I hate the scale

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,709 Member
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    For good reading:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/350212/why-scales-lie/p1

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    As for the dog thing, i have a very stubborn bull mastiff cross. She walks slower than a slug and is no fitness help to me at all!! It's a trial to even get her out of the driveway. I walk her off leash everywhere and she tries to keep up, but when i put her on the leash she walks even slower because she knows i cant walk ahead and leave her!
  • GoPerfectHealth
    GoPerfectHealth Posts: 254 Member
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    Hey - you're doing awesome, and it's okay to vent about the scale. I use Trendweight.com, and it helps me see natural fluctuations for what they are! Natural fluctuations! Good luck on your weight loss journey!
  • debsweetcakes
    debsweetcakes Posts: 15
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    I have been there where I despised jumping on that thing in the morning.. but a few of the other posters said the same thing I was thinking. You have to face the struggles no matter how bad it may appear to you. Just face it, if you face these issues head it it will be so much better for you to fight it. It will take a while and it is hard work, but your overall health will improve and that number will change. Don't let the number completely control your life but if it affects your health you must face it.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I'll be more inclined to rely on the scale when i go into maintenance. Weighing now, i can take or leave... Sometimes i haven't weighed myself for a month.
    But once i get down to goal weight, ill be watching those scales like a hawk!
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited April 2015
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    ciacyrus29 wrote: »
    Some people have no problem hoping on their scales each morning or even once a week. I try to avoid mine like it's the plague. I realize that as we get older it gets more difficult to lose weight. But I think for women it's worse. All these crazy hormones!
    I turned 50 this past December. My goal was to lose 1 pound on my new weight loss plan before my 50th birthday. I lost 5! That sounds great but I was scared to death to step on that scale.
    I know what I eat. I know there are times when I'm stressed and that bag of gummy bears are calling my name. I've gotten to the place that if I do buy candy - I eat some at home and take the rest into work for everyone else to eat.
    Some people say you should only weigh once a month. I think I could get behind that. But is that realistic and then do you start dividing 4 or 5 into the amount of weight you lost? What happens when you maintained - does that mean you have plateaued and are stuck on the precipice?
    If society stopped making the scale so important, I'd probably stop fearing it so much. I never feared it when I was growing up or even in my 20's. Since I hit my 40's I've been scared to death of it. I fear I will never get down to the weight I want to be.
    I know logging what I eat on MFP and trying to eat as clean as possible while exercising will all help. But motivation when I get home is so sparse. I don't have a buddy to exercise with. I can't afford a coach. My best friend is my dog and all he wants to do when I take him out is smell any and everything! We can't get 10 steps before he's stopped and smelling or something else.
    Why do I or anyone else hate the scale?
    I mean am I alone in this? And for all of you who want to say oh, just suck it up and deal - please. I'm not in the mood.
    I've had a love hate relationship with the scale as I've said since I turned 40. My yo-yo diet and stress levels have hit some all new heights. So when I have to live my life based on constant numbers - it is just one more thing that dictates how much I can be happy.
    I don't want to hate the scale. But I do want to be comfortable in my skin. I'm just saying.

    One of things I needed to do in order to be successful at this whole thing, was to remove emotion from the scale. I've been a daily weigh-er for 3 years now, and the scale has been a useful tool not only during my weight loss phase, but also now that I'm in maintenance. It's part of my morning routine, like brushing my teeth etc. I feel absolutely nothing when I step on the scale, just like I don't feel any sort of emotion when I brush my teeth. Weight loss and maintenance is mostly a mental game and you have to get your mind in the right place, or you're going to fail at this. The scale is a tool and it has no power over you, unless you give it.
  • vypressme
    vypressme Posts: 228 Member
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    You don't hate the scale, you hate what it represents. There's a difference. Because whether you step on the scale or not, you still weigh that.

    An obese man or woman would be okay with the scale reading that number, if they could just be healthier, or look good in a certain dress/suit, or be fit enough to play with their children. If you would feel content in your body, would you really care if the scale would say 100, 200 or more?

    The scale is a unit of measurement. We want to accomplish something, we track our progress. When progress is missing, we reevaluate. We don't hate on the numbers, we hate their meaning.

    You are older now. It becomes increasingly difficult. Not many people to support you,and even your dog is unknowingly sabotaging your goals. It's tough but hey, if it would have been easy, then everyone would be fit, right? The harder it is, the more you need to fight, the bigger the satisfaction when you accomplish it. It's difficult but not impossible.

    Or at least that's what some people think...

    /end ramble.

    Begin point:

    No one is forcing you to step on the scale. Isn't it a bit ironical that you hate it, but set your goals in lbs? And a bit ironical that you were happy with your weight loss, in lbs. You can set a different goal, like get a tight pair of jeans and see if you can fit two fingers in, a month from now. Set a goal to see how many new holes you need to poke in your belt. Measure your thigh with a piece of thread once every few weeks. Whatever works.




  • Camarose79
    Camarose79 Posts: 86 Member
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    I don't even own a scale. I figure ill know by how my clothes fit. I do weigh two or three times a week when I go to exercise. The last 3 times it has only been going up. Very discouraging. And my dog is the same, he stops to sniff every five feet and I don't really gt my heart rate up with him. But even a slow walk is better than not going out at all. If I really want to walk without stopping, ill just stick to the middle of the road (obviously in a residential area and late with no traffic) and he has nothing to sniff!
  • csteuter
    csteuter Posts: 87 Member
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    I have a similar dog ... sniff sniff sniff ... not a matter of training, as I've trained lots of dogs before. Some breeds are just sniffers and it becomes an impediment to exercising the way you want. So, my husband and I (on a good day) take our brisk walk, then come back and pick up Fido for a short one. Otherwise, you're just dragging him around and nobody benefits.

    Does a neighbor have a larger breed dog (golden, lab, etc.) that would like to go on walks? Maybe that is an option.
  • Lady_Grell
    Lady_Grell Posts: 103 Member
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    To be completely honest, I used to hate the scale. Its presence haunted me each time I went into the bathroom, and each time I felt compelled to stand on it, which always led to me calling it a liar. It took me some time to realize that I didn't really hate the scale. I hated the fact it refused to allow me to lie. When I was away from the scale, I could make excuses. I didn't really weight THAT much. My lifestyle wasn't that bad. What I hated was what I had become. The scale was a cold, hard truth that I just didn't want to face. These days, I've made peace with my scale. I'm working hard to turn my habits around so that I'm healthier, and the scale is showing the results. There are still times I have trepidation to stand on that unforgiving surface, but I know it's the not the scale's fault. It's movements are all my doing.
  • mrspurrnandez
    mrspurrnandez Posts: 5 Member
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    I use to get so fraustrated with the scale to the point I threw my scale away! Seriously I was just a mess! lol! I wanted the scale to magically say I was thinner. I ended up realizing that I had to be honest with myself. I woke up, bought a new scale after 1 year. I never had trouble exercising! I have that down pat, but it was not educating myself on food. I am now working with a nutrionist, down 9 pounds per my new scale! I love going to farmer markets and buying my fresh organic vegetables etc. My husband is my biggest supporter. We have fun grocery shopping and working out together! He has lost 10lbs. I now look forward to jumping on the scale because I am being honest with myself. Yes, there are days I wish I had lost weight but patience, hard work and being real!!! Not to be concieted, but I love myself! lol! I look forward to a healthier, happier year! The best to all of you!!

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