Anyone not weigh themselves?

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motorin
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Anyone not weigh themselves?

Post by motorin » Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:16 am

I have been doing this for over a month. I decided not to weigh myself for one month and I lost weight. Not as much as I wanted/expected but I did lose some, without too much effort, I might add. However, I decided to weigh myself one week later and I gained weight. It was demoralizing and it lead to a bit more of a "bingy" S-day than usual.

I am thinking about not weighing myself at all. I'll go by how I feel.

Anyone else here not weigh yourself? If you don't, how do you gauge your weight-loss progress. I am looking for suggestions because using the scale often has bad effects. Either I eat too much because I see that I lost weight (celebration time!) or I eat too much because I did not lose weight or I gained weight (self pity time...)

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:20 am

If weighing yourself causes a bad reaction, then don't. Plenty of people choose not to. Chances are slim you're going to be GAINING weight doing No-S, after all, even if you don't lose or lose VERY slowly.

I do weigh myself every Saturday morning, but I'm hardened to fluctuations.
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gettheweightoff
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Post by gettheweightoff » Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:23 am

I absolutely do not weigh myself. I go by my clothes, how I feel and how I look naked. Believe me, after a lifetime of weighing myself I pretty much know what I am in terms of weight.

Before I threw out my scale, I would weight myself, then again just to make sure it was accurate. I would weigh in the morning and then at night so I would know what I would be the next day. The number on the scale was never good. If I was down, I would eat because I knew I could lose the weight. If I was up, I would be so depressed and get so mad at myself and throw in the towel and binge eat.

I have not weighed myself since December at Weight Watchers and even though I know that I am up, I am much happier not knowing what the weight is. If my clothes are looser than that's good and even that takes time, weeks and weeks for me at least until anything gets looser so I'm willing to do the work and hang in there.

I hope this helps.

Kevin
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Re: Anyone not weigh themselves?

Post by Kevin » Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:23 am

I weigh once a week, on the same day, under the same conditions. I do it first thing in the morning Friday morning, before I've eaten, but after I've "emptied what's full."
motorin wrote:I have been doing this for over a month. I decided not to weigh myself for one month and I lost weight. Not as much as I wanted/expected but I did lose some, without too much effort, I might add. However, I decided to weigh myself one week later and I gained weight. It was demoralizing and it lead to a bit more of a "bingy" S-day than usual.

I am thinking about not weighing myself at all. I'll go by how I feel.

Anyone else here not weigh yourself? If you don't, how do you gauge your weight-loss progress. I am looking for suggestions because using the scale often has bad effects. Either I eat too much because I see that I lost weight (celebration time!) or I eat too much because I did not lose weight or I gained weight (self pity time...)
Kevin
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"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

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DaveMc
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Post by DaveMc » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:17 am

I don't weigh regularly. I figure that I'm trying to improve how I feel and how I look, not to cause a specific number to appear on a scale. I step on a scale at irregular intervals just out of curiosity, but it's not my main criterion for how I'm doing.

(As I've often remarked, I find it somewhere between funny and sad, how often we see people posting here saying that they feel great, they've lost inches around their waist, their clothes feel looser, they have more energy and a better attitude toward eating ... and they're very angry about the whole thing because the number on the scale hasn't changed! I can't help thinking that maybe we're giving the scale too much power, if it can negate all those other good things.)

Kevin
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Post by Kevin » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:21 am

This.
DaveMc wrote:I don't weigh regularly. I figure that I'm trying to improve how I feel and how I look, not to cause a specific number to appear on a scale. I step on a scale at irregular intervals just out of curiosity, but it's not my main criterion for how I'm doing.

(As I've often remarked, I find it somewhere between funny and sad, how often we see people posting here saying that they feel great, they've lost inches around their waist, their clothes feel looser, they have more energy and a better attitude toward eating ... and they're very angry about the whole thing because the number on the scale hasn't changed! I can't help thinking that maybe we're giving the scale too much power, if it can negate all those other good things.)
Kevin
1/13/2011-189# :: 4/21/2011-177# :: Goal-165#
"Respecting the 4th S: sometimes."

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:58 am

I don't weight myself regularly.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

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Blithe Morning
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Post by Blithe Morning » Sun Feb 06, 2011 5:31 am

I go in spurts. Right now, it's easy for me to weigh myself before Zumba class on Wednesday evenings since I'm in the lockerroom anyway.

Graham
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Post by Graham » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:03 am

Body-weight fluctuates a lot. The problem is how we interpret it, and react to it. My own response to that issue has been to weigh myself daily, and measure my waistline daily. I try to be consistent: I measure before eating or drinking, after visiting the bathroom.

