Why do people focus so much on the scale?

amymrls
amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If you look better and feel better and you are shrinking inches why do you care what the scale says?

Who actually picks up up and says "Wow, you are heavy?"

Why do you question building muscle mass that looks fantastic because it cause you to gain a few pounds?

REally? What is the problem here?

I personally would rather look good than weigh ANYTHING.
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Replies

  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    I guess it only must bother me.
  • dg09
    dg09 Posts: 754
    Some peoples self-image can still be in the dumps after weight loss. So numbers, be it inches or lbs gone is a good way to appreciate results. At least that's how it was/is for me.
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    Some peoples self-image can still be in the dumps after weight loss. So numbers, be it inches or lbs gone is a good way to appreciate results. At least that's how it was/is for me.

    I find that sometimes toi but I don't freak out if the scale doesn't go down for a month.
  • eattherude
    eattherude Posts: 21 Member
    I suppose seeing the numbers go down on the scale is a way of proving that you've made progress....it makes it real. I know I always feel so much better if I stand on the scales and see that I've lost weight. It makes me feel like I'm not putting all this effort in for nothing...it's silly but love seeing the little number dropping away....but I guess I don't freak out if it doesn't move...I just find a way to change things up a bit. if they go up I feel like crap though lol
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
    Because it determines my mood for the rest of the day.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    If you look better and feel better and you are shrinking inches why do you care what the scale says?

    Who actually picks up up and says "Wow, you are heavy?"

    Why do you question building muscle mass that looks fantastic because it cause you to gain a few pounds?

    REally? What is the problem here?

    I personally would rather look good than weigh ANYTHING.

    I don't know, but I'm a scale addict myself. I look far better than I have in 19 years! And yet, I want to see that certain number on the scale. I know, it doesn't make any sense, but I want to see that number go down just a little lower. Let me clarify and add that I do not starve my self (diary is open if you want to see), nor do I overdo the exercise. I am doing this the healthy way. But that number still haunts me! ;)
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    it's usually the first way of seeing progress. I feel good when I lose because I know that even though I do want to tone up, I still have at least 30-40lbs of fat that needs to go. When I'm closer to my goal/how I want to look, that's when I'll pay less attention to the numbers.
  • ginamaria724
    ginamaria724 Posts: 133
    I suppose its because media only focuses on the weight number. You'll be more likely to hear "So-and-so lost 50 pounds! They now weigh 120 pounds" rather than "so-and-so lost 5 inches off their waist and 4 inches off their hips!" you know? So, people are more obsessive with the weight number rather than the measurement number. Plus, people are more likely to ask "How much do you weigh?" not "What are your measurements?" so, once again, people get caught up in wanting a smaller weight number more because its just talked about more.
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    when i stopped i was much better. i stayed the same but the size went down. i weigh at the beginning of the month every month. thats it. i have dropped 4 sizes but have bounced between the same 3 pounds, 146-149, for at least 9 months. i hide that thing so it wont be in my sight.
  • manda1002
    manda1002 Posts: 178 Member
    I think for me its because I've watched the scale go up, so now I need to watch it go down. And it's easier for me to say "I want to lose xx number of pounds by such and such date" than "I want my body to lose xx number of inches by such and such date" because I know whats realistic for weight, but I don't know what's realistic for inches.
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,571 Member
    Because I'm 48 years old and the number on the scale has been the determining factor my entire life. It's also the number all doctors focus on as well. The first thing they do at a doctor's appointment is weigh you. They don't do a body fat test to determine if that number is muscle or fat. They only care about the "number". Don't get me wrong, I feel great, think I look great and am happy with my body right now. But. I want that number to be in a certain range and if it's not then I'm not happy and things need to be tweaked.
  • Panda_Path
    Panda_Path Posts: 86 Member
    Good question! My guess is that they think weight is the problem, when it is only a symptom! And maybe it is easier to look at a number to determine your whole life than to focus on the possibly upsetting reasons why that number is what it is. People also like to compare themselves to others, rather than listening to and knowing THEIR body and where it should be. Maybe numbers are just soooo easy to compare.

    In one word....denial?
  • TiffanyDawn79
    TiffanyDawn79 Posts: 201 Member
    Because it determines my mood for the rest of the day.

    this.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I gained 10lbs over the winter and look better than I did before. :happy:


    Yes. I am an attention *kitten*. :tongue:
  • woou
    woou Posts: 668 Member
    I use it to guage where I'm at, but I don't freak about it, lol. Also, it serves as a good measurable target for me to aim at. I look at other girls whose body I like with the same height, body frame, fitness level, etc... and set my goal to around their weight.
  • JoeD1968
    JoeD1968 Posts: 167
    i weigh myself wayyyyy too much ,but it works for me,and keeps me motivated
  • TrophyWifeSass
    TrophyWifeSass Posts: 490 Member
    I gained 10lbs over the winter and look better than I did before. :happy:


    Yes. I am an attention *kitten*. :tongue:

    I love attention *kitten*!
  • dianacannon89
    dianacannon89 Posts: 235 Member
    1) You are GORGEOUS!

