Opinions please- r.e. not weighing for a month

Kiki829
Kiki829 Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone.

I'm new on MFP, but not to this weight loss game. I have a 7 month old baby that I am nursing, although she eats solids as well. I just started back on a diet and exercise regimen, and although I weighed in to get a beginning weight, I am considering not weighing myself for a month to see how much progress I made in the first month. The reason for this is in the past, when I have worked hard eating right and exercising, if I don't see the results on the scale that i want to, then I tend to eat things I shouldn't and end up going way off track. OTOH, I don't want to miss out on being able to tweak my calories if necessary. WWYD? This would only be for the first month. I am a former compulsive weigher!! ;)

Oh, and I still track my food and exercise everyday!

Replies

  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
    I think that's a reasonable plan. It can be discouraging to see no progress or even a slight gain due to water retention, etc... Weighing once a month may help with that.

    I still have to weigh weekly for a fitness program hosted at work, but I've chosen not to take any stock in the numbers on the scale. I'm focusing on eating right and training for my 5k. If my old jeans start to fit, I don't give a darn what the numbers on the scale say.
  • kimberly0416
    kimberly0416 Posts: 123 Member
    I refuse to weigh myself, it almost ruined my working out since I didn't see a large change in the scales.
    I did lose sizes though. I hate scales :angry:
  • Kiki829
    Kiki829 Posts: 60 Member
    The thing is I have A LOT of weight to lose. We're talking 140 pounds to get to goal, and 50 lbs. to get to pre-preg weight with this latest pregnancy. I know that I am losing weight already (I can feel a difference), but I also think that if I just do my very best every day and give it my all, then the scale won't defeat me. However, does MFP adjust your daily calories when you log in your weight?
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
    I have been trying to not obsess over the scale number...............it makes me CRAZY!

    Not weighing for a month is a good thing.....in fact, not weighing at ALL might be better :wink:

    scales suck.
  • micmac327
    micmac327 Posts: 128
    I havent weighed myself in two months, and trust me, I was a scale addict! Since quitting the scale, I have learned how to see and feel changes in my body. At first I was terrified that without keeping tabs on my weight, that I would surely gain. After a couple of weeks, I realized that just b/c I wasnt tracking the number didnt mean that I was going to gain. I eat well and exercise. Those two things are bound to lead to changes in my body.
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
    The thing is I have A LOT of weight to lose. We're talking 140 pounds to get to goal, and 50 lbs. to get to pre-preg weight with this latest pregnancy. I know that I am losing weight already (I can feel a difference), but I also think that if I just do my very best every day and give it my all, then the scale won't defeat me. However, does MFP adjust your daily calories when you log in your weight?

    Yes, MFP adjusts your calories as you lose, but you can also adjust them yourself with setting different goals and such.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    I have not weighed in weekly since December. I go by how my clothes fit.

    My scale broke.

    It's okay...I may start weighing in weekly again this spring...but using clothes as a guide (old clothes you've had forever) is great. Because it's not just numbers on a scale it's inches.
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    MFP will readjust your weight with 10 pounds lost ..so you should be fine just weighing in once a month

    now that i hit 295, i have only gone down 20 calories .. (might be different for everyone) but hey try it 1 month and see
  • BalenciaLynn
    BalenciaLynn Posts: 411 Member
    I think its a great idea, i know for myself i tend to have a habit of weighing myself every morning and as soon as i see the scale change even slightly for the worse i get discouraged and i give up.... Im starting a dvd workout which the first phase is a week long and so after that im going to weigh myself and take measurements, then the second part is two weeks long which at the end of that i will do another weigh in with measurements and then the last phase is three weeks which i will do another weigh in.

