Going Scaleless

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Dreaj79
Dreaj79 Posts: 212
in Health and Weight Loss
Is this freedom or suicide?

I've been feeling very blah this week and I have had a hard time staying on plan. One of the reasons why I have been kind of discouraged is because of that scale. As much as I try to tell myself that it's just a number and it doesn't matter all that much and any loss is a great loss, I can't help but be disappointed when I see 1/2 a pound after I've busted my butt in the gym and been eating healthy foods for a week. I'm hoping that by not getting on the scale I can focus on the daily things that are going to help me be successful in the long run. (ie. completing my workouts, eating the right foods, drinking enough water, etc.). This is my current plan:

I have 100 lbs to lose.

My calories are set at 1500

I workout 5 days a week with a HRM (3 days cardio, 2 days strength)

I have one high calorie day where I eat whatever I want with limits (I eat about 2000 calories on this day and it can be anything as long as it fits in that calorie allowance)

I drink between 12-16 glasses of water a day.

I try to keep my sodium below 1500 except for on my high calorie day.

The way I see it, weight should be flying off me left and right. LOL. I don't understand why it's not. So my hope is that by taking my focus off the number, I'll be able to better focus on day to day. Then when I do weigh once a month, I'll see the cumulative result of my efforts and not just a week. I'll weigh August 1 and no more until September 1.

What do you think????

Replies

  • tiffanygil
    tiffanygil Posts: 478 Member
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    I think its wonderful I wish I could break my addiction!!!!
  • metizzy2
    metizzy2 Posts: 122
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    I hate the scale!!! I had a personal trainer who told me I should weigh myself every day, but I don't because when I do, it goes up and down (lately it's going up and staying there). I get discouraged when I see it going up, HOWEVER, since I work out 6 days a week, I know I'm doing a good thing for my body. I FEEL thinner and my clothes are feeling looser. I am going to get measured on Monday, but I know I have lost inches, gained muscle mass, and that is what is making the scale go UP. I don't put a lot of emphasis on the scale. I think it's all in how you feel. If your clothes are loose, and you're working out, who cares what the scale says!!!
  • slg334
    slg334 Posts: 25
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    You really sound like me...I've been on here for a month and I lost 3 pounds but last week, I weighed in to see that I gained it all back. I really like your plan and I might try something similar to it. I was working out 4 days/week but I'm changing it to 5. This week, I ate more fruits and vegetables and I noticed that my sodium was going over 2500 mg, so I watched that too. I'm not getting on the scale until the end of August and I hope there will be a difference. Good luck to you:)
  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    I think that you should go for it. Once you kick the scale away you will really be on the road to a lifestyle change. If you think about it you probably did not weigh yourself too often before you started dieting right? I didn't I just lived my life. I have an idea how about i kick the scale also. We will set a date in the future maybe two months from now and se waht the scale says then. Instead of focusing on how much the scale moved you can focus on how you feel and how much baggier your clothes are. :drinker:
  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    As much as I try to tell myself that it's just a number and it doesn't matter all that much and any loss is a great loss, I can't help but be disappointed when I see 1/2 a pound after I've busted my butt in the gym and been eating healthy foods for a week.

    I bet you gained muscle.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
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    I like your plan and think you should go for it and put that scale away for a week or two at a time. I would encourage you to look at what foods you are eating to make up your 1500 calorie days to ensure that you not taking in too much processed foods. I am fortunate in that I love vegetables, pretty much all of them; and think that a lot of time folks just aren't eating enough of them. Sorry you are feeling discouraged, though it sounds very understandable. Keep up your hard work and it just have to pay off, because we all know that if we don't continue trying to make a lifestyle change, that for sure we will only gain weight. So continue to focus on eating right and working out and put that scale away! I wish you success on your journey!
  • stringcheeze
    stringcheeze Posts: 286
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    I think measuring yourself would be more accurate than being tied to what the scale says, mostly because if you work out and don't exceed your calorie requirements every day, you're gaining muscle mass while you're shedding fat and muscle weighs more than fat. Get out a measuring tape and keep a log of all major areas. I'm sure you're slimming -- it's just not translating to the scale.
  • lizziewhan
    lizziewhan Posts: 148 Member
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    kudos to you for standing up to that monster! i have an addiction to the scale that is soo hard to break!
  • SassyMissDasha
    SassyMissDasha Posts: 614
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    I'm doing it too! I will weight in on Sunday August 1st, and then NO more till September 1st! We can do this!
  • clover7
    clover7 Posts: 15
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    When you choose the food you eat don't worry as much about the sodium, which will be flushed out with your 16 glasses of water a day. Worry about the carbohydrates and sugars. That is what you makes you add fat/pounds. By cutting those numbers in half, you should definitely see some weight loss.

    Edit: Take note on how many carbohydrates cereal has. Even the 100% whole grain contains 20g of carbohydrates in ONE serving. So, when you see a low calorie food, check its carbohydrates as it may seem to be a potentially healthy choice, it may not be, like cereal.
  • Dreaj79
    Dreaj79 Posts: 212
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    I'm doing it too! I will weight in on Sunday August 1st, and then NO more till September 1st! We can do this!

    Cool! Let's do it! Maybe we can start a movement! LOL! I'm in.
  • Dreaj79
    Dreaj79 Posts: 212
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    When you choose the food you eat don't worry as much about the sodium, which will be flushed out with your 16 glasses of water a day. Worry about the carbohydrates and sugars. That is what you makes you add fat/pounds. By cutting those numbers in half, you should definitely see some weight loss.

    I never knew that. Hmmm. I'll have to take that into consideration. Thanks
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    Just a question, how much of a work out do you do on your high calorie day? I hope this a high exercise day and not a do nothing day.
  • Dreaj79
    Dreaj79 Posts: 212
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    Just a question, how much of a work out do you do on your high calorie day? I hope this a high exercise day and not a do nothing day.

    It's usually a Sunday when I go to my inlaws for lunch after church. Church is a big deal to me and i make it my business not to do anything besides spend time with God and family on Sunday. The reason I picked that day as my high calorie day is because I didn't want my mother in law to have to go to the trouble of preparing special food for me, since I'm the only one who is watching my weight.
  • anikab
    anikab Posts: 150 Member
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    I totally told myself today that I will not weigh myself until the end of next week. I've been weighing myself everyday and getting discouraged therefore eating a little over my calorie intake because I'm like oh well, you're still fat anyway...but that's not the attitude to have to I'm putting the scale up so I won't see it every morning. I find that if you do that, the next time you weigh yourself you're pleasantly surprised by the number you see so I'm doing it again. I don't understand why the number is so hard for us to accept...I mean I already notice a huge difference in my clothes and how they fit, I even took a pic of me now and compared it to 2 months ago and there''s a HUGE difference but still, that dang number looms over me and taunts me :grumble:
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    Because of work, we're living in two households right now...and the scale is going with my husband (who has a larger goal than I do), so I'll be scale-less after Sunday.... I'm a little concerned, since it's such immediate feedback, but I'm also trying to commit to a life, instead of a quick fix.......

    I like having an extra level of verification, but now I'll break out the tape measure and set a calendar event to measure every three weeks or so to see what's what....
  • sexygenius
    sexygenius Posts: 1,078 Member
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    i have to weigh myself everyday...if i dont i gain, i dont know why, i think seeing my weight might mess with my subconious for the better or something...all i know is if i weigh myself every day i lose...if i forget i gain

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