darn that blasted scale!

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chanstriste13
chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
i decided last wednesday that i would not look at my scale until march 1. so how many days has it been? 9? and i peeked. so much for will power, right? anyhoo, the scale was up by nearly 3 pounds since my lowest weigh-in. now, rationally, i know that there is no way that i have consumed enough calories to pack on 3 pounds of fat in the last two weeks. i have been logging my food honestly and consistently, and i have been working out 5 days a week...sometimes with a hike thrown in on the weekends.

i can see and feel myself getting smaller. i'm currently living in a pair of size 14 jeans that have been hanging up in my closet with the tags on for over a year, and they actually seem to be getting pretty loose. i can see my cheekbones, jawline and collar bones. i am gaining strength in leaps and bounds. my endurance is greater than it's ever been - i can jog for over 30 minutes solid! who would have thought?

but....even with all of that said, when i think about that increase on the scale, i feel completely defeated. does anyone have any advice on how to break this evil mind-hold the scale has cast over me?

Replies

  • SkinneyBloch
    SkinneyBloch Posts: 3
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    Your doing a fabulous job. If you are working out, you are going to gain weight, initially. That is a good sign that you are doing it right. Give it another 2 weeks and then look again. Don't be surprised if you lose twice as much as you thought you would. Best of luck to you!
  • aryaw
    aryaw Posts: 36 Member
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    I have always been told that you shouldn't go by the scale as muscle weighs more then fat and if the scale goes up a bit or stays the same it's ok - especially if your seeing inches lost....

    Keep up the good work!
  • shezza737
    shezza737 Posts: 95 Member
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    I have always been told that you shouldn't go by the scale as muscle weighs more then fat and if the scale goes up a bit or stays the same it's ok - especially if your seeing inches lost....

    Keep up the good work!


    Unfortunately, the whole muscle weighs more than fat thing is a myth!!
    5lb of fat weighs the same as 5lb of muscle ;0)
  • jennifer3998
    jennifer3998 Posts: 144 Member
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    I have finally had the revelation that the scale means little. After losing a quick ten pounds, the scale has not moved in a MONTH. I have done great with my eating, and I'm doing "Insanity". Day after day, I go up and down two pounds, but day after day I can honestly look at myself and I look better! In fact, I look better now than I did when I weighed ten pounds less a few years ago.

    That's all that matters, and I'm trying and trying to get it through my thick skull that the scale doesn't matter. But I still peek. It's almost amusing now. I think, "maybe, finally today it will be less". Alas, no. BUT I HAVE GOOD ABS! I think the tradeoff is in my favor!!

    Keep at it, it will all work out!!
    Jennifer
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
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    The only way to break yourself from the scale is by doing it. 9 days is a great accomplishment. You should pat yourself on the back for that. Now just try it again.

    You were successful in those 9 days because you are noticing your body changes without the use of the scale. Remember just like this forum is a tool so is the scale. It shouldn't dictate the outcome of your day.

    So the more you try to stay away from weighing your will start to break the chains that confine you to the scale.

    9 days is a great achievement. There are people on here that weigh themselves everyday, twice a day...maybe even more. Give yourself permission to be proud of yourself. You deserve it.

    :bigsmile:
  • jennifer3998
    jennifer3998 Posts: 144 Member
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    I have always been told that you shouldn't go by the scale as muscle weighs more then fat and if the scale goes up a bit or stays the same it's ok - especially if your seeing inches lost....

    Keep up the good work!


    Unfortunately, the whole muscle weighs more than fat thing is a myth!!
    5lb of fat weighs the same as 5lb of muscle ;0)


    Yes, it's true. A pound is a pound. But what people are referring to when they say that is that muscle is denser than fat, so yes, you can be losing fat and gaining muscle. I know because that's exactly what has happened to me. The scale isn't moving, yet I've never looked better.
  • loupammac
    loupammac Posts: 194 Member
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    You're doing an amazing job! You're fitting into clothes you never thought you would and you, yourself are noticing physical changes. While a number on a scale is great when you're making the decision to get back to a certain weight but really what counts is how you feel. If you feel great and happy with yourself then you're perfect at whatever number the scale says. Unless there's a certain goal weight you're hankering for, I'd take it with a pinch of salt and just keep watching for physical changes.

    When you're happy, then maintain :)
  • ShellyKay67
    ShellyKay67 Posts: 489 Member
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    it takes time!!! the scale has been haunting me for a few weeks......BUT I, like you, knew that my clothes were fitting better,etc.
    we have to learn (hard as it is) to not let that darn scale dictate our attitude toward the positive we are doing and what we are accomplishing!
    try really hard not to let it get you down........
    and keep up the great work!
  • LBATL
    LBATL Posts: 76 Member
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    I kind of use the opposite approach than other MFP members. I weigh myself everyday. In all my previous weightloss journies I had the mentality that I wasn't going to weigh myself - I was just going to go based off of how I was feeling and how my clothes fit. It always worked initially but then I would slack off for a day or two and easily fell back into my old ways. I really feel empowered weighing myself everyday and I look forward to seeing how I'm doing. Yes, there are days when it goes up for various reasons and I'm super BUMMED! But I turn that negative into a positive and I eat better, workout harder, and the result is always the same - the numbers go back down. It is such a relief to not fear the scale but to embrace it as a positive tool that is going to get me to my goal. I'm not saying this method is for everyone but it has made a world of difference in my life.

    Good luck and congrats on your accomplishments!

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