Don't Let the Bathroom Scale Get the Better of You
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Libra is apparently not available for apple, so I'll give Happy Scale a shot. I went ahead an entered my weights for the last 5 days. It gives what it calls a happy scale moving average; it seems to be a special exponential way of averaging and predicting weight as part of their smoothing algorithm. I'll have to see where that number is based on the actual average and weigh in and decide on Thursday which one I'll use as my reporting weight here for the week.3
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Thanks for posting this one and making it so easily accessible! My bathroom scale hasn't been all that active in June, despite being able to feel physical changes and some of my clothes fitting differently. Normally this is when I'd throw in the towel but knowing more about the why helped me examine what I've been doing that could be causing water/waste retention, relax, and trust the process.4
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I took this picture this morning as an example. The picture is of a 3 quart pot sitting on my food scales and showing what 1 lb of water looks like. As you can see, it's maybe 1/2" deep in the pot and the amount would probably fit in a lunch size ziplock bag. Now think about spreading that amount of water out across the whole mass of your body: that 1 lb would not be noticeable at all looking at yourself, even though it registers on the scale. 2 or 3 lbs really would probably not be noticeable anywhere but the scales.
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Good advice, I weigh daily but only record weekly. It goes up and down during the week but mostly down on weekly basis. I know they say to only weigh monthly if you have to weigh but I am just not there. lol But I also don't let it wreck my plan if it's not what I want to see.
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I don't know who says only weigh monthly. To me that is a recipe for weight gain. I need the feedback. I just have learned to filter out the noise and see the trends. Technology helps a lot with that.2
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I've started doing my weekly weigh in on Monday but I do a second check on Friday going into the weekend, which I do not record....it just tells me the trend for the week and allows me to correct.2
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I don't know who says only weigh monthly. To me that is a recipe for weight gain. I need the feedback. I just have learned to filter out the noise and see the trends. Technology helps a lot with that.
There are "experts" who say you must weigh daily, others that say no more than weekly, some monthly, and some never. My non-expert opinion is to do what is comfortable and don't force yourself into doing something some expert says.
If you need to break yourself of bad habits like weighing multiple times a day, overreacting to the results, or using it as your sole motivation it might be a good idea to weigh less often for a time. I had a pretty bad relationship with the scale that was improved by weighing less often. Now I am fine to do it daily.1 -
I agree @NovusDies. Do what is right for you as long as it is not harmful. @speyerj I don't know if a lot say Monthly but through the years I have heard it from many sources. They say focusing to much on the number is not healthy. I weigh once in the morning and once at night. I just like to see the numbers and how they fluctuate. I find it interesting that I can weigh 5 lbs heavier at night and then be 5 lbs down in the morning. I also find in interesting that sometimes after a treat meal I can be up as much as 10 lbs the next day but still lose weight for the week when I weigh in the following Friday. It does not affect my feelings or dictate staying on or going off plan I just like numbers. I guess that is why calorie counting is just second nature to me.1
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I agree @NovusDies. Do what is right for you as long as it is not harmful. @speyerj I don't know if a lot say Monthly but through the years I have heard it from many sources. They say focusing to much on the number is not healthy. I weigh once in the morning and once at night. I just like to see the numbers and how they fluctuate. I find it interesting that I can weigh 5 lbs heavier at night and then be 5 lbs down in the morning. I also find in interesting that sometimes after a treat meal I can be up as much as 10 lbs the next day but still lose weight for the week when I weigh in the following Friday. It does not affect my feelings or dictate staying on or going off plan I just like numbers. I guess that is why calorie counting is just second nature to me.
@howie6267
I have heard it from various sources over the years. I have heard to same about weekly, and daily. Very often they have studies that "prove" which is most often used by successful people.
