots everytime so the accuracy is going to be iffy anyway. If I'm honest it's mostly the first reason.
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When making a recipe that is portioned I weigh everything. I also like to weigh from time to time, just to make sure my bearings are straight. Like I usually know what 1 oz of cheddar cheese looks like... My fiance recently cut 6 slices of cheddar cheese, i guessed it was 1.5 oz and turns out I was right. I'm pretty good with liquids and butter too... However it's always good to measure once in a while.
I also like to measure my meat portions by scale, as that's a bit harder to judge and the scale doesn't lie.
Then stuff like kraft calorie wise dressing at only 20 cals per TBSP... I just eye ball it cause it's not to much either way. On the other hand if your using full fat dressing, that a different story and can easily be 200+ cals if your not careful.
I should add at my size, and how quickly the weight is coming off I really don't need to worry about it to much right now. But my fiance is pretty new to dieting and tracking macro's. So i do it for her more then anything. As we get closer to goal, this stuff becomes more important as the window grows much smaller.0 -
I weigh daily for trend data, and very very rarely measure (we're talking once a year, if that). For now I'm happy enough with the scale and watching how my clothes fit, plus it's helped me get used to the normal fluctuations so I don't panic over them.
There are two reasons I don't measure more often: I'm lazy, and I don't trust myself to accurately measure in the same spots everytime so the accuracy is going to be iffy anyway. If I'm honest it's mostly the first reason.
Same here! I can never seem to get the measuring tape to go in the right spot, and I'm not even always sure where the right spot is. I tried to measure myself yesterday because I had the measuring tape out for something else, and I gave up after 2 body parts
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cwolfman13 wrote: »I only took measurements monthly. Measurements are going to significantly lag behind the number on the scale, especially in places people normally take measurements. When I first lost weight, most of my initial 20 Lbs came from my extremities, my neck, and a bit in my face...so things like my wedding ring started getting loser, collars on my shirts weren't as tight, feet shrunk, etc...not things (well maybe neck) that most people would normally measure.cwolfman13 wrote: »I only took measurements monthly. Measurements are going to significantly lag behind the number on the scale, especially in places people normally take measurements. When I first lost weight, most of my initial 20 Lbs came from my extremities, my neck, and a bit in my face...so things like my wedding ring started getting loser, collars on my shirts weren't as tight, feet shrunk, etc...not things (well maybe neck) that most people would normally measure.
Thanks for sharing. Have a good evening.0 -
I weigh daily for trend data, and very very rarely measure (we're talking once a year, if that). For now I'm happy enough with the scale and watching how my clothes fit, plus it's helped me get used to the normal fluctuations so I don't panic over them.
There are two reasons I don't measure more often: I'm lazy, and I don't trust myself to accurately measure in the same spots everytime so the accuracy is going to be iffy anyway. If I'm honest it's mostly the first reason.
It is hard to hit the same spot every time. especially when I am doing my arms.0 -
Poobah1972 wrote: »When making a recipe that is portioned I weigh everything. I also like to weigh from time to time, just to make sure my bearings are straight. Like I usually know what 1 oz of cheddar cheese looks like... My fiance recently cut 6 slices of cheddar cheese, i guessed it was 1.5 oz and turns out I was right. I'm pretty good with liquids and butter too... However it's always good to measure once in a while.
I also like to measure my meat portions by scale, as that's a bit harder to judge and the scale doesn't lie.
Then stuff like kraft calorie wise dressing at only 20 cals per TBSP... I just eye ball it cause it's not to much either way. On the other hand if your using full fat dressing, that a different story and can easily be 200+ cals if your not careful.
I should add at my size, and how quickly the weight is coming off I really don't need to worry about it to much right now. But my fiance is pretty new to dieting and tracking macro's. So i do it for her more then anything. As we get closer to goal, this stuff becomes more important as the window grows much smaller.
Thank you very much for sharing it is hard to eye ball meat. I totally agree.0 -
I track as many things as is reasonable and relatively easy. Also things that can me measured with reasonable level of repeatability (the same way/level of accuracy every time). That gives me the best likelihood of seeing progress...somewhere. Perhaps my weight is going down, perhaps my clothing size is a little smaller, perhaps my heart rate is a little lower during an activity I do frequently, perhaps my waist is a bit smaller, perhaps I had fewer headaches this week or whatever makes sense for you.
There will be times when progress isn’t happening the way you’d like, or hormones or weather caused you to retain water (scale) and bloat (measurements/clothes) even though you’re doing everything right. Having other metrics to look at can show progress (over the long term).2 -
weigh daily for trend data. log it weekly on Fridays on MFP. Take measurements on the 1st of the month.0
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »weigh daily for trend data. log it weekly on Fridays on MFP. Take measurements on the 1st of the month.
Love your avatar - thank you for input. Appreciate it. Have a great day.1 -
Duck_Puddle wrote: »I track as many things as is reasonable and relatively easy. Also things that can me measured with reasonable level of repeatability (the same way/level of accuracy every time). That gives me the best likelihood of seeing progress...somewhere. Perhaps my weight is going down, perhaps my clothing size is a little smaller, perhaps my heart rate is a little lower during an activity I do frequently, perhaps my waist is a bit smaller, perhaps I had fewer headaches this week or whatever makes sense for you.
There will be times when progress isn’t happening the way you’d like, or hormones or weather caused you to retain water (scale) and bloat (measurements/clothes) even though you’re doing everything right. Having other metrics to look at can show progress (over the long term).
Thank you - makes sense. Have a good day. Like it.0 -
I weigh daily. I don’t take measurements. I know I’ve lost inches as I’ve gone down a pants size and a bra size in band and cup. Shorts that were tight in the legs are now loose.
