Throw out the Scale

No Snacks, no sweets, no seconds. Except on Days that start with S. Too simple for you? Simple is why it works. Look here for questions, introductions, support, success stories.

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Over43
Posts: 1850
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:15 pm
Location: The Mountains

Throw out the Scale

Post by Over43 » Sun Oct 30, 2011 4:58 pm

I think this will be the next step in my "fitness" revolution...

http://www.theiflife.com/ditch-scale-weight-loss/
Last edited by Over43 on Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79

snapdragon
Posts: 701
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 5:43 pm
Location: midwest

Post by snapdragon » Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:54 pm

Great article!!!! I have been pondering this myself and can't seem to bring myself to do it!!!! I think this article motivated me to finally ditch it.
Starting weight 185
Healthy BMI 139
Willingness without action is fantasy

mbell
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat Feb 12, 2011 6:32 pm
Location: near London, UK

Post by mbell » Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:33 pm

As a scale hopper for many years, I found this habit hard to abandon totally so now I weigh and most importantly record my weight every day on what I think is called a scatter graph. this allows me to indulge in my obsession but I no longer am obsessed by the numbers, as on their own each daily number means nothing. what it does give me is an indication of a general trend which smoothes out hormonal or post weekend spikes and makes for a much more comfortable ride. No more nasty shocks. Try it, you might like it :o
A moment on the lips means a breakage on the zips. Or maybe not.

r.jean
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Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:47 pm
Location: Midwest

Post by r.jean » Mon Oct 31, 2011 12:13 am

The scale itself is not a problem. It is how some people use it.

I admit to some past phobia about the scale, but now it just helps me measure how I am doing. I used to avoid the scale more than use it too much. I sometimes refused to get on the scale at the doctor's office, and I made sure to wear light clothing and shoes when I did weigh.

Now I always weigh at the same time of the day with my pajamas on, and I only get on the scale once on weigh in day. I was very strict at first on No S with only weighing once a month, but now I step on occasionally if I need a self check. It feels good to know how I am doing mid month at times.

There is no right or wrong about using a scale. It is just a personal preference. What is wrong is letting the scale run your life.
The journey is the reward.
Maintenance is progress.

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Over43
Posts: 1850
Joined: Tue Jan 22, 2008 9:15 pm
Location: The Mountains

Post by Over43 » Mon Oct 31, 2011 11:29 pm

I stuffed mine on the top shelf of my closet. It is kind of weird not having it at a moment's notice though.
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79

mrslenna
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:32 pm

Sent mine to the second hand store on Tuesday!

Post by mrslenna » Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:02 am

And it does feel kind of strange, although I don't know why. I bought my scale at Ikea 7 years ago, and I picked it by putting 5 on the floor and choosing the one that weighed me the lightest! It has been lying to me by at least 5 pounds (I'm 5 pounds heavier on everyone else's scale), and my emotions have been tied to it, even though the number has been entirely untrue every time.
Go for it, fellow NoSers! Reinhard's right, in that success is marked in the daily grind, not the number on the scale. There's no magic number anyway... :)
Life rewards action, not intention.

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threewhales
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Location: Texas

Post by threewhales » Sat Nov 05, 2011 6:25 pm

Years ago I attended TOPS. I hated myself for the way the number on the scale made me feel. If I lost that night, I was really happy and it showed in the way I could cheer others on BUT when I gained, I could not wait to get out the meeting, I did not want to hear words of encouragement, I just wanted OUT!
It has been several years since I have attended a TOPS meeting. I am no longer worried about the number on the scale! This has been a total mind shifting experience. I just want to feel good in my own skin:)
Vanilla No S ReStart 12/26/16

Things should be as simple as possible, but not simpler.
~Albert Einstein

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gratefuldeb67
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Location: Great Neck, NY

Post by gratefuldeb67 » Sat Nov 05, 2011 7:39 pm

i love not having a scale in the house.. i go to my mom's to weigh once a week or less. no matter where i had the scale "hidden" in the past in our apartment, i'd find myself taking it back out and being a slave to obsessive checking. better to be obsessive about being strict about the NoS rules and exercise.. stepping on the scale thousands of times a day doesn't make you lose weight :)
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

Strawberry Roan
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Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 10:51 pm

Post by Strawberry Roan » Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:09 am

I weigh morning and night, if I didn't Lord knows what I would be up to by now. :wink:

Seriously, I do like the validation that I am staying on track, doing what is right, although I don't let little fluctuations bother me if I know I am eating clean and exercising.
Berry

Sinnie
Posts: 1373
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 10:09 pm

Post by Sinnie » Sun Nov 06, 2011 2:07 pm

I'm with you, Strawberry. It doesn't affect me much, but totally keeps me on track. It used to upset me when I was unhappy with my weight, but because I'm at a pretty reasonable, happy weight, it's more encouragement and allows me to nip bad behaviours quicker because I see their results.

jellybeans01
Posts: 232
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Location: San Antonio

Post by jellybeans01 » Wed Nov 09, 2011 3:23 pm

I personally don't believe in this idea. I think having a point of reference is important and knowing if we are making our decisions in the right direction or if we need to change out some things in our way of eating. Studies show successful loser weight in at some time or another.

oolala53
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Sun Nov 13, 2011 4:26 pm

You can think what you like but the stats show that 75% of weight loss maintainers weigh at least once a week.

Scales don't drive people crazy; their thoughts do. If you can't separate your thoughts about yourself from weighing, then throw out that scale, but consider working on your thoughts.

As an experiment, I set a goal to weigh only quarterly from birthday to birthday this year. I've broken my rule a few times and found I was higher than I wanted to be, but it made sense, given my habits. It did not make me whip myself into compliance, and from experience, I'd say it wouldn't even if I weighed every day. And I don't think about it often. I think more often about whether I feel good from what I last ate.

What I weigh is immaterial if you are not willing to change my habits to change my weight. And living at a low weight is hardly worth it to most people if they have to monitor themselves every waking minute, unless health impairments necessitate it. I wish the best to your for strength, if they do.

Three meals a day most days, moderate exercise, and life in between. If I weigh, I make it a 30-second exercise at most. Then I try to get on with maintaining the rest of my life: service and pleasure with family and friends, work, developing innate talents. I find those are even more problematic than food, which makes me think these days that the food stuff was a coverup. Now I try to keep in perspective whatever I imagine I'll think about on my death bed. (Maybe it's because I'm closer than others.) I pray for us all it's not the scale.
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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