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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~hf
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To weigh or not to weigh?

Post by ~hf » Mon Jan 11, 2010 4:19 pm

I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a scale so I can start weighing in to track my progress. I was thinking of getting a simple scale, digital but no bells and whistles...and weighing twice a week. Monday would be my official weight and
Thursday would be just to check my progress to see if I'm on track. So I'm wondering what you all do. Do you weigh at home or just at the Dr. office (that is an option for me since I go to the Dr. every month)? Just curious what everyone else is doing. :?:

Cantab
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Post by Cantab » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:24 pm

I weigh without clothes first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom, before consuming anything. It makes me better to see the lower numbers. The numbers I see at the doctor's office are something like 10 pounds more than my scale weight at home because of shoes and consumed food/water.

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oliviamanda
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Post by oliviamanda » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:24 pm

I am a culprit of using the scale and I'm sure a lot of people don't agree. Now, I get on my Wii Fit balance board and it tells me my weight and bmi. I don't think it's 100% accurate because my bathroom scale is 5 lbs higher, but I do like to see my progress and if I go up it's usually a result of something specific (S-days).
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.--- Mark Twain

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Post by sophiasapientia » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:27 pm

I weigh-in a few times a week. For me, it is a delicate balance. If I don't weigh-in, I find it easy to be in denial about my habits and any weight gain. But I also am still learning not to freak out about minor variations. For instance, on Saturday morning, I weighed in at 139. This morning -- after 2 moderate S days -- the scale said 141.6 and I had to remind myself that some of that is sodium, etc, from eating out. :?

Shannon

Tricia
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Post by Tricia » Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:35 pm

If weighing often makes you feel bad, don't do it. If it keeps you on track, do it!

Sometimes it makes me feel bad. But, I think it also keeps me on track. So, I weigh myself daily.

*edited to add that I'm not sure I'm really on track yet.

kccc
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Post by kccc » Mon Jan 11, 2010 7:54 pm

That's been discussed a good bit (do a search on "scales") and there are two general schools of thought:

1) Weigh frquently (daily, or nearly so)
2) Weigh infrequently (say, monthly or at the doctor's office)

Advantages of #1 - it's a habit. Disadvantages - Weight loss is slow, so you may be discouraged. It's not uncommon for people to be bummed by the results, and blow the day as a result. And since scales are not THAT accurate, you may sabatoge yourself. Also, there is often lag-time before weight loss that can be frustrating; the people who've been most successful doing this chart their weight so they can see the overall downward trend through the "noise" of the small peaks and valleys.

Advantages of #2 - Weight loss is FAR more visible. The peaks and valleys get lost in the overall drops. That can be encouraging. Disadvantages - if you're going in the wrong direction, you may not correct quickly enough.

Ends up being a personal preference. I do advocate supplemental metrics (measurements, energy levels, etc.) to the scale - it is only ONE data point, even though we rely on it a lot!

Hope that helps.

MDScot
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Post by MDScot » Tue Jan 12, 2010 3:17 am

I am a daily - first thing in the morning - weigher. If you do this you will see daily variation - which you can ignore - but you will also see progress. I have found that I can really get to know certain behaviors and not get disappointed by the odd results. For example - crank up / restart exercise = weight gain for the first few days ( your mileage may vary!) followed by steady improvements.

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Post by sheepish » Tue Jan 12, 2010 10:40 am

I don't weigh at all. I'm measuring progress against my clothing - it was a bit tight when I started No S (two months ago), now it's less tight. I'm aiming for it to be loose.

paulawylma
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Re: To weigh or not to weigh?

Post by paulawylma » Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:23 am

[quote="becauseIcan"]I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a scale so I can start weighing in to track my progress. I was thinking of getting a simple scale, digital but no bells and whistles...and weighing twice a week. Monday would be my official weight and
Thursday would be just to check my progress to see if I'm on track. So I'm wondering what you all do. Do you weigh at home or just at the Dr. office (that is an option for me since I go to the Dr. every month)? Just curious what everyone else is doing. :?:[/quote]

I think you should rethink what the term "progress" means. The No-S Diet is based on building good habits and training yoursel to eat in a new way. The way I measure progress is whether or not I have any red days ans how many.

