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MyFitnessPal Community

The scale....your experiences

sjadev1108

I know we aren't supposed to rely on the scale, look at measurements, how clothes fit etc.....but I have a horribly hard time with this!!!! I am tempted to weigh daily because the scale is there, (I should put it away), and I know all the facts.....water weight, time of the month, gaining muscle....so I guess the question is, on each of your journeys how much did you rely on the number on the scale? For me, there is just something about that number going down that makes me happy. But it is also frustrating when it doesn't. So how often did you weigh, and who never weighed, relied on measurements etc???

Replies

sjadev1108

Oh, I should say, I am down 15 pounds in almost 6 weeks, and have 49 more to go.

gothchiq

I check the scale once a week. More than that and I start getting all crazy.

sjadev1108

Did it always go down, and was it frustrating when/if it didn't? What kept you going if so?

sjadev1108

I feel like I'm obsessed with losing a lot of weight, when in reality, it probably should be "losing volume"

agratzy

Actually I weigh every morning! Sometimes it can drive me a little crazy but mostly it's good for me to see the numbers, otherwise-- out of sight, out of mind for me! I didn't take control of my weight until I saw the numbers and now the numbers are driving the losses

Not everyone likes to do it that way but it works for me!

Lrdoflamancha

I weigh every Saturday morning, naked, immediately after I get up. That is it.... My belt is a much better indicator of my progress than the scale.

lavenderphoenix

I've always weighed once per week but the thing that's made the biggest difference in my perception of my success is the day of the week I weigh. In the past, I've weighed in on Mondays and I've dreaded it because after working hard on weekdays I spent the weekends thinking "I can splurge a little, look at how good I've been". This time around I've been weighing in on Saturdays and that helps in two ways: 1. I reap the benefits of my hard work M-F 2. It's easier to stay on track the rest of the weekend because my new stats are fresh in my head and I don't want to mess them up. Now, as a disclaimer, I have a lot of weight to lose so my weigh-ins have pretty much always been losses, but some weeks I lose as little as 0.5 lbs and others I've lost 3+lbs.

tibby531

I weigh and track my weight M-F, but I only log Friday's weigh in for my weekly overview. I went through a stage where I let the scale control my moods and self image, but I eventually realized that bringing the scale flowers every day would not make it love me any more, and so I had to focus on loving myself. I still strive to lose weight, each week, but it doesn't always happen; that's what next week is for.

take last week/this week for example: last week, I somehow mysteriously dropped 2.5 pounds!!! ...it's not looking like I'll lose any weight this week, but I can get my belt to the third notch, so that's all the weekly winning I need.

CountessKitteh

I use an app called Libra to log my weight daily (first thing in the morning) and it shows you a trend of how it's happening. I actually find it very helpful because it shows the fluctuations day-to-day, along with the overall trend. Sure, my weight on Tuesday was higher than Monday, but it was still less than last Tuesday! Weight loss is sooooo not a linear process, and I found this helps to remind me of that.

samrunsfast

I weigh myself ALL THE TIME. Seriously like everytime I go to the bathroom or even go upstairs in my house. I know this would drive some people crazy but for me it does the opposite. I know my body so well now that I've been doing this for so long. I know how much I'll weigh in the morning before I even weigh myself because I know my patterns so well. For example, for me, I know that what I weigh before bed is usually 3 lbs heavier than in the morning. I know that after I eat a big meal I weigh about 2 lbs more than right before the big meal. I know that if I eat very little at work and come home at 4pm I weigh 1 lb lighter than I did in the morning. I only 'track' and log my morning weight. That's my 'official' weight. But I see the number going all over the place throughout the day.

Timorous_Beastie

I weigh daily, record weekly. I also check my measurements about once every two weeks, and take progress photo about once a month.

My weight can bounce around like crazy. If I didn't weigh daily, those fluctuations might bother me, but if I know that I'm slowly losing, then see it go up a day or two after increasing my exercise intensity or a high sodium meal or before my period, I know it's not true weight gain. In cases like that, I just give the scale the finger and carry on with my day.

jamszy

Every morning, but the belt tells it like it is!

livijane07

My weight hasn't changed at all since October, but my body has changed dramatically. I have much less fat on my body, and can visibly see muscle - the result of months of strength training. Your body weight isn't an accurate measurement of what you look like, how you fit clothes, etc.

Someone who weighs 150lbs and does regular strength training and eats right will look a lot healthier and slimmer next to someone who weighs exactly the same, but does no exercise at all and has poor dietary habits.

I think society has programmed women into believing the less they weigh, the better and more successful they are as people, which is total bogus. I would rather be muscular and strong and weigh more than average, even if this means I am classed as 'overweight' on the BMI scale. The best way to measure yourself is with tapes and body fat calipers.

cwolfman13

The trend is what is important, not the actual number.

