I think I'm a scale-addict!

Options
So I joined MPF last month, I am very motivated...well to tell you the truth I started slacking a little, but to be honest I think it's because I am so much more interested in seeing results NOW...I literally check the scale once, if not twice a day!!! When I first joined I lost 6lbs, then I went out of town for the weekend, and gained 4 back...I have been teetering those 4lbs for almost a month now! I have been eating really good, however I haven't had as much motivation in the exercise department...Can someone please share their exercise regimen and how important it is, I need a swift kick in the rear!! I have just bought the Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, any reviews on that would be greatly appreciated as well!...I'm thinking I might need to give my scale to a friend for a while, maybe that would help, hmmm.......

Replies

  • JessiJean
    JessiJean Posts: 1,207 Member
    Options
    I am addicted as well :blushing: I have been away from home for a week now, and haven't weighed myself HORRAYYYYYY But now I am curious if I have lost or gained...

    You can do with out the scale and just measure yourself or try on a special goal outfit now and then. :drinker:
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
    Options
    I was not exercising at all - then I chose the Couch to 5K program because:

    1) It would not be a huge investment in money - gym fees etc... (Though I did need to buy running shoes)

    2) I could do it around my neighborhood. No travel time

    3) I could go at my own speed. In fact you're encouraged NOT to push too hard

    4) I could do it alone or with others

    5) I can do it no matter the time of day

    6) It only takes 30 minutes on the plan I'm using.

    I've /never/ been a runner. But I was successful with the first week of this program. Because I'm 49 years old and weigh 211 lbs and only 3 years ago could not stand for 10 minutes to do my dishes I believe that anyone can do this couch to 5k

    I walk and do resistance training every other day.

    and give up the scale!

    Blessings!
  • Shanta1983
    Shanta1983 Posts: 1,228 Member
    Options
    I thinking im slowly recovering from the scale Im addicted to tape measurements now:happy:
  • AlannaPie
    AlannaPie Posts: 349 Member
    Options
    They say it's important to weigh yourself often. That way if you are gaining you can catch it quick. But your weight fluctuates so much. I would imagine you're only driving yourself insane. I weighed myself Monday and I will again on Friday
  • AlyssasMommy
    Options
    I was doing the same thing when I was losing weight (pre-pregnancy). This time I decided to get rid of the scale and I weigh in ever week at Publix. I has kept me sane and I am more pleased to see what I have lost after waiting.

    :flowerforyou:
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Options
    I learned a very valuable lesson from a friend of mine. It takes about a week to see the results of your hard work. It takes time for your body to metabolize and use the food you give it. I was weighing myself everyday and getting so upset at the natural fluctuations.

    Your body can fluctuate depending on how much sodium you consumed, if you're bloated, your monthly cycle, etc. Daily weigh-ins didn't work for me, I felt too much anxiety and I beat myself up when I didn't see a pound a day melting away!

    If you're like me, you probably assume, "Hey, I ate GREAT today. Tomorrow I should see a pound off." Nope, doesn't work that way. More like "Hey, I ate GREAT today. I'll see that payoff next week."

    My advice: What worked for me was to weigh myself every week. That is often enough. Do it the same time every time, like pre-breakfast and with the same amount of clothing, or without. Now I'm not as obsessive and I can relax and let my body take the time it needs to show me the results of my hard work. And I am a VERY impatient person. :blushing:
  • velvetkist
    Options
    Well, I exercise a lot, but some of the things I do are power walk 3 miles a day at the track, hour on my elliptical, at least 5 miles on my mountain bike, crunches on the exercise ball, weight training, aerobics, step aerobics, pilates, jump rope, tennis & golf. I do some combination of these exercises 6 days a week with one day of complete rest. My hubby just bought me a home gym, so I'm excited at the thought of changing up my strenght training with exercises I couldn't do on the free weights. I'm the opposite of you in the fact that I am more motivated to exercise and have frequent bouts of binging. I'm a southern girl and like to eat, what can I say? :laugh: We used to have a trampoline but it finally died. That was one of my favorite exercises...just jumping away on that thing. Might have to invest in another one, though the kids are adults now and my neighbors might think I'm strange. :wink: You can do it! Everyone here is very helpful and friendly.

