Advice on how to stop being a slave to the scale
halimaiqbal00
Posts: 288 Member
I'm not overweight but I seem to have this magical number in my head that isn't compatible with my goals. I'm attempting recomp starting today. I have trained hard with weights and hiit these past 3 days, while increasing my calories by 150 a day. Naturally, this will reflect an increase on the scale number and I k ow this so why am I so damn miserable that I'm 1 pound up from Fridays weight. I hate being a slave to the scale by letting it dictate my mood.
A few months back, I was so sick of the scale (weighed once a week for years now) because I looked and felt great but after seeing a gain on the scale, my whole day was ruined) that I stopped weighing for two months. When I wrighed again, I was up 9 pounds and this is where I'm at now.
Any advice/suggestions?
If it helps, my stats are:
Female
33
5' 7
148 pounds
Workout intense 4x a week with weights and cardio
Calories-1900
A few months back, I was so sick of the scale (weighed once a week for years now) because I looked and felt great but after seeing a gain on the scale, my whole day was ruined) that I stopped weighing for two months. When I wrighed again, I was up 9 pounds and this is where I'm at now.
Any advice/suggestions?
If it helps, my stats are:
Female
33
5' 7
148 pounds
Workout intense 4x a week with weights and cardio
Calories-1900
0
Replies
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chuck out your scales.9
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Take measurements and progress picture instead of using the scale if you're happy with how you look and know that your mood is going to be affected by seeing normal fluctuations on the scale.
If you want to weigh less regularly but would be tempted to hop on the scale because it's there, could you leave it at a friend or relatives so you can only do it maybe once per month?2 -
I don't know if I have the willpower to just throw it out altogether. I'm worried that I'll go out and buy another. Actually, I do like the idea of leaving it somewhere where I only can access it once a month. I'll do that. Thanks for the replies!0
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halimaiqbal00 wrote: »I'm not overweight but I seem to have this magical number in my head that isn't compatible with my goals. I'm attempting recomp starting today. I have trained hard with weights and hiit these past 3 days, while increasing my calories by 150 a day. Naturally, this will reflect an increase on the scale number and I k ow this so why am I so damn miserable that I'm 1 pound up from Fridays weight. I hate being a slave to the scale by letting it dictate my mood.
A few months back, I was so sick of the scale (weighed once a week for years now) because I looked and felt great but after seeing a gain on the scale, my whole day was ruined) that I stopped weighing for two months. When I wrighed again, I was up 9 pounds and this is where I'm at now.
Any advice/suggestions?
If it helps, my stats are:
Female
33
5' 7
148 pounds
Workout intense 4x a week with weights and cardio
Calories-1900
How accurate are you with logging? Are you logging? Are you weighing your food? Because with your stats, your TDEE is about 2250. You should not be gaining on 1900.0 -
halimaiqbal00 wrote: »I don't know if I have the willpower to just throw it out altogether. I'm worried that I'll go out and buy another. Actually, I do like the idea of leaving it somewhere where I only can access it once a month. I'll do that. Thanks for the replies!
This is all about willpower and discipline. If you want to rid yourself of something then go for it, dont think about not doing it, just consciously stop. If you learn stronger self-discipline now then the future will be much simpler. Manage your actions.6 -
Count calories , eat lean meats, plenty of vegetables, fruits and drink plenty of water4
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halimaiqbal00 wrote: »I'm not overweight but I seem to have this magical number in my head that isn't compatible with my goals. I'm attempting recomp starting today. I have trained hard with weights and hiit these past 3 days, while increasing my calories by 150 a day. Naturally, this will reflect an increase on the scale number and I k ow this so why am I so damn miserable that I'm 1 pound up from Fridays weight. I hate being a slave to the scale by letting it dictate my mood.
A few months back, I was so sick of the scale (weighed once a week for years now) because I looked and felt great but after seeing a gain on the scale, my whole day was ruined) that I stopped weighing for two months. When I wrighed again, I was up 9 pounds and this is where I'm at now.
Any advice/suggestions?
If it helps, my stats are:
Female
33
5' 7
148 pounds
Workout intense 4x a week with weights and cardio
Calories-1900
How accurate are you with logging? Are you logging? Are you weighing your food? Because with your stats, your TDEE is about 2250. You should not be gaining on 1900.
She's recomping at 1900 calories.
