This is exactly why you shouldn't pay too much attention to

doglanta · September 2010

This is exactly why you shouldn't pay too much attention to your bathroom scale daily.

I admit I love weighing myself every morning to see the latest figures. I started my push towards losing 33.3 pounds on July 7th and since that time I am averaging exactly a 1/3rd pound a day loss. If you look at my 90 Day Results chart below it shows a nice steady decline from my start date. However, if you look at my 30 Day Results chart you can see a little different weight loss pattern. It is not a nice smooth decline at all. Initially I was bothered by how erratic the progress line was (down-up-down-up-up-down) because I knew I was exercising like mad and under my calories goal every day. It took me a while to get it through my head to ignore the bathroom scale daily readings and take a much wider view of my progress. I am very happy with an average 1/3rd pound a day loss and will soon be at my initial goal weight of 200 pounds. I will probably go for 190 after that.

I wanted to post these pictures of my 30 & 90 Day Results just to help people who see the same pattern not get discouraged and to know it is not abnormal to not see an ultra-smooth decline. My body seems to fight back about every eight days and tries to hold on to the weight, but after a couple of days I break through it and the loss starts again. I have started adding more variation to my workouts to trick my body into not seeing my weight loss as something bad.

Keep working and looking at the big picture.

Ken

90 DAY WEIGHT LOSS RESULTS

30 DAY WEIGHT LOSS RESULTS

starstealing · September 2010

thanks for sharing this. it's a great reminder that the daily choices we make DO matter... even if we don't see a continuous falling number on the scale. totally normal to see it go up and down - the TREND is what matters. :]

jessicajm · September 2010

Yes thank you! I was just thinking that I need to get off my scale in the morning. Now I KNOW I need to stop.

mikkimomof3 · September 2010

Thank you so much for this!! It is so easy to feel discouraged and want to give in when you see the numbers go up a little, or not move at all...this is great!

nicolepope11 · September 2010

I love this. I honestly am pretty good at exercising regularly and staying under my calories. I do have slip ups on the weekend, but try to get it back in gear or work out to even those out. I only get on the scale once every 2 or 3 weeks. It is scary to get on there when you don't know what happened with your body during those few weeks, but I am usually doing a happy dance at the end. I used to weight myself every morning and be either ultra motivated when I had gained a pound or would let myself have a snack because I had lost. I think that is why I never lost as much as I wanted to at once. Now, I use my Wii Fit to weigh myself (because I broke my scale moving) and since it isn't as easy to whip it out in the morning, I can stick with only weighing myself every few weeks. If you have more self-control than myself, feel free to weigh yourself everyday. But if you like to reward yourself with that DQ sundae when you have lost like me, stick with only weighing in about every week or 2. Great advice, Ken!!!!

doglanta · September 2010

Hi Jessica. I am personally not giving up my bathrrom scale morning routine, I actually love it. I just wanted to point out that you can't get worried over the short-term not so good readings.

I have been highly motivated by both the good daily scale results and the bad daily scale results. When they're good it has made me want to see those same good numbers the next day and I have hit the gym even harder that day. Then again, when I have seen an increase on the scale it has also motivated me to try and turn it around by going to the gym even though it may have been a scheduled off day for me.

I won't stop taking my weight readings every morning, I just do not let it freak me out when I see the short-term weight increases because I know that if I keep with what has got me this far I will see it turn around quickly.

But everyone is different and you still have to find what works best for you. Good luck to everyone in reaching your goals!
Ken

karenjoy · September 2010

what I do is only RECORD on a set day, I do like to look though, as I have got the trend thing in my head now and so what i look at is this, when I started I was over 200lbs, and if the scale went UP I would be upset and discouraged, but I soon noticed something, that when it went back up, it was still less that my START weight, and then I noticed that this was the trend. Even on a bad plateu, or after a bad week of bad choices and no excersize, my highest weight is still less and less. I weighed myself today and I am still 157lb, which means no loss, BUT it also means that i have stayed the same despite not exersizing as I am unwell and not making the best choices, and even if I had gained, it would be LESS than a weight which not so long ago I was thrilled to reach as a goal!

As long as the overall big picture is down, then its a good thing.

Really well done on your great progress :flowerforyou:

oh and nice profile pic by the way

LilynEdensmom · September 2010

Thanks for the reminder

... I actually had to get rid of my scale, b/c I would weigh twice a day in previous attempts and become obbessed, I use my moms scales for weigh ins, weekly, though sometimes I sneak an extra look midway through.

Steelytop · September 2010

Good to know! Very good info. I don't weigh daily. I try for once a week but occasionally do it a couple of times. I only record the lowest number. I don't record a higher number later. It's non-productive. When the lowest number moves again that's when I log my next loss. Very simple for me. If I see a loss a day before weigh-in day I'll probably check it again on weigh-in day just to see if it's gone lower and it has before. Sometimes it's an ever so slight gain but not really recently. It's been pretty steady lately.

oldnavy1 · September 2010

Forget who told me to do this, but it does lessen the impact of a "bad scale day"...I set up an Excel spreadsheet, record each day's weight, and keep a running seven-day average. I admit it--I'm a data wonk so this technique may be WAY too much record-keeping for some, but the running average is pretty forgiving of a couple of off days on the scale. Of course, when you do have a big drop, it takes a few days for the average to catch up, but the trend is down, and "down is good."

Clew · September 2010

THANK YOU for sharing! I weigh once a month, and really wouldn't even do that if my HRM didn't need an accurate weight entered into it. It's so easy to get discouraged. But what we do most of the time to improve our health and life is what really bears the fruit, regardless of what the scale says.

Best wishes!!!

lt3ag4s · September 2010

You can expect a daily fluctuation of about 2% of your weight. There is really nothing you can do about it.
The numbers we put in for food and exercise calories are based on averages. Average your weight measurements over at least three days to reduce the random variations.

This is exactly why you shouldn't pay too much attention to

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