The scale is stressing me out!!

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girlalmighty08
girlalmighty08 Posts: 130 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ugh... I know I shouldn't get so hung up on the number but I just can't help it.

I just started getting back in to a dedicated routine and lost about 6 pounds in the first week and a half. Nothing's changed, my gym schedule and eating plan is still on point but now the scale won't move. I know I should only be weighing myself once a week and should focus on the visible results I see in the mirror, but I'm a sucker for the validation I get from the number... guess I still have a lot of work to do.

Replies

  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
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    If you are going to weigh daily use an app like Libra to trend your weight. 6 pounds in 1.5 weeks is typically related to water weight. Healthy weight loss is 0.5-2 pounds per week. Some weeks you gain, lose or the scale doesn't move. Have patience.
  • girlalmighty08
    girlalmighty08 Posts: 130 Member
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    It went down 6 pounds and then up a pound again... I didn't do anything differently so those little gains just piss me off, lol. I know it's unreasonable. I really need to work on it.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
    edited March 2017
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    You lost 6 pounds in the first week and a half. That's great! Keep in mind that the initial weight loss is always fast, and it's also mostly water. After that, the scale is simply catching up. You lost mostly water at first, and that water weight will always fluctuate...so after you see that number drop, weight loss may continue to occur without being reflected on the scale, until you "catch up", so to speak. Keep working and you will see results. As far as weighing daily, there is certainly nothing wrong with that. I have weighed daily for many many years. I need the accountability. Some people cannot handle the daily fluctuations, and those people should probably weigh less frequently.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I love weighing often. There've been weigh-ins a week apart that are barely a few ounces different, but I know from the interim numbers that that's a spike or anomaly. If you only saw those two numbers, that might lech some dedication out of you. I also see a pattern of holding weight for a couple of days, then losing a couple, and repeat so if the scale doesn't constantly drop, no worries, another bump is on the way as long as I am doing my job. Nothing wrong with wanting validation for the work you're doing.
  • AZIZAELLAZIZA
    AZIZAELLAZIZA Posts: 68 Member
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    Scales belong on a fish - put it away, give it a kick, toss it out of the window - whatever, just STOP. It has taken me 40+ years to get aboard, now I've stopped the compulsive 10x a day weighing and letting the number determine my day.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    You can either put the scale away, try and learn to accept changes as part of non-linear weight loss, start measuring your body instead of weight, or start tracking your weigh ins to see more of a trend rather than just the current #.
    There are several things that can impact loss/gain on the scale it is a frustratingly inaccurate gauge because of those factors (hormones, water retention, etc)
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I finally kicked the scale habit and it is wonderful!!! Get rid of it. Don't let it control your life. You don't need the validation of the numbers on the scale.
  • Islander4Life
    Islander4Life Posts: 22 Member
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    I feel your pain. Since my calorie counting and new boot camp classes, I've been hoping my pants wouldn't be so tight.... Its only been 2 weeks but I was really hoping they'd feel a little lose by now.....
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
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    girlalmighty08 wrote: »
    Ugh... I know I shouldn't get so hung up on the number but I just can't help it.

    I just started getting back in to a dedicated routine and lost about 6 pounds in the first week and a half. Nothing's changed, my gym schedule and eating plan is still on point but now the scale won't move. I know I should only be weighing myself once a week and should focus on the visible results I see in the mirror, but I'm a sucker for the validation I get from the number... guess I still have a lot of work to do.

    It's not that you have any more work to do than you did before. The body retains fluid for a lot of reasons - especially things like muscle repair if you've just started back in. There are other reasons too. When you are looking at the scale it sees all of your weight each time, not the components (lean body mass, fat and fluid). The advice for trend scales is what I would look for in your shoes. Fluid retention can fluctuate more than twice as much weight in a day as you want to lose in a week - not to mention that your body actually needs to retain fluids at various times. What you are really looking to do is lose fat. Right?

