Scale Haters Unite!

Aquajock

Aquajock

Cathlete
Good morning, all! Just wanted to gather a bit of a round-up of exercisers who, like me, do NOT rely on the scale at all as part of their monitoring of their health / fitness profile.

Every now and then I see a post someone else similar to many of my past posts, in which the point is made that scale weight fluctuates throughout the day, week and month, that scale weight does not distinguish between fat and fat-free mas, and in fact does more to discourage otherwise successful exercisers because they haven't "lost weight". I start to feel like a bit of a freak about it, until someone like Colleen M (from an earlier thread) says the same thing.

We scale-haters walk a fine line, because usually it's a person's desire to "lose weight" that gets her into a sound exercise and nutrition program, so we don't want to discourage that. However, to rely on one singular number can often be a prescription for failure and emotional pain, and it's a number that doesn't tell you much at all about how you REALLY are doing.

Anyone else with me here?

Annette Q. Aquajock
 
Oh, I do so hate the scale!!! I only step on it when I am daring. I am about 10-15 lbs. overweight, but I weigh about 147 and wear a size 8. When I tell people how much I weigh, they freak out. NONE of my girlfriends work out like I do, and probably do not even know what a weight is. It is kinda embarrasing. I told my husband the other day that I lost 2 lbs. my first week on WW's, and told him I was down to 147, and he says "Gosh, I can't believe you weigh that much, you don't look it." It was nice, but it really didn't make me feel that good. I do have alot of muscle thanks to Cathe, I just have to get rid of the other layer covering it.
Lori
 
I am WITH YOU on the scale issue! I rarely weigh myself. This is after years and years of weighing my self daily.

I eat healthy (mostly) and let the fit of my clothes be my yardstick.

Judy

Live by the golden rule: treat others as yourself :)
 
Count me in as a scale hater! I do not even own a scale. When I go for my checkups and the nurse weighs me on that big 'ole scale, I ask her not to tell me what I weigh and close my eyes as she pushes the little weights down the slide.

I go by how my clothes fit and how I feel. I feel good when I'm exercising regularly - emotionally and physically. I realized long ago that the scale is just not for me.
 
I used to be a scale obsessor but thankfully I am recovered! I now use a tape measure about once a month or so and use my clothes as a guide.My weight fluctuates so much I don't dare step on the scale unless it's 1st thing in the morning,and NEVER during TTOTM! :)
The last time I went to the Dr.(3 months ago) it was in the late afternoon. I had weighed myself first thing that morning at 136#'s, by the time they weighed me it said 146(w/ all clothes,shoes etc..). I just smiled and shook my head. She then admitted they don't rely on the scale much either.
I am with you, let's throw 'em out! :D Susan
 
>Oh, I do so hate the
>scale!!! I only step
>on it when I am
>daring. I am about
>10-15 lbs. overweight, but I
>weigh about 147 and wear
>a size 8. When
>I tell people how much
>I weigh, they freak out.
> NONE of my girlfriends
>work out like I do,
>and probably do not even
>know what a weight is.
> It is kinda embarrasing.
> I told my husband
>the other day that I
>lost 2 lbs. my first
>week on WW's, and told
>him I was down to
>147, and he says "Gosh,
>I can't believe you weigh
>that much, you don't look
>it." It was nice,
>but it really didn't make
>me feel that good.
>I do have alot of
>muscle thanks to Cathe, I
>just have to get rid
>of the other layer covering
>it.
>Lori

Lori, If you don't mind my asking how tall you are, you may not be 10-15 pounds overweight! Especially since you said you wear a size 8. I am between 5'7" and 5'8" and I hover between 140 and 145. I am usually around a size 6, and I believe what Aquajock says is true, we should not rely on the scale to measure progress. I have been "stuck" at the same weight for about one and a half to two years, but I continue to see improvements in my body composition and measurements. I have had the same comments, such as "You don't look like you weigh that much!". I think it's all our hard earned Cathe muscles. Take care, Sandra
 
I try to be a scale hater, but I can't kick the habit yet! One because I'm still in the losing process, so every number down is still sort of a victory (but I only weigh once/week and I measure too!) and two, I'm terrified of gaining! I've read soooooo many stories about people losing weight, only to gain it back. At this point, knowing how hard it is to lose I can't imagine gaining it back like that, but apparently it does happen to some people, and I don't want to be one of those people. So how do you "kick the scale" and stay secure in the knowledge that you won't gain weight? And I'm not even focused anymore on reaching some "ideal" number, wherever my body takes me is just fine, but I can't shake the idea that if I don't weigh at least once/week, I could get out of control. Does this make sense?

Donna
 
RE: To Donna / Getnfit@38

Hi, Donna! I know, as do we all, how hard you've worked and how far you've come, and I can certainly understand your concern about gaining back the adipose you've lost.

IMHO, the reasons the vast majority of people regain the weight they lost are: their weight-loss program was diet-based only, and those are always doomed to long-term failure; AND they do not work out. Far, far too many people think that losing weight is the only thing they need to do, forgetting that maintaining weight loss is an ongoing effort in and of itself. It is quite simple, and it has nothing to do with paranoid monitoring of one's scale weight. It has to do with the fact that maintaining a healthy body composition takes WORK, week in and week out. And it has nothing to do with stealth weight creeping back on hapless people; it has to do with not doing the work.

I've said many times here that you are a walking billboard for doing it right: you've made incremental changes to your nutritional intake over time; and you've engaged in productive, increasingly challenging exercise over time. As long as you maintain that, and as long as you continue to challenge yourself and find your body's ATHLETIC capabilities, you will NOT gain it back.

I'd be interested in finding out how interested YOU'D be in going to perhaps a bi-weekly weigh-in, while maintaining your weekly workout check-ins to keep your exercise performance recorded. Then, after 6-12 weeks of bi-weekly weigh-ins, go to once-a-month weigh-ins. And so on. Whaddaya think?

Annette Q. Aquajock
Donna's Number-One Fan

(P.S. you might want to change your screen name to "Gotfit@38"!)

:)
 
RE: To Donna / Getnfit@38

You have to make room for me as a co-Donna #1 fan! We can line up elbow to elbow.

Just Do It! :)
 
Bi-weekly weigh in's.............................

I had to "digest" the mere thought of it, but having thought about it, I think I could try it! I can still post in on the weight loss checkin each week, but on the non-weigh weeks, I'd just post about my eating and how it's going overall for that week. So, I'm willing to give it a try! :)

okay~instant image just popped into my head sitting here: For those of you old enough to remember the movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," I just had a vision of me ballooning up like the little obnoxious purple girl and being rolled away by an oompa-loompa! But I know it's just panic, not realistic! So, I'll do it, I'll do bi-weekly weigh ins for a few months, then we'll see about the once/month. :)

See what I mean about this forum, even when you don't think you're capable of doing something, someone pulls you across another hurdle kicking and screaming if necessary! :)

Donna
 
RE: To Donna / Getnfit@38

A-jock,
Ya know I'm witcha on this! Scale weight, body mass index and height-weight charts are about the most ridiculous wastes of time that there is--the numbers tell us nothing. The ONLY thing that matters is body fat vs lean muscle mass.

I don't even own a scale.
Maribeth
 
RE: To Donna / Getnfit@38

I do own a scale but I use it for fun, really. Nowadays, I like to get on it after eating lots of carbs and ingesting mass amounts of water. Then I ask my hubby just to GUESS on how much it will say. Often, I can weigh 5lbs heavier, sometimes more!! We both just laugh, and he is amazed I can get my weight up so high in the course of one day!! But yeah, as I gauge of my progress I never use it, or atleast care what it says...

Janice
 
RE: To Donna / Getnfit@38

Count me in also. I'm scale free at my house too. I get weighed at the Dr. office and that's it. Scale weight is such a deception.

I too get the comments from folks that I look like I weigh about 110lbs when I weigh between 130-135lbs. at 5'4. I get a kick out of some women who think that somehow they have you beat cuz they weigh less. Who cares what # the scale has if you look unhealthy. We have to help the younger women get more education on how to go about "looking good" the healthy way, which I find much easier to stick with. Bone density and all the other goodies of exercise (better sex drive, hey, if it motivates them).

I would like to see more Dr.'s offices w/body compostion (body fat) tests. I'm so curious as to what mine is.

Chuee
 
Okay this is a tough one for me, I'm addicted to the scale, just the other day I brought some of my free weights upstairs to make sure it is correct to the ounce (okay to the pound). And to be sure, I also go by how my body measures, clothes fit etc....but since I highly respect AJ's opinion and thoroughly get a kick out of her posts, (minus her poetic prowess (truly I am still laughing over that one :) ) and liberal bent) I will attempt to begin weaning myself off the morning step up (referring to the scale not the CATHE). You guys are a great bunch and I hail the scale haters.

I have one question that seriously bothered me this morning. I have been working out for 1 1/2 years approximately only taking 14 days off to recover from childbirth and missed a few days for incredibly morning sickness (stopped lifting long enough for them to run IV therapy to keep the fluids going). But, how do you guys keep motivated year after year. Cathe has kept me going for months now, but I got really scared when I thought, what about ten years from now, I don't want to lose this feeling. BUT, will I be able to keep pushing myself at this intensity 10 years from now. This thought really scared me. I'd love to hear from you guys who have been doing this for 10-20 years, did you ever go through slumps etc... how have you maintained. (This probably should have been a separate post.) Thanks for listening.

Briee
 
RE: To Donna / Getnfit@38

I know I am in the minority, but I use the scale as a good tool. I don't obsess about the number since I know that my weight can fluctuate up to 5 - 7 pounds in one month. (I actually weigh myself every morning and graph it so I can watch the monthly fluctuations - gives me a great sense of empowerment to really "see" what effect that pizza or TOM changes do to my weight) But - without that number providing some guideline, I tend to gain weight. I am 6 feet tall, and the weight goes on VERY evenly throughout my body. That translates to a 20 pound gain before I even feel it in my clothes!!!! So - with the scale, I know if I have gained 5 pounds and I can do something about it before it becomes 20!! (I've learned this the hard way - and am now in the process of taking off that 20 pounds I gained while I didn't have a scale....)
 
Ok, I don't have any kids, so I do have more time for working out I guess, but I have been doing it since I was 16. I really believe that once you do it long enough it becomes an addiction. And if you learn lots about it and try to gain more knowlege it becomes a hobby. Clearly, many of us on this forum are not only "addicted" at this point, but this is also our "hobby" or we would not be here.

I had this discussion with a few friends the other day...they are big drinkers. I told them I just could not relate, but we decided that for me, exercise and fitness took the place of that drink. While they are addicted to what alcohol does for them, I am addicted to what exercise does for me. Sometiems I get frustrated if I don't see the changes I want to see and I think to myself "why do I even workout". But, I know there are many other reasons why I do it or I would not keep doing it!!! It is like breathing to me now. I cannot imagine my life without it!!!

If you are on this forum Briee, and a regular poster, and you are doing your workouts at home, and you are addicted to Cathe......you are well on your way to becoming a lifetime exerciser. In my opinion, once you see how good it makes you feel, you will never turn back. And we won't let you!!!

Keep on pluggin'!!

Janice
 
Briee--

I'm going to be watching this post to see the response. I'm interested, too, in how people stay highly motivated over time.

And yesterday, inspired by the direction of this message, threw my scales into the garbage can. I've thought about it for a long time, even tried it a few times, but I finally got up the courage. I've had more binge days inspired by a bad day on the scales than any other reason. So they're gone. I feel better already.
 
This may be a very naive question: but how can someone who wears a size 8 be considered overweight?
-Nancy
 
Hi Briee!

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Nov-03-02 AT 04:24PM (Est)[/font][p]I also agree that exercise becomes an addiction after some time. One you get used to those "feel-good" endorphines, you will definitely not feel the same on days you miss. I have been exercising for 20+ years and it still feels GOOD! :7 It took some time for me to get used to the fact that my body needed a day of rest each week to recoup & rebuild, but by Monday, I am raring to go. I also have learned to enjoy my day off now knowing it is a good thing. I started out exercising due to major heart disease and obesity in my family. That is the TRUE reason I started but once I made it a habit, it became a part of me. I teach Hi/Lo aerobics and have for years, but it wasn't til I "met" Cathe, that I kicked my fitness level up a few notches. There has been no turning back since. Not sure what we all would do should Cathe ever decide to retire??? Oh my, what a dreadful thought!!! Just do it...you will be glad 20 years from now looking back on the whole experience. Rootin' for you! (I reach a big milestone this month too! 50!!!!!:-wow)

(Came back to say that, YES, you can keep up the intensity level, of course, depending on health, injuries, knees, back problems or whatever. I workout harder now then I ever have!)

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Hi Briee!

Well, what's helped to keep me going over the past 10 yrs. is "Results!!" I had my son in 1992 and put on more weight than was required. lol! He was a healthy 9.5lbs. and I was about 180lbs. Before pregnancy I was about 125 and wore a size 7/8 jeans. Now and for about the past 2 yrs I've stayed at 130-135 and wear a size 3/4. So, that's the results I was talking about. It's amazing how much more food I can eat. I always figured when I was younger that as you aged if you wanted to stay trim you'd have to eat less. I have to say that for me the biggest results really started to show when I cut down on the cardio ( about 5 yrs ago) and started lifting heavier. I also started eating better. Before I was doing the low fat,high carb thing and I wondered why I didn't really look like I worked out. You know the muscle definition and all, like Cathe. So, I started reading those muscle man mags (lol) to learn how they and the ladies put on muscle. I upped the protein and tweaked my diet plus followed the different weight training techniques I found in the mags. It's been like an science project. Sorry to go on and on but it's kind of like how we all love Cathe and you just want to
tell everyone you meet about her. I'm the same way, I just
have to emphasize the weight training.
Another big thing that's keeped me pluggin' along is variety.

What also can help is every so many weeks changing your program. I think you call it rotations. Some w/a muscle gaining goal others w/fat loss goal. After a while you get where all you really need is a muscle and cardio maintenance program.
 
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