It is the definition of success that is always the problem. The sad truth is that I can watch the habits of 100 people as they try to lose weight for 4 to 6 months and during that trial and shortly thereafter most of them will fail to go the distance and many of those that do will regain. That is why so much of this group is focused on the mental aspects of losing weight not the methodology and mechanics. With the right mindset I can weigh myself daily, weekly, or monthly and/or I can alternate through multiple mainstream diets and still lose weight. Without the right mindset I am right back at risk of yo-yoing and all or nothing thinking. How often we weigh and, as long as we eat in a way that satiates, the food is the smallest part of the equation. Internet blogs, magazine covers, and weight loss "breakthroughs" make money keeping our focus on the incidentals.4 -
Yes I agree with you and I do need to learn how to focus more on the mental aspect of it. Because I tend to go up and down. I have been to goal once in my adult life(53) and have been under 300 3 times in my adult life. I have also been above 400 4 times.2
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I seem to have always had some sort of sabotage trigger that will go off at times and usually I lose control....a bad day at the office, my wife is mad, or any stress can put me in that f--- it place, I'm hoping that being accountable to you guys as a support group will get me through.7
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Today I am going to challenge each of you and myself to be grateful about having an uptick. It is just for today. You don't have to be happy about it tomorrow.
I am grateful my body is a complex machine that has coping mechanisms that involve water retention. The extra water often helps with healing and progressing.
If my uptick is food waste related I am glad I can eat a wide variety of food. When my body is done with some of it, it will weigh a little more than perhaps what I had a few days ago.
I am grateful to realize that weight is a state of being not a number on the scale.
I am grateful to be have my patience challenged so that I can meet that challenge and grow from it.
I am grateful that I am aware of my weight now and taking steps to manage it the right way.
I am grateful to have spare money to buy a scale.
I do not HAVE to deal with weight fluctuations. I GET to deal with them.
Add to my list, write your own, or call me an idiot.
Felt so good after reading this. I had a talk with myself yesterday about this. I checked my weight and it didn't change. Honestly I was a bit disappointed seeing I haven't lost any weight in last 7 days though I have been eating healthy and staying active. Then I felt my journey is more than a number. My journey towards a healthy body is not just about this one day. It is about everyday every meal every workout all the effort that I put in. One number cannot decide my success. I feel happy when I eat a healthy meal. I call that a success. I can bend to tie my shoelace now I call that a success. I feel like doing more work I call that a success. If that scale moves - great. If it doesn't - it doesn't matter - I move on with my choices that I make everyday to live a healthy and active life.3 -
For those of us doing regular outdoor activity:In the summer, body weight can go up by several pounds due to increased body water. This is accomplished through fluid-conserving hormones such as aldosterone, which allows the kidney to retain more fluid and reduces the amount of salt in sweat, a measure that also aids in water retention. The increase and stabilization of total body water can only be accomplished by continuing to exercise in hot weather and will not occur in people who spend most of their time indoors in air-conditioned environments.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-body-wieght-ambient-temperature/3 -
I have to weigh daily or getting on the scale is too fraught, and I try to game it by not eating as much the day before and stupid things like that. I weigh daily and watch the overall trend.1
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I am getting completely frustrated with my weight. I lost 15 lbs in the first 4 weeks, but now two weeks later, the scale hasn't budged...this in spite of big calorie deficits. My first thought this morning was "what's the use, screw this". But I did my long walk again and my resolve has returned. It helped that one of my neighbors saw me walking and commented on how different I look. NSV!!!6
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I am getting completely frustrated with my weight. I lost 15 lbs in the first 4 weeks, but now two weeks later, the scale hasn't budged...this in spite of big calorie deficits. My first thought this morning was "what's the use, screw this". But I did my long walk again and my resolve has returned. It helped that one of my neighbors saw me walking and commented on how different I look. NSV!!!
