Skinny people do not weigh themselves

Karrieif

I have been told this by lots of slim people when we talk about weight. I have read it many times in magazines. However, I CONTINUALLY, weigh my self and am both delight and depressed in a matter of hours!!

My understanding of this is that your body weight fluctuates from minute to minute, hour to hour and day to day. It is only over a longer period of time can we really know if we have lost weight!!

What are people's thoughts on this and do you think it is 'diet' culture that keeps us (me!) doing it??

TheKitsune6

I weigh myself once every two weeks. Once I get to maintenance I plan to weigh myself once a week just to make sure I'm on track. Same time (first thing in the morning), same state of dress (In the buck!) and on the same scale. The way I see it is that many skinny people have healthy habits and don't have to weigh themselves. However like an alcoholic shouldn't go back to a bar once they've recovered, I can't just go back to not watching what I eat - for a long time yet.

The general rule of thumb is to weigh yourself once a week to track real progress and not minor fluctuations.

rrrbecca11

I weigh myself EVERY MORNING, without fail. I am 5'7" and 115 pounds. And I aim to stay there.

ElizabethRoad

Skinny people don't weigh themselves because they aren't monitoring their weight...

sophjakesmom

I weigh myself once a week. I think even when I make my goal weight, I will still weigh once a week. More to keep myself on track. I know from past experience, it is easy for me to get lax when I get there and ignore the signs that I am gaining again. Even WW when you reach maintenance, you have to weigh in once a month. Maybe someday I will be able to just be and not weigh myself, but for now, and for the forseeable future, that is my game plan.

For me, once a week, not more and not less.

tarynrenee93

I don't think the key is not to weigh yourself, but be educated on your weight. I've read that skinny people actually do weight themselves. Twice a day is actually better, once in the morning and once before bed. That way you can see how much your weight fluctuates and learn not to be upset about half pound or even pound changes. Plus, then you know your weight and can't make excuses like "I was 125 last friday, I can eat this cupcake," when in reality you're back up to 128.

sophjakesmom

I weigh myself EVERY MORNING, without fail. I am 5'7" and 115 pounds. And I aim to stay there.

Well I would say you're pretty skinny! so I guess skinny people do weigh themselves.

EmBlazes

Interesting post! I actually know plenty of quite health-conscious skinny people who regularly weigh themselves just to make sure they are in a certain zone. My skinny-minny sister in law has a certain threshold that she considers is too much and she'll watch what she eats for a few months and exercise more to get back down to normal. She also expects to put on weight at times such as Christmas when there is lots of food around but January is always "back on" month when you cut out the alcohol, cut down on fat and carbs and exercise A LOT!! So I think that skinny people can be weight conscious too :happy:

We do tend to have a pre-occupation with the number on the scale though and personally, I've found I lose weight in a really strange pattern (kind of 3 steps forward, 2 steps back) and so weighing myself frequently just isn't very motivating. I try to concentrate on what the scales say once per month and other than that work more towards health and fitness goals than weight goals. Taking your measurements is also a good way to see if you are getting smaller even when the number on the scale isn't!!

dmoses

As long as you don't let the scale rule your life and that you can accept fluctuations as normal, you'd be fine to weigh every day, imho. I do, and have for a couple of years now. I don't let the lb or 2 or 3 ruin my day, but rather just note it and watch to make sure it comes off. Weighing helps me keep tabs on myself and my eating. I've read several articles that say that one of the habits of people who lose weight and are able to keep it off is to weigh daily. BUT...this doesn't work for everyone. AND, if those couple of lbs fluctuation are going to send you spiraling into depression, I'd suggest weighing weekly!

SueGeer

I'm 5'5" & 130.6lbs as of this morning. I know that if I don't weigh myself regularly I'll let things slip & the weight will go back on. ATM I weigh Mon, Wed & Fri but gradually hoping to drop down to Fridays only.....but not just yet.

And, yes, I WILL log my weigh on MFP on a weekly basis.....not to brag, but to keep myself accountable.

Sue x

luv_lea

There is a scale in the bathroom where I work, so I weigh myself ALL.THE.TIME. No matter what it says, or what kind of day it is, I just strive to not let those numbers consume me. The health side of things, and being tone are things I more look to be important. But that's just me.

Lozze

I don't care what skinny people do, I care what healthy people do. My aim isn't to be skinny, it's to be healthy. Being seen as skinny is part of that.

I weigh once a week. I don't even own scales. I don't want to be happy or sad based on a number. I don't know if I'll get a set after I reach goal (as far away as that is!) but my current thinking is that I can keep weighing in at my gym. Though that is a long way off.

TluvK

Skinny people don't weigh themselves because they aren't monitoring their weight...

Are you kidding? How do you think they got or stay skinny? By monitoring their weight. It's not an accident for most people.

realme56

Daily weights are excessive. I think the OP has the best idea to weigh every other week or so at maintenance.

Some of the folks who never weigh themselves simply don't care (they are not all skinny ones, at my high weight I did not get on the scale for years) or they have just never had weight problems and depend on the fit of their clothes.

I intend to keep a diary for the rest of my life (or until senility sets in!) because I have a problem with food. Food is the only addictive substance that the body truly cannot do without so management of intake for folks like us is essential to our health. Monitoring weight, intake and exercise is vital to our continued existence!

clairabell2024

I weight myself everyday at the same time (morning) ive done this for years!! Call me obsessed, but its the way i keep track of what foods work and where im going wrong!

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xhaller

This is really interesting to think about. I have always been on the thin side (inherited my dad's genes), but I also happen to be a person who's pretty diligent with my eating and exercise habits. And by diligent, I guess I could mean obsessive at times.

But anyways, I don't own a scale. I was talking to a friend of mine who's into WW and she thought I must be one of the only women she knows who doesn't own a scale.

I think I can be obsessive enough about health. I don't need the extra scare of freaking out about a pound, especially since, like you said, we can have a lot of normal fluctuation. I always weigh myself if i happen to be at the gym or at a friend's house. However, I won't ever own a scale or weigh myself every day because it would probably drive me batty.

But that is just me. What works for me won't necessarily work for someone else. I do think that a lot of people tend to stay in line with their goals if they have the daily weigh-in reminders. So, in the end, guess it's just a personal thing.

Rae6503

If you are going to freak out about variations, yeah, only measure once a week. Or measure every day and calculate a weekly average and pay more attention to that.

neanderthin

Why would they weight themselves, disorders aside. I also wonder if societies where weight isn't an underlying social problem are even that savvy regarding nutrition in general.......why would they need to be. If that's true, it seems dissecting nutrition is a compounding factor in the overall problem with the societies that have weight issues.

infamousmk

That is a ridiculous blanket statement. Some people weigh themselves every day, others once a week or less... And I don't think it has a damn thing to do with their size.

lawkat

Have you talked to all naturally thin people. Your statement is a sweeping generalization based on your interactions with a few people. I know plenty of thin people who weight themselves to keep themselves in check.

I weight myself once a day, in the morning. I can't weight myself through out the day because I know my weight will fluctuate due to food and other circumstances. Plus who really wants to be a slave to the scale. It gets old after a while.

Do your own thing and never compare yourself to others. We are all different when it comes to our bodies.

Radiva

I try to only weigh myself once a week (key word TRY) but i get so anxious at times :laugh:

Hellbent_Heidi

I weigh twice a day...in the morning and again before bed, and I never 'freak out' over a pound, and don't let the number I see ruin my day, but I do try to learn from it, and it helps me understand how certain foods or other events effect my actual weight (like high-sodium water retention, TOM, etc...).

I guess it you're going to let it make or break your day, you should definitely do it only once a week...but there's no 'one size fits all' recommendation for how often you should weigh yourself.

EDIT - If anything...I weighed myself a LOT less when I was at my heaviest weight...mostly because I was living in denial and didn't want to know how far out of control I had gotten!

CakeFit21

I don't care what skinny people do, I care what healthy people do. My aim isn't to be skinny, it's to be healthy.

I like this sentence.

If weighing myself everyday keeps me mindful of what I'm doing WITHOUT obsession, then that's what I'll continue to do. I will not wake up one day and say, "Suddenly I realized I gained 20 pounds!"

Yanicka1

When I am at maintenance (until I get preggo .....again!!!) is I use how my pants feel. If I get a bit thight, I start logging again....I do not go and buy bigger pants!!!!. That was I am able to stay in the same 3 pounds.

Silverkittycat

I rarely weigh myself, but I don't see anything wrong with it.

I like to monitor/ measure my progress so If I wanted to lose weight I'd weigh myself more frequently.
I get weighed at my annual doctor's visit or at my local grocery store (when the scale's not covered with kids playing on it or people weighing suitcases..



I bought a scale recently but it doesn't work, $10 special at Walgreen's so I didn't expect much. I DO notice how my clothes fit and I look in the mirror when I pass it though, so I'm still monitoring.

**That's me on the scale. :laugh: Kidding, but what IS that? A little egg person?

capriciousmoon

I have never heard of skinny people not weighing themselves. It's more "people that don't care about their weight don't weigh themselves" and they probably still weigh themselves sometimes just out of curiosity. I used to just weigh myself if I happened to be in a bank or store that had a scale and never really cared about the number.

crdav13

I have the same daily morning routine...wake up, use the restroom, put in my contacts, brush my teeth, turn on the shower and weigh myself while I brush my teeth and wait for the water to get warm. This just helps me keep myself in check. I'm 5'7, 138.8 as of this morning and a size 2. I'm trying to lose some lbs and tighten and tone and this just helps keep me mindful. I'm not going to lie, I love my sweets and even though I burn calories working out its easy to go overboard. This just helps me realize when I may need to ease up on the cupcakes or something.

JunkFoodJane

Every time I stop weighing myself I gain weight. I've finally adopted a long-term goal to get to goal weight and maintain it for a year, then i'll figure it out from there. I know it will involve weighing.

Sidesteal

People who are not interested in their weight, don't weigh themselves.

it_be_asin

I am 5'5" and 118 pounds - and I weigh myself a few times a week. I must be a bad skinny person then.

tigersword

Honestly, the number on the scale is pretty meaningless. Who's healthier, a 5'4 woman that weighs 110 pounds and has 35% body fat, or a 5'4 woman who weighs 140 pounds with 18% body fat? Same with a male, a 6' tall man weighing 180 pounds with 25% body fat, or a 6' tall man that weighs 220 pounds with 9% body fat?

I'm here to lower my bodyfat and improve my overall health. The number on the scale is meaningless to me. If I weigh 150 pounds when I reach my goal body fat, or 190 pounds, it doesn't matter.

For the record, I'm a 5'7" male, according to BMI charts I should weigh 140-160 or so. According to body fat calculations, I should weigh about 180 or so.