Banning the scale!
DailyGroomer
Posts: 93 Member
After much though, I have made the decision to ban the scale for the next month. Right now, the scale has too much control over me. I weigh myself every few days and let the number dictate my mood. It is not fun, and it is not a way to live. Those numbers should not have that much power over me. Regardless of whether or not I'm losing weight, I'm doing the right things. I'm working out, I'm eating better and I'm getting stronger.
The other night at the gym, a lady that I did not know came up to me. She said something like "I see what your trainer has you doing, it looks crazy, I don't know how you're able to do that. You're doing great!" If someone else is able to recognize the stuff I am able to do now, I should be able to, too.
Screw the scale!
The other night at the gym, a lady that I did not know came up to me. She said something like "I see what your trainer has you doing, it looks crazy, I don't know how you're able to do that. You're doing great!" If someone else is able to recognize the stuff I am able to do now, I should be able to, too.
Screw the scale!
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Replies
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Do what works for you, but consider instead that you could be even happier by changing your attitude towards the information the scale displays.
It is information. Just information. It shouldn't be making you have a good or a bad day. Your weight changes. It changes every day for MANY reasons. Fat is only ONE of the reasons and probably has the LEAST likelihood of showing up as a big change.
Horomonal water retention, water retention for muscle repair, water retention to repair muscles, depletion or storage of glycogen, waste in your system... all of these create scale variations that are orders of magnitude larger than the changes to your underlying fat level.
A trending weight app with daily weight ins will show you how much your weight fluctuates naturally and will also show your weight trend over time. Your performance at the gym and in life will show you the other very real improvements you're making.
Take care and keep on keeping on
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I agree with PAV8888. I'll add that because weight fluctuates, you could weigh a month from now and catch yourself at a bad time (retaining fluid, right before a whoosh, etc) and feel demoralized just because you have purposely limited the data you receive from the scale. Whereas if you weighed daily or weekly, you would have more info available to you upon which to draw judgment.
I'll also add, and this is just me, if I know I'm not accountable to the scale for a while, I'll behave as such with the mentality that "I can make up for xyz behavior because I got a whole week/month/indefinite time before I'll have to face the music". Weighing every day for me is a safeguard against that mentality taking hold and affecting my behavior.7 -
Keep in mind also that muscle weighs more than fat and the smaller you get the less you benefit from burning calories just carrying "fatness" around. Body weight takes calories to carry around just like carrying around workout weights (: the more you have the more your natural calorie burn is which is awesome. That means you will start to get thinner slower unless you amp up your workout and diet. Hiding from tools like a scale telling you your weight could hurt you. You're instead hiding from your internal feelings about what the scale is telling you. Instead ask yourself why it bothers you so much when the scale is not reading what you want it to. You should be setting more realistic goals as well so that when you step onto the scale you are more likely to see a better number that falls within your goal range. For example I might want to lose 0.5 pounds every week but when I was sick with a respiratory infection I realistically said I was not losing any weight for a few weeks. I still weighed myself and did my eating. I tried my steps and what I could. If I had negative thoughts I dove head on into why those were happening: did I need support from a friend, was I overwhelming myself, etc.
Your body is amazing right in this moment. Always compare yourself to right now and never to what you should be. That is and always will be a fake fantasy you that will never exist. If anything compare yourself to past you. Where have you come from. What did you weigh 1 year ago? 6 months ago? Hang a pair of those pants on the back of your bedroom door or in front of your scale so that when you don't want to weigh yourself you can say that you have to, smile, do it, and take a chalk pencil or ink pen and write that weight on those old pants.
You're beautiful inside and out. I think that your issues are not with that scale at all or your weight. I think that you have to become more comfortable with the fact that this journey is not easy by any means. You need to recognize what your strengths are and praise those, your weaknesses are and strengthen them and finally pull yourself up and continue on. If you're having difficulty with food then definitely make a list of exactly what it is, look up some recipes to replace those cravings (you have the entire internet at your fingertips full of free ones!) and get to work fixing that! You can do this!!!