I was in the office yesterday and saw a co-worker I hadn't seen in quite a while and she comment on how much I'd lost. The comments do help when the scale is being frustrating! lol5 -
@Ccricfo i totally can relate to that frustration. 10 years ago I lost nearly 100 lbs. At that time I worked with a trainer and trusted him to handle my nutrition and exercise. Basically, I couldn’t afford him, and my motivation was that if I was spending out of my budget, I had better be in 100%.
The first 3 months I steadily lost weight. Then the fourth month hit. No loss. 5th month. No loss. 6th month. No loss. I was frustrated as hell but, I felt healthier. I also knew that he had successfully trained all his clients. So I persevered, and 7th month? 32 pounds dropped in just over three weeks and then my body started steadily losing again. I KNOW if I didn’t have that support system in place I would have thrown in the towel.
I’m telling you this because I notice on your feed that you exercise a lot everyday. There is a possibility that your body is just adjusting and it will work itself out. It doesn’t make it easier. But at the end of the day, it really comes down to how much healthier you are, not if you beat a certain number yet.
Hang in there!!!4 -
@jodibeth5744
Thanks so much for those words of encouragement. It's ironic that after I posted my comments yesterday, I recorded 1.8 lbs lost when I checked in. So at the end of my 6th week I have a total loss of 17, or almost 3 lbs per week. I do feel lighter and the exercise is paying off for both me and my dog Darwin.
I love numbers (being a CPA) and I its frustrating when they don't make sense. But I'm in this for the long haul!
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@Ccricfo - so glad you had a bit of a whoosh. At the very beginning, when we first start reducing calories, we tend to drop a lot of weight. That is really encouraging, but it sets us up for a big disappointment in the weeks that follow. No month's weight loss is ever going to measure up to that first month. And when you throw in exercise into the mix, combining a calorie deficit with muscle soreness and muscle fatigue results in water retention - which hides the fat loss. Just remember, you aren't trying to lose weight. You are trying to lose fat. Jodibeth's story above is a great one to remember, because it's likely you'll see a stall again in the future. Just keep on doing what you are doing and trust that on the inside, you are burning fat.2
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@jodibeth5744
Thanks so much for those words of encouragement. It's ironic that after I posted my comments yesterday, I recorded 1.8 lbs lost when I checked in. So at the end of my 6th week I have a total loss of 17, or almost 3 lbs per week. I do feel lighter and the exercise is paying off for both me and my dog Darwin.
I love numbers (being a CPA) and I its frustrating when they don't make sense. But I'm in this for the long haul!
My numbers have always made sense eventually. Eventually being the magic word. Eventually has been 7 weeks later but usually just 3 weeks. I meticulously track my caloric deficit and I have an adjusted weight column that deducts losses by deficit. My scale weight can go all over the place but it usually eventually matches pretty closely with my adjusted weight - at least for a time. The margin of error in all of this forces me to manually update the adjusted weight and then it will be reliable again for at least another 3 months.
One of the most important things to remember is that if your habits do not shift that much your weight loss will not dramatically change over a month's period. It can't happen. It can stop showing up on the scale but physically you must keep using stored energy. If you are in an appropriate level of deficit most of that stored energy is fat.
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Today is 50th day of my journey. I lost 5 kilos so far but the last time the scale moved was 19 days ago. So I lost 5 kg in July and haven't lost any weight in August. I am struggling to stay motivated. 😭😭😭😭 Feels like I am never gonna lose weight again. It is going to be stuck forever. 😭😭😭😭4
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Naz_2020 I just went through a two week plateau that was very discouraging....the suddenly I was down two pounds. So I put my scale away, only to be brought out once a week on weigh day. I understand your dilemma...just hang in there like everyone kept telling me.3
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I should practice what I preach...my weight loss has been up and down for a month...swimming five days a week is making me stronger but my scales aren’t co operating!...this is driving me crazy!4
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Today is 50th day of my journey. I lost 5 kilos so far but the last time the scale moved was 19 days ago. So I lost 5 kg in July and haven't lost any weight in August. I am struggling to stay motivated. 😭😭😭😭 Feels like I am never gonna lose weight again. It is going to be stuck forever. 😭😭😭😭
@Naz_2020
If you are still in a calorie deficit you are losing fat weight which is what you want to be losing. The scale failing to go down doesn't change the fact you are burning fat.