That said I do weigh myself. I have a wall calendar from the VA and it is preprinted with the weight on Wednessday. On the No S this works because there is often a temporary false weight gain on Monday after the S days. On Wednesday I found my weight is more accurate and steady.

The main thing to watch out for is thinking that what you ate the day before effects your true weight. We had only indirect control over weight loss while we have direct control over our habits--which indirectly effects weight. Weighing too often can be confusing and demoralizing if you think that it reflects whether you were "good" or " bad." If your day was green or yellow then you were "good"-- though I perfer the term successful.:-)

Just MHO, I hope it helps.

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Post by wosnes » Tue Jan 12, 2010 1:29 pm

sheepish wrote:I don't weigh at all. I'm measuring progress against my clothing - it was a bit tight when I started No S (two months ago), now it's less tight. I'm aiming for it to be loose.
In terms of weight management, I'm with Sheepish. I'm supposed to weigh daily because of a health issue (congestive heart failure), and rarely do. :oops:

I don't remember where I read this, but all those places where people are slimmer and healthier than Americans -- they don't weigh regularly and don't keep scales (except kitchen scales) in their homes. They weigh when they go to to the doctor. Like Sheepish, they monitor their weight by the fit of their clothes.
"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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Post by StrawberryRoan » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:59 am

Cantab wrote:I weigh without clothes first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom, before consuming anything. It makes me better to see the lower numbers. The numbers I see at the doctor's office are something like 10 pounds more than my scale weight at home because of shoes and consumed food/water.

Exactly what I do. That is actually your true body weight, everything else is just added on, like clothes, shoes, etc. Just think how svelte we would all look at a nudist colony :roll:

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reinhard
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Post by reinhard » Wed Jan 13, 2010 2:27 pm

As KCCC mentioned, this has been a hot (and often contentious) topic on these boards. Here are a few meaty discussions on the subject:

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3226

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3518

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4041

And here's the podcast episode I did a while back:

http://www.everydaysystems.com/podcast/ ... .php?id=24

Best of luck, whatever you decide!

Reinhard

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Post by staclinusa » Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:28 pm

My health goals are related to my weight - we're trying to get pregnant and weight can have a big negative impact on that - so it makes sense to weigh in often. I weigh myself every weekday morning at the end of my bathroom routine, without clothes. I don't weigh myself on S-days because it seems contrary to the whole idea. When I reach my first goal (10% of my body weight) I'll reassess how often I want to weigh in. If I'm finding it helpful, which I am right now - down 3 pounds in the first 2 weeks - I'll keep doing it.
Stacey

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Post by Ragdoll » Thu Jan 21, 2010 9:34 am

I have been at No S for two weeks, consistently (I added each of the NO S's slowly until I was fully on the diet two weeks ago). I have not had any failures.

I weigh in once a week, taking the average of three days' weigh ins.

In the first week of the diet, I gained two pounds.

Now on the second week of the diet, I've gained half a pound.

Pretty discouraging stuff. I know Reinhard says to focus on behaviour, not result, but let's be honest -- I'm on this diet because I want the result of being slimmer!

So I think those who are saying to weigh yourself either every day or not at all are clever.
Height: 5'6"
Starting Weight 01/08/10: 12 stone/168 pounds
Goal Weight: 10 stone/140 pounds

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.â€

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Post by gratefuldeb67 » Thu Jan 21, 2010 4:34 pm

I weigh myself once a week on Fridays at my moms house.. I don't have a scale in the apartment here and I like not having it here. Over weighing myself never helped my weight loss and when there was a scale around, it really just became an obsessive behavior, and seeing that 2 lbs difference up or down, would often mess up my head and mood for the whole day.. I don't need any additional help with that, thank you very much!!! LOL :)
I also never weigh after the S days, not because I go nuts on those, but just because it somehow feels like "punishment" after enjoying my weekend. I prefer Friday mornings, almost as a prize to myself for getting thru the week and being good. Rewarding good behavior, versus, punishing myself for a little earned indulgence on the weekend.

