Afraid of the scales

KathyPerry70
KathyPerry70 Posts: 40 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I joined MFP a few days ago and am loving how aware it makes me of everything I choose to eat. I'm sticking to (or under) my calorie targets and am making sure that each bite of food I take is worth the effort of tracking it! I'd like to weigh myself weekly but am dreading getting on the scales later this week in case I don't see any change. I'm easily discouraged, especially when it seems that hard work isn't paying off :grumble: . It's early days yet though, and the concept makes perfect sense, so I'm willing to really give this a go. But if I don't see the dividends after the first month, I'll certainly be back here looking for motivation and inspiration!

Replies

  • Gigsluvscw
    Gigsluvscw Posts: 139 Member
    Welcome! I like your "Under Construction" profile pic. I hate scales also! That's why I don't have a weight loss ticker on here. There are just to many variables from day to day (even week to week) that make it go up and down. I get discouraged easily also. I'm just going to eat healthy and exercise and see what happens to my cloths. Once they start getting loose, I'll probably get on just so I can change/adjust my MFP settings to get my new calorie goal. "Friend" me if want. Good luck!
  • caroline73green
    caroline73green Posts: 1
    Your going to get your good weeks and bad weeks But don't get discouraged if you don't lose anything one week it's better than a put on get then try a little harder the next week. I weigh myself the same time just once a week as well, I believe the. You get a good reading... good luck :)
  • luckycharm29
    luckycharm29 Posts: 19
    I weigh in once a week but I also do measurements of my waist, etc. That way I can see the progress whether the scale goes
    up or down :o)
  • jimbo2180
    jimbo2180 Posts: 66 Member
    The scale only presents a numerical value which represents your relationship with gravity. Dont worry about it
  • sunshinestater
    sunshinestater Posts: 596 Member
    Find yourself another measure of success. I hate the scale, but I have a couple of pairs of pants that make a great progress marker. After two months I'm fitting into them even though the scale hasn't moved as much as I'd like. You'll find other progress markers, too, like the way you feel with healthier eating and exercise. I started out doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution and felt my endurance increasing, so I added C25K to the mix. Each week is a progress marker for me as I run longer than I ever thought possible. You'll find your own goals that don't have anything to do with the scale. Focus on those and let weight loss be a side effect of your new healthy lifestyle.
  • NirvaniTeasley
    NirvaniTeasley Posts: 138 Member
    I weigh-in officially every week and a half as it usually takes that long for lost pounds to register with me. But I mainly gauge by inches lost and how my clothes fit. The scale will always be a fickle lover. Gauge how you feel each week, energy level and such. There is nothing more rewarding than feeling good about ourselves regardless of what lies the scale tells us.

    Hang in there when you don't see pounds lost...keep coming here and look for friends who are committed to getting fit for support.

    Love&Light,
    Nirvani
  • kckBxer396
    kckBxer396 Posts: 460 Member
    The scale only presents a numerical value which represents your relationship with gravity. Don't worry about it

    I like this,and you're right. You should be more concerned with how your clothes fit than what the scale says.
  • hladams8110
    hladams8110 Posts: 27 Member
    The scale only presents a numerical value which represents your relationship with gravity. Don't worry about it

    I like this,and you're right. You should be more concerned with how your clothes fit than what the scale says.

    Ditto
  • tcraw15
    tcraw15 Posts: 223 Member
    Like others have said, don't worry about what the scale says so much. If you want to see REAL progress, then take weekly to bi-weekly, to monthly measurements. I prefer to do mine once a week. That way you can see if you're losing inches. If you do decide you want to weigh yourself but are afraid to do it once a week, then do it once every other week or once a month. I weigh myself, with the mindset that I know my weight will fluctuate so if I see the scale go up a pound or two, I'm not too worried. I take what the scale says with a grain of salt. If I'm losing inches however, then I know it's all good and I'm headed in the right direction. There are ways around it!
  • nicoleanderson529
    nicoleanderson529 Posts: 7
    I hate the scale too! so recently I have decided I am going to weight myself on the last day of that month. I was getting to into the scale that it was making me mad when i didnt see any change. so I locked that thing up and wont see it for another 3 days :)
  • jimbo2180
    jimbo2180 Posts: 66 Member
    As long as you eat relatively well, and exercise you will lose weight. I haven't hopped on the scales in a fair few months :)
  • Janet_andpie
    Janet_andpie Posts: 22
    I go more on how I feel than what the scales say.

    I actually gained a couple of pounds when I started trying to lose weight (started in March, only just signed up to MFP) because I converted fat into muscle.

    Just don't get discouraged by the scales. Its taken me 3 months to lose 2 kilos, but I've dropped a dress size and I feel great.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    The scale is pointless, I've been weight training since March, My body has made some definite changes for the better, but my 'weight' has not changes AT ALL.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    The scale is pointless, I've been weight training since March, My body has made some definite changes for the better, but my 'weight' has not changed AT ALL.
  • KathyPerry70
    KathyPerry70 Posts: 40 Member
    Thanks for the response, Caroline. Once a week sounds like a good plan - maybe on a Friday BEFORE the weekend! :laugh: . I am looking forward to having my waistband feel a little less binding...
  • helenmelon29
    helenmelon29 Posts: 787 Member
    I have to follow the plan for 2/3 weeks before I see a change on the scales so don't let it upset you if it doesn't change - keep at it.
  • pjp1125
    pjp1125 Posts: 313
    Muscle is twice the density of fat. You can be half the size and still weigh the same. Strong is the new skinny!
  • phoo513
    phoo513 Posts: 231 Member
    Good Morning, all. I am going to jump in w/ my two cents worth of opinion... I have a love/hate relationship going with the scales. I hate even thinking about it some days, but I love the fact that it is sitting right there in the closet to remind me that I must be accountable for what I do to my body with my poor habits. It is a tool, only a tool, but I need tools to help me with this project of weight loss/ health renewal. I weigh in once a week, and the rest of the time it is just there as a reminder.......not a sledgehammer, a reminder....that what I put in my mouth literally counts!
  • SteelySunshine
    SteelySunshine Posts: 1,092 Member
    Well, I got over my fear of the scales. I am still not friends though. But, to me a couple of things are way more important than what the scale says, especially since I am retaining water.

    1. Did I come in under calories? If yes then I did everything I could do that day to make a difference food wise.

    2. Did I meet my exercise goal? If yes in conjunction to a yes to number 1, then I have met my goals and that is all that I can really control.

    I can't control what the scale does or doesn't do. I can control how much I move to a great extent and I can control what I eat. I also mostly want to get smaller so that is more important than the actual number.

    My biggest problem is coming up. I need new clothes maybe not now so much, but def in a couple of month's and I am terrified of going clothes shopping, but that is a whole nuther conversation.

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