weight loss on the scale matters

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terijoestoes
terijoestoes Posts: 205 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I keep searching for answers on these topics. And I have learned so much. More and more I see people saying that the numbers on the scale don't matter that body fat% is the key. But when you have over a hundred pounds to lose the scale is a big factor. Both knees are really bad and every lb. I lose is 8lbs off my knees. The scale is not budging so I keep searching.

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  • Miss_Aurora
    Miss_Aurora Posts: 93
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    Just my opinion .. but I think both matter .. and some people need the motivation of seeing something move.

    I've been losing weight for 2 months now .. and the first 2 weeks my waist dropped 10 cm .. and now it's only budged about 1 more cm.

    If I was only going by tape measure I'd be depressed.

    I think one of the best guages is a dress, pants or skirt that is just too tight to zip up. (Mine is my wedding dress I'm determined to get into). You'll soon see when it's possible to put on and when it looks loose enough to wear in public.

    I have skirts I've worn happily for the past 2 months that I can still wear .. so judging clothes you've already been wearing may not be it. I think part of my waist measurement problem is that my waist is getting longer.. but not changing in width just yet.

    I am one of those people motivated by daily weighing. I KNOW KNOW KNOW it's going to go up and down .. but I only write my weight down on "weigh in day" (I do "weigh in on MFP" each time I lose weight, but that's more to track dates ... at home it's just once a week).

    It's your body, you do whichever makes you feel best :)
  • symonspatrick
    symonspatrick Posts: 213 Member
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    I understand what you are saying because I get frustrated when I do not see a smaller number on the scale. But I do feel encouraged when I can get into smaller clothing. If I could not see either one of those changes then I would be extremely frustrated and wonder if I was doing everthing in my power to change things. For me more exercise has meant smaller clothes and less scale loss. Less exercise has meant more scale loss but not as much change in clothes. So either way I try to feel encouraged. If no scale loss and no smaller clothes then I will either increase my exercise or lower my calories. Also being patient and not expecting every week to have a loss has helped, sometimes the weight drops in chunks after a few weeks of no loss.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I hear you!

    It's so frustrating when you really want to ignore the scale and revel in your loss of inches, but then go to the doctor and all they focus on is the number on the scale. And I hear you about your knees - I had both of mine replaced last winter and yes, every pound counts, but it's hard to lose weight when your knee pain makes it hard to move.

    I kinda go by both weight and inches. I celebrate when the scale moves, but when I seem to be in a weight plateau I can see I'm still losing inches to get me through.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Go by both what the scale says and what measurements tell you. Don't get discouraged if the scale doesn't go down. Weight loss isn't linear.

    I know you have bad knees and of course losing weight will help with that along with a lot of other health issues. Don't get super caught up in the numbers where you get discouraged if you don't see the results you want to right away.
  • ElizMurphy69
    ElizMurphy69 Posts: 61 Member
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    My advice....photo journal EVERYTHING!!!! I was so frustrated because I hadn't seen any big changes over the past couple of weeks. So, yesterday, I dug out pictures from last September and about every month since. I put them in a collage and BAM! that's when it hit me and motivated me to get off my *kitten* and move more!!! You will be surprised the results in just your face and body in pictures! Good luck and keep moving :-)
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    It doesn't make sense to me to not care about pounds lost. You can't stay the same overweight number on the scale and be fit by lifting heavy weights. At some point you need to lose the pounds to get to your healthy range.

    I do agree that inches can be lost when the scale doesn't move..but you need both to happen. I think we just flip flop and tell ourselves that stuff to get through the crazy weight loss process which is not predictable one single bit!
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
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    There are a lot of people that post on the forums and they are all in very different places and have different goals. If you are very overweight, focus on the number on the scale-that IS the only place you're going to see measurable results for a while. People need to see SOMETHING or they lose motivation. As you lose more weight, the number on the scale moves much more slowly (if at all) and you will need to find other ways to measure progress. Take measurements now, take pictures now, do anything and everything you can to find a way to measure progress. But understand that many of the people saying toss the scale and go purely by body fat % or how you look or measurements and so forth are at a place where that IS where they see the changes. I was morbidly obese when I started and none of those things changed for me for a few months. I had to have the progress as measured by the scale or I would have given up ages ago. Plus, my doctor cares about the number on the scale and my health insurance premium is lower based on the number on the scale. Is it the end all and be all? Probably not. But globally dismissing it isn't the end all and be all either.
  • keepingm0tivated
    keepingm0tivated Posts: 39
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    Numbers mean nothing at all. It's how your clothes fit.

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