My Son who has been incredibly good for the past three or four months, has only gone with a tape measure here at home, to track how he's doing, and by focusing on being ultra good during the week and exercising almost daily, he's lost nearly three inches off his waist! At 13 years old he's growing taller and his body is changing, so I think the numbers on the scale might not be that much different, but eventually we will check to see what it's like.
At the moment, he's doing great without the scale.

8) Debs
There is no Wisdom greater than Kindness

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Post by ShannahR » Thu Jan 21, 2010 6:27 pm

I have decided to weigh myself only once a month. The reason is exactly what you guys are describing. Previously when I've dieted I would weigh myself 1-2x per week. The problem was when I saw a tiny fluctuation, as little as 0.5 lb I would feel like all my hard work was for nothing. That would lead directly to me giving up and abandoning the diet after a few weeks. I've been on No S for almost 3 weeks and my clothes feel looser and that's what I'm trying to focus on.

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Post by RedBaron » Tue Jan 26, 2010 2:17 am

John Walker's "Hacker's Diet" ( www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/ ) advocates taking daily weight measurements and ignoring them, but putting them into an excel spreadsheet and tracking the 10-day moving average. This way, you'll see clear trends as you lose weight, without freaking out at daily fluctuations.

The rest of the Hacker Diet is even more complicated; I lost a few pounds on it before I got sick of the work, and now I'm a happy No S newbie. That moving average trick, though, is incredibly valuable. Even once your weight stabilizes at a new, low, healthy value, you'll have a clear indicator of any brewing problems long before your clothes begin to fit differently.[/url]

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bluebunny27
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Post by bluebunny27 » Tue Jan 26, 2010 6:24 am

Yes, that's exactly what I do, Baron.

I weigh every morning and then my "Homemade Spreadsheet file" calculates automatically my average weight for the past 7 and also the past 15 days (Weighted Moving Average) .... this gives me a very reliable number since it's not based on a single day.

Very helpful, even in the maintenance phase. It definitely helps to keep the LARD away.

I was already in the maintenance phase since nov. 1st 2009 but I lost a few more pounds lately (10) due to being ill for 2 weeks straight (The flu). I'm better now since the past 3 days but I should remain in the low 180's since I like it there, I haven't gained any weight back so it's all good ! I also like being very close to a 100 pound weight loss, nice round number.

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

37 Years Old. 5'10" Tall.
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Jan. 25th. 2010 : 183 Pounds

(1 Year, 2 Months, 25 Days : - 97 Pounds)

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Post by Ragdoll » Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:40 am

RedBaron wrote:John Walker's "Hacker's Diet" ( www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/ ) advocates taking daily weight measurements and ignoring them, but putting them into an excel spreadsheet and tracking the 10-day moving average. This way, you'll see clear trends as you lose weight, without freaking out at daily fluctuations.

The rest of the Hacker Diet is even more complicated; I lost a few pounds on it before I got sick of the work, and now I'm a happy No S newbie. That moving average trick, though, is incredibly valuable. Even once your weight stabilizes at a new, low, healthy value, you'll have a clear indicator of any brewing problems long before your clothes begin to fit differently.[/url]
Good thoughts, RedBaron (great name!).

