I don't need a scale to tell me I'm going in the right direction!!!
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elyzabethgimarc wrote: »I do not believe in scales, I trust that my body will tell me that I'm doing good based off of the results I achieve and the way I feel
anti scale!!
That's nice for you. So you want to lose 24 pounds so obviously your body wasn't communicating well then? So why is it communicating better now? A new mobile phone a séance?0 -
isulo_kura wrote: »elyzabethgimarc wrote: »I do not believe in scales, I trust that my body will tell me that I'm doing good based off of the results I achieve and the way I feel anti scale!!
That's nice for you. So you want to lose 24 pounds so obviously your body wasn't communicating well then? So why is it communicating better now? A new mobile phone a séance?
No, I simply just started listening to it 0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »snickerscharlie wrote: »The amount of posts I see on here people feeling depressed because they've hardly lost any weight if any but fail to take into account everything else to do with healthy eating and lifestyle like better sleep and more energy and improved wellbeing etc etc is scary.
But is it not better, then, that they do weigh themselves and then learn what it is they're doing wrong so that they legitimately *can* lose the weight? <scratches head>
Well no not really. If you eat right and exercise you will lose weight, you don't have to worry about that.
But most people don't automatically know what that means or how to do it properly and safely. If they did, all of the dangerous diets, cleanses and pills wouldn't gross millions of dollars every year. So it's when they weigh themselves, find out they're not losing weight and then take the time to learn that things start to turn around for them.
Like I said earlier, the scale is not the debil, it's merely a tool to use or not.
Which is why they need educating. Why do so many people fall off after a few weeks? Guaranteed "I went to weight myself and I've only lost 1lb, sod this"...
Why do you say debil by the way?The scale is a tool, and only one of several. Used alone, it gives me a small piece of information. Logging and trending that information gives me something more valuable. Used with a body measuring tape or calipers, I can build an even more detailed picture with more measurements and body fat calculations. Periodic photographs help give visual comparison points.
I like having that rich set of data because it gives a way to quantify the changes I see subjectively in the mirror. If I start seeing a change in the trend, I can review my journal and data and see if I should adjust my approach. The scale and other tools are a means to that end.
You can be antiscale if you like, but I prefer to be proactive.
So what if you put muscle on but lose fat?marthaelisa80 wrote: »marthaelisa80 wrote: »Scale can't measure your overall health, this is why people who are skinny fat still get diabetes and other complications. A scale is just a number. Inches lost is most important, how you feel you look. I use to be a low weight but not healthy. I'm about 8 pounds heavier but am leaner than ever before. I'm so glad I kept pushing and didn't let the scale beat me. No one has to.
What's this skinny fat thing I've seen it mentioned a few times on here?
This post makes so much sense, great story!
Skinny fat is being at a healthy "body weight" but high percentage of fat.
Ah I see, thanks.0 -
Scales is a tool and for some people it can indeed get in the way of actually listening to own body and noticing visual changes. But for some other people this tool is invaluable. Bigger people in particular. Once you leave the onederland, your body feels bad most of the time and you kinda get used to it. You may gain 50 pounds and not even notice. When you lose, you don't suddenly start feeling wonderful either and it can be hard to tell if you are going in the right direction. Scales can be a great help then.
So I wouldn't demonize or idealize the scales. It's just a tool useful for some more than it is to the others.0 -
The scale is a tool, and only one of several. Used alone, it gives me a small piece of information. Logging and trending that information gives me something more valuable. Used with a body measuring tape or calipers, I can build an even more detailed picture with more measurements and body fat calculations. Periodic photographs help give visual comparison points.
I like having that rich set of data because it gives a way to quantify the changes I see subjectively in the mirror. If I start seeing a change in the trend, I can review my journal and data and see if I should adjust my approach. The scale and other tools are a means to that end.
You can be antiscale if you like, but I prefer to be proactive.
So what if you put muscle on but lose fat?
It's unlikely I would be building enough muscle while at a deficit to make a huge difference but...
Combining weight measurements with tape circumference or caliper measurements allows me to use some simple calculations to estimate body fat percentage. If I were to gain a significant amount of muscle while losing weight, that data would capture the effect.
These are crude tools and not as accurate as some would like, but they are simple, fast, and cheap. The key for me is to have a trend I can examine. I could go for a hydrostatic BFP or DEXA test, but they are time consuming and expensive (not to mention x-rays from the DEXA test).
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I only weigh myself at the MD's office because I am on a strict Medical Weight Loss Program there to get my cholesterol level lowered as quickly as I can. If I were to weigh on my scales at home (or daily) - they are so squirrely I'd never get an accurate reading. Yesterday I had to go to a 'reception' and I knew I would over-eat and not have the proper way to count calories as it was in a 'buffet style'; so I looked up 'wedding reception food' and then 'tripled' it - for good measure. Still, for that one meal I can have for no more than 550 calories, I was within my daily set caloric goal. YEAH. Got on the scales in the Publix lobby and weighed myself and I had dropped down to 185; don't know what I will weigh when I go for my next weigh-in; but, for so long as I am 'dropping' weight that is what matters to me. Throw the damn scales out with the baby in the dirty water. They'll only confuse you, it is more of 'how you feel about yourself' than a number and 'judging how your clothes are fitting' (one way or the other). I'm getting into clothes that just 1 month ago I could not even pull them together to button them. It's like getting a whole new wardrobe (for me).0
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Don't use scales. I threw them out the back door a while back and now I watch the squirrels play with them. Measures and clothes fit are all I need. Oh, and my friends of course...0
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Oooh look lets demonise scales rather than take some ime to learn how to interpret the data. Its a personal thing and they can be a valuable tool, be it telling you how much food you have or how much you weigh.
If it suits you not to have them, then go for it. Nothing more virtuous about not using them.
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