weighing ourselves

eva1069
eva1069 Posts: 5
edited September 18 in Motivation and Support
My sister gave me a good Idea that I have not thought of. I started this program 3 days ago and I am committed to losing weight and getting healthy and feeling good about myself. Well, I was going to weight myself once a week but then my friends are calling to go out to dinner or breakfast even my husband wants to go out tonight to Chi Chi's pizza. I love there spaghetti, and I got a little bummed out cause now that I want to eat right people are calling to go out and eat. They don't know that I am dieting cause everytime I start a diet It never last. So I will go to dinner tonight with my wonderful husband and go out for breakfast sunday but still continue to eat right at lunch, dinner or breakfast. So my point to all this is instead of weighing myself once a week and getting discouraged cause I didn't lose as much as I wanted or even gained a pound or two. Weighing once a month would be better so I know that I will lose weight and not get discouraged cause I ate out. Does that make sense? So at Chi Chi's pizza I get all you can eat pasta 2 big servings of that and 2 slices of pizza and soup. Well, tonight I will no deprive myself from all that yummy food but instead of eating 2 pig serving of pasta, I will have one serving instead and instead of having the soup I will have salad instead. And intead of having 2 slices of pizza I wont have any at all. I always ate it cause my husband ordered it and there was always left overs and I had to eat them cause they were there even though I was already sick and fool to my stomach. Wish me luck tonigh.

Replies

  • eva1069
    eva1069 Posts: 5
    My sister gave me a good Idea that I have not thought of. I started this program 3 days ago and I am committed to losing weight and getting healthy and feeling good about myself. Well, I was going to weight myself once a week but then my friends are calling to go out to dinner or breakfast even my husband wants to go out tonight to Chi Chi's pizza. I love there spaghetti, and I got a little bummed out cause now that I want to eat right people are calling to go out and eat. They don't know that I am dieting cause everytime I start a diet It never last. So I will go to dinner tonight with my wonderful husband and go out for breakfast sunday but still continue to eat right at lunch, dinner or breakfast. So my point to all this is instead of weighing myself once a week and getting discouraged cause I didn't lose as much as I wanted or even gained a pound or two. Weighing once a month would be better so I know that I will lose weight and not get discouraged cause I ate out. Does that make sense? So at Chi Chi's pizza I get all you can eat pasta 2 big servings of that and 2 slices of pizza and soup. Well, tonight I will no deprive myself from all that yummy food but instead of eating 2 pig serving of pasta, I will have one serving instead and instead of having the soup I will have salad instead. And intead of having 2 slices of pizza I wont have any at all. I always ate it cause my husband ordered it and there was always left overs and I had to eat them cause they were there even though I was already sick and fool to my stomach. Wish me luck tonigh.
  • borjanap
    borjanap Posts: 232 Member
    I have to weigh my self constantly.that's how I know that my weight is stable and if I am putting weight on. For me it's hard to lose but really easy to gain! really easy
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    Gainage is way too easy! :grumble:

    I weigh every day. Personally, I think if you are going to "let yourself go" at certain times, I think you should also weigh every day or you might get a really nasty surprise after a month!

    The only time I would suggest weighing that infrequently is if you were already very disciplined with your diet and you didn't need to be concerned about accidentally gaining weight. It's too easy to forget that extra bowl of whatever you had a couple days ago when you are ordering another today.

    No offense, but it seems like portion control is one of your issues. (It was/is definitly one of mine!) With that being the case, I'd go for daily weighing. Realizing that your weight can fluctuate up and down by a few pounds, so take an average of 3 days for true weight.

