Has anyone just stopped going by weight?

angiechimpanzee
angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
edited January 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm currently 5'2 and 120 pounds, I started at 128. 120 isn't by any means my lowest weight - I've weighed as little as 102. I used to be a chronic yoyo dieter, & I stayed as far as possible from any type of exercise - cardio OR strength. All I cared about was losing *pounds*, so I would restrict calories to very low levels & frequently found myself losing lots of water weight/minimal fat/muscle and gaining the weight right back within weeks.

Six weeks ago I decided I was fed up with the yoyoing, & finally chose the healthy, maintainable way of doing things. I'm now at a point where my waist & pant size are the same at 120 pounds that they used to be when I weighed 115 and was crash dieting. So I know my body composition is changing for the better. For the past 6 weeks I've been doing the elliptical machine on medium resistance (so enough to really feel the burn in my thighs) 5x a week, I eat about 1400 calories a day, and two weeks ago I added in daily ab workouts. Within the first 4 weeks I lost about 7 pounds, going from 128 to 121, but within the last two weeks I've lost just one pound. However, it seems like my waist size is decreasing steadily.

I've figured that I'd rather have my goal 25" waist (I'm at 27.5" right now) and weigh more than my original goal weight of 110, than slave over a number on the scale thats starting to stay stagnant or creep very slowly downwards regardless of my decreasing measurements. If anything, I'm thinking of continuing to track my measurements once a week, and using that as my primary measure of progress instead of what the scale says.

Have any of you stopped going primarily by your weight to measure progress?

Replies

  • hkclaire
    hkclaire Posts: 17
    I'm thinking about doing the same. I'm around 7-8 pounds heavier than my "wedding weight" (which has always been my goal), but I fit into all the clothes I wore around my wedding, and some are even a bit loose. I'm thinking of moving to measuring rather than weighing. Let's face it, no one sees what number appears on the scales except you. It is more what you look like, and I think measuring is a better indicator of how your clothes fit. (I also find that my measurements don't fluctuate as much as my weight with water/sodium/hormones.) Will be interested to hear of anyone else doing this.
  • Colleen118
    Colleen118 Posts: 491 Member
    For what it's worth, the last time I wore a size 12 I was about 145/150 lbs. I am now wearing a bagging size 12 and am 25-30lbs more than where I was lat time I wore them. Exercise will change everything. Watch the tape measure if the scale seems to lie based on how your clothes are fitting. I am still losing but things are very different since I am doing it the correct way... the way that hurts in a good way and not a starvation way.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I definitely care more about my measurements than about my body weight.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    Right here. I probably weigh myself once a quarter. Lately I've been taking pictures to gage progress.
  • DenyseMarieL
    DenyseMarieL Posts: 673 Member
    I might weigh myself 4 times a year. I go by my clothes and how they fit. If they are loose, I'm doing something right! Who cares if I weigh more because of muscle? The plus side is I'm firmer and more fit!
  • markpmc
    markpmc Posts: 240 Member
    I weigh maybe once a month.
  • Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim
    Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim Posts: 267 Member
    bump
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
    weight doesn't tell you much....doesn't count the muscles,bones, etc...
    You need a good mirror and a measuring tape.... losing inches will tell you a lot more.

    Since muscles are heavier.... weight's not a good factor.
  • underwater77
    underwater77 Posts: 331 Member
    completely. i workout hard every single day and the scale hasn't moved in like 8 weeks or something crazy. i used to weigh every day, then once a week, now once every two weeks or so. as long as i hit the gym and pool and pay attention to what i put into my mouth, i am content. i figure at some point next year i may be happy to see the scale again.
  • ajsmommy2010
    ajsmommy2010 Posts: 60
    I stopped using the scale about a week aog. I haven't dropped weight but I am loosing inches. From 10/09/12 to 11/02/12 I had only lost 1lb but according to my measurements I have lost 5.5". That's when I decided to drop the scale.
  • angiechimpanzee
    angiechimpanzee Posts: 536 Member
    For what it's worth, the last time I wore a size 12 I was about 145/150 lbs. I am now wearing a bagging size 12 and am 25-30lbs more than where I was lat time I wore them. Exercise will change everything. Watch the tape measure if the scale seems to lie based on how your clothes are fitting. I am still losing but things are very different since I am doing it the correct way... the way that hurts in a good way and not a starvation way.
    Wow, that's amazing! Congrats. Exercise really does change everything. & I agree with what you said about this way hurting in a good way. I actually feel so much better than I used to - mentally, physically, everything. I'd never go back. The results, however "slow" they can seem sometimes, are worth it.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    I'm going by weight at the moment, because I still have a fair chunk to loose. But when I get closer to a healthy weight, I will probably chuck the scale and concentrate on improving my shape, weight be damned.
  • creech6317
    creech6317 Posts: 869 Member
    I have lost 24 pounds. I started out wearing a tight size 14. My original goal was to lose another 20 pounds. But I am now wearing a 6/8 and I think 20 more pounds would be too much. So my new goal is a comfortable size 4. I don't need to be any smaller than that, so whatever my weight is when I get there is where I will be.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    After YEARS of being frustrated that I could not drop below 140lbs and hold it there I've given up. Not on a healthy lifestyle but on the stupid bathroom scale. Who ever determined that my body would be better at 138 as opposed to 142?!??!? How did I fixate on the that number?!?!? Now my focus has shifted from weight loss to body composition. I eat healthy (the majority of time lol) and in a slight deficit. I lift weights and strength train, do some cardio, get enough protein. Since upping cals and protein and strength training I have lost inches which is WAY better than I scale victory. Jeans from last winter that were snug now look awesome on my old *kitten* hehe. Years of beating myself to hell with excessive cardio and restrictive diets only to find out that it didn't have to be that painful!!!!
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