to weigh or not to weigh?

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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Chotzinoff
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Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

to weigh or not to weigh?

Post by Chotzinoff » Fri Nov 17, 2017 2:59 pm

I'm almost a month into No-S. I can't say enough good things about how sane and revolutionary it is. This question concerns how to manage my neuroticism and my expectations. I have decades of eating issues in my past. First diet age 7, when I was in no way overweight. I'm now 59. Continuing on until about ten years ago when I was alternately between 10 and 30 pounds overweight depending on what kind of scale you use. For instance, there were lots of times when my body composition was quite healthy--22% fat--but I weighed 170 pounds. I was one of those people who grew terrified of the scale. The old thing where if you're down a pound you're superhuman and if you're up a half a pound you just suck. I spent the past 4 or 5 years trying intuitive eating and getting nowhere. That school of thought does not hold with scales or even with trying to lose weight, and until I found No-S, I thought they made a good case that most weight-loss diets are doomed to fail, so I avoided scales and any measure of size, but I know I gained quite a bit of weight during this experiment. How much I couldn't say.

Now I'm using habitcal and taking my measurements. My waist shrunk by 1.5" in the first week and everything else has stayed exactly the same. I am very confused about whether to weigh myself, whether weight matters and how to handle the inevitable ups and downs in my mood if I do start tracking. On the other hand, though, I love eating the No-S way, and it seems okay to hope I would lose weight. And how will I know if I have no baseline?

Does anyone out there have any experience with this? I'm not talking about someone who would have had rational, reasonable success with weight watchers. I refer to a headcase such as myself. Please share if you've been where I am, and tell me if you decided to weigh or not.

Larkspur
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Location: Pennsylvania

Post by Larkspur » Fri Nov 17, 2017 3:29 pm

Some of us use Happy Scale, an app that averages weight and kind of helps you not get too worked up about it.

I do weigh most days, but I am fairly good (FAIRLY) about not getting too freaked out over numbers. I think I could actually safely weigh much less often now, but for most of my life not looking ==> unpleasant weight gain.

I think if it makes you crazy I would not, but if you can treat it as a tool and not a measure of self worth, it can be informative.

Chotzinoff
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

Post by Chotzinoff » Fri Nov 17, 2017 4:37 pm

Thanks for weighing in (ha ha) larkspur. I suppose you brought up the right point: IF I can treat it as a tool. This would imply, say, that if I turned out not to be losing weight, I could look at my habitcal history and make adjustments to how much I was eating. I'm not sure I have that kind of self-will though. Right now, it's all I can do to just follow No-S, which doesn't require any real science or self-control other than some very easy-to-follow guidelines. If it turns out I don't have the ability to lose weight by following these simple guidelines, my self-worth might take a hit as well.

I am still finding this a little confusing. The only thing I'm pretty sure of that this is a good way to eat. So even if I didn't lose weight, or did, but at a glacial pace, I would keep eating this way because it's such a weight off my mind. However, I still do want to think that eating this way would yield some weight loss results.

gingerpie
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Post by gingerpie » Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:11 pm

I know a lot of people don't weigh at all. They use the fit of their clothes as a gauge. I used to weigh but it never played with my head so it didn't matter too much. About 2 months ago I stopped weighing all together and I think it has helped me to put aside the goal of weight loss and focus on the goal of behaving like to person I want to be.

good luck to you.

Chotzinoff
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

Post by Chotzinoff » Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:13 pm

thanks for that goal--to be more of the person I want to be. That's a worthy goal, gingerpie. What do others think? Is weight loss as a result of No-S a worthy goal also, or is it something not to focus on too much?

SpiritSong
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Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:56 pm

Post by SpiritSong » Fri Nov 17, 2017 7:22 pm

Chotzinoff wrote:Is weight loss as a result of No-S a worthy goal also, or is it something not to focus on too much?
It depends on your starting point. If food was ruling your life, using No S to acquire food sanity would be your main goal.