    If you look long-term and really lose fat, your scale numbers would look more like a stock market graph than a linear path down. That's why you have to take a long view. When you do that, you'll see a trend line that fits the data. Time is your friend. And there's very little choice in the matter on that point.
  • Blitzia
    Blitzia Posts: 205 Member
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    If you can, I'd try to just avoid checking the scale for a little while. If you're staying under your calorie goal, you ARE losing weight, but checking the scale and not seeing progress is frustrating for anyone.

    For now, I'd try to find other markers of progress to focus on. You're hitting the gym, is there any way you can track progress with your exercise routine? (Like, each day this week you were able to do one more rep than the day before, or today you ran a little longer or faster on the treadmill than the day before, etc.) Try to get excited for progress like that where you can easily see it. I also like to use MFP's little projections as a way to track progress. I won't see progress on the scale every day, but when I click the button at the end of the day, I love that message saying "If every day were like today, in 5 weeks you'll weigh X." For now, try to use things like that as your measures of progress since the scale isn't going to change for a while.

    For me, I didn't weigh myself in the first month or two of trying to lose weight. I waited until my pants actually felt loose so I *knew* I would see a lower number on the scale. My form of exercise was learning to jog, so while I wasn't tracking my weight, I was looking for progress in how long I could run each day. So that's what I recommend for you - try to put the scale away until you know it's going to be encouraging instead of discouraging. Once you've been doing this for a month or two, your weight loss will be more regular and you can track it more consistently. For now, just keep doing what you're doing and try to have faith that eventually the number on the scale will catch up.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Put it in a closet on the top shelf, and put appointments with it in your calendar once every few weeks. If you're getting stressed out over it it's not "validating" anything.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Scale weight can vary due to new workouts, hormones (during ovulation and your period), eating something with more sodium than you're used to, flying on a plane. It's all water weight. It doesn't matter. If you KNOW you're doing everything right, weighing and logging all your food truthfully, you'll lose fat. The water weight up and down will mask the fat loss sometimes. It happens.
  • lavoiekr
    lavoiekr Posts: 27 Member
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    The scale can be your friend or your foe; that is up to you. It is just a tool to use. I can fluctuate between 3 - 5 lbs in a day. Just last week I weighed myself, just for fun, 5 times in a row and my digital scale gave me 5 different readings. Use it as a tool, and motivate yourself by how you feel both physically and mentally. Another motivator is to take your measurements. This, I have found, is a better way to judge your success. If you belong to a gym, have them take your body fact percentage; having your body fat lower is far better for you than watching numbers on a scale. I've learned a lot by having a Personal Trainer and this is the advice she has given me and it has worked.

    Hope this helps! :)
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
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    Food, waste and water in your system on any given day cause weight fluctuations.

    If these upset you then yeah I wouldn't weigh everyday.

    I personally weigh every day. I know if I'm eating in a deficit I will lose weight it just won't be in a straight line down and it won't be as fast as I want it to:(.

    But its really trial and error when figuring out what helps or doesn't help the process.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    It can be disheartening, before i step on the scale I hope for the best, but expect the worst. If you're doing everything right then keep it up and the scale will eventually catch up.
    I strongly recommend downloading a weight trending app, I use Trendweight (pc only).

    Phone apps:

    Libra-Android
    Happy scale- i-phone

    They will smooth out the fluctuations and give you a truer picture of what's happening as opposed to a single solitary weigh in day every now and then.
  • mrspett323
    mrspett323 Posts: 85 Member
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    Hate the scale and as of yesterday it will not be stepped on until June, it will ruin your day if its a number that pops up that you don't want to see and I was tired of that. Take progress pictures and they will show the real truth, I had to do this to get over that constant/daily scale weigh. You will lose inches and the scale will not reflect that. The scale is just part of the tools necessary to access your overall progress, its not the overall tool for your progress! Keep doing what you do and see what happens when you don't quit! We already know what happens when we do....

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