    158741.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
  • SherryRueter
    SherryRueter Posts: 2,982 Member
    Options
    I weaned myself from the scale for about 1 month :ohwell: and just did weekly weigh ins. They worked for a little while....I became a tape measurer addict. Then, the tape measurer started measuring my stomache larger .... The scale went up too. This plan didn't work for me.

    I need a number...daily...so why not have it be the scale. Its more accurate than a tape measurer and it tells me daily how I did the day before and, it makes me more accountable for the food that I choose to eat today. I feel much more in control of what I eat by weighing myself daily. Or even 2 times a day.
    I don't think I want to give up my scale. Its helped me loose 70+ pounds and for the past year or so it has helped me maintain my results.

    The month I was without it, I started to gain weight. Mentally I figured that I didn't have a "check in" today so why not indulge....

    I plan on keeping my scale and weighing daily for a while yet. Heck, I'm addicted to diet pop too:drinker: ...but I'm not going to give that up either...and I plan on eating :heart: chocolate.:heart: .. the scale would be the last thing I would want to give away. Congrats to those of you who can give it up.
  • Hayley1
    Hayley1 Posts: 3
    Options
    I am a little crazy with the scale... I am such a nerd that I find it interesting to see how my weight fluctuates during the day depending on what I eat, drink or how much the baby is nursing. :)

    I started trying to lose weight June 1 and initially did the 30 day shred when the kids are napping. It was pretty good workout, but I get bored easy and then bought the Biggest Loser Boot Camp. That one is fun to, and the time feels like it goes by pretty fast. I wanted to work out 5 days a week though and found that I was getting too tired doing a full body workout day after day. So now my weeks look like this:

    Sunday: rest
    Monday: 5K run (I started off walking more, but am now running)
    Tuesday: 30 min cardio and 30 min weight lifting focusing on legs and abs
    Wednesday: 30 min cardio and 30 min weight lifting focusing on arms and back
    Thursday: One DVD at home (30 Day Shred, Bootcamp, The firm: Cardio Dance Fusion)
    Friday: rest
    Saturday: Either 30 min cardio and full body weights, or 3K run, depending on how much the baby has had me up at night that week.

    Its hard to fit in an hour/day 5 days a week with a baby and a 5 year old and my husband's work schedule and family stuff, but it is the only thing that has worked for me to lose weight.

    I wish you tonns of luck and hope that you find fun ways to stay active and are able to achieve your goals. If you find your scale leaves you feeling disapointed or unmotivated, then definately give it to a friend for awhile. If you can't give it up... Try only weighing yourself first thing in the morning before you eat to get a more accurate reading.
  • dbg1
    dbg1 Posts: 208
    Options
    1/2 hour eliptical first thing in the am - interval training

    1/2 hour eliptical first thing in the pm - interval training followed up with 1/2 hour circuit training of shoulders, chest, bicep, tricep, squats. Work the bigger muscles first (chest/shoulders) as the smaller ones (biceps and triceps) get a bit of a work out. I am not doing any back exercises yet as I am recovering from injuring L2,L3,L4,L5 in my back.

    Remember, no resting while in your circuit - keeps the heart rate up.

    Just started this last monday - before that I was only doing treadmill or eliptical.
  • Cathe
    Cathe Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I'm definitely a scale-addict, especially when I first started working out. Two to three times a day (maybe more, but I won't admit it). It did teach me a few things, though. One is that I get a large amount of fluctuation, depending on time of day, time of month, barometric pressure, I don't know - there was so much variance that it did teach me NOT to panic just because my weight ticked up suddenly.

