Girls who lift weights?!

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xxpeople2
xxpeople2 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey ladies! I have a question! I’ve been on my weight loss journey for a year & a half now. I started at 197lbs in December 2016 & lost 30 lbs doing weight watchers, I felt too restricted doing WW so I decided to start tracking calories! I was down to 167 lbs doing WW but I wasn’t working out a lot and I felt so deprived. I took November-February off of tracking & doing more “intuitive eating” I ended up going back to 186lbs! I hired a coach and now I’m at 179.1 tracking macros & lifting weights 4-5 days a week with a little bit of cardio. I know my weight always isn’t always the best way to track my progress since I am lifting weights, but I’ve used the scale as a way to track my success my whole life! How do you ladies who lift not let the scale effect you in a bad way??


Left: January 2018
Right: March 2018
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Replies

  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    When trying to lose weight I do use the scale as a tool for tracking progress. I also track my weight in Libra so I can see my weight trend despite fluctuations.
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
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    I just started lifting myself. I say just take measurements and stay off the scale if the number bothers you. Or just pay attention to how your clothes fit.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    To me the scale is just one measure, and because I don't log my food it helps give me an idea me how much I am eating over time. I also use the mirror, photos, measurements, how clothes fit, gym performance to track progress.
    So while it isn't the most important or only thing I use, tracking my scale weight (on a trend weight app) is a valuable piece of the puzzle.

    Once you start seeing progress in other ways (despite what the scale says) over time it becomes less and less a true measure of success.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
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    I feel no emotional reaction to the number on the scale. It's just a number. It's going to go up and down for a variety of reasons (water retention, food in transit, etc.) and that's not an indicator of gaining fat. I anticipate a gain of a few ounces the day after I workout because of water retention, and it always goes back down the day after that. I weigh almost every day and track with Libra to watch the downward trend. I also log everything I eat with a food scale, so I have the extra reassurance of knowing I'm not eating a calorie surplus. Therefore, it would be irrational to worry about what any given day says.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    The scale is a tool. I hate it. I won't get on it for months and I can tell you THAT is not great either. It's best to understand that you might get on the scale and you might see plus 5 pounds, but stay the course if you are tracking correctly.

    When I was more overweight, the scale went down pretty consistently while lifting in a deficit.

    Now it's all over the place.

    I feel my best when I focus on strength.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    In addition to the scale I took measurements and photographs regularly. They gave me more valuable feedback.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
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    I try to take more stock in other numbers, like my deadlift or squat. Concentrating on my lifts prevents me from worrying about the number on the scale.
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    edited April 2018
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    OP, you look good in second pic. I can see a big difference.

  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited April 2018
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    I can see a transformation in progress, very inspiring! Nice work. :smile:

    To answer your question, I do use my body weight scale, I also take monthly progress photos and monthly measurements. In the beginning it took me some time to get over scale anxiety. I used religious logging, knowing I did the logging properly meant the scale weight and fluctuations were just that. Trusting the process and each month when you see those changes in photos and in measurements these don't tell lies. I am not quite at the point where I will stop logging, I know everyone is different in this aspect, its my sure thing that I am on track, and when its on track I have not choice but to see the scale weight responding appropriately.
  • mengqiz86
    mengqiz86 Posts: 176 Member
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    It varies by person. I have a bad relationship with the numbers on the scale so I have stopped weighing myself. I monitor progress using a full tape-measure sequence every week - arms, waist at narrowest, waist at navel, hip, thighs, calves. I also supplement that with body fat calipers.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    Using multiple measures to track changes helps a lot. Scale weight is one measure, and trends over weeks rather than days is what I look at. Tape measurements, photos, clothes-fit are others.
  • PowerliftingMom
    PowerliftingMom Posts: 430 Member
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    You look great! I'm one that weighs myself daily. However, I've been bulking for over a year and use it just as a guide to make sure my weight doesn't increase too quickly. I occasionally take selfies and can see a huge difference in how much muscle I've gained over the past few months. My lifts have increased significantly and I will keep bulking until I decide it's time to do a cut and get into a lower weight class
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    I recently posted a thread about this. For me inches and progress pics have been a more accurate reflection of my progress.

    I still weigh daily and use trendweight. For me that is more to make sure I’m staying within a healthy range than anything else at this point
  • PixelPuff
    PixelPuff Posts: 901 Member
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    My measurements, and how I actually look. I hit my goal weight (100lbs down) long before I actually began to do anything workout-related, so it's actually been fairly easy for me to keep an eye on how I'm actually doing on gaining muscle vs fat again. My arms look toned & fab af.

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