Reinhard speaks of this in the HabitCal area -- one can track behaviours, but also weight loss, on a graph. Great motivator!
Height: 5'6"
Starting Weight 01/08/10: 12 stone/168 pounds
Goal Weight: 10 stone/140 pounds

“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.â€

-C.S. Lewis

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Post by RedBaron » Thu Jan 28, 2010 3:01 am

@RagDoll & bluebunny: thanks, good to know people agree with me :-)

Bluebunny, do you find that the combination of the 7-day average and the 15-day average gives you more useful feedback than a single figure would? I know that *I* tend to fall in love with spiffy charts and numbers, and those numbers are especially seductive when they're generated by a spreadsheet or Python program that came from my own brain. Do you find that the pair of averages is more useful than just the one would be?
"Why is this thus?
What is the reason for this thusness?"
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bluebunny27
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Post by bluebunny27 » Sun Jan 31, 2010 8:27 am

Yes, I used to have even more data ... I tried many different numbers before using 7 and 15 days ... I was using 5-15-31 days for a while too but then I thought 5 days wasn't enough and 31 was too many days so it wasn't really valid .... my weight from 29-30-31 days ago is not really so important, u see.

I'm using 7 & 15 days now, seems to be the best combination for me but I like to have 2 sets of numbers - - one shorter and one longer, so I can know 100% what's going on, short term and long term ... but not too short and not too long, I had to find the right numbers for me ! 7 and 15 seems perfect at the moment, I'll probably use those numbers long term now.

It depends on your personal preferences of course, I was reading about someone who was using a 5 day moving average the other day ... I prefer a bit longer personally. 5 days doesn't seem enough.

Cheers !

Marc ;-)

37 Years Old. 5'10" Tall.
Nov. 1st. 2008 : 280 Pounds
Jan. 28th. 2010 : 183 Pounds

(1 Year, 2 Months, 28 Days : - 97 Pounds)

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~hf
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Post by ~hf » Mon Feb 08, 2010 6:29 am

Well, I decided to buy a scale and weigh in once a week on Friday as a reward (and incentive) for being on plan. I picked out a basic model that only gave my weight to the .0 of a pound. I did weigh in on Monday to get a starting weight (which was about 15lbs. less than I expected so that was a bonus!). Then later in the week we discovered it was broken...wouldn't turn on when stepped on, then would jump to 300lbs (the limit) then go down to 200lbs and stay there even when no one was on it. Maybe it was the battery...Anyway, I returned it and didn't get a replacement.

I'm going into the Dr. in about 2 weeks. I'll use that as my base line and just take my weight from there since I have regular visits. I'll just concentrate on making the best choices I can at each meal and let the pounds fall where they may.

Thanks everyone for your input.

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Post by herbsgirl » Thu Sep 15, 2011 5:02 pm

bluebunny27 wrote:Yes, that's exactly what I do, Baron.

I weigh every morning and then my "Homemade Spreadsheet file" calculates automatically my average weight for the past 7 and also the past 15 days (Weighted Moving Average) .... this gives me a very reliable number since it's not based on a single day.

Very helpful, even in the maintenance phase. It definitely helps to keep the LARD away.

I)
Bumping this thread up, I am doing the Moving average wieght, its free on wieght chart.com and igoogle 15

http://www.red-bean.com/fitz/ig/google15/faq.html
SW 218.2 10-14-13
1 mo 193.4
2 mo 178.8
3 mo 162.8
4 mo 151.4
5 mo 146.2
72 lbs lost in 19 wks 5' 6.5" 31 years old BMI 23.1
counting bites go to: countyourbites . blogspot . com

Sixty
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Post by Sixty » Fri Oct 07, 2011 3:40 pm

I've been away on vacation for two weeks, and not having a scale for my customary morning weigh-in is driving me nuts. Anyone know of a super-small but accurate travel scale? I don't even need to know what I weigh - only if it's gone up since my last official weigh-in!

Who Me?
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Post by Who Me? » Fri Oct 07, 2011 5:06 pm

I really truly believe that jumping on the scale every single day is not a route to happiness.

Sixty
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Post by Sixty » Sat Oct 08, 2011 5:27 am

It's just one of my daily health habits, like exercising and brushing my teeth. For me, these habits are a route to maintaining a good level of health.

