I hate my scale

singin5447
singin5447 Posts: 7 Member
in Motivation and Support
I hate that my feelings of accomplishment are tied directly to my scale.

My scale is having some issues, I can tell because it's digital and I can't get the same number twice and it displays an ERR message every time I try to use it. I believe it's the battery and I'll pick one up today. But in the meantime today is my weigh in day and according to the inconsistent numbers I am up almost two pounds.

I think I'm doing everything right; journalling, staying within my calories, making healthy choices, moving more.

But the number on a broken scale has me completely unsettled.

Why are our brains are so fragile when it comes to weight?

Replies

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Get new batteries and read this helpful thread:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634529/why-did-the-number-on-the-scale-go-up-this-week-heres-why/p1
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,128 Member
    Even if the scale wasn't broken, it's perfectly normal for the scale to show a gain whilst losing fat.

    https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

    If you're finding you're too emotionally tied to the scale focus on other methods of progress - strive for nutritional/fitness/health goals.
  • singin5447
    singin5447 Posts: 7 Member
    Thank you for your replies. :) I'm sorry I probably should have included I know it is normal for the scale to fluctuate. I've done this before and lost 125 lbs. But the fact that I can't get a reading I trust has me spinning.
  • singin5447
    singin5447 Posts: 7 Member
    @88olds
    Thank you. That's what I needed to hear today.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Have you considered a weight trending app like Happy Scale or Trendweight? I don't use one but they seem to help a lot of people.

    I could not handle the scale initially so I stayed off of it. The first time I weighed was after 6 weeks of loss and then it was over another month before I weighed again. It helped to teach me to look for progress markers that are more important than a number on the scale. Things like how my clothes were getting baggy and how I was able to walk more easily.

    Eventually, being a numbers/data person, I was able to put together a spreadsheet that helped me see through the fluctuations and now I can weigh daily.

    However I would be lying if I said it never bothered me. It just doesn't bother me all day like it once did. It is always a disappointment if the number is higher than it was before even when I know it is temporary. I can let it go pretty fast now.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    I kind of managed to change my mindset the hard way. When I was binge eating, I never felt so fat in my life, even at my highest weight. I felt skinnier when I was eating well and had good habits. I was able to make the switch to the victory being my good habits rather than the results of those good habits (the weight loss) because it was the good habits that actually made me feel like I was making progress. I also picked up habitica and rewarded myself with the habits rather than with the scale number, like logging my food, getting a walk in, or getting a certain amount of vegetables.
  • Nature003Life
    Nature003Life Posts: 37 Member
    I use the Happy Scale app and it has helped me a lot. I strongly dislike the scale because it fluctuates too much so my approach has changed. Weigh myself the beginning of the month and leave the scale alone for the rest of the month. Track my calorie intake daily and drink plenty of water. I don't focus on the number on the scale like before, I focus on inches lost. (Yes the number on the scale was stressing me out last year. It got so bad that I purposely didn't buy new batteries for a few months. I also had my husband hide it from me.)

    Don't let the number on the scale get to you; don't let it distract you from your goal. You got this and will reach your goal. :smiley:



  • abigail793
    abigail793 Posts: 9 Member
    This has frustrated me, too, yet I hadn't thought to actually voice it. For me it is a cycle of trying to believe that the effort I am putting in is actually accumulating towards my goal- and losing faith in the "hard science" of calorie counting when it fails me on the scale.

    It is tough when I want to put my full effort and energy into sculpting my perfect body, yet also feel so encumbered by such "trivial" matters as, oh, reality- by which I mean the fact of the calories that I am eating not equaling the number on the scale that they should!

    And since you have lose 125 pounds I'm sure you know what a difference a simple 2 pounds can make! That is a big difference- 6,800 calories I believe?- not a simple little miscalculation on the part of the scale.

    I would urge you to put less of an investment in the scale and focus on what feels right, eating-wise and exercise-wise. That's what I have found myself having to do when I am so focused on the numbers during weight loss that I get completely baffled by the scale not adding up to what I have calculated it should be reading. I take it as a little sign from the universe saying, hey, relax, it isn't as big a deal as you're making it out to be. Slow down and take account of everything.

    Best wishes to you,

    Love, Abbie

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