The scale and I are not friends right now...advice please

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  • eclectic_ladee
    eclectic_ladee Posts: 18 Member
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    Ditch the scale. I never thought I could only do a weigh-in once per month, but I had to. I've been weighing in at the end of each month at my gym. However, I would monitor every once in a while at home. It became mentally and emotionally frustrating because the readings on both scales would be different. After changing batteries and questioning the validity of both scales, I just ditched the temptation to hop onto one altogether which is during my monthly weigh-in. Good luck! ;)
  • germangirl88
    germangirl88 Posts: 35 Member
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    Take a deep breath and relax! Two weeks of no show on the scale doesn't equal hitting a wall. I know it's hard not seeing the scale move but it could be a lot of things. Maybe your calories do need adjusted. What does your workout routine look like? Have you had your body fat % checked? Keep track of your inches loss in addition to weight loss. It will help you out on times like this.

    With the machine thing that they have at the gym where you add your weight and height, my fat % is rediculous. When I do it with waist/hips/thigh/calf/wrist/arm measurements I'm in the ok fat % range. I do two miles each day and one day I do legs ( three sets of 12 and the weight is 80-90lbs) and the other day I do arms and stomach ( arms are 40/50lbs three sets of 12). Some days I will throw in 15 minutes on the bike or 15 on the elliptical.
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
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    HOw much you weigh is a number, it is gravitational pull, no one knows what the scale says but you... inches is were it is at!
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Wow 25 lbs and this is the first week you haven't lost? That's amazing.

    I wouldn't change anything if you're losing inches. Just keep doing what you're doing, it's clearly working. Don't forget though to adjust your calorie goal every 10 lbs or so.
  • germangirl88
    germangirl88 Posts: 35 Member
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    So I've lost 25 pounds so far and now I've hit that wall. I've not budge on scale in over a week, but my clothing are fitting looser so I'm losing inches. Should I adjust my cals (doing 2000) to kick the weight to fall off again or is this normal? I work out six days a week and do cardio and weights. Also fast walk/run two miles a day so twelve miles a week. Thanks!

    Are you eating 2000 a day before or after you subtract your calories burned through exercise?
    How long have you been following the same exercise routine?
    Have you recently changed your routine?

    If you are eating 2000 before subtracting your exercise calories, then I'd say don't lower your calories. The lowest you want to go is 1400-1500 AFTER subtracting your exercise calories. So unless you are above that, I wouldn't consider it.

    If you have been following the same routine for a long time, your weight loss may have slowed down because your muscles are no longer working as hard as they were because they are used to the work they have to do. You can change this by completely changing your routine, adding an extra 10-15 minutes on to a routine or you could bring in heavier weights.

    If you have recently changed your routine, it could be water weight and you do tend to gain before you start losing when particularly when you first start exercising or start a completely new style (e.g. weight training).

    Finally, if you are losing inches but the scales aren't budging then chances are you are building muscle which is a good thing. Sometimes the scale takes a little longer to catch up with stuff like this but also you should check out some of the success stories on here. Some people reached their goal weights and then gained 20lbs through "toning up" with weights but still dropped dress sizes. Muscle weighs more than fat.
    I don't add my workout for calories. So I'm consistantly under calorie.
  • Karabobarra
    Karabobarra Posts: 782 Member
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    I found that I get my best results if I only weigh once a week, first thing in the morning after a good nights sleep. I also found that my body retains more water after a good cardio workout so I try to make my weigh day after a rest day when I haven't done cardio that day before... also sodium intake can add to water weight but seriously if you are hitting a plateau you may need to tweak a few things in your nutrition, (up your protein, lower your sodium) and change your workout routine to start getting results again.

    I use the scale and measurements, when the scale is being mean I usually fall back on my measurements and surprisingly I will continue to see improvement in my measurements even if the scale isn't budging. I highly recommend both, a pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat ...that's why measurements are important.

    Hope this helps
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    If it helps, I went six months without a change on the scale, but during that time I lost fat and inches and dropped a full pants size. :smile: Love my tape measure!
  • pspetralia
    pspetralia Posts: 963 Member
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    The scale gives you a number that only you see. Every one can see the change in measurements! Ditch the scale!!
  • Guamybear
    Guamybear Posts: 1,061 Member
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    Make you are NET calories are high enough..I stalled when I found my NET cal was very low.. Now I make sure at least 1200 cals or more.
  • fightininggirl
    fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
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    focus on measuring and by inches not the scale. I have a group for those of us who want to focus on inches. the scale flucates all the time. when you hit a plateau you up your activity and bump you calories.
  • bclever13
    bclever13 Posts: 44
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    I just wrote someone else about the same thing.... I am a health coach and I am not telling you what to do but one trick I have learned is that you need to eat something you used to enjoy before you began your new fitness and eating lifestyle....this will tell your body that you are not going to deprive it of something that you used to eat..... only eat a little portion of it to throw it a curve ball and the weight will start to come off again....when you hit a plateau you need to remember this trick. Good luck
  • BrownEyeAngel
    BrownEyeAngel Posts: 331 Member
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    I like this answer!
  • Macstraw
    Macstraw Posts: 896 Member
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    One week is nothing. Weight loss isn't linear, some weeks you lose a bit, some weeks you lose big, some weeks nothing, and other weeks gain. Stay the course, particularly if clothes are getting looser. Most likely water retention.

    ^ This. Lost the vast majority of my weight in the first few weeks, then the scale stalled completely for a few weeks. Lost 2 lbs. over the past 2 weeks but it doesn't bother me because I can feel the difference in my clothes - my belt is a notch tighter & I'm very close to dropping a pants size. At some point I'm sure the scale will move, but I'm not overly concerned with how much or when because I'm not doing this for a #, I'm doing this to be healthier.........
    Very true, thank you for the reminder about it being to a healthier life! I need to stop worrying about the number. I guess it's the female in me lol

    It's not the girl in you, it's the human in you. We all go through it, reading that it happens to others helps keep me grounded & working toward my goal. Health is the key, everything else will fall into place however it's supposed to......
  • Macstraw
    Macstraw Posts: 896 Member
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    This is a slow and steady process, patience is key.

    Yet another thing I need to keep reminding myself of - Rome (& my body) wan't built in a day & I won't lose everything I need to in 1 day. As long as I'm moving forward & making the changes I need to in my habits I'm happy, permanent changes will eventually equal permanent results...........
  • joeymalone142
    joeymalone142 Posts: 69
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    I couldn't stay off the scale and it was messing with my head! This weekend it went to stay with grandma for a while. If it's not in the house, I can't stand on it! I will get it back in a bit, but for now I had to force a break!

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