Throw away your scale!!!!

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  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
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    Serenstar75 wrote: »
    I don't think this all really needed snarky responses back. It was definitely well meaning. I weigh myself a few times a week. I record only one. I know when I fluctuate, how and why most of the time. I don't look at any one day and say, "Well I weigh more today, what did I do yesterday that caused this?" I don't think weight works quite so fast in that sense. Yes, in water fluctuations, you can see that quickly, but it has nothing to do with actual weight in fat and proper trending. If I ignore the scale, I pay for it, but I refuse to obsess over it.

    A lot of the incorrect spew on the boards is "well meaning" that doesn't mean it shouldn't be challenged and corrected.
  • mickeybrook
    mickeybrook Posts: 9 Member
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    I have been on a weight loss /maintaining lifestyle journey for years. I can honestly say that every time I stopped weighing myself I gained weight, usually about 15-20 lbs.

    Being honest with yourself is the most important thing when it comes to losing/gaining/maintaining. Like another poster wrote, weighing yourself in the morning (whether it be every day or once a week) is the best way to monitor your body.

  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,361 Member
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    I think the tape measure is an excellent measure of success and shouldn't be excluded, it can be used in conjunction with the scales. Many people complain about not losing weight every now and then, but their clothes fit better and their measurements are getting smaller.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
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    While I truly believe our focus shouldn't be fully scale related....it's still a unit to measure progress by. I'd like to know I'm not losing or gaining too quickly, depending on my goals and my rate of which I do it does have an impact on the visual and measurement piece of it as well
  • tiptoethruthetulips
    tiptoethruthetulips Posts: 3,361 Member
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    Serenstar75 wrote: »
    I don't think this all really needed snarky responses back. It was definitely well meaning. I weigh myself a few times a week. I record only one. I know when I fluctuate, how and why most of the time. I don't look at any one day and say, "Well I weigh more today, what did I do yesterday that caused this?" I don't think weight works quite so fast in that sense. Yes, in water fluctuations, you can see that quickly, but it has nothing to do with actual weight in fat and proper trending. If I ignore the scale, I pay for it, but I refuse to obsess over it.

    Some one got rather excited and this post got flagged for abuse..really? Nothing in this post that is abusive. I wish people would spend more time flagging the spam rather than posts as being abusive when they clearly are not...

  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
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    Weighing myself lets me know how I am doing in maintanance, I would never throw it away. Also, I dont believe I need to eat "clean".
  • CarrieCans
    CarrieCans Posts: 381 Member
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    There's no way i would get rid of my scale. I am terrible at measuring myself. I can't trust that i get the measure in the same place every time and that i am doing it right. Even when i get someone to help me it makes me nervous. It's a good general reference but there's no way will i get rid of my scale and go by measurements alone.
  • redpandora56
    redpandora56 Posts: 289 Member
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    i use the scale as a rough guide a few times a week, and i use how tight my jeans are as a measure. That's enough for me!
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    I through away the scale for 1 1/4 years. I gained 20lbs. Not a good plan. But thanks.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    Aviva92 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    I believe this can work for some people, but just to throw my experience in here, not weighing has always been a recipe for disaster for me.

    Same. Not weighing leads me to get fat, although that was when I wasn't logging. I have to weigh myself otherwise I just decide to be blissfully ignorant about my body lol. I'm much too lazy to measure myself anyways. I know that when my weight goes up that it's a fluctuation and I can usually track what caused it really easily.

    Yep, I went years without weighing myself and I got fat.

    Same. I'm never letting that happen again. I will not avoid the scale and realize that the fluctuations are just par for the course. Since I'm still losing, they're part of a trend. In maintenance, the scale will keep me on track and I'll be used to the fluctuations.

  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I didn't weigh myself for a few months, and guess what happened? Like most of the people replying I gained.

    Weighing on a regular basis keeps me on track. I need to know my weight so I am able to adjust my calorie goal every 5-10 pounds. I've also seen what happens when that number doesn't get updated.

    Instead of encouraging people to throw out the scale, how about encouraging people to learn about body fluctuations and what causes them so they have a better understanding of why that number on the scale can change so often.

    ETA: I find it interesting that you say to throw out the scale but at the end of your OP you say you only need to weigh in once a day. Which one is it?
  • mtneerkh
    mtneerkh Posts: 2
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    Not weighing yourself is sound advise!! Use your clothes as a measure! Muscle and fat may weigh the same but muscle being denser is smaller in size. A scale is a good determinate for your weight, especially if it is a tanita scale, but the fit of your clothes is best!! I for one do not care WHAT I weigh as long as my size continues to decrease! If you weigh...no more than once a week...preferable every two to three weeks. Do not be a slave to a number....I think that is the main idea of this discussion.

  • Juvenica
    Juvenica Posts: 460 Member
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    LAWoman72 wrote: »
    I believe this can work for some people, but just to throw my experience in here, not weighing has always been a recipe for disaster for me.

    completely agree
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    Aviva92 wrote: »
    Zedeff wrote: »
    Uh... muscle and water have volume too. Losing an inch doesn't exclude muscle or water losses.

    yep and you can also easily gain an inch due to water and then freak out. measurements fluctuate just as much as the scale does.

    Yup. I measure once a month, which happened to be yesterday. My thighs were each up one inch. It's because I just started a new strength training program and my legs were killing me. So they were retaining water and, therefore, up in size.

    I get why some people would benefit by not weighing. But it's not for me. I like to be able to gauge my progress by looking at my weekly averages in weight. I would go crazy waiting to see changes in measuring tape, clothes, or pictures as my only measures of progress.

    By the way, my recommendation is to use several means of measuring progress. I personally weigh daily (and average them weekly), measure once a month, and take pictures once a month. I have a hard time with clothes, because I tend to wear my old clothes until they are so baggy that they are falling off.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    congrats on finding what works for YOU!
  • lostinwebspace
    lostinwebspace Posts: 99 Member
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    I use a caliper and a scale in tandem. I don't trust my scale's measurement of my body fat percentage though. It says I have 20% but I can see my abs.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    Its a personal choice and the weighing scales have a useful role to play. they are an importnat tool for many and all they need to do is understand about fluctuations, appreciate there are other methods that can be used in tandem and then just use information as data. I like weighing becayse it tells me where I am in the longer term, reminds me of my journey for weight already lost, puts me on notice for weight gains that may turn into a trend etc.

    Find what works for you. I like the data scales give and the challenge of seeing a new number.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    OP tried.

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