Step away from the scale

melr01

My cousin (former personal trainer) and I were chatting last week. During our conversation about my weight loss I admitted that I am getting a bit OCD about the scale. I'm weighing myself every day multiple times a day and getting myself upset because of it. I try to stay away but It doesn't seem to be working. At most I can only go a day or two without weighing myself. He suggested I put the scale away for at least a couple of weeks and keep doing what I know I need to do and go by how my clothes fit, how I feel, etc to judge my weight loss. I'm a bit torn by it but thinking it might be best for me. Anyone else have this problem?

tindy5799

I also weigh at least twice a day--morning and night. But I don't let it drive me crazy. Unless something really unusual (gain of more than 3 lbs or loss of more than 3 lbs happens), I just use it as an indicator of what is working and what isn't.

For me, weighing every day really keeps me accountable and also allows me to see what foods make me bloated, etc. In turn, this encourages me to make healthier choices.

I think that as long as you are working out, doing cardio & strength training, and eating at the deficit you should be, and not letting small fluctuations rule your life, the scale isn't inherently a bad thing. That being said, it's a personal decision for each person. And I don't think scales are an accurate measurement of success necessarily but for someone like me that won't lost more than 2 or 3 inches around my waist MAX by the time I reach my UGW because I just don't have enough to lose more, the scale is helpful in seeing progress.

bcattoes

I agree with your cousin. You do not need a scale to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. Stress is detrimental to weight loss. If you stress over the scale, ditch the scale.

illuvatree

Yeah, honestly. I really only weigh myself once a month. Any more than that freaks me out. And of course not everyone's experience is mine, but I agree with the advice given to you.

Cheechos

I think it's a good idea to put the scale away for a little while if it's stressing you out. I'm weighing every morning and writing it down so I can keep a trend line to follow my progress, but I'm also monitoring how I feel because frequent weighing isn't for everyone and can really mess them up mentally. At the first sign of emotional distress I'm going to take a break. Your cousin has probably seen a lot of people become miserable due to the fluctuating scale numbers and just wants what's best for you.

deksgrl

I go weeks between weighing. Otherwise it drives me crazy. I have learned to gauge progress without the scale.

ShifuYaku

I only weigh once a week, every Sunday, at the same time when I wake up the morning. That way, if I've lost or gained weight since last week, I know what I'm doing wrong or right and know how to plan out my upcoming week.

jonnythan

My cousin (former personal trainer) and I were chatting last week. During our conversation about my weight loss I admitted that I am getting a bit OCD about the scale. I'm weighing myself every day multiple times a day and getting myself upset because of it. I try to stay away but It doesn't seem to be working. At most I can only go a day or two without weighing myself. He suggested I put the scale away for at least a couple of weeks and keep doing what I know I need to do and go by how my clothes fit, how I feel, etc to judge my weight loss. I'm a bit torn by it but thinking it might be best for me. Anyone else have this problem?

The human body naturally gains and loses several pounds throughout the day of water alone.

Weighing yourself at multiple points through the day, and thinking each of those measurements is measuring the same thing, is totally wrong.

Your behavior is indeed getting OCD.

You need to weigh at a consistent time, such as every morning. You also have to understand that weight fluctuates day to day by several pounds.

A single weighing is not an accurate picture of your body mass due to the variability of body water levels. The only accurate picture is obtained by looking at long-term weight trends. In other words, weigh every day first thing in the morning, but ignore individual measurements. Look at the long-term trend.

I recommend using TrendWeight.com, which automatically calculates weight trends and smooths out the peaks and valleys.

pugsleyjean

I am doing no weigh ins for the month of November. I am used to getting on the scale daily in the mornings and have a love/hate relationship with it from time to time so decided to give it a break. I feel good in my clothes and want to feel the same without looking at the number on the scale. Ill be back on it December 1st to see my progress.

melr01

Thanks everyone for your responses. I know I am losing inches so I think for now I will focus on that instead of the scale. I think for the month of November I will put it away and weigh myself at the end of the month. One less thing to stress about or get emotional over is a good thing in my books. I appreciate the feedback.