Go by weight...or measurements??

My health is fine so far, and I've never had issues with blood sugar or cholesterol, even when fat, so my current primary goal is vanity, and for that I don't care about the scale, I care about BF%, which measurements (or how my clothes fit) reflect best. On the other hand, being lighter helps with running which I'm also into, so I have a preliminary goal of being 118. If I ultimately have to pick between vanity and performance (in that I'm not elite, I doubt it will matter much), I'll pick vanity (and health, as I think more muscle mass as we age is good and I'm someone for whom building muscle is not easy).

I came to the realization that the final number doesn't really matter much to me, I'll be done when I feel "right". My goal weight is set to 185, but I don't see that as the finish line. I was excited when I hit 199, just to no longer be 200+, but because I've been skinnier at the same weight, I see how much of a difference muscle makes. I'd rather be heavier with muscle than skinnier with more fat. I don't expect to be everyone's dream girl (never possible to please everyone), I'm okay with being happy with myself.

To (finally) answer your question, if you're comfortable with taking measurements instead of weighing yourself, go for it!

When I started on this journey I focused on the scale because that is what I knew to do. Now I focus on different numbers, my body fat percentage.

I'm a 43 year old female, I'm 5' 4", currently weigh 132 pounds. My body fat percentage is 22.46%, the lower end of ideal. My doctor said she would support me attempting to drop down to 129 pounds, any lower and she wouldn't be comfortable.

More than a few years ago I weighed 135 pounds, I wore a size 8, today I'm only 3 pounds lighter and I wear a size 4. The difference is the amount of muscle compared to fatty tissue. I'm leaner, stronger, healthier than ever.

I care more about measurements and would consider heavier and smaller to be healthier, if you are getting smaller without getting lighter I would call that the best result of all, with one caution:

In general, BMI underestimates obesity in terms of fat, so be careful about thinking pounds don't matter. It's highly unusual to be above healthy pounds and not overfat, and more common to be within healthy pounds with too much body fat.

But if you are inside the bubble of healthy pounds, or getting there, and shrinking in volume faster than you are losing pounds? High five!

I tend to get too attached to numbers on the scale - which is why I rarely weigh myself.

That being said, if I wore a size 0 and was 200lbs, I wouldn't care

Also probably important to mention I am a body dysmorphic - so I can't really use mirrors and how I look in them for an accurate representation of myself!