*hugs* don't blame the scale. It is an inanimate object just there reporting a number. You need to record your weight.1 -
If the OP has made an informed choice for her circumstances, why can't we just say, great! Why do you have to change her mind, basically marginalizing her own feelings and decisions. As much as it may seem unbelievable to anyone, some people can't have a great relations nship with the scale. For many reasons.
OP, if tossing the scale is good for your u, go for it. It is probably a smart decision for you and I support your decision.14 -
Good job. I'm going to try to go scale free someday, I'm still weighing daily. For some people a mirror is all they need to monitor progress.1
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If you are eating at a deficit you will lose weight eventually regardless of what the scale says. But at some point you need to develop a friendly relationship with the scale because once you get into maintenance you don't have the margin for error that a deficit gives you. No matter how accurately you count your food calories the difficulty of accurately tracking your TDEE makes it impossible to balance your calories in and calories out. To overcome this, the scale becomes important because it tells us whether that imbalance is causing us to gain weight or causing us to lose weight.7
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Good for you. I have also put my scales away as i was weighing daily and needed to get out of the habbit. I weighed in on Januay 2nd and dont plan on weighing in again until the end of march. Keep working towards your goals. You will get there. 1
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Thank you for your input. I'm not banning the scale forever, just for a month to see how I feel. I was going from the high of a great workout and good eating to the low of why isn't anything changing? My pants feel a tad loser and I feel stronger, but my weight has not moved. I lost 2 lbs the 1st week and then gained it back the next week and stayed the same since. I had a realistic goal of around 1-1.5 lbs a week. Instead I lost none in a month. It made me feel defeated.
So instead of going by the scale, I'm going to go by how I feel in my clothes and will be doing measurements as well to track.
Maybe once I start to feel better about myself, I will feel better about the scale.3 -
DailyGroomer, I've SO been there. Sometime you just need a break for your sanity! A book that helped me make sense of the madness a bit was Thin Side Out. Not necessarily to follow but great validation.0
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DailyGroomer, I've SO been there. Sometime you just need a break for your sanity! A book that helped me make sense of the madness a bit was Thin Side Out. Not necessarily to follow but great validation.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I'll have to check out the book. Love the pic of your dog . Yorkies are my favorite0 -
mactaffy428 wrote: »If the OP has made an informed choice for her circumstances, why can't we just say, great! Why do you have to change her mind, basically marginalizing her own feelings and decisions. As much as it may seem unbelievable to anyone, some people can't have a great relations nship with the scale. For many reasons.
OP, if tossing the scale is good for your u, go for it. It is probably a smart decision for you and I support your decision.
Don't see where anyone was trying to make her change her mind. The information given was only done to help her make a totally informed choice - something which her first post indicated she may not currently possess.
Giving someone information that they may not be aware of is informative and helpful. Then the OP can decide - while having all of the information - whether she wants to carry on with her initial plan or not. It was given to let the OP know that there are valid reasons for her weight loss fluctuations that have nothing at all to do with what she is or isn't eating, and doesn't necessarily reflect fat gain.
That's empowering and important information.
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snickerscharlie wrote: »mactaffy428 wrote: »If the OP has made an informed choice for her circumstances, why can't we just say, great! Why do you have to change her mind, basically marginalizing her own feelings and decisions. As much as it may seem unbelievable to anyone, some people can't have a great relations nship with the scale. For many reasons.
OP, if tossing the scale is good for your u, go for it. It is probably a smart decision for you and I support your decision.
Don't see where anyone was trying to make her change her mind. The information given was only done to help her make a totally informed choice - something which her first post indicated she may not currently possess.
Giving someone information that they may not be aware of is informative and helpful. Then the OP can decide - while having all of the information - whether she wants to carry on with her initial plan or not. It was given to let the OP know that there are valid reasons for her weight loss fluctuations that have nothing at all to do with what she is or isn't eating, and doesn't necessarily reflect fat gain.
That's empowering and important information.
I agree, it is good information. It's nice to know the fat is the least likely cause4 -
Once I learned all the reasons weight could fluctuate, I became a devoted daily weigh-in person.
If you are working out and your tracking is on point, the scale is your friend, OP.
The scale is a reflection of water, glycogen and body fat. We always thought it was just fat.