The repeated measures let me see past daily fluctuations to overall trends - also, sometimes weight is up but waist is steady or down - it's like having two bets on the same race :) Also, my researches have convinced me that my waistline is actually the more important and informative measure, not my weight or my BMI.

I must confess to another payoff from measuring: I'm impatient, and it gives me a sense of things happening, and I get lots of numbers and can do graphs - sad eh? But I enjoy it..

motorin
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Post by motorin » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:38 pm

gettheweightoff wrote:I absolutely do not weigh myself. I go by my clothes, how I feel and how I look naked. Believe me, after a lifetime of weighing myself I pretty much know what I am in terms of weight.

Before I threw out my scale, I would weight myself, then again just to make sure it was accurate. I would weigh in the morning and then at night so I would know what I would be the next day. The number on the scale was never good. If I was down, I would eat because I knew I could lose the weight. If I was up, I would be so depressed and get so mad at myself and throw in the towel and binge eat.

I have not weighed myself since December at Weight Watchers and even though I know that I am up, I am much happier not knowing what the weight is. If my clothes are looser than that's good and even that takes time, weeks and weeks for me at least until anything gets looser so I'm willing to do the work and hang in there.

I hope this helps.

This is good to know. Most "dieters" weight themselves often. It seems like No-Sers are a different breed. I think I will take the scale out of the bathroom. I react negatively to the scale, no matter what. After about 15 years of trying to lose weight on and off, obviously the scale has not helped me.

Thanks again everyone for the suggestions!

motorin
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Post by motorin » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:40 pm

DaveMc wrote:I don't weigh regularly. I figure that I'm trying to improve how I feel and how I look, not to cause a specific number to appear on a scale. I step on a scale at irregular intervals just out of curiosity, but it's not my main criterion for how I'm doing.

(As I've often remarked, I find it somewhere between funny and sad, how often we see people posting here saying that they feel great, they've lost inches around their waist, their clothes feel looser, they have more energy and a better attitude toward eating ... and they're very angry about the whole thing because the number on the scale hasn't changed! I can't help thinking that maybe we're giving the scale too much power, if it can negate all those other good things.)
I am definitely guilty of giving the scale too much power. It is silly when you think about it.... Thanks for the reality check!

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:40 pm

The heck of it is, I'm supposed to weigh myself daily due to the CHF (see if I'm retaining fluid). But I've dealt with it long enough that I can tell if I'm retaining fluid without weighing. I don't even have a scale right now.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

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Sharpie
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Post by Sharpie » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:55 pm

I'm on an extended trip away from home (6 weeks) so I am not weighing myself. We'll see what it looks like when I get home though. :?
"If you only do what you know you can do, you never do very much.†-Tom Krause

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NoSRocks
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Post by NoSRocks » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:16 pm

TRYING not to weigh myself....haven't done so in about a week which I guess is pretty good going for me. I know the last time I weighed, i hadn't lost anything after a month of No S which whilst disappointing, is definitely much better than gaining weight!!

I too tend to dwell on the scales and give them far too much power. For years, I would have a good or a bad day depending on what number I read on the scale. To the extent that it affected my relationships with family, friends, and also work colleagues. Not good!!

I figure I can only do as much/best I can - if I am predisposed to weight gain then it is not my 'fault' and when I say best I can I mean by sticking as closely to vanilla no S as possible, I am doing what's best for my body and my mind since I am no longer bingeing on a daily basis and classifying foods as 'good' or 'bad'. I've had enough of food and diet worry - it's really depressing and no way to live!! No S is the only plan I've managed to stick to long term and it was my impatience that made me go off it for a brief period of time. Needless to say, my impatience didn't achieve any success and I am now back to what I love best. It feels so good to be back in familiar territory !! :D

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DaveMc
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Post by DaveMc » Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:55 pm

To be fair-minded, it's definitely one of those "do what's best for you" issues (as so many things related to diet and health are!) Some people find that regular weighing is extremely helpful for them. But if the number on the scale freaks you out and leads to negative reactions and even more negative behaviour, you're probably in the camp that benefits from reducing the frequency of weigh-ins.

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Post by Hoeka » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:14 am

I don't own a scale, but go to the pharmacy once a month to be weighed. I think that if I weighed myself every day, or even weekly, I'd focus on the short term results, and, as other posters have remarked, it's so easy then to then act impulsively based on what the scale said.

Somebody here posted a link to this site: home.fuse.net/clymer/bmi, which I found quite useful. So, on "weigh day", I simply update my stats.

