Friend or Foe?!

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pbajwally
pbajwally Posts: 210 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The dreaded SCALE. I go back & forth about weighing in weekly, daily or just once a month (even though I don't have that much willpower... I like to see progress, even if it's .2 lbs!)

How often do you weigh yourself? Which do you find to be your best method of tracking your weight loss: scale, tape or body fat %? If you do measure BF%, how often do you do it?

Replies

  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
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    Tape and body fat %.

    Scales aren't that useful. Eat too much salt one meal? HELLO WATER WEIGHT.

    I try not to do it too often so I'll be pleasantly surprised. Usually when clothes start getting looser.
  • Reana27
    Reana27 Posts: 63 Member
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    I try not to get on the scale more than twice a week. It's kind of like a "treat" to myself when I weigh in, because I have to physically restrain myself or I would get on it 4 times a day!! I find the best way to track my progress is actually measurements and the way my clothes fit. I have led a pretty sedentary lifestyle up until the last month or so, so I am building a lot of muscle wich might not show on the scale but certainly shows in my measurements and such.

    Hope this helps, and good luck!
  • Ritzbrit
    Ritzbrit Posts: 211 Member
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    Oh yes the dreaded scale, lol. I usually weigh myself every morning because I'm addicted but only track it once a week. I also got a tape measure to measure inches lost because sometimes the scale doesn't reflect that. I weigh and measure myself every Friday and figure out BF % then too.
  • tigerlily8045
    tigerlily8045 Posts: 415 Member
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    I have been weighing myself once a week and just recently every morning as I am trying to see what happens when I do certain things. If I have a high sodium day do I really hold water and for how long for example. Its more for figuring out how my body reacts to things rather than checking for actual weight loss. I only count the one I do on Wednesdays.
  • tobnrn
    tobnrn Posts: 477 Member
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    I weigh daily. Helps me keep track of how much sodium I took in the day before. I measure and do BF% and LBM once a week.
  • dnish53
    dnish53 Posts: 162 Member
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    I do weigh daily because it helps me to stay motivated. Once a month for the measuring tape which then give me a happy surprise. Recently I increased my calories to a maintenance level for one month and weighing daily helped me to evaluate what I had eaten the day before. 30 days of maintenance and I didn't gain a pound overall so I felt really happy.
  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    I weigh every morning...unless I forget. I track it and look for trends over time. That number doesn't get to determine how I feel about myself. My choices do.
  • myak623
    myak623 Posts: 616 Member
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    I think people can develop an unhealthy relationship with their scale. It's alright to weigh yourself frequently, but you should be taking measurements (neck, hips, waist, etc.) as well.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    I weigh myself every week on Wednesdays. That's the weight that I write down and track on here. But, I'll weigh myself whenever I want throughout the week. Sometimes that's four or five times a week, sometimes just the once, but the Wednesday weight is the only one that counts.
  • julieh391
    julieh391 Posts: 683 Member
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    I weigh myself every week or two. I have no interest in weighing myself any more frequently and measuring down to the tenth of a pound. I actually don't even own a scale because I'm content to weigh myself whenever I visit my parents' house. That way I'm always using the same scale, and I'm not tempted to step on it every day and make myself crazy (which I would end up doing.)
  • casiescorey
    casiescorey Posts: 14
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    I just weigh myself, but realistically, weight isn't the best way to do it. I like to work out, and I use weights because it gets me sculpted and lean....but muscle weighs more than fat. So if I do a great work-out with weights I might gain a pound...but it's replacing fat which takes up far more room in your body than lean muscle. Weight can be a tricky thing. I'm 5'8" tall and athletic. Most people who guess my weight guess it to be about 15 - 20 pounds under what it really is. But it makes sense because I carry muscle, and it just weighs more.
  • mississippi_queen
    mississippi_queen Posts: 483 Member
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    I admit it..... I'm obsessed... I know I shouldn't but I do it daily. :noway:
  • JerseyGirl081
    JerseyGirl081 Posts: 98 Member
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    Once a month. Anything less is discouraging because you're weight will naturally fluctuate. And hopefully you are strength training and building muscle in which case sometimes the scale wont move or it will move in the opposite direction. That doesn't mean loss isn't happening. It just means muscle is replacing the fat in your body and it weighs a lot more than fat. So I would also take measurements, that will probably move quicker than that scale
  • byock
    byock Posts: 23
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    I weigh usually every morning. I only take it to heart if it's been a week and it hasn't changed.

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