Scale Stress Syndrome

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Replies

  • SRHelm1
    SRHelm1 Posts: 14 Member
    I weigh daily bc it encourages me no matter what the number on the scale is. Then I log weekly. It's hard not to become obsessed with the scale.
  • shawnmstout
    shawnmstout Posts: 131 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Personally myself I weigh everyday, but only as a gauge to see how what I may have eaten the day before and what activity or event I participated in may have affected it. There was I time when I was stressing out about winning a fantasy football ball game that the next day, I was up 3lbs having met my calories and not exceeding. The day after (I won), the 3lbs were gone.

    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

    9285851.png

    Huh, that's something I haven't thought about before. My weight has been steadily climbing recently, but I also have become very lax about logging (and I've been binging a lot). But, I've also been under a ton of stress at work (doing the workload of 3 people for a few weeks). Here's hope that at least some of my gain is water weight due to stress levels.

    And at least I know what I need to do to clear up the actual weight gain...

    One thing that helps me is to pack a lunch and always have some extra healthy snacks with me in case i work over. That way its easier to manage my weight when having to work crazy hours.... hope this helps
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Personally myself I weigh everyday, but only as a gauge to see how what I may have eaten the day before and what activity or event I participated in may have affected it. There was I time when I was stressing out about winning a fantasy football ball game that the next day, I was up 3lbs having met my calories and not exceeding. The day after (I won), the 3lbs were gone.

    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

    9285851.png

    Huh, that's something I haven't thought about before. My weight has been steadily climbing recently, but I also have become very lax about logging (and I've been binging a lot). But, I've also been under a ton of stress at work (doing the workload of 3 people for a few weeks). Here's hope that at least some of my gain is water weight due to stress levels.

    And at least I know what I need to do to clear up the actual weight gain...

    One thing that helps me is to pack a lunch and always have some extra healthy snacks with me in case i work over. That way its easier to manage my weight when having to work crazy hours.... hope this helps

    Yeah, I pack lunch, snacks, and dinner (yay 11.5 hour work days!). Unfortunately my problems are with skipping the gym because I'm tired and then wanting to decompress with a beer or two. And gelato. It's really that mentality that I've always used food to feel better about things, and it really doesn't help, plus I feel bad about it later.
  • moonpie83
    moonpie83 Posts: 24 Member
    edited June 2015

    This is exactly what is happening to me! I'm really overweight and I would've thought that with the amount of weight that I have to lose that it would come off much faster. I typically go to the gym twice a day at least 3 days a week while working out at least five days a week; but my scale just seems to refuse to move. I rarely make it to my daily calorie goal, much less go over and at this point I've began looking into surgery (that's just how frustrated I've gotten). I do cardio, weights and take classes but nothing seems to be helping me get this weight off...the last time I tried to lose weight, it was not this difficult! I'm not sure what else to do!

  • chandramiller68
    chandramiller68 Posts: 189 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    The scale is the one tool that the majority of people use to gauge their progress on weight loss/gain and physical transformation. Unfortunately there are so many variables, scale weight can fluctuate so much that people are so dismayed that they quit their weight loss attempt when they see 3-5lbs gained after busting their butts on a single day or week. So I'm here just to let you know that weight loss isn't linear.

    You can do the same exact routines, with the same exact foods, the same exact sleep patterns, etc. and lose weight one week and gain the next. Why? Because the body is complicated. There are lots of things we don't control such as hormonal balance, water fluctuation and body repair. These all play a part on the number that's displayed on the scale every time you step up on it.

    It's really not hard to gain some water weight either. Step on a scale. Get off drink 8 oz of water. Step back on and you'll have gained 8 oz. in weight. Was it fat weight? Muscle weight? Of course not. Yet so many people freak out when they weigh so many pounds one day and then the next day after a good workout out weight 3 lbs more even after being in calorie deficit. Or only slept 4 hours instead of their regular 7-9 hours. Again no muscle or fat gain, so the obvious answer is that water retention upped the weight.

    Remember that the scale is only a tool. It gives current weight of what's on it. It cannot distinguish if it's someone with clothing on or off. Tall or short. Fat or fit. So don't let it define your total progress either. Yes the number going down is an indication of weight loss, but what if that weight loss was more lean muscle than fat? Would that be good?

    Just remember, if you look the way you want, can wear the clothes you choose and people are applauding your look to you, does it really matter what that number on the scale shows?