It is during these times I suggest that new members review their logging practices because confirming you are in a deficit helps you trust the process. If you are not using a food scale you might want to consider it. Never assume the serving sizes from the packaging are correct. Never assume that the MFP entry you are using is correct until you verify it against a nutrition label or the USDA site... this includes green checked items and scanned barcodes.
Most likely you are a few days from a whoosh and the scale will catch up with some or all of your losses.2 -
I lost 1 kg 😁😁😁 Scale moved! 😊😊😊8
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I got weighed today at the doctors and it was the exact same as 2 weeks ago. My MFP calories is set at 1200 and im sad to say I never reach that much daily. usually have around 900 a day. I eat but not high calorie food. I never leave myself feeling hungry. I just cant reach that 1200 mark. the rest of my macros are also under for each day. I dont understand why I havent lost any weight. I Started MFP on July 14 at 339 and am at 316.8, so I have lost in 40 some days but not in the last 2 weeks. its kinda discouraging because I have so many things I have to watch with my health like carbs, sodium, fat , and cholesterol. It all makes my anxiety bad.1
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@southernskeeter - I never pay any attention to the weight at the doctor's office. You are fully clothed, and usually, it's in the middle of the day - with food and drink in your belly. The only weight I track is the one taken first thing in the morning, (after a morning pee) and without my clothes. Your clothes can be add up to 4 pounds and a meal can add another 3 pounds. Do you have a scale at home that you use or are you only weighing at the doctor's office?
You may well have lost weight but due to those factors, it didn't show up on the scale.1 -
@southernskeeter the scale is but one tool we can use to measure our health. You are making strides towards gaining better health no matter what the number on the scale says - sometimes you'll stay the same weight for a while and then have a "whoosh" where it drops dramatically even though you haven't done anything differently to the day before. There are so many factors like water retention and inflammation that affect the number on the scale.
With that said, I do think you should be aiming to eat more calories than you are at the moment. 1200 calories is the absolute minimum that a female should be consuming as it's the bare minimum you need just to survive while completely immobile. Adding any movement (even working a sedentary job) means you need more calories just to function. If you're sure that your tracking is 100% accurate (are you using a food scale?) then please consider getting more calories in as this is quite probably the reason the scale isn't moving - your body is holding onto everything it can get because it needs more than 900 calories a day just to keep your heart beating.
Take care xx2 -
southernskeeter wrote: »I got weighed today at the doctors and it was the exact same as 2 weeks ago. My MFP calories is set at 1200 and im sad to say I never reach that much daily. usually have around 900 a day. I eat but not high calorie food. I never leave myself feeling hungry. I just cant reach that 1200 mark. the rest of my macros are also under for each day. I dont understand why I havent lost any weight. I Started MFP on July 14 at 339 and am at 316.8, so I have lost in 40 some days but not in the last 2 weeks. its kinda discouraging because I have so many things I have to watch with my health like carbs, sodium, fat , and cholesterol. It all makes my anxiety bad.
You have lost weight. You have lost fat weight. The scale give the sum total of everything that is placed on it. It cannot tell you how much fat weight you have lost if other factors like water, stomach contents, food waste, clothing, the keys in your pocket, etc. have added more weight than the fat that was lost.
This is going to be an ongoing situation. The scale will seem to stall and it will definitely go up for weeks at a time. You need to learn now that it is your trend you need to watch not whatever number is on the scale at any given moment. Some people do this with apps like happy scale. I do it in a spreadsheet that shows me my 3, 6, 12, and overall rate of loss. The ones I trust are 6 and 12 weeks. 3 weeks is too volatile because of my large swings in water weight.3
