Scales

[jannakal]

I totally agree that people let the scale rule their perceptions of how well (or not) they might be doing. It's so important to take stock of what you're doing to be healthy, and to praise yourself for exercising and eating well, regardless of what the scale says each week.

I find numbers quite motivating - eg. the scale/how fast I can run/how many seconds I can hold the Plank! - so I might start using measurements as a motivator alongside the scale. And maybe percentage fat loss or something.

[wlsmoku]

man i wish I could do that...i'm a scale JUNKIE! I need my fix daily it feels...and it totally effects my day...I hate it. I didn't weigh in yesterday and it was just on my mind all day wondering what it was. i'm a dork :(

[umassbluangel]

yeah i know. most ppl are :) a junkie, that is. not a dork

[wlsmoku]

haha punk don't make me come over thur!!! :P

[nevahsatisfied]

I must say that a weekly weigh in is definitely a good way to track my progress. I see where you are coming from but I think seeing a physical change is often times hard...so going to ww for weekly weigh in helps me keep track of how things are going on this long journey I am on. Good video though, something to think about.

[umassbluangel]

great to hear

[Shockwave3000]

Im a how you feel kinda person. If my pants are feeling looser and shirts are getting less tight then its going well. If they start getting tighter again I know I need to change something.

[umassbluangel]

exactly

[vlo1125]

it motivates me to see those numbers go down, its what keeps me going. recently there have been alot of articles in health magazines about how people who weigh daily tend to maintain their weight more than people who dont weigh in regularly. it helps me to face the music every morning and be held accountable for what i did the day before. i also take my measurments so i have that positive reinforcement coming from both and letting me know that what im doing is really working.

[umassbluangel]

i think its great if u use it as a motivator. i just hate seeing how "down" ppl get when the scale doesnt move. measurements is a great idea

[AngelBones84]

Im having to learn to not get on the scale , bc it is bad for me , and is normally a negative experience . I know that I weight more than I appear to , yet my actual weight still bothers me . Its an obsessive thing , it really is .

[umassbluangel]

its so hard b/c i used to need to get on it every day

[aninchbyanich]

I totally agree with you, In the begining I made the scale a priority and obsessed about it and this caused me anxiety..Now i weigh when i feel, I really don't care as much as i used too, Its the other things, and the changes that matter.. Once in awhile is Ok to use it as a guidling on your journey :) Fav. Vid!

[umassbluangel]

awesome to hear!

[BeeMe72]

so do you play the guitar i saw the one you have in the background i am trying to learn i have a hard time spreading my fingers lol

[umassbluangel]

i pretend to play

[gissygi]

yeah, anth0nyp says it pretty well, how else are you going to track progress? like you said, its definitely no good to get obsessed but its a MUST to do it every now and then. all things have to be measured not only weight but other things like cholesteral, BMI's, etc. otherwise there's no basis for even believing that you're getting anywhere.

[umassbluangel]

i track progress by how my clothing fits. and by my measurements. its pretty effective

[KeriLyn2980]

i see what you mean.. there are other ways to measure your progress. I'm a scale slave too. but i dont do it daily or anything.. once a week is plenty. I'd be suicidal of i did it every day!

[umassbluangel]

yeah i was just bringing up my opinion. lol. thanks for sharing!

[maddmaddworld]

I use the scale once a week, just as a matter of tracking. The only "weight" that I care about is that I would like to be under 200 again. At what specific weight under 200lbs, I dan't dare...I just want to be healthy. If it turns out that I get under 200, then go over because of muscle mass, then I am totally happy with that. For now getting under 200 is just a goal, to show that I am losing fat...

[umassbluangel]

thanks for sharing! :)

[iluvmy4blessings]

I don't own a scale anymore because when I am dieting I get very OCD about it. I let it determine my mood for the day. So this time around, I only weigh in at my weekly meetings. They own the scale and I can only get on it Saturday mornings. It is working out better b/c I don't feel so controlled by it now.

[umassbluangel]

sounds great!

[theDietBlogger]

Agree to disagree :) I think a weekly weigh-in is a must. I agree with the daily weigh-in obsession stuff that you said, but you need to monitor your weight for trends... it let's you know how your body is handling your food intake and exercise output... to alert you if you need to change your regiment.

[umassbluangel]

i didnt say not to do it. lol. weekly, yes. daily, maybe not. hourly, no. i was just saying i, personally, don't need to and that if it makes someone feel bad to not see the #s go down, but their clothes fit better or they feel better then dont do it. lol

[Talljim01]

You have to use the scale at least once a week though, so you can gauge where you are at, if you are on a diet plan. Its like weight lifting, you have to do a maximum lift once a week or so, to gauge if you are ready to change the amount of weight you exercise with, otherwise you're just spinning your wheels.

[umassbluangel]

not necessarily. the scale hasnt shifted SO much for me but i fit into pants MUCH smaller than before. the scale should be used as a guage but not as life and death - like some make it out to be

[Talljim01]

Yes I know about that, where people starve themselves to look good. Its unhealthy. I watched a show once where a woman had a weird OCD about always weighing herself. Actually it was a show about OCD and different types but thats a different topic. ;p

[SashaRenee1212]

I totally see what you mean :) I think for me its just interesting to see the kind of changes that happen from different foods or workouts &things like that. I weigh everyday but more for fun rather than as an obsessive-Im going to cry thing.& I suppose for some people when you are making the efforts it helps to see some kind of definite change. Numbers are sometimes easier to see than the changes in the mirror. But I agree that it shouldnt be all u think about when it comes to being healthy:)

[umassbluangel]

good point!

[anth0nyp]

I agree about not weighing daily. But I think most of us are here to "lose weight" which is by definition measured by the scale. I think it's important to have a measureable goal. And unless you're gaining muscle at an incredible rate... the scale is the most convenient way to measure weight loss. You gotta figure if you're success is not reflected on the scale over time... it's probably a pretty good indication that it's time to do something different.

[umassbluangel]

i am here to lose weight. i guess the thing is, i was trying to say that it shouldnnt be done daily nor as a complusion. i see how depressed it makes some ppl to see the scale not move but they say their pants feel better... ya know? mission accomplished - even if the scale hasnt budged. i was more saying that for ME, personally, im glad it isnt a compulsion

[LisaLuluFufu]

Ya know I luv ya but I think the scale is a must!

I do once a week, I think everyone should at least once a month just to know where you are and to be accountable. But that is just my 2 cents, lol! ;-)

I do understand what you mean about getting upset with it, but the joy of being happy with it sometimes is all the difference to keep you going and focused.

[umassbluangel]

once a week is great. it definitely does help but there are other ways to be accountable. i was commenting on ppl who get depressed by not seeing the scale go down, is all.

[LisaLuluFufu]

Oh I know Girly!  I understand that 200% I used to weigh 2 to 3 times a day once upon a time. I totally understand your meaning of the vid. ;-)