Why do people focus so much on the scale?

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  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Because it determines my mood for the rest of the day.

    You are letting a scale determine your mood and you aren't worried about your mentality and your view?
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    I gained 10lbs over the winter and look better than I did before. :happy:


    Yes. I am an attention *kitten*. :tongue:

    Go you! You probably deserve all the attention you get just the same!
  • hollin40
    hollin40 Posts: 120 Member
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    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!

    In the beginning, seeing the numbers go down was good BUT NOW seeing the sizes go down is more important....I feel better and I'm on the way to looking better. I was in total denial I was losing, despite the numbers on the scale......until I started trying on clothes and finding they are getting bigger! Best. Motivator. Ever!
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!

    In the beginning, seeing the numbers go down was good BUT NOW seeing the sizes go down is more important....I feel better and I'm on the way to looking better. I was in total denial I was losing, despite the numbers on the scale......until I started trying on clothes and finding they are getting bigger! Best. Motivator. Ever!

    Me too! I have had plateaus that lasted 4 months but lost 2 pants sized during that plateau. honestly losing the sized made me feel fantastic. I would rrather other people notice me getting thinner than the scale telling me a number.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    it's difficult to stay focused on exercising hard and eating right with a view to losing weight. losing weight becomes the focus, not always being 'healthier' . i can see why going to scale and scale addiction happens...it's the only way you can visually see any sort of return on effort.

    also, some people have to weigh in every day to keep their HRM readings accurate.
  • dmf711
    dmf711 Posts: 141 Member
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    maybe i'm just a rare case but i'm 20 pounds lighter and all my clothes fit exactly the same as they did in december before i started really committing to MFP. for me, the scale is what i depend on because i have no difference in my measurements. it's REALLY frustrating not feeling a difference in my clothes even though the number on the scale is decreasing.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
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    Weight is an objective number. Like all numbers and statistics it can be misused.

    I agree that too many people attach too much importance to it... especially to minor fluctuations. None of the measures are perfect... many people gained too much weight while still feeling fine and since it was gradual, learning to not see it in the mirror. Fitness is hard to measure. Whether we feel good depends on so many things. Measurements can be affected by how tightly you measure or how much you can suck your stomach in for a minute or so (maybe even subconsciously). Clothing stretches and shrinks as we was it. Jeans may still fit even after you've lost pounds and inches, because they tightened up in the wash, and you're no longer putting the pressure on them to stretch back out as much. People used to wearing loose, large clothing may not be able to notice how much looser it is.

    But, as some others have said, weight is the first sign of success that people who are very overweight or obese will usually see. It's what doctors and weight loss and fitness programs tend to focus on... even an exercise program with no stated weight loss intent will often begin by asking your sex, height and weight. So it's no wonder many have learned to focus on it, but it is a good idea to consider the other "measures".
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    it's difficult to stay focused on exercising hard and eating right with a view to losing weight. losing weight becomes the focus, not always being 'healthier' . i can see why going to scale and scale addiction happens...it's the only way you can visually see any sort of return on effort.

    also, some people have to weigh in every day to keep their HRM readings accurate.

    I wear a HRM and a fitbit and do not weigh in everday. Once a week is accurate. I would almost have to say that that is an obsession, if you think one week and one or two pounds are going to change your HRM much...
  • Amy_Lee_2012
    Amy_Lee_2012 Posts: 156 Member
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    I stil have a very long way to go- about 120 more pounds to lose, so, right now, the scale is a good tool for me to use to track my progress.
    Even after losing 70 pounds, I honestly can't tell a big difference in the way my clothing fits or how I look, so the scale helps to remind me how far I've come since November of last year.
    I am certain I will rely on the scale a lot, over the next several months, but it's working for me. It helps to keep me motivated and I really need that right now :)
  • amymrls
    amymrls Posts: 1,673 Member
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    maybe i'm just a rare case but i'm 20 pounds lighter and all my clothes fit exactly the same as they did in december before i started really committing to MFP. for me, the scale is what i depend on because i have no difference in my measurements. it's REALLY frustrating not feeling a difference in my clothes even though the number on the scale is decreasing.

    It will change through my process I would lose weight then plateau and lose inches then lose weight then plateau and lose inches. I look forward to my plateaus. Most people on here cry about them.
  • dieseljay74
    dieseljay74 Posts: 376
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    I agree. Weight on a scale is a combination of everything your body consists of. Once I hit my BF% I wanted, I upped the calories to start to pack on some more muscle. Weight went up slowly and consistently while my pants fit looser all the time.
    Pretty representative of the scales uselessness
  • katemme
    katemme Posts: 191
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    Because it determines my mood for the rest of the day.

    You are letting a scale determine your mood and you aren't worried about your mentality and your view?


    Oh no, they are horrible too. I've gone down like 3 pant sizes. Size 2 now and still hate the way I look, the scale is just another reminder of my failure.
  • Sarahmeridith
    Sarahmeridith Posts: 298 Member
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    I guess it depends on the person. I am 216lbs and I take the scale very seriously... Im so happy that I am now in an Lg to XL shirt instead od a XXL but really I am not fooling anyone, until I get under 200lbs that scale really matters, because I know I will never be a size 8 and 200lbs its impossible I love seeing the scale go down, and it really does show my progress. Everyone is different and not everyone needs to rely on the scale... but there is no reason to knock those of us who use the scale an important tool and who loves to see the number go down.
  • JoanneStone
    JoanneStone Posts: 135 Member
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    Your scale gives you IMMEDIATE gratification or discouragement. It takes time to notice the difference in your body or the way your clothes fit. But when you get on that scale...BAM there it is! Like it or lump it.
  • Stella_Leigh
    Stella_Leigh Posts: 189 Member
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    Isn't losing a pants size and going to smaller sizes just as much proof that you are doing better and getting healthier? What about healthy blood draws from your dr saying you are doing fantastic? What about looking in the mirror and just saying DAMN I am lookin good. I am a different person!

    This.
  • MissFit0101
    MissFit0101 Posts: 2,382
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    What does it matter to you?
  • diva2bee
    diva2bee Posts: 14
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    I would honestly like to tell you I dont focus on the scale ... but it would mean I am not telling the truth.

    I guess when you have a lot of weight to lose, its a visual help, when maybe you dont notice it in the mirror? For me its mostly a positive influence, it keeps me on track especially when I gain. I dont think the scale should rule how we feel about ourselves, it is a constant reminder to me that I need to do something about my health and thats why I step on it ... it makes me aware of the reality that I am overweight and I need change my lifestyle.

    Hope you are having a great weekend :)
  • megannicolex33
    megannicolex33 Posts: 82
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    Personally, I think you might be focusing too much on other people. You've found that inches and sizes are more important to you, and other people feel that the number on the scale is more important to them. Each person is different, but ultimately, we're all on the same journey. You obviously wanted to lose weight originally or else you wouldn't be here. Try to be more understanding - society has conditioned us to believe that the number on the scale is of extreme importance, so that's why a lot of people focus so much on it. I weigh myself every day. You might weigh yourself once a month. But at the end of the day, who really cares? To each their own. We all have our own ways of doing things.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
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    Because it moves faster than a measuring tape and it's easier to get a correct weight than it is to get that stupid measuring tape in the same place every time!

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