I kind of wish I’d taken some progress measurements though because I’ve been working out a lot more and I know my body has changed more than just my weight. I’m the same size at the weight I am now as I was 10 years ago and 12 lbs lighter. Adding more strength training has made me leaner at a higher weight.1 -
Jennliftsandspins wrote: »I weigh daily. I don’t take measurements. I know I’ve lost inches as I’ve gone down a pants size and a bra size in band and cup. Shorts that were tight in the legs are now loose.
I kind of wish I’d taken some progress measurements though because I’ve been working out a lot more and I know my body has changed more than just my weight. I’m the same size at the weight I am now as I was 10 years ago and 12 lbs lighter. Adding more strength training has made me leaner at a higher weight.
Congrats on being the same size you were 10 years ago and 12 lbs lighter. I like measuring because sometimes when the scale doesn't move I lose inches so I feel better.0 -
mpkpbk2015 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »weigh daily for trend data. log it weekly on Fridays on MFP. Take measurements on the 1st of the month.
Love your avatar - thank you for input. Appreciate it. Have a great day.
I'm in MFP jail. MFP USED to put jail bars over your profile pic when you had been bad. Bad is subjective, of course. I stand by every statement I have ever said, and if someone had their feelings hurt, well.... oh well. LOL
anyway, they no longer put jail bars over the pics. However, I've been around a long time, and wanted my jail bars. So, I did it myself (badly, but did it ) LMAO
I think I get out of jail tomorrow but I honestly don't know. When I do, Holly (my dog in the pic) will no longer be behind bars :P2 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »mpkpbk2015 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »weigh daily for trend data. log it weekly on Fridays on MFP. Take measurements on the 1st of the month.
Love your avatar - thank you for input. Appreciate it. Have a great day.
I'm in MFP jail. MFP USED to put jail bars over your profile pic when you had been bad. Bad is subjective, of course. I stand by every statement I have ever said, and if someone had their feelings hurt, well.... oh well. LOL
anyway, they no longer put jail bars over the pics. However, I've been around a long time, and wanted my jail bars. So, I did it myself (badly, but did it ) LMAO
I think I get out of jail tomorrow but I honestly don't know. When I do, Holly (my dog in the pic) will no longer be behind bars :P
Cute - Please Let Holly out of Jail she's too sweet to be behind bars. Wow MFP jail. Glad I missed that phase since I seem to be making a lot of people mad lately.2 -
mpkpbk2015 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »mpkpbk2015 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »weigh daily for trend data. log it weekly on Fridays on MFP. Take measurements on the 1st of the month.
Love your avatar - thank you for input. Appreciate it. Have a great day.
I'm in MFP jail. MFP USED to put jail bars over your profile pic when you had been bad. Bad is subjective, of course. I stand by every statement I have ever said, and if someone had their feelings hurt, well.... oh well. LOL
anyway, they no longer put jail bars over the pics. However, I've been around a long time, and wanted my jail bars. So, I did it myself (badly, but did it ) LMAO
I think I get out of jail tomorrow but I honestly don't know. When I do, Holly (my dog in the pic) will no longer be behind bars :P
Cute - Please Let Holly out of Jail she's too sweet to be behind bars. Wow MFP jail. Glad I missed that phase since I seem to be making a lot of people mad lately.
i looked. Tomorrow is FREEEEEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL1 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »mpkpbk2015 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »mpkpbk2015 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »weigh daily for trend data. log it weekly on Fridays on MFP. Take measurements on the 1st of the month.
Love your avatar - thank you for input. Appreciate it. Have a great day.
I'm in MFP jail. MFP USED to put jail bars over your profile pic when you had been bad. Bad is subjective, of course. I stand by every statement I have ever said, and if someone had their feelings hurt, well.... oh well. LOL
anyway, they no longer put jail bars over the pics. However, I've been around a long time, and wanted my jail bars. So, I did it myself (badly, but did it ) LMAO
I think I get out of jail tomorrow but I honestly don't know. When I do, Holly (my dog in the pic) will no longer be behind bars :P
Cute - Please Let Holly out of Jail she's too sweet to be behind bars. Wow MFP jail. Glad I missed that phase since I seem to be making a lot of people mad lately.
i looked. Tomorrow is FREEEEEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
Okay I am gonna check on my sweet Holly. LOL
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mpkpbk2015 wrote: »On the check in screen it gives you the option of entering your weight. It also has a place to put your body measurement. Do you weigh and measure or just weigh? Please explain your logic behind doing 1 or both. Does the scale tell the whole story each week of how much you followed the plan? What insights can you get from measuring ?
I weigh daily, and consider my Monday weight my "official" weight for the week. (I don't enter it in MFP, but in a notebook by my bed with the weekly in a computer document I keep.) I measure every month or so.0 -
mpkpbk2015 wrote: »On the check in screen it gives you the option of entering your weight. It also has a place to put your body measurement. Do you weigh and measure or just weigh? Please explain your logic behind doing 1 or both. Does the scale tell the whole story each week of how much you followed the plan? What insights can you get from measuring ?
I weigh daily, and consider my Monday weight my "official" weight for the week. (I don't enter it in MFP, but in a notebook by my bed with the weekly in a computer document I keep.) I measure every month or so.
I used to weigh officially on Monday too. Just recently I switched to Sunday since my diary starts on Sunday - thought I would sync the two together. Thanks for sharing.0 -
I've got a Withings wi-fi scale and step on it every morning. Have been measuring my waist every week or two but nothing else.1
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