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Post by veggirl1964 » Sat Oct 08, 2011 12:50 pm

I'm a daily weigher. I also do the spreadsheet as others mentioned. I don't really pay attention to the number on the scale, other than to add it to my sheet. I do pay attention to the trend line in my graph (I also read the Hacker's Diet at one point). As long as it's fairly straight across the page (down wouldn't bother me either right now), I'm happy. If, over the course of a few weeks, it moves steadily up, then I have to take a closer look at my habits. I look at weighing more as collecting data for a scientific experiment than as a measure of my progress all by itself.

determined
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Post by determined » Mon Oct 10, 2011 2:14 pm

I never weigh myself...ever. The scale is good for some people, and just plain awful for others, including myself. I know about what I weigh...and my dr. knows exactly what I weigh, but knowing that number sabotages my efforts to de-emphasize food & weight loss. I've had a disfunctional relationship with food literally all my life & I weighing myself isn't healthy for me. I know, I know, some people feel that you need to know the numbers to know if you're successful...and if that works for someone, that's great. But I need a clean slate to be healthy. I've been doing NoS on & off for 3 years & I'm finally at the point where I feel as if I'm winning this battle. For me, it's not just a fight against my weight, but against the obsession with the numbers on the scale.

I'm focusing on the basics that work for me. If weighing-in works - go for it. I'm happier not getting on the scale at all.

janie
"Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day."
Winnie the Pooh

sheepish
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Post by sheepish » Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:59 am

I've been weighing myself recently - didn't used to. I started because it was frustrating me not to be able to quantify my progress - I know I've lost a fair bit of weight because I've gone down 1-2 dress sizes but I'd like to know more about how much!

It's been an interesting exercise - I've been doing it almost daily and putting it in a chart. I know that I generally lose around 2 pounds a week (though I put on 2 pounds over a two week holiday so a bit of backsliding there!) now and I'm getting used to the daily fluctuations.

I used to have a complete terror of the scale and find it genuinely a bit traumatic to get on it at the doctors but near-daily weighing has broken me of that and I'm much more comfortable with it. I think, if I'd weighed myself more often, I wouldn't have put on so much weight to begin with.

So, for now, I'm going to keep doing it but if/when I get to goal weight, I may switch to much less frequent weighing - say, monthly.

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Post by Blithe Morning » Tue Oct 11, 2011 12:54 pm

I weigh once a day and only once a day, at the same time under the same conditions. If I can't weigh then, I don't weigh at all since my data won't be consistent.

Weight is data. It's how you interpret it that determines how or even whether you should weigh. If you are doing it for strictly informational purposes, then you are good to go. If you have packed the meaning of that data with all sorts of moral consequence then you should not weigh.

Research shows that people who lose weight and keep it off tend to have some sort of feedback mechanism so they stay on track. Habitcal would be a good one if weight would start you down the path of self recrimination and blame.

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Post by Over43 » Tue Oct 11, 2011 12:59 pm

I weigh first thing in the morning, after nature has called. Although, at the moment my clothes seem to be a better indicator of my body size than the scale. I wore the belt on the third notch yesterday without realizing it, and I am comfortably in medium clothing now. (Macy's clothes, not WalMart. WalMart sizing seems to be bigger per size.)
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~hf
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Post by ~hf » Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:30 pm

After a lot of thought I decided to weigh once a month, on the 1st, regardless of the day of the week. When I was a calorie counter I weighed daily. That made me crazy, which is why I was considering not weighing at all now but that is just another extreme. Since No S is all about moderation I think once a month is a good compromise. I know my weight is up higher than my start date because of a set back but that is ok. I'm restarting No S, again, sigh, and I'll weigh in on the first of March.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I enjoyed reading the different perspectives.
SW 236.4
10/26/11 restart date
1st goal 21 day club !accomplished! 11/24/11
2nd goal 10% loss
3rd goal...????