    The other thing I learned was not to get so emotionally invested in what the scale says. If I look in the mirror and I think, "I'm doing good," why is that suddenly invalidated when the scale says I've gained a pound?! Crazy.

    So I've learned to look at the scale as just one piece of data, without letting it become the whole picture. I still check my weight quite a bit, but the scale is not the boss of me. :-)

    And, don't forget, muscle weighs more than fat and takes up less space, and your scale doesn't tell you that.
  • neenaleigh
    neenaleigh Posts: 584 Member
    Options
    hello, my name is Neena, and I am also a scale addict! :laugh:

    i've got it down to about 3 times a week,but i only count what it says on wednesdays....i dont get angry if its up and i dont get to excited if its down....unless its on a wednesday!:bigsmile:
  • jojogirl
    jojogirl Posts: 99
    Options
    I thinking im slowly recovering from the scale Im addicted to tape measurements now:happy:
    I hear ya on that one!!
  • jessmomof3
    jessmomof3 Posts: 4,590 Member
    Options
    I learned a very valuable lesson from a friend of mine. It takes about a week to see the results of your hard work. It takes time for your body to metabolize and use the food you give it. I was weighing myself everyday and getting so upset at the natural fluctuations.

    Your body can fluctuate depending on how much sodium you consumed, if you're bloated, your monthly cycle, etc. Daily weigh-ins didn't work for me, I felt too much anxiety and I beat myself up when I didn't see a pound a day melting away!

    If you're like me, you probably assume, "Hey, I ate GREAT today. Tomorrow I should see a pound off." Nope, doesn't work that way. More like "Hey, I ate GREAT today. I'll see that payoff next week."

    My advice: What worked for me was to weigh myself every week. That is often enough. Do it the same time every time, like pre-breakfast and with the same amount of clothing, or without. Now I'm not as obsessive and I can relax and let my body take the time it needs to show me the results of my hard work. And I am a VERY impatient person. :blushing:

    Yep, that is what I do. Only weigh myself on Fridays and then first thing in the AM. :wink: I have a friend that is a scale addict and she weighs herself at least 3 times a day. The only thing that will change is how much food and fluid you have in you. :huh:
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    Options
    I weened down to 3 times a day :smile:
  • cici1028
    cici1028 Posts: 799 Member
    Options
    Monday - 20 minute walk (brisk) am, circuit training (45 minutes) pm
    Tuesday -20 minute walk (brisk) am, 70 minutes Ashtanga yoga
    Wednesday - 20 minutes walk (brisk) am, 45 minutes circuit training pm
    Thursday - 20 minute walk (brisk) am, 45 minutes circuit training pm
    Friday - REST
    Saturday - 70 minutes Ashtanga yoga
    Sunday - circuit training (45 minutes) am

    This is a new routine for me and I have noticed my weight is up by about 3 pounds which is frustrating. Hoping it coms back off.
  • ErinMarie25
    ErinMarie25 Posts: 733 Member
    Options
    DON'T become a scale addict. That is probably the worst thing you can do. I was that twice and if you tend to beat yourself up easily, throw your scale in the closet if you must. I did and haven't weighed myself in 3 WEEKS! It feels a lot better not doing it.
  • jam3114
    jam3114 Posts: 250 Member
    Options
    I think we need a scale addict group - I'm totally addicted but not in a good way & I really need to change my view of the scale.
    I find that if my weight is up I'll get down about it & this leads to me sabotaging the whole week sometimes. Then if I've lost weight sometimes I find that I won't be as strict cos 'I've done well' - what to do:grumble:
    I'm afraid that if I don't hop on I won't see an improvement & don't know if I can't use the scales as often but then I think what good is waht I'm doing anyway :explode:
    I'm talking myself into trying to reduce my addiction:sad: my poor scales how will it cope without my visits - ok now where will I hide the damn thing:laugh: