problem, the scale

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 4:46 pm

the problem i'm having, my scale. first of all i don't know whether to weigh in the morning or at night.. I generally just use it when it is convenient for me but it happens to be several times a day.

i don't think there is any way you are going to get a perfectly accurate reading on any given day as comparable with a reading from another day.

should i just bite the bullet and get rid of using the scale for a month at a time. i hate to think that i will allow myself to creep upward in weight and just not know what was going on. has anyone else tried this?

Licota · Post by **Licota** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:00 pm

Put it away, maybe in a storage? Use measuring instead, you can lose inches and still stand still on the scale

Amy C. · Post by **Amy C.** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:04 pm

bigmac wrote:the problem i'm having, my scale. first of all i don't know whether to weigh in the morning or at night.. I generally just use it when it is convenient for me but it happens to be several times a day.

I have found that measuring once a week at the same time of day (right after getting up) and in the same clothes (nothing), works for me. Unless you record it, measuring several times a day doesn't really show anything.

Jibaholic · Post by **Jibaholic** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:11 pm

The scale can be a good source of accountability but it can also be a source of discouragement and frustration. The human body is like a giant bag of water but the amount of water in the bag can vary quite a bit from day to day depending on a whole bunch of factors. So you may be losing fat and seeing the scale go up.

One thing you can do to "smooth" out your scale readings is to weigh yourself at a specific time of day and find the average of 3 readings (perhaps Wednesday morning, Thursday morning, and Friday morning). But it will still vary a bit and you may seem to plateau even if you are really losing weight. Overall I think the scale is a good thing but many people do better without it.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:11 pm

once a week sounds reasonable I am glad I am making this decision thanks for your help

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:17 pm

I personally don't weigh myself because when I started weight lifting, I dropped 2 dress sizes but my weight stayed exactly the same. To me, weight has little meaning versus clothing size. I do note my weight once a year at my annual physical, but I can usually guess what it will be - right now, about 5 lbs more than I would like.

To measure myself, though, I use the fit of my clothes. I know when I'm gaining weight (or more realistically gaining fat) even if I don't weigh myself.

That being said, I do think weight is a good data point, but don't let daily fluctuations affect you - these won't be directly correlated with what you have done. Your overall weight trend will be correlated to these habits. The same is probably true with fit of clothes, though.

I have heard that weighing in the morning allows for the least amount of fluctuations, since you have less differences due to liquid and food that is in your system. I would imagine that you'll still get fluctuations.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:28 pm

it's always a big decision whenever I do anything like this like starting exercising or dieting and I have always held onto having a weigh-in every day which has not worked out that well for me because it affects my decisions where it should not so I think once a week will work better for me

Jibaholic · Post by **Jibaholic** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:32 pm

One possible suggestion if you still want to do daily weigh-ins, if you have the money, is to buy one of those fancy scales with a wi-fi connection. It will track your weight and you can check it out online. So even if your weight goes up two pounds one day, you can easily bring up the trend line and see your weight going down.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:38 pm

I will probably get something like that sooner or later I wonder if the prices will go down anyways for now I do have a tracking app that I use I just have to input it. I am not too worried about it but it would be nice to have something integrated that worked with the web

I recently paid pretty big bucks for a thermostat that hooks up to the web and I love that

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:24 pm

What about finding an online program that keeps a trend line for you? physicsdiet used to do that.

If weighing helps keep you on track and feeling okay about yourself, do it often, average the weights periodically, or keep a trend line. Weigh at the same time and under the same conditions.

If it just makes you crazy or ruins your day, just track behaviors.

My two cents.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 8:33 pm

I definitely fall into the latter category I never really noticed it about myself but it started to affect my decisions about food if I was low I might think I could eat more if I was high I would think I needed to eat less.... but where it started to get weird i'd go to the bathroom and the scale would be different and often it'd be more than before I know I have a decent scale it's just that the fluctuations were pretty random so why should I make a decision based on that? and I have decided.. i wont. once a week is a nice way to see a trend in itself and even more so if I enter it into an app one a week

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:10 am

That's awesome!

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:18 am

Thanks... its not budging lately weightwise. But i suspect i've been eating bigger meals, and having milk sometimes too much

But not budging is better than going back in the 300's club

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 2:55 am

True that.

aspencer27 · Post by **aspencer27** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 12:26 pm

That is awesome! For weightloss, you'll always go thru a plateau. Don't let it get you frustrated. Keep on keeping on, and you'll eventually adjust to losing again. Maintaining is definitely better than gaining. Keep up the great work!

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Wed Sep 17, 2014 3:16 pm

aspencer27 wrote:For weightloss, you'll always go thru a plateau. Don't let it get you frustrated. Keep on keeping on, and you'll eventually adjust to losing again.

That's my experience as well. My longest plateau was 6 months.