OP, making peace with your scale will be something you do over time and when that time comes you will be able to use the scale as tool to assist you in your efforts and not let it be an end all to your success and how you feel about yourself.
If you are on point with logging food, then the scale results are a mute point. You will get to your comfort zone, I like the idea of putting it out of reach or somewhere you do not have easy access to it, remove the batteries if you have too.. Good luck!2 -
Up a lb is within normal body weight fluctuations - you didn't gain a lb a fat - don't let any one day number influence you; it's data point - add to progress pictures and measurements for a holistic view1
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I think it is just about knowing that the scale does not tell you anything other than your weight. Using measurements, photos, the mirror, how your clothes fit, etc. All those things I would say are more important to track progress, especially when recomping.
However.. for me, while I am not a slave to my scale, I have become a slave to what I see in the mirror. Which is not much better either to be honest. I think working on your relationship with your body and yourself and setting fitness goals (along with physique goals) can help too.3 -
I've been able to take away the scales' scare-power by doing just the opposite -- weighing daily, and entering the data into Happy Scale. That way I see those fluctuations daily, and they don't build up into a Great Weekly Event. Happy Scale (or one of the other weight trend apps) smooths out the line of data points and makes a trend line, rather than an individual judgment of one day.
This may not work for you, but for me it takes away the drama and makes it just an everyday thing, with a lot less angst.5 -
I've been able to take away the scales' scare-power by doing just the opposite -- weighing daily, and entering the data into Happy Scale. That way I see those fluctuations daily, and they don't build up into a Great Weekly Event. Happy Scale (or one of the other weight trend apps) smooths out the line of data points and makes a trend line, rather than an individual judgment of one day.
This may not work for you, but for me it takes away the drama and makes it just an everyday thing, with a lot less angst.
I was going to suggest this as well. Happy Scale for IOS, Libra for Android or Trendweight.com for web site.4 -
As a daily weigher (who doesn't use a trending app), I got used to fluctuations. The first day I joined, I weighed myself every 2 hrs for *kitten* and giggles. I wanted too see how much my weight actually changed in the run of a day. It really helped put things in perspective.2
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Thank you for all your replies. I've downloaded 'happy scale' and like the idea of daily weigh ins that show you an average. I think that will help me when I'm feeling deterred!3
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Let me ask you this? IF you were in a toxic relationship with a person would you let it continue or would you end the relationship? I hope the answer is you'd end it. Because that is what is happening with the scale. YOu are allowing the scale to dictate how you feel or how your day will go. I think it best to kick it to the curb.
3 -
I struggled with this for a while and used to get on the scale 6-8x each day...
In the end I decided that the scale was not the enemy, nor there to ruin my day. I started to see the scale as more of an old friend, one that has helped guide me on this journey I've thrown myself into.
This really helped me, while I still weigh about 4x a week... I've gotten much better about not obsessing over it2 -
I weigh myself daily, look at the number and move on with my day. I am not letting some bathroom equipment to dictate my mood.i have a goal weight number as well and very close to it, so I understand that the closer you are to your ideal weight the harder it will be. So don't let the number on the scale take over you. Look at it and move on.:)0
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I literally just stopped weighing myself.1
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At 120lbs, I allow myself the window of 118-122 without panic. A couple of days in a row above or below that, and I'll adjust by 250 calories/day.1
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halimaiqbal00 wrote: »I'm not overweight but I seem to have this magical number in my head that isn't compatible with my goals. I'm attempting recomp starting today. I have trained hard with weights and hiit these past 3 days, while increasing my calories by 150 a day. Naturally, this will reflect an increase on the scale number and I k ow this so why am I so damn miserable that I'm 1 pound up from Fridays weight. I hate being a slave to the scale by letting it dictate my mood.
A few months back, I was so sick of the scale (weighed once a week for years now) because I looked and felt great but after seeing a gain on the scale, my whole day was ruined) that I stopped weighing for two months. When I wrighed again, I was up 9 pounds and this is where I'm at now.
Any advice/suggestions?
If it helps, my stats are:
Female
33
5' 7
148 pounds
Workout intense 4x a week with weights and cardio
Calories-1900
How accurate are you with logging? Are you logging? Are you weighing your food? Because with your stats, your TDEE is about 2250. You should not be gaining on 1900.
