Step away from the scale

jenr8er · February 2013

I've always been a daily weigher. And my weight has never fluctuated daily. Literally. I would go 20 days with the scale saying 183.4 and then one day it would just drop to 182. That's how I've always been, and that's why I would weigh every day. I just wondered "could this be the day things change?" Well in the last 3 weeks I've gotten really honest about what I"m putting in my body and how much water I"m drinking and how many calories I"m actually burning. And guess what? The damn scale is bouncing all over the place. Up one day, down the next. Almost like a normal human being. I need someone to tell me to step away from the scale for a few days. I can't take the roller coaster ride and I know in my heart that if I eat right and exercise I'll EVENTUALLY lose weight so the day to day doesn't really matter. Talk me off the ledge, please!

mattyb1971 · February 2013

I also weigh every day - I feel compelled to do it! And like you, it jumps around all the time but I only really look at "today's weight" in the context of what I weighed a month ago. As long as I am trending downward, it's cool.

So keep weighing every day - just don't compare today versus yesterday.

MsSassy45 · February 2013

try weekly

kumanekochan · February 2013

also if you do weight yourself everyday, make sure you're doing it at the same time. your body has a natural cycle of water retention through the day and will make your weight go up an down, not to mention your eating and drinking, and going to the bathroom. I tend to weigh myself at 5am after my morning stretch and potty break

.

Micheetah · February 2013

i hate weighing myself and only do it once a week and if I feel like i need motivation I'll hop on midweek and yep that thing def bounces. Such a crummy feeling, especially when I FEEL like I've lost just to get on and see no loss or a gain!! Keep your head up tho, like mfbycroft said, as long as ur overall trend is down the next month then we're doing ok. Patience is key when losing weight, I have to tell myself this CONSTANTLY to keep me going.

crazy4lulu · February 2013

OK...... do something for me. The scale needs a time out. Put it in a closet or in the garage or in a shed for at least a week... i mean get it out of the house. Trust me you will thank me for this. Ascale is simply a dumb *kitten* number that can either piss you off in the moment or make you happy for the moment until the next piss off moment comes along. Go by how your clothes feel... about how you feel. I am 5 ft 10 inches tall and i weigh a lot..... dont know the exact number and i could care less. as long as i feel good and i eat healthy .... I AM GOOD. when my size 10s are getting too snug... thats when i know its time to vamp it up. Im telling you this from the heart. I have been there and it took close to 10 friggan years to realize... its just a dumb number!!!

gaylynn35 · February 2013

I agree, put the scale away for at least a week. My stupid scale has been driving me crazy and I vow to only weigh myself once or twice a week from now on.

I have lost many inches and not a whole lot of weight.

Go by how your clothes are fitting you.

Jonesie1984 · February 2013

The body has normal fluid flexuations throughout the month. l Especially for women I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I would just establish one day that is your "weigh day" and stick to it and no worry too much about the other days. Really I would just stop weighing everyday. Use other judges for health, measurements are much more accurate, body fat %, clothes fit and health stats.

KeepGoingRhonda · February 2013

I have put mine away for the same reasons you are struggling with it...it's not coming back until Mar 1

JWB42 · February 2013

I was like you and HAD to know what I weighed each day to make sure I was losing etc...BUT even when I was super good the scale would go up and I would get depressed and want to eat more. Then I got down to weighing myself every 2 or 3 days and same thing, it bounced all over. So now I weigh myself on Fridays, it let's me know if I did well during the week and if I have some wiggle room over the weekend. If I gain... I tighten things up...if I've lost I may allow a small indulgence.
So my advice is no more than once per week, it keeps disappointment to a minimum and can be a great motivator when you lose. I actually LOOK FORWARD to Friday weigh in (usually) to set me on my path for the next week.
Feel free to add me too! I can always use more MFP friends! I have a loooooooooooooong way to go!
Keep up the good work!!

KenosFeoh · February 2013

I used to weigh myself only once per month, and let me tell you - it was a HUGE let-down to work as hard as I could all month and see that same bounce of up down from month to month. Now I weigh every few days, and it's much easier to take.

But huge sigh ................ I reallyreallyreally need to see a new low number pop up. I'm not going to give up, but gaining and losing the same 3 pounds is getting OLD.

Duck_Puddle · February 2013

I weigh daily. I expect it to be up and down and all over the place-and weighing daily actually HELPS get a handle on this (helps you learn how a big workout or high sodium day or whatever will actually impact that number). Weighing less often doesn't do anything to minimize the fluctuations, just your exposure to them. So say you weigh once a month, what's to say that the one magic day you've decided to weigh isn't the day you magically jumped up lbs overnight (I fluctuate as much as 7-9lbs a day)? Cause I know that would suck the life right out of me to step on the scale only once a month and have it be a gain. Then wait another miserable month and hope I happen to catch it on a "down" day? And I know there are those that say screw the scale, just to by your clothes or what you see in the mirror and how you feel and all that, and for people at that stage, it's great. For people miles away from a goal-I'm going to see the scale go down long before I'm going to see anything else.

Step away from the scale

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