Screw what the scale says

MacInCali
MacInCali Posts: 1,012 Member
in Motivation and Support
Whether you are new here or have been here for a while, if there is ONE thing I wish I could convince you of, it's that the number on the scale does NOT define you or your success!!!

When we first start out, we all have that magic number ... that magic number in our head that will one day show up on the scale that will finally tell us that we made it ... that we hit our goals and look exactly how we always knew we'd look. I say "Screw what the scale says!!"

I'm 5'6" and am currently wearing a size 8 (and some 8's are too big but I haven't convinced myself to try any 6's yet, lol). According to my scale, I'm currently at a "healthy weight" on the BMI scale by a whopping 3.4 - 1.4 pounds depending on the day. This means that four pounds ago, when I was STILL wearing a size 8, I was considered overweight. The number on my scale does not show what I thought MY magic number was supposed to be, but you know what? The tag on the back of my pants is two sizes smaller than I ever thought it would be!!

The scale is just a number on a stupid square that sits on the damn floor all day. It does NOT define your success. I don't know about you, but regardless of what my scale says or doesn't say, I would never go around telling the world how much I weigh, but you can bet your sweet shrinking *kitten* that I'm screaming at the top of my lungs that this sweet shrinking *kitten* of mine is a friggin size 8!!

Take pictures. Take measurements. And as your body shrinks, buy smaller clothes. Screw what the scale says!!! :flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • zachatta
    zachatta Posts: 1,340 Member
    So much this

    mirror > scale
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    RAWR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    AWESOME POST!
  • mbajrami
    mbajrami Posts: 636 Member
    Thanks for posting this. :-)
  • shaleasymphony
    shaleasymphony Posts: 172 Member
    woot woot
  • jojorocksforeva
    jojorocksforeva Posts: 303 Member
    This is so truee thank you for posting.
  • mommajolynn
    mommajolynn Posts: 353 Member
    so true!! I love seeing the changes in the mirror more than I care about seeing the changes on the scale. If I can get to a size 8 I will be ecstatic!
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
    You hit the nail on the head OP....gonna copy this link and share it with all my scale addicted MFP friends. THANKS!!!!
  • ptjolsen
    ptjolsen Posts: 365 Member
    Mirror/Body Fat% > Scale
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    :heart: Applause! :heart:
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    I have to say it even though it will piss off people.

    You traded one number for another. You say what you weigh/what the scale says isn't important and shouldn't define you, yet you're clinging to your size 8 jeans. The number on your pants tag is now what defines your weight/weight loss. Why not just cut out all the tags in your clothes, basically throw them away like you say to do with the scale?
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    On the flip side, the number on that little square ultimately determines how much you should eat. Ignore it completely, and you won't know how much you should or should not be eating. Also, how do you determine when you should stop? I'm not saying that should be determined by your weight or mass, but by a variety of numbers that you can get from data collecting information. Without it, you can become obsessed with trying to get skinnier, and you could end up going too far.

    My magic number comes from something far more important than the BMI scale or your weight - Body fat percentage. How much fat that is in your body will determine how you look, how you can perform in sport, and how you ultimately feel.

    I'm going for a BF% of 10%. How much I weigh at that point varies every week and every day as I gain and lose lean mass. As I lose weight, I lose lean mass as well, my UGW shrinks. As I develop muscle, my lean mass increases, so my UGW increases. In each instance, the amount of fat that will be in my body at my goal BF% changes as well. Everything is relative. However, at the same time, how much I actually weigh means nothing at all.
  • makeoverpm
    makeoverpm Posts: 117 Member
    very well said!
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    my mirror has told me that my scale is right :(
  • vmekash
    vmekash Posts: 422 Member
    You are so right! The scale is not the be-all-end-all, but I am using the scale as a guide to see that I am making progress/staying on track from one week to the next when I am unable to feel a change in my clothes or see a change in the mirror. Seeing the numbers go down keeps me motivated, even when it is only a fraction of a pound. :bigsmile:
  • Cougarita65
    Cougarita65 Posts: 240 Member
    I'm trying to move away from the scale , I measure myself, but I seem to need to know what I weigh everyday , that if I don't I will gain 50 lbs back, I was a size 15/16 at my largest & now I buy size 3 or 5. I still don't see myself & as if reading numbers on the scale I will some how start to see my new body.
  • ksemien
    ksemien Posts: 133 Member
    Well done!! *claps*
  • zachatta
    zachatta Posts: 1,340 Member
    my mirror has told me that my scale is right :(

    Thanks for shattering my reality.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    I think we are twins with regard to height and size......however, the difference with me is that I do not care who knows how much I weigh. What used to be an embarrassment to me as I weigh very heavy is now something that actually makes me proud , especially when it surprises people, as it indicates good LBM. I also think it is good for women to know that there is a significant range for an 'ideal' weight and that, at say 5 6" you can get easily into a size 8 and weigh say 130lb, or weigh over 160lb.