    2) congrats on how far you have come

    3) I hate that dam scale!!! 3/23 was the last time I weighed and yes its killing me not to but I am not going to until my race day 4/22! I dk why in the world I care so much what it says... I think maybe bc the lower numbers in my mind have always been SO far out of reach that I just wanna get there so I at one point was weighing everyday just to see how much closer I was And then I came to the revelation... I still have 160lbs to loose so.. why get on the scale every morning.. its not going to drop in one day LOL I would get on and be .5 up then next day 2 down then 1 up then 1.4 down it was nuts so now I just say F it. For my first race I am going to weigh bc I am going to add that to my after story you know to motivate others like look if I can complete my first 5K at 290 (hopefully fingers crossed) then so can you etc... But after that I will NOT weigh until I am half way to my next goal day (5/27) Goal day being 6/30
  • MzMandi1025
    MzMandi1025 Posts: 78 Member
    I try to focus on how my body looks & how my clothes fit. I weigh myself once a week just to make sure I'm keeping in line with my diet & exercise. I focus on the scale now because I am about 80-90 pounds over weight, but need to lose about 73 just to get back to a healthy weight. I don't have a specific weight I want to be at, I do have a certain size I would like to fit into, but until I get back into the healthy zone, I'll continue to track my progress on the scale.
  • icemaiden17_uk
    icemaiden17_uk Posts: 463 Member
    @H!
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    Because it determines my mood for the rest of the day.

    You are letting a scale determine your mood and you aren't worried about your mentality and your view?
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    I gained 10lbs over the winter and look better than I did before. :happy:


    Yes. I am an attention *kitten*. :tongue:

    Go you! You probably deserve all the attention you get just the same!
  • hollin40
    hollin40 Posts: 120 Member
    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!

    In the beginning, seeing the numbers go down was good BUT NOW seeing the sizes go down is more important....I feel better and I'm on the way to looking better. I was in total denial I was losing, despite the numbers on the scale......until I started trying on clothes and finding they are getting bigger! Best. Motivator. Ever!
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!

    In the beginning, seeing the numbers go down was good BUT NOW seeing the sizes go down is more important....I feel better and I'm on the way to looking better. I was in total denial I was losing, despite the numbers on the scale......until I started trying on clothes and finding they are getting bigger! Best. Motivator. Ever!

    Me too! I have had plateaus that lasted 4 months but lost 2 pants sized during that plateau. honestly losing the sized made me feel fantastic. I would rrather other people notice me getting thinner than the scale telling me a number.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    it's difficult to stay focused on exercising hard and eating right with a view to losing weight. losing weight becomes the focus, not always being 'healthier' . i can see why going to scale and scale addiction happens...it's the only way you can visually see any sort of return on effort.

    also, some people have to weigh in every day to keep their HRM readings accurate.
  • dmf711
    dmf711 Posts: 141 Member
    maybe i'm just a rare case but i'm 20 pounds lighter and all my clothes fit exactly the same as they did in december before i started really committing to MFP. for me, the scale is what i depend on because i have no difference in my measurements. it's REALLY frustrating not feeling a difference in my clothes even though the number on the scale is decreasing.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Weight is an objective number. Like all numbers and statistics it can be misused.

    I agree that too many people attach too much importance to it... especially to minor fluctuations. None of the measures are perfect... many people gained too much weight while still feeling fine and since it was gradual, learning to not see it in the mirror. Fitness is hard to measure. Whether we feel good depends on so many things. Measurements can be affected by how tightly you measure or how much you can suck your stomach in for a minute or so (maybe even subconsciously). Clothing stretches and shrinks as we was it. Jeans may still fit even after you've lost pounds and inches, because they tightened up in the wash, and you're no longer putting the pressure on them to stretch back out as much. People used to wearing loose, large clothing may not be able to notice how much looser it is.

    But, as some others have said, weight is the first sign of success that people who are very overweight or obese will usually see. It's what doctors and weight loss and fitness programs tend to focus on... even an exercise program with no stated weight loss intent will often begin by asking your sex, height and weight. So it's no wonder many have learned to focus on it, but it is a good idea to consider the other "measures".
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
    it's difficult to stay focused on exercising hard and eating right with a view to losing weight. losing weight becomes the focus, not always being 'healthier' . i can see why going to scale and scale addiction happens...it's the only way you can visually see any sort of return on effort.

    also, some people have to weigh in every day to keep their HRM readings accurate.

    I wear a HRM and a fitbit and do not weigh in everday. Once a week is accurate. I would almost have to say that that is an obsession, if you think one week and one or two pounds are going to change your HRM much...
  • Amy_Lee_2012
    Amy_Lee_2012 Posts: 156 Member
    I stil have a very long way to go- about 120 more pounds to lose, so, right now, the scale is a good tool for me to use to track my progress.
    Even after losing 70 pounds, I honestly can't tell a big difference in the way my clothing fits or how I look, so the scale helps to remind me how far I've come since November of last year.
    I am certain I will rely on the scale a lot, over the next several months, but it's working for me. It helps to keep me motivated and I really need that right now :)

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