    Speaking for myself, it makes a difference in what I order out if I weighed that morning and found I'd gained a pound. If I hadn't weighed, I would have ordered all kinds of extra because ignorance is bliss, right?? :smile:
  • bla115
    bla115 Posts: 206
    I have to agree with the other posts. I weigh myself everyday regardless of what I ate the night before. I do this because it gives me a little extra motivation to exercise that day, etc. if I see the scale going up. The thing is that you have to do what works for you. Maybe try the month weigh in and see how it goes and then try the everyday method. The other thing I do at restaurants is obviously try to order as healthy as possible but if I'm splurging I try to at least getting one healthy thing and eat that first. That way I've started filling up by the time I reach my splurge item and usually end up taking the rest home or just leaving it there. Good Luck!
  • jessjess
    jessjess Posts: 88
    Going out to eat is definitely a challenge when you are trying to lose weight..and all you can eat buffets are the devil. :devil:
    I'm currently deployed, and know that when I return to the States, my husband and I will definitely be going out to eat to celebrate. :drinker: My game plan...always eat a salad before anything else, only one breadstick (if I can't resist) and ask for a to-go box as soon as the food arrives so I can put half of the meal in the box for the next day. If I see the food...I eat it, so it's better to get it out of my sight. Unfortunately, pasta is definitely not a good choice of food when dieting. I'm going to try to stick to ordering chicken and veggies.
    I agree with everyone else about weighing in more frequently. I currently weigh in every 2 weeks. Weighing in every day may be too frequent. If you are anything like me, if the scale goes up a pound in one day, I'll eat my sorrows away that day. 2 weeks gives me enough time to see the progress I've made.
    Keep us filled in on how it goes!
  • shabby4
    shabby4 Posts: 19
    I have never weighed myself daily. Everything I have read says your weight can fluctuate 5 pounds in a day! I weight myself once per week on the same day each week and at the same time of day to try and make sure I can get an accurate picture of where I'm at. I'm sure there are many methods that work for people - I think daily weigh-ins would be torture!
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    I have never weighed myself daily. Everything I have read says your weight can fluctuate 5 pounds in a day! I weight myself once per week on the same day each week and at the same time of day to try and make sure I can get an accurate picture of where I'm at. I'm sure there are many methods that work for people - I think daily weigh-ins would be torture!

    It's all personal preferance and whatever helps you most is the best "weigh" to go. :laugh:

    For fun, let me ask, what if you were at a 5 pound low one week, and had fluctuated to a 5 pound high the next week? Your actual weight might be 150, but it would seem as if you'd gained 10 pounds from one weigh-in to the next.

    That is why I prefer to weigh every day. An average weight over 3 days is considered by most to be accurate and take the fluctuations into account.

    Weekly is not so bad, I guess. Though I don't understand why some people would rather wait than to take the fluctuations into account. It takes so long to lose weight, why not see results as soon as possible?

    What really surprises me is the popularity of the 30 and 60 day checks. These are challenges put on here to not weigh for 30 days or more. If I was inadvertantly gaining a pound a week, I'd sure rather spot the trend early than 4 pounds later.
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    For some of us, (OK, me) the scale can turn into a bad source of feedback.

    If I have a "light" morning, I'll eat more during the day because "hey, I can afford it, I lost two pounds" If I have a heavy day, I'll eat more (or starve) out of guilt or to drown my sorrows. Your entire self-worth can depend on a number, in my humble experience. I'm struggling now because my body fat percentage is going down. I'm still getting smaller (my friend the tape measure) but I've actually gained a pound or two since I started weight training consistently.

    Hey, I'm not saying it's logical, but that's just me. I admire those who can take a more scientific approach to the scale (yes, Raz, I'm talking to you.:wink: )

    I'm around my goal weight now, but I do find that when I was weighing daily, I'd fluctuate 3-5 pounds from day to day. Now, I weigh weekly, and if I go above my top number, I know to make sure I keep good track of my eating and get all my workouts in.

    We're just all different. :flowerforyou:
  • JulieB21
    JulieB21 Posts: 492

    I weigh every day. Personally, I think if you are going to "let yourself go" at certain times, I think you should also weigh every day or you might get a really nasty surprise after a month!

    I'm with you Razboo. I need to know & I can pretty much see what certain foods do to my progress. Loss boosts my moral & keeps me honest & a gain makes me feel the need to work harder.
  • amandagreen1980
    amandagreen1980 Posts: 286 Member
    Hi!
    I have used both methods!

    A couple of years ago i lost 60lbs and i weighed myself everyday. It worked for me then, i just needed to see results as they happened and like Razboo said, if i slipped up i wanted to see it and learn what it was that made me gain. Now, sometimes this was very discouraging especially as it came towards my goal weight and i was being very very good and the scale wouldn't shift from day to day (as you logically expect really but when you are stll trying to ose that last 10lbs its really hard when the results don't come in.)