    Body fat%, the fit of my clothes and the mirror are what is important.
  • Raina27
    Raina27 Posts: 133
    :happy: Love this!!
  • texastango
    texastango Posts: 309
    You're such a great MFP friend that I have to applaud any effort you put forth! As for screws, nuts, and whatever makes you happy, as we've all know the saying "Just do it". Tally H??.....Not going there....and ya'll thought I would....admit it...didn't you!
  • Erisad
    Erisad Posts: 1,580
    I needed this today as the scale has been really pissing me off. :)
  • o2bADyer
    o2bADyer Posts: 208
    I must admit that the scale has given me more confidence on some level, as does the size that I now wear. We all need something to "gauge" our success by...which in turn motivates us. Be it the scale, or the tag...whatever works for each of us doesn't need to be what works for ALL of us. Congrats to you for your success and keep on keepin' on! :drinker:
  • mscoco10
    mscoco10 Posts: 527 Member
    I think some people totally missed what the OP was saying. I didn't get throw the scale out the window from this post. I got that even if the numbers on the scale don't have my magic number it's more about how I look and feel. Some pals get some obsessed with the scale they don't know how to be proud of their success.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
    I refuse to have a scale in my house. Weighing myself has always been counter-productive for me, personally. I go by progress pictures, measuring tape, how I feel, how I look. and how my clothing fits and looks.

    I have committed myself to exercising and eating better. So why step on a scale to try to 'measure' that? My aim to become healthier and slim down will not be changing regardless of what the scale says, and by cutting out the scale completely, it has allowed me focus on how my body looks and feels. I feel more "in tune" with my body. It aids me in putting my healthy goals in clear focus and not become distracted or discouraged by a meaningless number. It reminds me WHY I'm doing this. Because exercise makes me feel GOOD…I feel stronger, more energetic, and I look before. I also know it is good for my insides and outside. Am I eating healthy and working out to see results on the scale? NO! So why track my weight like my success depends on it.

    Some find that weighing themselves daily or weekly, and seeing numeric results from their hard work on the scale is what keeps them motivated. That is wonderful if it works for you. But for me? I guess my fear is, I don't WANT the scale to be my motivator. It's almost like trusting a friend to motivate you and having that friend turn around and betray you the very next day. The scale is just too unreliable for me to be a motivator. Again, I'm not saying this is the way it is for everyone. But what I'm saying is that it was a Eureka moment for me, and I acted on it by getting rid of the scale. And even my hubby, who is a health care professional asked me: "WHY are you weighing yourself? What is it telling you that you really need to know?" Nothing, really.

    I love what a poster on the message boards said when he disparagingly labeled the scale as "the greasy car salesman of the weight loss world". Because it is! It lies through its teeth. It's deceiving.

    After pondering all of this, I was able to 'let go' of the scale most willingly! Good riddance, I say. I find it can too easily become a hindrance and not a help in reaching my goals. I know I personally will be better off without it.

    (I only weigh once every 3-4 months at a doctor's office to make sure I'm not eating too much or too little for my body weight, and also to keep my HRM accurate.)
  • HMToomey
    HMToomey Posts: 276
    Love this!!
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
    I think you should get a freaking award for this post. Excellent job.
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
    I agree, the scale worked when you were loosing the 65 pounds, but now your turning what you have (not that you need to loose any thing) into muscle. I am 5'8" and went from a size 9 to a size 8, but my weight doesn't change. Since I didn't have much to loose to begin with, my legs and arms turned solid. If I could only get my stomach solid, my weight does not matter! I don't even have scales in my house, they don't define your progress!
  • ceajules
    ceajules Posts: 123
    I agree I am the same size as you great post feel free to add me
  • SocWkrBee
    SocWkrBee Posts: 374
    I am really trying to learn this...my scale hates me, lol!
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    The scale is just a number on a stupid square that sits on the damn floor all day. It does NOT define your success. I don't know about you, but regardless of what my scale says or doesn't say, I would never go around telling the world how much I weigh, but you can bet your sweet shrinking *kitten* that I'm screaming at the top of my lungs that this sweet shrinking *kitten* of mine is a friggin size 8!!


    ^ this just made my day!

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