    Its going to be tough but i think if i hide my scale and not have to worry about seeing it every morning then i wont get tempted to get on it ;)
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
    Well, the thing with scales is that your weight varies quite a bit over the course of a day. The nice thing about a weekly weight in is that you can do it always at the same time on the same day, to increase the chances that you are in the same condition. Using a monthly weight in could work too but it might be harder to control all the factors and still get a somewhat accurate reading. Like if you abuse sodium the day before your weight in day, it's not that bad on weekly controls, but to have to wait an entire month to see that pound of water disappear from the scale is quite a while longer :p

    And yes, eventually your calorie goals change from your weight, but I don't think it does with each pound. 14 pounds loss so far for me and my goal changed once. By 50 calories only too. So whatever works best for you is what you should do, just remember that even on monthly weight ins a scale reading is just a snapshot, and it's pretty hard to use only that to assess progress.

    Good luck!
  • akossen
    akossen Posts: 54 Member
    I agree. I started the P90X program and was discouraged when I gained 3 pounds, so I took away my scale and vowed to only weigh myself once a month. Its worked out great! I highly recommend it!
  • mikda999
    mikda999 Posts: 41 Member
    I'd do it only once a month. But I also need to see a difference on the scale because that seems to be all anybody worries about. Grr. Never mind the inches lost or how much better I feel.

    Anyway, while MPF does adjust your calories make sure you are adding calories for nursing. And don't forget to drink lots and lots and lots of water, especially when you exercise. Otherwise enjoy. I nursed 2 babies and loved it because it made losing weight so easy. Then I stopped nursing and put it back on quickly. Good luck! You can do this!!!
  • denise33027
    denise33027 Posts: 108 Member
    Scales are very frustrating! I think it is different for every person. I have a friend who has to weigh herself everyday. Me, I do it once a week or even less. The important things to me are how I feel and if my body is changing in a positive way. Of course, I would love to weigh 120, but if I look good, feel good and my old clothes fit....who cares. As long as we eat right and keep moving, it should all work out in the end!
  • Gwenski
    Gwenski Posts: 348 Member
    It sounds like you've made the right choice for you, for the moment. I weigh in only once every 5 weeks (I don't own a scale and do it at the Drs office). I always know that the scale is 'out there, somewhere' and my time will come, so it keeps me motivated daily. I love seeing big losses (like 4 or 5 pounds vs. 3/4 of a pound per week. I did find that mfp dropped my calorie needs quite a bit when I registered big losses (14 and 9 pounds), but by then, I'd adjusted my eating so much it really didn't feel like that big of an impact. I still have over 100 pounds left to lose.. it's amazing how fast a month goes by though.. just wait and see! You can do it!!!!
  • ShaSimone
    ShaSimone Posts: 270 Member
    You should be fine, I weigh far to often for my peace of mind. I may just chunk my scale and only weigh occasionally.
  • rebecky27
    rebecky27 Posts: 842 Member
    I read somewhere once that women should only weigh-in once a month because of the constant changes in our bodies due to our cycles in order to get an accurate snap-shot of overall progress. Breast feeding has got to throw another variable to that factor - even more changes to your body! Sounds reasonable to me.

    I couldn't do it...I *have* to get on the scale every day. I only log once a week, but I'm always curious to what my body will do based on what I did the day(s) prior!
  • belgerian
    belgerian Posts: 1,059 Member
    I weigh myself maybe once a month anymore was getting way to obsessive about the scale. I eat right, excerise and normally have a deficit on a daily basis. 90 percent of the time I log getting back into logging everything kinda got off track over the winter and gained a few lbs I noticed it in my face but now Im back on track.
  • Kiki829
    Kiki829 Posts: 60 Member
    See, I used to weigh myself 5 times a day, just to see all the changes. It always discouraged me when things would head in the wrong direction, and I would eventually give up after a few months. I AM going to complete my goal this time. I've been overweight for 10 years now, and I am done. I need to set myself up for success, and I think not being a slave to the scale anymore is one of those steps towards success.

    As far as nursing, it is extremely important to me. I have nursed my other two children past 2 years old, and I plan to do the same this time. So far, a whopping 5 days in, my supply seems to be fine. My net calories have been hitting at just under 1800 per day, so I think I'm doing well. I drink at least 100 ounces of water a day, too, so that has probably helped. Thanks for all of your advice. This site is very inspriring!!!

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