    This time round i have 84lbs to lose!!! I have tried a few times to lose this amount this year and just totally given up when the results didn't come in fast enough! So, i decided that this time i will just weigh myself once a week, and its really good! i lose between 2-3lbs which i am happy with and i have got used to looking forward to weigh in days. I have been on this site for 2 months now and lost 34lbs!! :happy:

    I think what i am trying to say is, there is no wrong or right for anyone, i thinks its how you feel at the time, the frame of mind you are in when you start this journey.

    You will find what is right for you once you start experimenting and seing how you feel.
  • Christy421
    Christy421 Posts: 30
    I'm a daily-weigher :wink:

    I think it just helps keep me more aware of what's going on with my body. I know a lot of people say that you should do it once a week at most, but I think jumping on the scale each morning keeps me focused on my goal and aware of where my weight is at. Yes, I know weight fluctuates a lot, but I honestly think to be in the most control of my weight, I should weight myself each day.

    But yes, it gets discouraging. This morning I am 4 pounds heavier than yesterday morning, but I have to remind myself about water weight etc. But, seeing the 4 pound change reminds me how much I hate gaining weight, so on days like today I am extra motivated :smile: It all comes down to preference, but I just as advice, I think weighing only once a month could be trouble...like someone said, you don't want a nasty suprise on your monthly weigh in date!

    As for eating out, (not sure if someone already mentioned this site), I use dietfacts.com. I usually take a peek and see if the restaurant I'm going to is listed, and look up a low-calorie meal before I go. I stick to ordering that meal so I don't overeat! And also, restaurant portion sizes are usually double, if not more than a normal portion size. So, if I MUST order that meal I know is so high in cals, I just box up a little more than half of it right when it hits the table, so I'm not tempted to graze on it and eat more!

    Just some of my tips! I'm definitely not a pro but those couple things seem to work for me!
  • helga1
    helga1 Posts: 5 Member
    I'm with you on this one. I plan to weigh in each Tues am. In the past, daily weigh-ins have really discouraged me because my weight does fluctuate a fair bit. But, once a month would not be often enough to keep me on track. Everyone is different, and I suppose we need to find what works for us. I have a friend, who only weighs in when she feels pretty certain that the number will be a happy one. She uses her clothes as her guide. Good luck one and all.
  • SGFlyinHi
    SGFlyinHi Posts: 469 Member
    I used to weigh twice a week, then I started weighing daily. Doing it daily does flucuate quite a bit so I think I may go back to my original twice a week. Of course this week has been tougher due to holidays, and Monday will be a killer for me. Though my weight didn't go up too much, and now I'm back on the losing end again (finally). I think I'll skip the scale after Monday for a few days to let the losing get back on track again. :wink:
  • davinci42
    davinci42 Posts: 2
    My brothers weight recently caught up to him and now he needs to lose weight quickly and make some lifestyle changes. I realize that he was everyones go to guy for overeating and over drinking. I'm learning to find different things to do with my brother and he is learning to find hobbies other than indulging, Your friends and family love you and don't know how much it means to be healthy but if you are honest and firm they will understand. It may take some time before they realize you are serious.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    My first piece of advice is not to announce that you are on a diet or a lifestyle change. People don't do it consciously but if your friends are overweight at all they like the company of having others to eat with. You notice there is rarely one overweight person in a group of friends!

    Second, I weigh myself once a week at the gym, on Mondays, and then I come home and calibrate my scale to match so I can monitor myself once or twice through the week. I have found that if I don't hold myself accountable at least once per week then I don't seem to succeed at loosing weight. It is too easy to gain weight and it has been proven that people who have been successful at loosing and keeping off weight weigh at least once per week.

    SEt a day per week and get on the scale. When your friends and family call to go out and eat go and eat less or healthier options. The kids size spaghetti is more than enough, see if you can talk the waiter into slipping the kids size to you, that is what I do and if no kid size is available when the meal comes divide the whole meal in half and only eat that!
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