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NoSRocks
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Post by NoSRocks » Mon Feb 13, 2012 8:51 pm

Thanks Cantab, for your post on the Dr's Scales weighing you 10 lbs heavier! I weighed in at the Dr's Office this morning, fully clothed and having eaten breakfast - at a full 6.5 lbs heavier! :evil: :evil: (I insisted in taking my shoes off first, lol!) It kinda got to me and then I remembered there was always a tendency for me to weigh substantially more on the Dr's scales.... reading your post just reinforced it and made me feel a lot better. Thanks again!!

I had been juggling with trying something new or adding some new mods to my No S plan... but I think I'll keep going just the same as Ive always done. I do tend to eat a bit more on S Days (snacking/sweet stuff) and I may consider putting a cap on how many S Day treats I have ... only if it gives me a bit more direction/organization. If its going to backfire, make me eat more or think about diets and body image too much, I may not bother. I'll see how it goes this weekend.
No S-er since December 2009
Streamlined S Days: 6/25/12
SW: 170 /CW: 127
Weight loss to date: 43 lbs

laura corin
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Post by laura corin » Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:24 pm

I use the scales, but only about once a month. I'm only losing about a pound a month, so that fits. I don't have that much to lose really, so I'm happy with better habits and slow loss. If I weigh myself one Friday and the needle is wavering, then I'll weigh again the following Friday, by which time it usually settles on the lower weight.

Laura
1st November, 2011: 66 kilos (145 pounds)
9th December, 2011: 64 kilos (141 pounds)
3rd February, 2012: 63.5 kilos (140 pounds)
Goal: 57 kilos (125 pounds) BMI 21.5

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fdaoud00
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Post by fdaoud00 » Wed Feb 15, 2012 4:00 pm

If you can, go for a good quality "mechanical" scale. I find them more accurate and reliable than electronic scales, and they don't use batteries!

Also, as been mentioned, weigh yourself first thing in the morning, nude, after going to the bathroom. During the day, your weight will vary far too much. Just two big glasses of water and that's a pound of weight right there!

As for frequency, I find once a week to be a good in-between every day and every month.

Good luck 8)

Fred

adrian
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Post by adrian » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:25 am

Another thought is to abandon the scale and track measurements instead, particularly waist measurements.

I'm thinking of trying the running average method you guys mentioned because I've been weighing more than I said I would - every couple days....just can't seem to wait until the weekly weigh-in!

It IS important to weigh at the same time of day...whatever time works for you and remember how much water weighs and that your body is always fluctuating in the amount of water that is retained. Do not let one higher number depress you.

I like the idea of looking at trends. I think I'm going to start that!

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Post by Strawberry Roan » Sun Feb 19, 2012 4:21 pm

I love the Google graph, just downloaded it thanks. I weight every morning, no clothes, after going to the bathroom. Have done so for about fifty years I imagine.

I have posted on another site that logs your weight every morning for several years and the graph comes up each day, very interesting to watch. It also has a line that shows the trend which is actually very accurate to gauge small weight loss (I don't have a digital scale).

Whatever works best is whatever works best. :wink:
Berry

terrychen
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Post by terrychen » Wed Apr 12, 2017 6:06 am

As to the body weight scale, i also need one at present.
Last edited by terrychen on Tue Apr 18, 2017 6:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Skycat » Thu Apr 13, 2017 5:22 am

I've been through every variation of this. There was a time in my life when I never weighed myself, then when I finally did, I was about 18 lbs heavier than I had thought I was.
About a year ago I was weighing myself up to four times a day, that wasn't every day but probably minimum twice a day.
At the moment I'm in between, the scale is kept in a cupboard, not in the bathroom so on the mornings when I want to weigh myself and can be bothered to get the scale out of the cupboard and do it before eating or drinking anything I do and it ends up being irregular but around once a week.
For me that seems to be the answer, to have a scale available but keep it somewhere I have to make a choice and an effort to get it out, stops me either losing track or going overboard.
I CAN do this.

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