Scale vs. measurements

kyrah702 · July 2015

Hi,

I used to be on WW but the constant weighing in got discouraging after awhile. I was always chasing that half a pound and it just never seemed to get me anywhere. I did lose about 12 pounds but everything hit a wall with my knee injury. Being in and out of the hospital and in constant pain, the last thing on my mind was tracking food.

It's now been a year since my knee injury and while it's improved, I still experience a lot of pain and can't really work out. It's been a slow roll but I downloaded the MFP app and have worked on slowly tracking more and more, and being more accurate with the tracking. (Side note, if anyone has a knee injury and knows exercises that don't aggravate it that I could do, I'm all ears)

Anyway, I'm at the point now where I want to start tracking either my weight or measurements but I've been thinking that if I buy a scale, it's just going to spiral me in to depression and I'll lose the strides I've made so far? I don't want to focus on the number anymore, I'd rather focus on how I feel and how I look(to myself).

Do you think a scale is necessary to use in conjunction with MFP? Or, do you think I can just take my measurements weekly?

IsaackGMOON · July 2015

TLDR.

Do both.

jemhh · July 2015

I think that a measuring tape and a mirror can be just as good, and sometimes better than, a scale. You don't have that much to lose, judging by your profile. You are likely at a point where a measuring tape/mirror combo is better so if that works for you, go for it.

Liftng4Lis · July 2015

Inches trump pounds!

antennachick · July 2015

Its good to keep track of your wieght However it is not as accurate as inches. Your body naturally goes up and down a few pounds. Personally I have seen a weight gain of 5 pounds dyi to water retention so you need yo be careful to rely on scale alone.

svirds · July 2015

For your side note on exercise...if you swim - hop in a pool (or lake or ocean) and swim laps...non impact to your knee (but be mindful of your particular injury) - it's a great cardio workout and calorie burn! As for your question - I track both (weight once a week and measurements once a month). When I am on track with eating and working out, the numbers go down. When I'm not, they stay the same or the scale goes up. Use either as a guideline for how you are doing, not an absolute. You know when you are on track or not, the scale and measuring just reaffirms it.

momar23 · July 2015

You may find an elliptical is easier on your knee than walking. It really depends, but when mine is bad I can sometimes use my elliptical when walking bothers it.

sarahkarigo · July 2015

I weigh myself once every week at the grocery store. I took measurements at the beginning of my weight loss to mark an image of "before".

Aside from that, the way my clothes fit and the comments of others is what really marks progress to me. When your favorite dress its two sizes too big you know you are on the right track.

tomatoey · July 2015

I weigh myself once every week or so, mostly because when I didn't, I leaned on "bloating" and "clothes shrinking in the wash" to explain gain way too often. I mean actual bloating would still mess with a scale (or measuring tape), but for me it is helpful to see little variations over the weeks and months. (That way I can see what is really bloating and what isn't.)

That said, sure, you can just use tape.

But I think it would be good to also try to reframe these measurements. They don't speak to your value as a person. And because weight loss isn't linear, they may not reflect what's happening immediately. As long as you stick to and focus on your process, the right changes will happen. If you can find your way to looking at it that way (maybe by doing more reading of the stickies and often recommended threads here), the scale might be less scary.

But of course, no, you don't have to use it.

Sorry about your knee by the way

slaite1 · July 2015

Measuring tape and how clothes fit are way more important than scale weight. I use the scale as a gauge to make sure I'm on the right track. If the scale is defining you than skip it, or weigh occasionally-like at the doctors.

Swimming, elliptical, all upper body exercises are great suggestions. Can you walk? What exactly you can do will really depend on the injury. Have you seen a PT or other professional? I'm sure they could help. Getting some exercise may help with motivation

kyrah702 · July 2015

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

I really hate swimming, but I think I'll give it a go. I'm tired of not being able to do anything so I think the swimming would help with the motivation, as suggested. I'm going to think about the elliptical thing and talk to my doctor, I know that the 'pushing' hurts quite a bit - but maybe down the road I can give it a go if it doesn't work out right now.

After consideration, I think I'm going to hold off on the scale for now and just do measurements as it feels less threatening/defining. Once I get on a bit of a roll, I'll start doing biweekly weigh-ins and I think that should do the trick for me. I realize how things fit and how I feel is more important, and I agree, it's just not something I can wrap my head around yet -- but I'm working on it!

As to my knee: Originally, my specialist said that physio would be a waste of time and money. Because they understand body mechanics and they do supervised exercises, I got a referral yesterday as I'll honestly try anything at this point. I'm going to speak with the place that makes my orthotics too, just in case they need adjusting as well. Currently, I can't really walk but I'm not back to my cane just yet so that's a plus!

Thanks everyone!

Scale vs. measurements

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