I actually do weigh in daily and there is a pretty consistent pattern, kind of like a wave. Basically, this wave shows natural fluctuations in weight of a good 3 Lbs or so either way...sometimes a bit more.

My official weigh in day is Wednesday because in observing these patterns I have noticed the my lightest day tends to be Thursdays with my heaviest day usually being Saturday...Wednesday's weigh in is usually somewhere in between and works out to be roughly my average.

When I'm trying to lose weight I simply watch the trends over the course of a few weeks to see where I'm actually at...not the actual number...trends...averages...this is how I can tell roughly how much weight I'm actually losing in a week.

When I'm maintaining I do the same...weight isn't static...I watch for that trend of bascially 3 Lbs either way of my average...that's pretty much what maintenance looks like.

You say you know these things...so I really don't know why you're doing all this hand ringing about it.

AlciaMode

I weigh every morning and log it every morning. My progress line is so all over the place it looks like a lie detector test. But as long as the general direction is down i am good. It helps me understand my body. Like seeing the same spike repeat every month around my period no longer freaks me out cause i know it is normal.

KHaverstick

I weigh daily, for the most part. I like having the data. I know that there are going to be fluctuations, but personally I like to see those fluctuations so that I can keep them in context and know what's normal for me. For example, over the past few days, I've seen increases. But I can look back at this exact point in my cycle last month and see that the exact same thing happened--an increase over some days, and then a drop-off, and then back to following my trend line. The good news is that, even with these recent increases, when comparing weight data from this point in my cycle last month to this month, THIS month I'm 4.5 lbs lighter. So there's a downward trend, and that's what counts. A lot of people advocate weighing no more than weekly, and that's fine if it works. Personally I appreciate the extra information that I get from weighing more frequently.

I think it comes down to personal preference with regards to weighing, measuring, etc. Like I said, I like to weigh daily, and I also gauge my progress by how my clothes are fitting. I don't take measurements or progress pics. Others weigh weekly, monthly, or never. Some take measurements, progress pics, etc. Whatever works.

ryry2169

I weigh myself every other week... It's encouraging to see fat loss and muscle gains!!

ebarbour0513

I became OBSESSED over the number on the scale rather than my clothes being loose. Therefore, I now only weigh myself twice a month so that I won't go crazy when the number on the scale is the same. I weigh myself on the first and then the fifteenth of the month.

hermann341

I tend to weigh in 3 times a day, Monday thru Saturday. Bedtime (heaviest time), waking (after using bathroom. i.e. "empty" weight), and after exercising (which is in the morning). I'm not fixated on the numbers, but use the data to ensure the trend is in the right direction. The post exercise weigh-in is used to keep tabs on my hydration. As a marthoner it's somewhat important to know how much water I need for a given level of effort. I drink a quart of water (~2 lbs)before doing an hours worth of cardio at 80% max heart rate, and weigh about 2 lbs less than my morning "empty" weight - a change in weight of about 4 lbs.

IAmTheGlue

I weigh myself every morning right after I wake up. I have a fitbit scale linked to MFP so it logs it automatically every day. I eat a deficit of what my Fitbit Charge HR says I'm burning. I trust the process. If I eat less than I burn, the fat will come off. It is just too easy to lie to myself if I don't. This is the same reason, good or bad, I log every thing I eat.

sherbear702

I weigh myself every morning and if the numbers on there don't bother you then there is no need for you to put the scale away. Weigh every day if you want to, just be consistent about the time of day you're weighing. I completely rely on the number on the scale. It's how I track how many pounds I've lost because I haven't been taking measurements. My clothes fitting better has been good enough for me in that respect.

I also like to track my weight every day because if you look at the graph over the long term, there's a nice downward trend. However, by tracking every day my graph is not linear which serves as a nice reminder that sometimes I gain a bit, sometimes I lose a bit, but if the big picture is a down slope than I'm doing good!

cazpom37

every friday morning as soon as i wake up wearing just my underwear so i get an accurate reading each week. i find my end of the week weigh in keeps me on track waiting to see if its a loss...

Jctill

I weigh everyday. Usually after a weekend of not paying attention to what I eat, my Monday morning weigh in snaps me back to reality. So, it's more motivational to me.

unknown

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fatcitizen

I weigh every day sometimes morning and night. I know usually within 1/2 pound what I will weigh. I track on a spreadsheet every day have a "note" section where I can "remind" myself of goals, bad food choices, etc. That being said, I only log once a week.
Many fret if the scale varies up a day or two, but I know that is normal for me and as long as on my "log" day is a loss I'm okay. Everyone knows or soon learns what works for them and should stick to that schedule. I personally need that constant reminder. If I'm up for the day, I know I need to really watch, but I don't let it ruin my day.