I've found that on one occasion when I had gained a kg, my waist measurement was still down. I don't really care how much I weigh, my focus is on the way I look and feel. So, if I lose centimetres, but gain weight, the cm loss is more important to me than the kg gain.
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Post by marygrace » Mon Feb 07, 2011 1:07 pm

I don't own a scale, so the only times I get weighed are during doctor visits once or twice a year. Instead, I go by how my favorite pair of jeans fit--they're cut pretty slim and don't have any stretch, so they'll tell me if I'm starting to gain weight. I'm the kind of person who would get bummed all day if the scale didn't say the number I wanted (even though intellectually I know it's just a number, and could account for all kinds of different thing), so this approach works better for me.

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Post by Nicest of the Damned » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:11 pm

I don't weigh myself. My clothes tend to be loose-fitting, so I don't go by that, either.

I prefer to measure only what I directly and consciously control. I don't control my weight or how my clothes are fitting. I do control how I'm doing at sticking to the No S habits, and to the habits associated with my mods. If I'm not sticking to those habits, it's generally pretty clear what needs to be done to improve that.

motorin
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Post by motorin » Mon Feb 07, 2011 3:10 pm

DaveMc wrote:To be fair-minded, it's definitely one of those "do what's best for you" issues (as so many things related to diet and health are!) Some people find that regular weighing is extremely helpful for them. But if the number on the scale freaks you out and leads to negative reactions and even more negative behaviour, you're probably in the camp that benefits from reducing the frequency of weigh-ins.
Very true. I am sure the scale works for some people. I have a history with the scale associated with dieting. I am trying to get away from all things diets and hence the scale goes with it. Because of my convoluted thinking associated with dieting, any number on the scale leads to emotional eating. I am so glad I have the No S way of eating now.

Baseball11
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Post by Baseball11 » Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:55 pm

I am going to weight once or twice a month.

librarylady
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Post by librarylady » Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:04 pm

I stopped weighing myself when I was gaining weight. As long as I could fit into my clothes I convinced myself that I was not really gaining. Eventually I could not fit into my smaller clothes, but could still fit into my bigger ones. When I went annually to the gynecologist, I got weighed, but did not need to know what the weight was (unless I asked - and I didn't). But when I finally went to the regular doctor (after putting it off), I got the number.

He was pretty nice about it - you are 15 pounds more than you should be - you lost it before, just do it again. (I was actually lower than 15 pounds - more like 25 or so, but maybe I had gotten too low for maintenance) I came home, pulled out the "No S" book I had bought about a year ago and determined that this was to be my way from now on. Since then I have weighed myself once a week, on Friday after work and before dinner. I figure that is the time it is likely to be lowest :D ! So far I am down 7 pounds in about a month. Some is likely water, but judging by my clothes and the diminishing of a little bulge in my abdomen, some of it is real loss. Can't expect 7 pounds a month I know, but weighing myself keeps me honest.

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FarmerHal
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Post by FarmerHal » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:05 pm

I don't weigh myself anymore. In fact, DH forbids me LOL. I kid, but if the number is bad, then I spend the day in a foul mood, self hatred and usually binging because I feel so hopeless.

I can take a look in the mirror and see I still need work. I can put on my size 22 pants and know that I need to keep on it. No scale needed.
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Who Me?
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Post by Who Me? » Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:41 pm

I've never owned a scale, and I have no intention of buying one.

I'm really doing this no-s thing to fine-tune my eating habits. It's about life choices for me, not numbers.

Well that, and looking good naked!

snapdragon
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Post by snapdragon » Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:12 am

I am considering taking a shoveglove to my scale.
Like others have said its more about habits and the freedom from the obsession of dieting.
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mnlosing
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Post by mnlosing » Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:36 pm

I have had a self hatred, self loathing lately. I know I have gained. I have just switched from doing lc for about 2 months to this. I know this is a habit I can do and it will help me lose. Since going off lc I have gained 5 pounds in less than a week. Hoping it is water weight. AFter reading all your posts I am going to go to weighing once a month. Stop tormenting myself and learn the No S habit and exercise.

I have tried No S before but don't know why I derailed, other than I wanted a quick fix. I know that won't work.

Here is to Day 2 of No S, yesterday I stumbled but I picked myself right up and starting moving ahead again. (took second helping of supper then a couple bites in I said to myself "No" and I threw the rest away).
Carla

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:53 am

Looks like most don't weigh. I go through phases. When I am weighing, I record it every day and average it once a week. I see that weight fluctuates daily in such a way that it is obvious that it is not about fat loss. Fat loss cannot fluctuate the way the scale shows. I've lost a pound over night, but I know I didn't burn an extra 3500 calories. Only water shows that kind of change in a short time, but I figure a downward trend shows fat loss.