If you were eating too many sweets on a daily basis, using No S to break the sugar addiction would be the main goal.

For me, I was traveling down a road towards health problems, and I wanted No S to help me lose weight. (I was going to weigh once a month, but the scale wasn't moving, so now I weigh daily with a tracking app to see how the numbers are trending and for more immediate feedback on any changes I made to my routine.)

Bluebell
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Location: Hampshire UK

Post by Bluebell » Fri Nov 17, 2017 10:13 pm

A few thoughts from me.
NoS has helped me both lose weight and have a healthy relationship with food, for the first time ever in my adult life. (I am 42 and was a classic yoyo dieter, tried pretty much every diet out there over the years)
For me, it is more stressful to try and stay away from the scales. I find it better to hop on every morning, I'm just one of those people who likes to know where things are.
However, over time with the help of NoS, I have become completely relaxed around what the scales say. I have learned that a gain or loss of a pound or two is actually inconsequential. What matters more is how I am feeling around food and whether or not today has been a day where I have exercised moderation with my eating habits.
I am currently maintaining my weight loss of 28 pounds, and most days it feels just fine. Some days I have more of a struggle, however I can honestly say that the numbers on the scales have not caused or added to the struggle.
"You'll know where the North Star is ⭐️" - Oolala

ironchef
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Post by ironchef » Mon Nov 20, 2017 3:37 am

I'm one of those who weighs most days, but tracks the trend, not the individual numbers.

For me, depending on what I have eaten and drunk, and when, my weight within a single day can range over several pounds. Obviously that doesn't mean my body is magically putting pounds of body fat on and off in a matter of hours! Paying attention to the individual values would be crazy-making. So, calculating a trend has been the only way for me.

I've tried periods of not weighing, mostly when my scales broke and I didn't bother replacing them. I find after several months of not weighing my weight tends to creep up, so weighing suits me.

lin47
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Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2015 8:10 pm

Post by lin47 » Mon Nov 20, 2017 11:04 pm

Like you, I tend to get neurotic when I start weighing. Unfortunately, in the past, I've allowed it to mess with my mind to the point where it influenced my eating decisions (e.g., weight down = license to eat more; weigh more = discouragement, and possibly eating more because "I give up"---in other words, eat more no matter what). When I first lost 45 lbs about six years ago, I didn't weigh myself at all until 6 months in, and by then, I had reached my goal weight. I liked that because I felt not weighing helped me put the focus on changing my behaviors, eating healthier, etc.

In short, I think that if you know that it's going to drive you crazy, don't do it. A compromise would be to weigh yourself after a few months just to see your progress in numbers. That way, you can put more focus on habits.

Chotzinoff
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Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

Post by Chotzinoff » Tue Nov 21, 2017 5:52 pm

thanks for that. It's really good to hear that someone else is so much like me and also had so much success. I really appreciate the distinction between habit and weight loss.

oolala53
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Location: San Diego, CA USA

Post by oolala53 » Mon Nov 27, 2017 3:00 am

Not sure if you've gotten enough feedback but here's plenty

https://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=5928

I am probably repeating myself from the above thread, but here goes.
I did weigh my first two years; I weighed every day and averaged it once a week. I was never willing to do anything differently no matter what it said. I was already asking all I could of myself.

I think it depends on its functionality for you. If it helps you eat less, do it. If it sends you into a tizzy, making you throw in the towel, say what's the point, and start eating, well... I think you know what to do.

