Struggling with the scales

Georgeandme
Georgeandme Posts: 35
in Motivation and Support
I know I shouldn't do it but I weigh myself everyday and of course most days I feel disappointment that the scales haven't moved. I'm not 100% sure what my start weight was as I only go the scales 5 days into joining MFP but I weighed about a month ago at my sisters on her scales and was 346lbs. As of Monday 30th (a week into the diet) I was 340lbs but since then each day I've weighed the exact same or maybe 0.2lbs higher. I know that a lot of things affect it so water weight etc and I always weigh naked, after using the loo first thing in the morning. i am weighing and measuring all my food and coming in under my calorie goal each day but around 30-40 cals.I know that weighing everyday and being disappointed is really affecting me and making me feel like I will always be this weight but at the same time I can't help myself! I feel better about myself more energy etc already so I get myself convinced I must have lost as I feel so good then the scales don't back that up and I feel hopeless again. I will start using a tape measure as well.
I guess if I was a few stone away from goal I know i would not be bothered but with just less than 10 stone to go I thought for the first few weeks it would really be dropping off me.
I am really focussing on how much betteer I feel and that if I had not embarked on this I would probably be heavier still and I resisted all the lovely things at the supermarket yesterday but still I feel pretty down about it.

Replies

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    So if you are weighing your food out and counting correct it would be that your deficit is not enough meaning MFP has messed up. You and me both. I eat more than what the calorie goal is. I think you should thing about if there were any times in your life that what you did could have affect the way your body burns calories. Did you ever have starving cycles? That can ruin metabolism rate.

    Do you exercise or live a active life? There are many forums on MFP explaining the benefits of exercise with weight loss.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    if the scale isn't dropping 1lb per week on average...i repeat...ON AVERAGE...then you can drop your caloric goal by around 200-300 and try again for a couple weeks. Weighing every day should be averaged...don't get excited if you weigh 10lbs less tomorrow than today...cuz you'll set yourself up for disappointment when your weight bounces back the next day.

    I've been eating a strict diet since February and i've been dropping almost 1lb per week on average. There were a couple weeks where the scale didnt change and I was confused...then all of a sudden it dropped 3lbs the next week. The scales will play tricks on you, and so will your body.

    Consistency is key. Look for the consistent weight loss over a couple weeks and if you dont see it, adjust your calorie intake.
  • Jarrod4275
    Jarrod4275 Posts: 37
    Buddy I feel for ya. I have the same disease that causes me to need to see it on the scale. It even drove me to quit working out a few years ago. This time around I have learned to accept that this is not a quick fix. This is a journey. This is a journey to a new life for me and my family. The scale is only a tool that keeps me motivated but it is not the one main thing that I focus on now. So I forced myself to weigh in only once a week. I chose Fridays. You will almost always weigh more on Mondays and least on Fridays. So I weigh on Fridays and even though my brain sometimes is dieing to know what I weigh, I ignore that urge to check and keep in mind that my goal is not what I weigh today. My goal is .......... (insert goal here) to go from 282 to 200. When I was 282 I wanted to see 275. When I was 275 I wanted to see the 260's. When I was in the 260's my goal was to see the 250's and so on. Those mini goals kept me driven to accomplish my main goal of reaching 200 pounds. I am currently 212 and I can see the finish line! Stay off the scales and stay on the pavement! You got this!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Sometimes the problem with weighing everyday can be that it causes us to look at the small picture instead of the bigger one. Six pounds in a month is great and it means that you are losing at a healthy rate. It averages out to a loss of 1.5 pounds a week. You said that you already know about the affects of water weight and it very well could be that.

    I'm a daily weigher as well and one thing that has helped me is to look at it in a scientific way instead of an emotional one. I think of today's weight as a data point on a graph and if there is a gain I think about what I may have done the day prior that would have caused it. Once I log the weight I don't think about it for the rest of the day.

    You are doing a great job. Be patient and try not to let what the scale tells you affect your day. The number doesn't define who you are.
  • broox80
    broox80 Posts: 1,195 Member
    I wrote a little story that may help ya some, or not??!!

    The morning ray catches my eye as I awake from slumber. Another day to be great and feel alive. I feel light as a feather as I bounce out of bed and begin my day. Nothing can stop me, nothing can deter me. I step on the little machine that will decide my worth for the day. What will it tell me? Does it know that I have eaten well and bled countless drops of sweat and tears for this moment? Does it care? Will there be a gain? If so, is it water weight or fat? Will there be a loss? If so, is it going to creep back up tomorrow? This little machine gives me the false hopes and shatters my dreams all at the same time. Yet, it beacons me like the sirens song and I give into it every time. I am a slave to the numbers. As I step on, I recite to myself, its just a number, not your worth. Let this be a guide and not the determining factor of how your day will go, or how you see yourself.

    So......yeah, you aren't alone in this!!!! It drives me out of my mind. I weigh tooooooooo many times a week, but I only record my weight once a month. I also measure at the same time every month. I then record that loss and it is usually a 5-6 pound loss. I am losing less now, but it is still going in the right direction. Hang in there sunshine!!!! :)
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    I wrote a little story that may help ya some, or not??!!

    The morning ray catches my eye as I awake from slumber. Another day to be great and feel alive. I feel light as a feather as I bounce out of bed and begin my day. Nothing can stop me, nothing can deter me. I step on the little machine that will decide my worth for the day. What will it tell me? Does it know that I have eaten well and bled countless drops of sweat and tears for this moment? Does it care? Will there be a gain? If so, is it water weight or fat? Will there be a loss? If so, is it going to creep back up tomorrow? This little machine gives me the false hopes and shatters my dreams all at the same time. Yet, it beacons me like the sirens song and I give into it every time. I am a slave to the numbers. As I step on, I recite to myself, its just a number, not your worth. Let this be a guide and not the determining factor of how your day will go, or how you see yourself.

    So......yeah, you aren't alone in this!!!! It drives me out of my mind. I weigh tooooooooo many times a week, but I only record my weight once a month. I also measure at the same time every month. I then record that loss and it is usually a 5-6 pound loss. I am losing less now, but it is still going in the right direction. Hang in there sunshine!!!! :)

    This is awesome!
  • Georgeandme
    Georgeandme Posts: 35
    Wow thanks broox80 and everyone for your comments. It has literally put me in a foul mood all day! I hate that I let those damn scales do that to me. I will do as you suggest and just take the monthly figure each time. Thanks guys
  • bloodofareptile
    bloodofareptile Posts: 47 Member
    Is it that time of the month by any chance? I gain that week EVERY month, but net for each month I'm always down - usually a big drop the week after.
  • Brownsbacker4evr
    Brownsbacker4evr Posts: 365 Member
    My personal advice: You gotta get away from the scale. I've seen a lot of people who obsess over that damn number and it keeps them discouraged and i've even seen some people quit altogether over it. Space the weigh-ins to once a month. That's where you'll more likely see a clear difference in your weight progression.

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