You can't know someone's TDEE from a calculator. Those are just averages.3 -
I personally threw my scale away. I could tell it was becoming an obsession for me. For a while I only tracked my progress in inches and then I only used the scale at the gym. That limited me to only weighing myself 5 times a week instead of 14-21 times.2
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I do the same thing. I get upset if I gain but then I tell myself that there's reason behind the gain. Did I go over my calorie intake? Did I eat too much? Or did I just eat or drink a bottle of water? It's normal for your body to fluctuate! Don't get deterred over a pound! I know it's hard not too but you can do it!0
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I've been able to take away the scales' scare-power by doing just the opposite -- weighing daily, and entering the data into Happy Scale. That way I see those fluctuations daily, and they don't build up into a Great Weekly Event. Happy Scale (or one of the other weight trend apps) smooths out the line of data points and makes a trend line, rather than an individual judgment of one day.
This may not work for you, but for me it takes away the drama and makes it just an everyday thing, with a lot less angst.
Another vote for weighing daily and getting used to normal fluctuations.
I never would have learned I retain water when I ovulate if not for weighing daily and seeing the trend.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »I've been able to take away the scales' scare-power by doing just the opposite -- weighing daily, and entering the data into Happy Scale. That way I see those fluctuations daily, and they don't build up into a Great Weekly Event. Happy Scale (or one of the other weight trend apps) smooths out the line of data points and makes a trend line, rather than an individual judgment of one day.
This may not work for you, but for me it takes away the drama and makes it just an everyday thing, with a lot less angst.
Another vote for weighing daily and getting used to normal fluctuations.
I never would have learned I retain water when I ovulate if not for weighing daily and seeing the trend.
I agree completely!
OP, unfortunately, scales don't tell us what most of us want to know--body composition--at least not reliably. Lean body mass and fat don't fluctuate much. Waste transiting the digestive tract doesn't either, unless one's eating pattern is extremely variable. It's water that causes this annoying scale weight fluctuation, and an impossibly large number of factors contribute-- estrogen increase, cortisol increase (stress), salt intake, muscle repair, muscle hydration with glycogen, dehydration, some medications, injury, heat, even air travel. I'm sure I left out like 20. Don't let the water fluctuations psych you out. It's awesome to be fully hydrated. I agree with weighing daily so you can observe your patterns, but maybe only dwell on your low weights. If you are eating in a deficit, you know the high fluctuations are water and your low weights are most indicative of your progress.1 -
ymmv, because your mindset is your own and might not be like mine.
but personally, one of the best scale-busters i've ever found was having the scale in the bathroom with me. and there's another one in the locker room where i work. and another one at the gym.
nothing demystifies the whole idea of 'weight' for me like constantly weighing myself and seeing how much it fluctuates just from being a human and having a life. i find it entertaining. i walk into that locker room and weigh myself with back pack and cycling gear on in the mornings. take the pack off and i might 'lose' 15 pounds. then i weigh myself in my work clothes, go upstairs and eat most of what's in the backpack, come down at the end of the day and gear up again. it amuses the hell out of me that i almost always weigh exactly the same at the start and the end of the day. because if i just weigh myself i'll be six pounds heavier than i was in the morning, and if i just weigh the backpack its six pounds lighter.
i could just have a weird mind, i admit that. but i could never live in a world of 'never weigh!' my approach ha been more like 'over-familiarity with the very concept of 'weight' breeds contempt.'2 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »halimaiqbal00 wrote: »I'm not overweight but I seem to have this magical number in my head that isn't compatible with my goals. I'm attempting recomp starting today. I have trained hard with weights and hiit these past 3 days, while increasing my calories by 150 a day. Naturally, this will reflect an increase on the scale number and I k ow this so why am I so damn miserable that I'm 1 pound up from Fridays weight. I hate being a slave to the scale by letting it dictate my mood.
A few months back, I was so sick of the scale (weighed once a week for years now) because I looked and felt great but after seeing a gain on the scale, my whole day was ruined) that I stopped weighing for two months. When I wrighed again, I was up 9 pounds and this is where I'm at now.
Any advice/suggestions?
If it helps, my stats are:
Female
33
5' 7
148 pounds
Workout intense 4x a week with weights and cardio
Calories-1900
How accurate are you with logging? Are you logging? Are you weighing your food? Because with your stats, your TDEE is about 2250. You should not be gaining on 1900.
You can't know someone's TDEE from a calculator. Those are just averages.
I understand that.0
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