the scale is not my friend!

egirlcat207
egirlcat207 Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
okay-going along-quite proud of myself-watching my dial scale decrease almost every day. than I got the idea that maybe my scale wasn't accurate-don't know why I thought this. Anyway, go to the store and get a digital scale-I get on and it says im 5 pounds heavier than what I thought. I know this doesn't sound like a crisis-but ive worked my butt off trying to hit this target. I started at 167 and weigh today 142. that's a considerable loss that I have worked for, but now I have to work off pounds I thought I already did. its almost like defeating to know that I am not as close to my goal as I thought. ive been working hard to break into the 130s. I know part of my issue is the weigh in- I do it daily-and its not going anywhere! how can I not let the scale determine my success? its hard to not comfort my wounded ego with a huge pizza.

Replies

  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Not unusual...and really of no concern.

    The actual number (although a nice "victory" when you drop down into that next decade of weight) is relatively meaningless if you look at it as a lifelong journey.

    Whether you actually weigh, 140, 141, 139, 142, or 138 is relatively immaterial - you probably weighed all of those at some point TODAY.

    Focus on the long term trend - be that losing, maintaining or gaining - whatever your goals are. Keeping that trend consistent is what your goal should be.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    If weighing daily drives you crazy, then stop doing it. Because those numbers, especially on a digital scale, will fluctuate up and down week by week, month by month. It's totally normal. But as long as your overall trend is down, you're on the right track.

    I'm a daily weigher and my weight can go up and down 5 lbs or more throughout the weeks. I'm not gaining (or losing, really) 5 lbs of fat - it's normal reflection of any number of things - water retention after a hard workout or salty foods the day before, hormones, a big meal late - whatever. But my clothes still fit the same. :smile:

    Switch to weighing once a week, or ever two weeks if the numbers bug ya. And grab a tape measure and start tracking measurements as well. I lost a full size without losing anything on the scale. How your clothes fit and what the tape measure says is more accurate than the scale.

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