In addition to the reasons PAV listed, other reasons for upticks in the scale could be a saltier meal (stir fry with soy sauce?) more carbs than usual (pasta for dinner?), and stress (cortisol).
None of these are fat gain.
I'm not making this post to deter you from taking your break if you feel you should still need it. I too just feel it's important information to know.8 -
IMO..whatever works for you...Everything starts upstairs..and if the scale is affecting your mental aspect of weight loss, exercise etc..then do what works for you..
I weigh in daily..have been doing that for some time, simply to educate myself on how my body reacts to my exercise and diet choices..
Sometimes , I can fluctuate 4 pound in one day either way..as I said though...weight loss, diet, whatever you are doing, all starts upstairs..whatever YOU need to do ..more power to you!0 -
The scale is merely a tool. The ultimate way to check progress is how your clothes fit, how you look in the mirror and the compliments you get from people who've noticed.DailyGroomer wrote: »After much though, I have made the decision to ban the scale for the next month. Right now, the scale has too much control over me. I weigh myself every few days and let the number dictate my mood. It is not fun, and it is not a way to live. Those numbers should not have that much power over me. Regardless of whether or not I'm losing weight, I'm doing the right things. I'm working out, I'm eating better and I'm getting stronger.
The other night at the gym, a lady that I did not know came up to me. She said something like "I see what your trainer has you doing, it looks crazy, I don't know how you're able to do that. You're doing great!" If someone else is able to recognize the stuff I am able to do now, I should be able to, too.
Screw the scale!
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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Or the OP could read suggestions and make her own decision. That's what an open forum is for. Learning comes from opposing views too.mactaffy428 wrote: »If the OP has made an informed choice for her circumstances, why can't we just say, great! Why do you have to change her mind, basically marginalizing her own feelings and decisions. As much as it may seem unbelievable to anyone, some people can't have a great relations nship with the scale. For many reasons.
OP, if tossing the scale is good for your u, go for it. It is probably a smart decision for you and I support your decision.
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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You are making the right decision.. do what keeps you motivated. And your opinion will change along the way.
I too don't weigh myself. I go by how i look in the mirror and how my clothes fit. Right now, I just don't want the emotional stress when the scale doesn't move.
However, I believe in weighing once at goal. why? Because the pounds slip on way before clothes become too small.
So for me.. no scale while losing.. scale scale scale..while maintaining.2 -
I don't remember the last time I weighed myself. My stamina is much improved and my pace has improved though. My suits all fit better than they used to as well.
That's what's important to me.0 -
There is a saying in business what gets measured gets managed. The scale is just one form of measurement, fit of clothes, how you are feeling, etc are other ways.
Best of luck.1 -
DailyGroomer wrote: »Thank you for your input. I'm not banning the scale forever, just for a month to see how I feel. I was going from the high of a great workout and good eating to the low of why isn't anything changing? My pants feel a tad loser and I feel stronger, but my weight has not moved. I lost 2 lbs the 1st week and then gained it back the next week and stayed the same since. I had a realistic goal of around 1-1.5 lbs a week. Instead I lost none in a month. It made me feel defeated.
So instead of going by the scale, I'm going to go by how I feel in my clothes and will be doing measurements as well to track.
Maybe once I start to feel better about myself, I will feel better about the scale.
I'm glad you made a decision you feel will help you for a month. I encourage you to use the month off to educate yourself about the answer to your question in bold. I find that FACTS help inform feelings, rather than just hoping that feelings will change. There is lots of info on this site that gives insight into why the scales don't change when we feel like they should. Great job on making some lifestyle changes.2 -
mactaffy428 wrote: »If the OP has made an informed choice for her circumstances, why can't we just say, great! Why do you have to change her mind, basically marginalizing her own feelings and decisions. As much as it may seem unbelievable to anyone, some people can't have a great relations nship with the scale. For many reasons.
OP, if tossing the scale is good for your u, go for it. It is probably a smart decision for you and I support your decision.
I agree. Some people just can't handle it. I used to be one of those people. But I worked through most of my scale stress. Sometimes I get frustrated but I have to remind myself to trust the process. If I am consistently doing the right things the scale will move. And it does. Just not always when I want it to. I also knew that I needed it for accountability.0
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