Not focusing on weight advice

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lnorman08
lnorman08 Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I find that I am generally drawn to judging my victories on the number on the scale. I am struggling with thinking it is only a number as I have always been so focused on losing weight and the number. Any suggestion on how to change my mindset or any non scale goals I can focus on instead?

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  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    Dump the scale and either start measuring or just base it off of how you feel and how your clothes fit.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    Take your waist measurement every 2 weeks or maybe just monthly- if it's going down that means you're losing body fat, regardless of what the scale says.

    I also like fitness goals- like how many push ups in a row can you do currently? I can do about 10. At one point I couldn't even do 1 full push up so I had to do the kind where you have your knees on the ground until I could do a full push up and then I worked on being able to do more and more in a row. It's really exciting when I can do just 1 or 2 more than the last time I tried!! Now I'm continuing to work on that and also working on progressions towards doing a hand stand and also a pull up. I'm getting close on the handstand, still a ways to go on the pull up.

    Some people love running and working towards better and better average pace per mile or race times is a gratifying goal. I'm not a runner but I dated one and he really enjoyed that non scale victory.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    You could also just focus on hitting your calorie goal and macros numbers- see how many days out of the week you can get really close and then try to improve compliance over time?
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Fitness goals. Being able to run faster or longer. Able to do twelve reps at a certain weight. Training for a competition of some sort.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    I couldn't dump the scale because every time I regained in my Yoyo years it was because I didn't weigh.

    Perhaps just reaching calorie goals for a time period. A walking goal like a 5k or something fitness related?
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
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    lnorman08 wrote: »
    So I find that I am generally drawn to judging my victories on the number on the scale. I am struggling with thinking it is only a number ...

    If your goal is weight loss, it's not "just a number"; it's a proper measurement of your success or failure.

    Weight loss = number on scale decreasing over time.

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    jgnatca wrote: »
    Fitness goals. Being able to run faster or longer. Able to do twelve reps at a certain weight. Training for a competition of some sort.

    I second getting some fitness goals to focus on.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I mean if weight loss is your goal then what the scale says really is where your victory is. I also recommend adding fitness goals and plans to go alongside. Weirdly I find that weighing every day makes the whole scale thing calmer, because I have a realistic view now of what to expect and why not to feel anything when gaining or maintaining. The jagged line of my weight loss means that last week when I went up and down 3-4 lbs I knew that in 4-5 days it would settle down and the overall trend would be down.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
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    Do you feel any lighter yet, or have you noticed an increase in energy levels? I've just started to notice this, and as I'm losing weight for health and fitness, it's a great feeling.
  • lnorman08
    lnorman08 Posts: 77 Member
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    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    For me the number on the scale at the beginning of my weight loss was very important.. It used to be the main focus of my life for a while. Especially through the pounds it took to finally get to Onederland, i think what changed my mind set for the most part was spending a great deal of my time reading the forums here on MFP. Reading everyones comments, hearing peoples problems, seeing solutions.. the more i read these things the more the mind really took them on.. and now the scale number is just a number to me, I enjoy watching it jump lol, sounds weird right?

    Like example... Thursday night i was on the phone with my friend and i was complaining cause this week was the beginning of my 3 weeks of PMS and it felt like i was carrying a water bottle in my belly pooch lol
    Stood on the scale that morning mind you i think it said 148.8 pounds or something (My last weigh in was 141.2)
    And so anyway stood on the scale in the evening and the scale said 148.8.. and i was like "Pfft, whatever that aint right, i ate and drank today.." so i go get my 5lbs dumbell and stand on, reset the scale, and then stand on it again and i think it was 149.6 or something.

    So yesterday i was off, didnt go to the gym, rest day, i ate as normal, didnt weigh, this morning before my workout i weigh as i always do because i like to track my water weight lost so i can rehydrate myself properly. Stood on the scale and it said 142.2. and i was like.. "LOL.. really?".. i love seeing how quickly things can change just over a 24 hour period, the body is amazing!! And yeah, sure its still 1 pound over my recent weight but again, PMS is still in effect, and my sodium is usually closer to 3000mg on my work days, i could of been still holding onto some water from that as well, but the info on the scale really lets me learn how unique the body is. The more you stay open to educating yourself and learning all the things there is to know about your body the more the number becomes something more, right now for you, its just fat.. but it really isnt, you have a unique body too just like i do, time to explore!!


    This is exactly it for so long I have been focused on the number because my goal was weight loss but now that I am basically where I want to be and have been its so difficult to think of it at just a number!
  • lnorman08
    lnorman08 Posts: 77 Member
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    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    Take your waist measurement every 2 weeks or maybe just monthly- if it's going down that means you're losing body fat, regardless of what the scale says.

    I also like fitness goals- like how many push ups in a row can you do currently? I can do about 10. At one point I couldn't even do 1 full push up so I had to do the kind where you have your knees on the ground until I could do a full push up and then I worked on being able to do more and more in a row. It's really exciting when I can do just 1 or 2 more than the last time I tried!! Now I'm continuing to work on that and also working on progressions towards doing a hand stand and also a pull up. I'm getting close on the handstand, still a ways to go on the pull up.

    Some people love running and working towards better and better average pace per mile or race times is a gratifying goal. I'm not a runner but I dated one and he really enjoyed that non scale victory.

    Yes! I run and definitely like setting goals in that way I like your idea of macro goals I just need to get a better understanding of macros I am still working on it!
  • lnorman08
    lnorman08 Posts: 77 Member
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    xmichaelyx wrote: »
    lnorman08 wrote: »
    So I find that I am generally drawn to judging my victories on the number on the scale. I am struggling with thinking it is only a number ...

    If your goal is weight loss, it's not "just a number"; it's a proper measurement of your success or failure.

    Weight loss = number on scale decreasing over time.

    Weightless was my goal for a very long time until I lost too much. The problem for me is its all in my head which is why I am looking to get away from my weight I reached my goal and went well below it now I need to learn how to stop if that makes any sense?

  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    It may be just a number but it is kind of an important number if your goal is to lose weight. To ignore it would be like an athlete who is trying to run faster ignoring the number on the stopwatch. Once you reach the weight where you want to be, it is still important because that number tells you whether you are eating too little or too much. If you drop a few pounds below then you are eating too little. If it goes a few pounds above then you are eating too much. Some people think they can figure that out with their TDEE and by logging their food, but those are just estimates. The only thing that isn't an estimate is the number on the weight scale.
  • courtneyfabulous
    courtneyfabulous Posts: 1,863 Member
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    This is helpful for understanding macros:

    https://youtu.be/rGkRFM5T0Ng
  • lnorman08
    lnorman08 Posts: 77 Member
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    courtneyfabulous wrote: »
    This is helpful for understanding macros:

    https://youtu.be/rGkRFM5T0Ng

    Thank you!!
  • rugratz2015
    rugratz2015 Posts: 593 Member
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    I haven't lost many pounds but I have dropped 2 dress sizes and I'm a lot more toned and Have some muscle definition. This is more important to me than watching the scales move. Previously I looked better st 10 stone than I did at 9 due to be more toned,

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