    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

    9285851.png

    @ninerbuff Thank you so much for this post! I needed this today. I was so frustrated today when I weighed and for the past 3 weeks I have not seen much progress from the scale's point of view.
  • StacyJ8888
    StacyJ8888 Posts: 23 Member
    I ate a small popcorn and drank a coke zero at the movie theater last week. I bounced up 2 pounds after a month of steady losses. I panicked and got myself my favorite steak dinner from a local restaurant, for whatever reason this meal usually triggers a 5-10lb weight loss woosh...it didn't this time. Still sitting 2 pounds up but I'm not recording it..yet. I will if it is still here after another week. I have to remind myself that even at my lowest weight of 135lbs, I could retain 15lbs of water weight in a day or two and then lose it a few days later. I am still eating at a deficit over all..pushing protein, fat and fiber and keeping carbs and sodium down below limits, it has to be water..maybe some sort of inflammation reaction to the corn or coke zero since I had avoided them for over a month.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
    StacyJ8888 wrote: »
    I ate a small popcorn and drank a coke zero at the movie theater last week. I bounced up 2 pounds after a month of steady losses. I panicked and got myself my favorite steak dinner from a local restaurant, for whatever reason this meal usually triggers a 5-10lb weight loss woosh...it didn't this time. Still sitting 2 pounds up but I'm not recording it..yet. I will if it is still here after another week. I have to remind myself that even at my lowest weight of 135lbs, I could retain 15lbs of water weight in a day or two and then lose it a few days later. I am still eating at a deficit over all..pushing protein, fat and fiber and keeping carbs and sodium down below limits, it has to be water..maybe some sort of inflammation reaction to the corn or coke zero since I had avoided them for over a month.
    That whole thought process seems problematic and potentially unhealthy to me. What impact does recording, or not recording, the weight have on reality?
  • SteffieSunshine
    SteffieSunshine Posts: 61 Member
    Thanks for this post! I needed it. I was about to give up tonight because after being very careful logging my food, and definitely being at a deficit with working out, that scale hasn't moved, and went up at one point in the last week. I feel better after reading this. :)
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    lol, that damn scale will be the death of me, I swear. But I think I'm learning not to take it as seriously as I used to.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,453 Member
    Hopefully more people who are "struggling" with scale weight loss will read this. For all the years I've done this, I've seen so many people quit after having a couple of bad weeks on the scale and are resigned to the fact that they aren't "lucky" enough to lose weight.

    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

    9285851.png
  • interrobanger
    interrobanger Posts: 13 Member
    Rationally, I know that what the scale shows is not that important in the grand scheme of weight loss progress, and to obsess over an arbitrary number that can change with the next glass of water or a heavier pair of pants isn't really going to help matters.



    But it still ruins my morning when that thing shows a one pound weight gain from the last day. :#:#:#
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    i always weight and log once a week (typically friday). other than that, sometimes i weigh daily and sometimes i dont. depends on how foggy my head is when i get up, i guess. LOLOL i dont think ive weighed in 3 or 4 days. if its not friday, i tend to forget what the number was by the time i make it downstairs, anyways LOLOL
  • yapdog
    yapdog Posts: 33 Member
    Love this post very positive!
  • cleanbulk_hatersgfy
    cleanbulk_hatersgfy Posts: 31 Member
    I used to weigh myself everyday. I now use the scale once a month and go by how my clothes fit.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,453 Member
    I used to weigh myself everyday. I now use the scale once a month and go by how my clothes fit.
    I step on the scale everyday, however it's just a gauge of what I may need to do that day. If I'm up a little, I usually just drink more water.

    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

    9285851.png
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
    I weigh every day but only log my losses.
    BTW - I just posted a topic about the struggles of water weight (before I saw this thread)! LOL!
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Thanks for sharing! I used to let the scale dictate my moods (and I only weighed in once a week then) but with all of the information I have learned about on these boards I can weigh in daily and not worry about the fluctuations or stalls.
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,117 Member
    Great post!


    I think I've overcome my "Scale Syndrome". After six months of weighing daily, I'm not longer scared of the fluctuations. I was that person, who would let that number ruin my entire day and mood. At one point I stopped weighing myself for years and just went by the fit of my clothes.

    Seeing and reading about those who have lost inches and but not scale numbers and look Awesome. I found the courage to begin weighing daily.

    The first 2 weeks it was a bit intimidating getting on the scale every morning, because I didn't want to ruin my day. I gave it a chance. Now, the scale doesn't dictate my mood. I've gone up 3 whole pounds on days I ate less than my alloted calories. The next day or 2 it will be gone.

    Take control people!... lol
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    I weigh myself after a workout at home - which is about 2 or 3 days a week. I don't trust the gym scale and I'm not about to stand on it naked in front of everyone!

    I workout in the morning on an empty stomach (well, maybe a cup of coffee is in there). So I know my weight is lower than it really is given how much I sweat during a workout, but since I do it this way consistently I can track my progress.

    I do use the fluctuations up as motivation for the rest of the day (or days) until my next weigh-in.