To abandon the scales or not??

LynnieG85
LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm moving down south on Saturday, to start a new job. I'm starting to wonder whether or not I should pack my scales, or just check my weight every couple of months when I come home for a visit (I like always using the same scales, for accuracy) and instead rely more on my measurements.

It seems like a pretty scary step, though, I've never done "weight loss" without the "weight" part, lol. Just seems like it could be a good way to do it without obsessing over the weekly numbers...

What are your thoughts? Could you do it?

Replies

  • ChancyW
    ChancyW Posts: 437 Member
    At this point in my journey it would be kind of like torture to give up the scales!

    Good luck if you decide to do it though!
  • dnhardy
    dnhardy Posts: 59
    As long as you can be honest with yourself then I say do it! I would advocate stepping on the scale 1+ a week for people who aren't very precise when measuring food or their workouts. Otherwise, I think it can be more of a detriment. If youre measuring correctly and working out, then you should be continuously improving your body.. whether thats actual weight loss or not.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    A pair of pants will keep you in check.

    I lost almost all of my weight without even owning a scale. It is totally do-able.
  • charlenelockhart3
    charlenelockhart3 Posts: 76
    Personally i couldn't live without them yet but good luck if you do decide too xx
  • LynnieG85
    LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
    Thanks for your feedback! Some of you are saying you NEED your scales - this is half the reason I want to do it. I LOVE seeing the numbers go down on the scales, but it's awful when they don't go down. So many times I've given up on a "diet" because I tried really hard one week and the numbers didn't go down on the scales. I don't want to live like that. For once, I'm not trying to lose as much weight in as short a time as possible - I just want to get there eventually, and STAY there! I'm still not sure I can do it, but I have a couple of days to decide ... thank you for your opinions, I can totally see where you're all coming from :drinker:
  • DCpaleochick
    DCpaleochick Posts: 211 Member
    "death" to the scales..... lol
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Thanks for your feedback! Some of you are saying you NEED your scales - this is half the reason I want to do it. I LOVE seeing the numbers go down on the scales, but it's awful when they don't go down. So many times I've given up on a "diet" because I tried really hard one week and the numbers didn't go down on the scales. I don't want to live like that. For once, I'm not trying to lose as much weight in as short a time as possible - I just want to get there eventually, and STAY there! I'm still not sure I can do it, but I have a couple of days to decide ... thank you for your opinions, I can totally see where you're all coming from :drinker:

    With this additional info, I vote definitely leave the scale behind. That's a psychological hurdle, and you're right - letting a number on a device decide your mood isn't good for you.

    When I first started losing, I bought a scale. It was the first one I ever bought (and let's just say I'm over 35)....then one day about 20 pounds into my 55 pound goal, I spilled a pitcher of water on it. At first I was panicky. How was I going to lose weight? Then I realized I would keep logging my food and being as honest as possible about everything, and I kept losing weight without a scale. Now I jump on it once a month - and I already know what it will say before I do. (Well, within a pound or two..)
  • LynnieG85
    LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
    Thanks for your feedback! Some of you are saying you NEED your scales - this is half the reason I want to do it. I LOVE seeing the numbers go down on the scales, but it's awful when they don't go down. So many times I've given up on a "diet" because I tried really hard one week and the numbers didn't go down on the scales. I don't want to live like that. For once, I'm not trying to lose as much weight in as short a time as possible - I just want to get there eventually, and STAY there! I'm still not sure I can do it, but I have a couple of days to decide ... thank you for your opinions, I can totally see where you're all coming from :drinker:

    With this additional info, I vote definitely leave the scale behind. That's a psychological hurdle, and you're right - letting a number on a device decide your mood isn't good for you.

    When I first started losing, I bought a scale. It was the first one I ever bought (and let's just say I'm over 35)....then one day about 20 pounds into my 55 pound goal, I spilled a pitcher of water on it. At first I was panicky. How was I going to lose weight? Then I realized I would keep logging my food and being as honest as possible about everything, and I kept losing weight without a scale. Now I jump on it once a month - and I already know what it will say before I do. (Well, within a pound or two..)

    Yeah, I think I'm going to try to work up the courage to leave it behind. It's not that I don't want to know what I weigh, but I kinda want the freedom away from it, and then get a nice wee surprise every few weeks or couple of months!
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    If you are used to weighing all the time then I would take them with you.
  • rajanshanker
    rajanshanker Posts: 1
    scales don't lie & keep you in check .....take them with you.......see them as ur honest friend ...better to be hurt with the truth then be satisfied by the absence of it !
  • alexisu96
    alexisu96 Posts: 103 Member
    Are you a membervof a gym? If so, use their scales. Especially if its an old fashioned one where you move the bars, they are very accurate.
  • LynnieG85
    LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
    Are you a membervof a gym? If so, use their scales. Especially if its an old fashioned one where you move the bars, they are very accurate.

    I'm moving down to England, but there is a gym right beside where I'll be living, which I hope to join pretty soon after I move. That's an idea, I suppose ... I've never used those sliding bar scales, I've no idea how they work!! :laugh:
  • samnco
    samnco Posts: 16 Member
    I ditched the scale for about 4 months. I think its a good idea.
  • zilea
    zilea Posts: 31 Member
    A good pair of jeans and a mirror will keep you on track.
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    The last time I was without scales, I gained a lot of weight. A pair of pants didn't really cut it for me because they kind of expanded with me for awhile, then they wore out, and I didn't realize that I needed a bigger size until I went shopping.

    I mean - I kind of did; I saw that I was thickening. But I managed to not see what I was seeing.

    Those numbers on the scales are kind of hard to ignore. They do drive me crazy, though; all that up/down/up/up/down/up. I can see why you would contemplate abandoning them. But I'm not going to.

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