I'm considering going back to using my fat % calipers. but not until I've incorporated regular exercise.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
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Mrandy1
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Post by Mrandy1 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:17 pm

I think of NO S as a grand experiment I'm conducting on myself---so I weigh myself at least once a week and enter the results...Im interested in the trend...I had an "uptick" this week and that just hardened my resolve to keep on with the program...I'm convinced this is the best way for life long maintenance and i also think NO S will deliver me to my ideal weight whatever that happens to be. I'm also in no rush as tiny steps I am sure will turn into a giant step in the right direction.
This is all my very humble opinion.

No S is brilliant in its simplicity. I'm doing vanilla NO s for the simple pleasure of creating habits that I know will lead to sustainable weight loss & maintenance at the right plateau.

The trend is your friend!
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Weight as of 4/23/2011. 169.8
Weight as of 5/5/2011. 169.5
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sarah.grace
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Post by sarah.grace » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:39 pm

I think this is a question that has many different "right" answers- no one size fits all! I do weigh daily, first thing every morning.

I have a piece of graph paper taped to the wall right above the scale, and a pencil on a string :) so I just step on the scale, and add a dot to my line-graph for that day. It's a 15-second habit/process that I don't obsess over, I just do it. The # doesn't mean a whole lot to me.

I guess I see it like Mrandy1- as an experiment, and I want to see what my weight is doing. Scientifically, this is the best method I've found for keeping this kind of trend record.

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DaveMc
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Post by DaveMc » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:47 pm

sarah.grace wrote:I think this is a question that has many different "right" answers- no one size fits all! I do weigh daily, first thing every morning.
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so", as the artist formerly known as the Prince of Denmark noted. It definitely depends on your own reaction to the process. If weighing in makes you feel like you're in prison, better to avoid it, but if you don't see weighing as a prison, why then 'tis none to you. So to speak.

kccc
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Post by kccc » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:16 pm

I weigh, usually weekly, but don't take it too seriously.

I don't expect to fall at a certain number, but within a "range" of about 3 pounds. Don't start worrying (or celebrating) until I'm outside the range for more than 2 weigh-ins.

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Post by ThomsonsPier » Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:30 pm

I possess no scales (if you don't count the Wii Balance Board or the ones in the kitchen, which would break if I sat on them) and judge solely based on appearance. I do weigh myself occasionally if I'm somewhere with a set of scales, but don't do anything with the number save log it somewhere in my brain in case someone asks.

I think it may have been on this bulletin board I found the phrase (roughly equivalent to) "no-one got good at a sport by watching the scoreboard".

I have used too many instances of the word 'board' in this post.
ThomsonsPier

It's a trick. Get an axe.

oolala53
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Post by oolala53 » Wed Apr 13, 2011 2:43 pm

Just as long as you aren't "bored..." I'm not.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23

There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)

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NoelFigart
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Post by NoelFigart » Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:04 pm

I do weigh every week. Enter it into an Excel spreadsheet which generates a graph complete with trend line. (I'm a computer applications instructor and 60% of the time I'm teaching Excel, so I'm always looking for ways to play with it so that I can be more useful to my students).

Even though I do this, other than being concerned with the trend being down, I don't take it too seriously.

I've taken to posting my weekly graph on my check-in thread. I think hard data about how weight can bounce around when you're not doing the hard-core thing can be useful for people to see.
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Post by TexArk » Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:39 pm

Totallly agree that weighing is a personal decision. From reading posts, obviously some are really affected by the number and eat when they lose and eat when they gain :roll: The number affects their entire day.

However, I have learned over many, many years that it is best for me to weigh daily, record it, and enter it into software. Every single time I have decided to put away the scale, I have had weight creep. My clothes must have a lot of "ease" because I can vary 20 pounds from loose to snug in the same size, and this is with buttons and zippers. Imagine how much elastic and stretch fabric can expand!

I don't obsess about the number, but facing the trendline keeps me from being in denial. I know that the scale can go up and down for various reasons, but there comes a time when I have to admit that I must be eating too much and need to cut back or adjust the type of foods I am eating. I also have always gained weight back after weight loss whenever I put the scale away. So for me, weighing is just a daily habit like brushing my teeth after meals.

And, as you can see, I like to keep a weight ticker and have chosen the turtle slowly moving down the path as my marker.
24.7 bmi Feb. 2019
26.1 bmi Sept. 2018
31.4 bmi July 2017

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