I also recommend (though you didn't ask) against have a weight loss goal. I know the weight loss literature says it is more effective than not, but I've seen it derail people over and over. As Reinhard says, have a behavior goal, and see where you land. I weighed in the beginning only as a curiosity. I didn't actually think I'd lose much. Loss was not steady and it took a few years but it hovers between a 40-50 lb. loss.
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)

Chotzinoff
Posts: 35
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2017 6:41 pm
Location: Austin Texas

Post by Chotzinoff » Mon Nov 27, 2017 2:21 pm

A reply from Oolala! What a way to start the week!
So far, I have decided against weighing. I don't have the strength NOT to get into the tizzy of it all, so I'm just trying to build another month of vanilla No-S, with the occasional measurement of the tape. It gives me a feeling of security to have an entire thread to read when I lose inspiration.
Thanks again, Oolala.

sharon227
Posts: 292
Joined: Fri May 18, 2018 12:13 pm

Post by sharon227 » Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:53 pm

My problem is that I find myself turning to the scale for confirmation as to whether I was "good" or "bad." That is so unhelpful. On the other hand, if I don't weigh at all, ever, I often end up fooling myself into thinking "everything is fine" when it isn't.

For now, I'm trying to stick to weighing myself Tues-Thurs every other week and then averaging those three days, as a way to track my progress. I've even added a HabitCal calendar for that, giving myself a green box when I stay off the scale on days I'm not "supposed" to weigh.

On some days that I weigh, I first ask myself "What are you going to do if the scale is up? What are you going to do if the scale is down? What are you going to do if the scale is unchanged?" It helps me visualize healthy emotional responses to whatever the number says.

automatedeating
Posts: 5305
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2013 2:16 pm

Post by automatedeating » Mon Sep 03, 2018 10:39 pm

I weigh pretty much everyday. If I don't, I gain weight over time. Denial or something.
I do anticipate before stepping on the scale how I will handle it if the weight is not what I am expecting. If I've been overeating I notice I avoid the scale, which just perpetuates the over-eating.
Month/Year-BMI
8/13-26.3
8/14-24.5
5/15-26.2
1/16-26.9; 9/16-25.6
8/17-25.8; 11/17-26.9
3/18-25.6; 8/18-24.5; 10/18-23.8;
3/19-22.1; 10/19-21.8
6/20-22.5; 7/20-23.0; 9/20-23.6
4/21 - 25.2

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Octavia
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Location: UK

Post by Octavia » Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:13 pm

Same here, Auto. And yet I do get what Lin said - sometimes I too have a more emotional reaction to the scale and find myself eating more in response to it. Mostly though, it’s just like a little reminder that I am committed to the No S diet.

Another thing I do, relating to weight loss, is that from time to time (once every couple of months maybe) I estimate how many calories I’m taking in on an average week to see whether it’s lower than my old style of eating. Then I know whether or not I can expect to lose any weight. I don’t want to delude myself and entertain unrealistic expectations. If it turned out I wasn’t anywhere near the right number of cals to lose weight, I’d still continue with No S, because as Chotz said, it’s simply a good way to eat.

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lpearlmom
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Location: Arizona

Post by lpearlmom » Sat Sep 08, 2018 5:47 am

I weigh every day now and keep a 7 day running average. This really helps me to keep the highs and lows in perspective.
:twisted: SW: 210 lbs
CW: 172
GW:160

TexArk
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Location: Foothills of the Ozarks

Post by TexArk » Sat Sep 08, 2018 2:13 pm

Yep! I weigh every morning. I use the Hacker's Diet site, not the book, but the computer online tool (www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/) and keep a rolling average and trend. I have records going back many years. The only time I gain is when I quit weighing. Yes it is denial. I can even see the trend. I used to stop weighing during the holiday season. Hmmm wonder why?

Whosonfirst
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Post by Whosonfirst » Sat Sep 08, 2018 3:13 pm

Maybe it's just a guy thing, but I might not weigh myself for months. I can tell by my clothes, if they're getting a little looser, tighter, or not changing much. Mirrors don't lie either, unless of course it's one of those old "funhouse" mirrors. Everyone should do what ever gives them confirmation on how they're progressing, if weight loss is your goal.
https://twitter.com/SipeEngineering
Current weight(9/2020)-212 lbs.
Goal Weight- 205 lbs.
NoS Goal: >= 80% Success days

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