What concerns you more - the numbers on the scales, the imag

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audjrey
audjrey Posts: 360 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What concerns you more - the numbers on the scale, the image in the mirror, or how your clothes fit?

Would love to hear not only your answer to the question but your reasons behind your answer. I think this will help so many of us feel better about our own journey and provide us something to which we can relate.

We're all here for the same reason but no two of us are the same. Let's keep this in mind and keep it clean when responding to others. Let's not attack others for their motives or reasons, lest we be attacked ourselves.
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Replies

  • Michelle_J
    Michelle_J Posts: 362 Member
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    for me the image in the mirror and way my clothes fit go hand in hand. =]
  • smashmay
    smashmay Posts: 15 Member
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    definitely how my clothes fit. I have learned over the years that the number on the scale is just that-a number. I am 20 lbs more than I was 5 years ago but I am in the same size. I'm just interested in looking great and feeling great. The number makes no nevermind. You get older, you gain weight. It's life and I'm aware of that.
  • JeepBaja
    JeepBaja Posts: 1,824 Member
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    The numbers on the scale fluctuate... can be frustrating if you do it daily so now I do it once a week. I am far more pleased because I don't feel like oh man I put on one pound today but by the end of the week I'm down four pounds...

    For me, it's the clothes. My clothes are loose fitting. I am pulling out old XL shirts that were tight and now they are loose. I bought a pair of jeans in August that were the wrong size... wrong size big time! Now they almost fit. I can put them on but they are a little too tight. I think by May I won't have to worry about buying a pair of jeans... I already have one!
  • lawdhelpme2
    lawdhelpme2 Posts: 149
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    It's the scale for me.
  • kdao
    kdao Posts: 265
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    I have to admit, I am way to concerned with the numbers on the scale :grumble:
  • allysonvb
    allysonvb Posts: 236 Member
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    For me, it's more about the way my clothes fit- I don't believe in weighing myself compulsively- I feel that a better determinant of healthy is physical fitness, not necessarily weight. I know many thin people who are completely out of shape; and some slightly overweight people who are able to run marathons. I do believe in tone and I am losing weight, but I am also gaining cardiovasular and muscular strength. So- instead of the scale, I go with how my body looks... in clothes :)
  • carl1738
    carl1738 Posts: 444 Member
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    The image in the mirror. Numbers on a scale don't mean anything. Since I started weight training, my weight loss has slowed down, but my belly keeps getting smaller, while my arms, chest and shoulders have gotten noticeably bigger, and my legs are getting fairly well defined. If I was judging myself simply on weight loss, I would consider myself a failure. Instead, using a mirror, I can see my body transform as I gain muscle and definition while watching the fat disappear. A scale can't tell the difference between a pound of fat and a pound of muscle, but the mirror certainly can!
  • Nikstergirl
    Nikstergirl Posts: 1,549 Member
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    Although the scale is a great tool, I'm totally going by how I look and feel in my clothes!!! This week I had so many people that hadn't seen me recently come up and tell me how skinny I was looking... and that felt great! I still have a little ways to go (my ticker will be changing soon to reflect my overall goal weight) but looking this good is just affirmation of all my hard work!
  • tmaksparkie
    tmaksparkie Posts: 279
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    For me it is the way I look and feel the mirror is my friend. I never go by the scale I also lift weights so muscle does weigh more then fat but takes up so much less space.
  • kao708
    kao708 Posts: 813 Member
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    Right now, it's the number on the scale because I have so much to lose. I know it will take some time (and weight loss) before I really see a big difference in my clothes. It will take even longer before the reflection in the mirror really looks different to me. That's the hardest part, seeing the difference in myself. For now, I'm looking at the number on the scale! That will change once I get that number down a little. :bigsmile:
  • shayborder
    shayborder Posts: 8
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    How the clothes fit because I know the image in the mirror sometimes is hard to notice because you have nothing to compare to. But I have that one pair of jeans (everyone knows that one) that if I can fit into, then I won't care what the scale says that day
  • 2042
    2042 Posts: 3
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    colthes, scale is tricky sometimes. :frown:
  • secostley
    secostley Posts: 409 Member
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    1. Image in the mirror
    2. How my clothes fit
    3. Numbers on the scale

    The most important number for me really is what my a1c glucose level is. It's not on the list, but would be first.
  • SabrinaJL
    SabrinaJL Posts: 1,579 Member
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    1. Image in the mirror
    2. How my clothes fit
    3. Numbers on the scale

    The most important number for me really is what my a1c glucose level is. It's not on the list, but would be first.

    Mine would be my blood pressure. I'm 33 and have high blood pressure already. How awful is that? After that it would be...

    1. How my clothes fit
    2. Image in the mirror
    3. Numbers on the scale
  • missyjmet
    missyjmet Posts: 46 Member
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    mine is not on your list: how i perform in my races (i.e. triathlons)


    and then how my clothes fit, got to be comfortable!
  • Black_Swan
    Black_Swan Posts: 770 Member
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    Scale and clothes used to share the first place, but now that these two are actually quite fine (sure, could be better, but Im happy) - now its the
    1.Mirror
    2.Clothes
    3.Scale

    I even manage not to weight myself every day and tomorrow Im going shopping for some new clothes, yay!
  • TakeOne
    TakeOne Posts: 345 Member
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    Great questions!

    To be honest I do consider all three and I have been working on maintenance for over 6 months now. The best measure for me is how my clothes fit, then the number on the scale. The image in the mirror can be misleading for me sometimes b/c I can really start picking away at myself. In general, the mirror "concerns" me the most. That said I go with the facts first; which is how my clothes actually fit me and the number on the scale (I only weigh myself once a week).
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Clothes and how I look. That's a bit tricky at the minute - now I'm too small for my baggy tunic sweaters and leggings, I'm having to relearn what looks good on me! But that's all fun.

    Scale-wise, I know my wish to be 10 stone or less is just that attractiveness of that round number. No-body else sees that number.
  • emilyrosedye
    emilyrosedye Posts: 66
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    Great question. For me I'd say the mirror and my clothes. I'd like to be able to sit in my old jeans without it squeezing my tummy so tight!
  • leafsan
    leafsan Posts: 21 Member
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    I'll be honest, I enjoy seeing the numbers on the scale go down, but a bigger impact on my mood and feeling towards my weight really comes from what I see in the mirror. If I weighed 192 for the rest of my life but I didn't LOOK fat with no clothes on, I wouldn't care in the slightest about the number the scale said.
    Especially since when I talk to new friends about weight concerns they can never EVER believe me that I weigh what I do. I know with clothes on I look great, but I also know that when I don't have them on and look in the mirror I jiggle where I shouldn't and I think I look gross.
    It's almost a never ending cycle for me. >.<

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