The Scale Mentality

Weighing myself every morning is always an addiction to me. I understand it may not be "right" or "correct" but it is always motivation for me not to cheat during the day. Now, I am also the type that doesn't freak out if I gain a few because I do understand that the scale isn't always right

But, like I said....when I get on the scale and after a month I am 10-15 pounds lighter....it is a great feeling and one that KEEPS me going
 
Right, like I said.... some can handle it just fine mentally.

Personally, I get more thrill out of waiting weeks to step on the scale and see a lot of progress rather than watching it tick away slowly.

It's like when I was a kid on Christmas Eve. I didn't want to stay awake staring at the clock.... it took forever. I'd rather sleep and let the time fly by.
 
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spartacus26 said:
I used to belong to an organization that used weight as the only real way to measure progress. I ended up leaving because I started really gaining muscle and having a person say, "Oh, sorry. You have a plan to make it better next week?" when I knew the difference was muscle, not fat.
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That's my only gripe with the challenges here. I like doing the challenges, because it gives me some extra motivation to get my exercise and try new things, but I dislike the weekly gain/loss points. Some weeks I see a lot of downward movement on the scale, others I get no movement or a jump up, but over the long term, it keeps going down. Having a "gain" one week doesn't bother me, because I know it's water - but I hate losing the points. :p

I keep trying to come up with a way to do a challenge without weekly weigh-in points, but no luck so far.
 
you can suggest a challenge that's activity based... or inches based... or vegetable based... or water based... really whatever youoc an dream up... those have all been done before...
 
I meant one of the big comprehensive ones, where there are activity, nutrition, and weight components, but with a longer-term focus. I agree there are plenty of limited-scope challenges that don't have a "scale mentality."
 
I'm so bloody weary about moving away from the scale, but after a month of only losing like 3 Kg but looking thinner in pictures, I think something may be up. But what could possibly make me weigh more- muscle doesn't grow that fast does it? And if it does, surely not that much?

Bleh, I guess I'll weigh and measure myself every two weeks, pics every month and go from there. The only reason I'm now convinced is that every thing you just talked about is what I experienced or am experiencing. :-(

Thanks for the help!
 
Down with Scales!

I've had to remove the scale entirely from my weight-loss adventures. To start with, I'm 5'11" and I weight 180 pounds so I'm right on the verge of "normal" weight, but I still don't like the way I look.

I think a lot of my difficulties come from the fact that I was a soccer player for so long that to me, any body type that doesn't reflect that same shape is bad (I know, I know...an unrealistic image to a certain extent) so I've had to forgo scales in favor of other, as somebody put it so aptly, WAIST management methods.

I found one here but I don't really have "skinny jeans." What I'm shooting for instead, but similarly, is to drop my waist back down to a 32 vs. a 36. So I'm giving up the scale in favor of a pair of jeans four years old. They're out of fashion so once I get into them comfortably I'll go and buy some new ones!
 
Matt said:
I'm so bloody weary about moving away from the scale, but after a month of only losing like 3 Kg but looking thinner in pictures, I think something may be up. But what could possibly make me weigh more- muscle doesn't grow that fast does it? And if it does, surely not that much?
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Yes, it can.
 
I weigh myself every week or so, but it's not that I'm obsessed with the weight its self, it's that I can't really see visually if it is coming off. That's not to say that I don't care about my weight at all, but it's more important for me to look good than weigh good.
 
I agree with scale mentality. My boyfriend's mom doesn't allow scales in the house, and maybe that is why!

I remember I would get down in the dumps if I only lost one pound or no pounds in a week. (I used to weigh myself every saturday) I remember asking someone if it could be from gaining muscle. This person told me that it could be that way for a MAN but not a lady because we don't put muscle on very fast at all, and if we do it's not that much. I asked my doctor about this anyway, and he said that was BS and that that could have been the reason my numbers weren't changing on the scale!

That's one of the main reasons I think 'biggest loser' kinda sends the wrong message is the weekly 'weigh-in' ... Now I know that most of it has probably been edited for TV, but when the 'trainer' gets angry at a guy for only losing 6 pounds that week and causing the 'team' to lose... That just gets my goat! It shouldn't matter if each of those people only lose 1 pound a week, they shouldn't get badgered for it. Also... That whole bit where all the different numbers flash by on the screen until it actually shows the weight... Can you say DRAMA?! Ok... I'm sorry I don't mean to offend anyone who likes the show, I'm sure it's good motivation--It's just I think it kinda sends out the message that you've gotta lose 13 pounds a week to be a real success, you know?

About my ticker... 130 pounds is just a generic goal. It's what I imagine myself looking best at. If I feel I look fine at 150 then I'll stop, if I think I still don't look fine at 130 I'll keep going... Besides, who said that your average at-home scale is that accurate, anyway? Step on it 5 times in a row and I'll bet you get different numbers. Heck, step on it 5 different times a day and you'll get different numbers, too!

Ok... I'm done, hehe.

-N-
 
Alright.
I have been slapped and woken up. I needed to reread that to refocus and rededicate.

Thanks.
 
Glad to hear!! I'm always down to lend a slap. :p

In truth though, if you find things aren't heading in the right direction, not just weight... but everything... we'll relook at everything and see where things can be tweaked.
 
I have been telling myself not to worry about the number on the scale because I know there can be a big difference - good or bad - from day to day or week to week. I still weight myself once a week . . . for now.

I've been told that you generally do not see or feel a difference until you achieve at least a 10% weight loss. Obviously, people are different but that is a general average. When I lost weight before, it was around 10%(ish) that I began to really notice a change. Before then, though, my only indication that I was doing anything positive seemed to be the scale.

I am back in the same boat - working toward my first 10%. I'd prefer to check my weight once per week until I do start to see a physical difference, just so I do see some kind of progress and do not get discouraged. I have to force myself to remember, though, that the number is not the important thing. It really does drive you mad if you strive for perfect numbers.

maleficent said:
it's dumb thinking like that... You do not wear a sign on your back with your weight on it... Who's gonna know what you weigh...

How many comments are posted in the pictures forum - YOU DON"T LOOK YOUR WEIGHT!!!! Shouldn't that tell us something? What does a specific weight look like?
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I really like that point of view. Perhaps I should write it down and stick it up on the wall above my scale . . . :D
 
I have no issue with weekly weighings. I do this sometimes.

I always prefer measurements though. They tend to be more telling.
 
Steve said:
I have no issue with weekly weighings. I do this sometimes.

I always prefer measurements though. They tend to be more telling.
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I really need to capture some "befores" and do some measuring before I get too far along. B/A pics are very motivating - particularly when they are your own.
 
If there's one thing I regret with regards to my fitness pursuits, it's not taking real before pictures.
 
Steve said:
If there's one thing I regret with regards to my fitness pursuits, it's not taking real before pictures.
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Same here. I avoided pictures like the plague when I was pushing my top weight (290lbs). I have started taking pictures to record future progress, though. Hopefully it will be a motivator.
 
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