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Thu Sep 18, 2014 12:08 pm

A friend told me something interesting a couple weeks ago which actually fits in with No S thinking of moderation with days off. She is training hard for a marathon and has focused both on training and eating well. She was surprised to see she was gaining weight even after accounting for the extra muscle. She went to a nutrition expert and was told she needed to eat more. She was told that being too stringent for too long is not good. The theory is that the body body reacts to the lower level of food and adjusts. She was told occasional days of eating more keeps you from getting into this rut.

So is it just a coincidence that I just lost 3.4 lbs in the last 2 weeks after my weight loss had been slowing down a little? I have been more indulgent this month due to a series of special events so I naturally ate more than I have been. Yet I lost more. Hmmm. Food for thought.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 4:37 pm

eschano wrote:That's my experience as well. My longest plateau was 6 months.

is there anything that you did differently to get off your plateau?

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 5:06 pm

Hello! No, at least not consciously. It's weird but it seems that my body goes through those phases where it hangs on to it's weight and suddenly it drops. I stick to NoS about 85%-90% of the time so my weight is still creeping down but as I have a normal BMI, even on the higher side, I'm not very bothered anymore.

Likewise it takes me about two weeks of overeating and suddenly the scale jumps up.

I think three fulfilling meals a day is all it takes and maybe my S days calmed down but it's hard to say.

I did give up diet coke at some point and reduced coffee and it lead to fewer cravings for sure.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Mon Oct 27, 2014 5:14 pm

so if I am sitting at a point where I may notice a tenth of a percent body weight change per week you think that if I keep on trying to NO S the same way as usual there may be a chance I will eventually in some unexplainable way lose weight....

or rather as long as I can effectively plateau there is no need to worry and add extra requirements for my diet?

Asking for your opinion. I am probably asking you a personal question that I might just as well ask myself...

I guess I just want to know what you did but it sounds like you didn't bother worrying about a plateau... mind you it's a plateau after 20 pounds weight loss

oolala53 · Post by **oolala53** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 1:04 am

If you cannot honestly imagine leading a stricter life, there isn't much point to thinking a lot about weighing less. It might happen naturally over time or it may become important enough that the needed behaviors sound less difficult. In the meantime, try to enjoy your meals and life in between.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 1:10 am

Just was curious...

Thanks for your info..

It was just interesting that the first 20 came off so fast... then the wall

But im comfortable intake wise

eschano · Post by **eschano** » Tue Oct 28, 2014 9:36 am

Hiya, it depends. How long was your plateau? I certainly wouldn't worry about it for the first few months. Afterwards you can always tighten on NoS. I might have been busier on weekends so I may have had less Ss but it's hard to say. Sorry for the lack of insight.

If after two more months you're still at a plateau I figure you can aim for better N day compliance (stricter or more green) depending how you feel now. I have only been in the 21 day club once or twice and have a fail about once a week or fortnight so there is something I know I could do. But I'm not very bothered about being thin. I want to be healthy.

abelincoln · Post by **abelincoln** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 1:04 pm

2 months plateau thus far...

Amy C. · Post by **Amy C.** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 1:45 pm

abelincoln wrote:2 months plateau thus far...

I would be glad to maintain for 2 months. I am always going up and down with the same 5 lbs.

I suspect it will break with the cooler weather. Your body burns more calories to stay warm, so just hold the course!

r.jean · Post by **r.jean** » Wed Oct 29, 2014 5:20 pm

I am with you Amy. My main goal since starting No S has been maintenance. Once you lose it, keep it off and you are ahead of the game. I lost 45 lbs my first year and then had a somewhat self induced plateau for two years.

At the end of year one, I was very content with where I was even though I was still 25 lbs. above my goal weight. I spent year two and year three maintaining. It was not so much of a plateau as it was a break...a long deliberate plateau. I enjoyed a better relationship with food. I felt better even though I was still overweight. I built up my exercise during this time but did not worry about the weight.

I crashed in year 4 and started gaining. It was alarming how quickly the scale went up. After 3-4 months I got a handle on it, but it was so frustrating to have to take the same weight back off again. Since getting back to my maintenance weight in July, I have lost 16.8 more pounds. It all came down to stricter compliance and being more moderate in my food choices.

So ask yourself what level of change you can tolerate and do it very slowly. When you have reached your level of comfort, you will know it. And your weight will be what it will be.

PS I weigh once a week on Thursdays when I first get up. Just pick a consistent time. Mornings are best. Staying away from the weekend is good.

Strawberry Roan · Post by **Strawberry Roan** » Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:54 pm

I weigh every morning after getting up and going to the bathroom, etc.

Have since high school. Record my weight online once a week or so to see the graph line - my weight has stabilized over the years to within a five pound range either way. Like others said, one's clothes are a good indicator and the more one exercises the more "weight" a frame can hold without it appearing on the scale.

Everyday Systems

problem, the scale

problem, the scale

Re: problem, the scale

once a week