How to BEAT the scale

peterdt
peterdt Posts: 820 Member
in Motivation and Support
If you weight yourself daily it can get discouraging when you show a gain for a few days. But here is an idea that might help some people with that. Add up all your weights for a week then average them. Then when comparing numbers week to week you will see your overall loss.

Many people recommend never weighing. Others recommend once a week.

IMO it is probably best to weight daily. However, a gain can be so discouraging and can throw you off track. However, by using this method you can help yourself by looking at the big picture.

If you weigh only weekly you can also be the victim of the scale. It may just happen to be on that day you have some water retension. If you worked hard all week and then show no loss it can be discouraging. By weighing yourself daily but then entering only the average for that week you get a much more accurate number to enter than entering only once a week. In the long run you will be trending down anyway. But this method helps in the week to week feeling.

I have taken this a step further. I post on my wall my losses by MONTH. It shows an overall trend and shows me that if I stick to it temporary plateaus are just that... temporary. If you are in a plateau lasting many months then I can't tell you much. There are lots of theories on long term plateaus. From what I have read though it is usually caused by people not accurately recording the number of calories they eat or not knowing their TDEE.

Here's a sample from my last 3 weeks:

287.2
289.0
291.0
288.2
288.6
286.2
1730.2
288.4 - weekly average.

288.4
287.2
286.8
286.6
285.2
287.2
284.6
2006.0
286.6- weekly average. lost 1.8 pound.

284.6
284.4
284.4
283.2
285.0
284.2
286.6
1992.4
284.6- weekly average. 2 pounds lost.

Replies

  • Fenomka
    Fenomka Posts: 103 Member
    this seems like actually a really good idea. I may try this - I have problems sometimes, with how fast my body digests some foods, so some days I feel super skinny, because I ate more veggies that day, and some days (usually the following day after I eat rice of any kind)I feel really bloaty and swollen.

    I may try this for a month, and see what kind of trend I show.

    Thanks for the idea!
  • athenaheim
    athenaheim Posts: 496 Member
    Interesting I will have to do that.
  • bambi_woodward
    bambi_woodward Posts: 30
    It was just meant for me to see your post this morning! I'm weighing everyday but seem to be up 2 or down 2 every day! What you're saying makes sense, and I think I'm going to try it. It's very discouraging to work hard and not see a loss.
  • Kris1997
    Kris1997 Posts: 241
    Never thought of this. Great idea. The scales irritates me to death over this very thing. THANKS!
  • mercymarque
    mercymarque Posts: 450
    Thanks for sharing. I too weight myself everyday to see how eating and currently exercise effect my weight.
  • feistymoon
    feistymoon Posts: 152
    There are a few iphone and android apps that do the same thing. I used one called True Weight for a long time (until I went android) Now I use one called Libra.

    Edit: instead of logging actual weight on weigh in day, you can log average across the week and track that
  • spa9177
    spa9177 Posts: 327 Member
    Bump
  • dlmowrey
    dlmowrey Posts: 22
    What a wonderful idea. I think I'm going to try thiis next week.
  • athenaheim
    athenaheim Posts: 496 Member
    There are a few iphone and android apps that do the same thing. I used one called True Weight for a long time (until I went android) Now I use one called Libra.

    Edit: instead of logging actual weight on weigh in day, you can log average across the week and track that

    Thanks for this info. I was just wondering if there was a way to track it.
  • VorJoshigan
    VorJoshigan Posts: 1,106 Member
    Step 1, grab a bat

    Step 2, go to town
  • debilang
    debilang Posts: 874 Member
    Thanks, Peter...I *do* actually have an OFFICIAL weigh in day every week. Your instructions are great! Thanks :)
  • Arismar2022
    Arismar2022 Posts: 24 Member
    This is funny!!!
    I do the same! Only focus on the average per week! This is the real weight! : )
  • BigDnSW
    BigDnSW Posts: 641 Member
    I used to weigh daily. Our body weight can fluctuate as much as 3 to 4 pounds a day. So, I started weighing in every Sunday morning before breakfast, after shower and "business" and then weigh. If I don't like what I see, I use a baseball bat. Good luck!
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
    Step 1, grab a bat

    Step 2, go to town

    this is also an option. lol.

    BUT I don't think it is the smartest way for most people.
  • petechiae
    petechiae Posts: 147 Member
    This is a super good idea and I wonder why I never thought about it before. I don't worry about the scale very much so it is not a disaster to me if my weight fluctuates, but it is still nice to notice that you lost some weight. I will definitely try this.
  • youcandooeet
    youcandooeet Posts: 104 Member
    http://physicsdiet.com/ <--- This is an excellent website that does what you're talking about for you, with lots of bonus features in addition. Great for daily weighers, obviously :)
  • KickassAugust
    KickassAugust Posts: 1,430 Member
    Ignore it with a hammer!
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
    This is really a wonderful way to deal with the compulsion to weight daily and not let it become a reason to binge or become discourage. Great work!
  • OkieinMinny
    OkieinMinny Posts: 834 Member
    The scale is a dirty *kitten* - measure!
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,177 Member
    The scale is a dirty *kitten* - measure!


    Some people like dirty *kitten*....just sayin.
  • remisenforme
    remisenforme Posts: 180 Member
    I weigh every day and use this website (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html) to track it. They show you your trend line but also how likely it is that your crazy high or low weight one day is to just be water, etc.
    You can set the parameters to only show you a week, a month, a few months, etc. at a time so you can really get a good idea of your average for that period of time.
    This website keeps me a little more sane because sometimes it feels like I haven't lost much at all and I'm able to look back at the graph and trend line and say, oh yeah, I actually have, it just feels like I haven't in a while because the last 2 days I maintained, for example.
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
    The scale is a dirty *kitten* - measure!

    This can work for some people for sure.

    But for most, especially when first starting to diet, need to know if what they are doing is working. Waiting a month to take measurements and see the results is just too long to wait. It's almost the same as weighing once a month.

    However, I DO measure. It is another tool in my motivation arsenal. The other nice thing about measuring is it can give you an idea of how much actual fat you are losing vs water or muscle weight.
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I'm too dense to do all that.

    At least I admit it.
  • 1yoyoKAT
    1yoyoKAT Posts: 206 Member
    http://physicsdiet.com/ <--- This is an excellent website that does what you're talking about for you, with lots of bonus features in addition. Great for daily weighers, obviously :)

    Cool site, thanks for sharing!
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
    I weigh every day and use this website (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/hdo.html) to track it. They show you your trend line but also how likely it is that your crazy high or low weight one day is to just be water, etc.
    You can set the parameters to only show you a week, a month, a few months, etc. at a time so you can really get a good idea of your average for that period of time.
    This website keeps me a little more sane because sometimes it feels like I haven't lost much at all and I'm able to look back at the graph and trend line and say, oh yeah, I actually have, it just feels like I haven't in a while because the last 2 days I maintained, for example.

    this is pretty cool.
  • Minnesota_Nice
    Minnesota_Nice Posts: 414 Member
    that sure beats my idea of throwing the damn thing against the wall. thanks!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Step 1, grab a bat

    Step 2, go to town

    The only reason I came to this thread was to say that. :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
    Step 1, grab a bat

    Step 2, go to town

    The only reason I came to this thread was to say that. :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble: :grumble:

    any reason why?

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