Scale suggestions, or to weigh or not to weigh?

I've long been a proponent of not weighing, but I'm in a group of folks who weigh and now I gotta know... What are your thoughts on weighing/not weighing? What are some good scales (not too expensive)?

Wed. Jan 25, 6:37pm

The Dr. blog has an interesting review of the medical lit. on weighing or not. It found that people who weighed daily lost more weight and kept it off more than people who did less frequently.

Just my two cents.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 8:19 PM

I weigh in every day and at the end of the week I average it out. I find if I don't weigh every day I can gain weight pretty quickly so it keeps me accountable. I would totally recommend weighing daily. As far as scales go, I would just try several several times and go with one of the two that are within a close range and then pick the most consistant.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 8:27 PM

I've read that people who are losing weight tend to weigh themselves more frequently, so what you've got is the chicken or the egg syndrome. Did weighing in everyday lead to weight loss, or did healthy eating and exercising lead to people's willingness to weigh in every day. Think about it, there's no right or wrong answer. I know that when I'm not eating right and or not exercising, I tend to avoid the scale.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 9:00 PM

Same time every day

I second the idea of weighing daily, but using a weekly average to measure your progress. There's one catch though - your weight sometimes fluctates more within a day than from day to day. So you need to be consistent. If you weigh yourself at different times of day you will drive yourself nuts with phantom weight gain. I weigh myself every morning just before hopping in the shower. I'm a little anal, so I graph my weight on a chart above the scale - that helps me see the overall progress I'm making and not flip out about a random blip. Some days I'll be shampooing my hair and realize that I forgot to weigh myself; that's life and I take no measurement that day.
-exjock

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 9:29 PM

On the topic of scales...

Does anyone have one of those home scales that measures weight as well as body fat percentage? I'm just wondering if they're any good or if the owners find them motivational.

Also, how do they work...is it going to zap me or something? They all have those metal plates to step on...

Thx!!

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 3:49 PM

This is tricky

I find that weighing myself daily causes negative reactions. It makes me feel like Im not making progress because Im not losing weight.

The thing is I dont need to lose weight but I cant get it out of my head tha tI am failing because the scale isnt going down. I think that you have teo really be honest with yourself about what is healthy for you. If you can handle it and not become obsessive, then its fine. If you are going to become obsessed or if its like watching a pot boil in terms of trying to watch the weight come off on a day to day basis...I'd stay away and focus on measuring your workouts, energy and clothes fitting.

Sunday, February 12, 2006, 10:31 PM

I don't look at it negatively. If I have not lost any weight then I just congratulate myself for not "gaining" any weight! I do not weigh myself every day I do it weekly or even monthly and that way I get a better picture of how my weight loss effort is going. If I have not lost any weight I just change my routine and hope for next week or next month to be better. I use it as motivation to try harder and not give up. It is all in your head. Don't let it get you down. Think positively:o)

Monday, February 13, 2006, 10:20 AM

Someone posted this the other day in answer to this question. I like it because it's from the "medical" perspective. I weigh myself everyday because when I stopped doing this for a few months, I gained 20 pounds! Which was crazy. It keeps me in check.

Link

Monday, February 13, 2006, 10:24 AM

Body fat percentage

I have one of the scales that measures body fat percentage and weight. No, it doesn't zap you. You just stand on it an extra five seconds and after the weight measure comes up a body fat measure comes up.

I suppose it should be motivating. But it isn't for me. In fact, I don't really use it because by the time I have seen the weight figure come up I just want to get off the scale and think about something else. (Sorry for a negative comment!)

Monday, February 13, 2006, 4:21 PM

Daily weighing keeps me in check. Maybe if I had a scale 8 years ago I wouldn't have gaines so much weight over the years. I think it's important to be aware.

Monday, February 13, 2006, 4:40 PM

I've found that weekly weigh ins keep me on track. I bought a Jenny Craig brand digital scale and I've been very happy with it. I don't think daily weigh ins are a good idea because weight fluctuates daily due to salt intake, water weight, etc.

Monday, February 13, 2006, 7:04 PM

I've tried both

I lost about 20 pounds on weight watchers 4 years ago, gained it back, and am now losing again (13 pounds so far). With weight watchers, i tried not to weigh myself more than once a week. It took me over 9 months to lose those 20 pounds. This time, I weigh myself every day, but only make it "official" (i.e., record it) twice a week. I've managed to lose about 1.4 pounds per week. I don't find I obsess over the number, but it does keep me on track. I'm not saying daily weigh-ins have made all the difference, but they've certainly helped. Also, I'm not so distraught if I happen to be a little heavier on my "official" weigh-in days, because I've seen how things can go up and down throughout the week.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 12:50 AM

I've done both, too

And for me, it depends on the state of mind I'm in. If I am feeling like I'm on an positive trend and feeling good, I can weigh myself daily and not feel badly about myself. If I'm feeling down about myself, I have to stop weighing myself for a few days until I clear my brain and my negative thinking for awhile.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 10:11 AM

I may weigh every day, however I only record friday morning weight. It is amazing how weight will flucate all week long, but then drop on the last day of the work week. Go figure. Some days it can change as much as three pounds in a day.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006, 9:06 PM

I hop on the scale whenever i think of it- sometimes twice a day, sometimes every three days. I never take the number too seriously, and I only consider myself "down a few" if I get about the same number in the am a couple days in a row. I also have a scale with the lines as opposed to a digital, so it's like, hmm.. I'm somewhere between 175 and 180. And I don't sweat it- this keeping track of half a pound, or .3 of a pound is too obsessive/compluslive for me. I haven't gained weight since I started in sept, and I've just been gradually losing. Down 35 lbs so far. Not fabulous, but good enough for me (especially as I took december off...)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 2:16 AM

My spouse teases me when i weigh myself. my response? Hey, it's my scale, it's MY flab, I'll do what I please! But seriously. It's better to measure yourself and see if you're getting skinnier rather than lighter. That's because when you start exercising, musles build up. Although a pound of muscle and a pound of flab weigh the same (duh!), a pound of muscle is packed tighter. That's why you may weigh the same or even more but your clothes will be loose. Measure yourself every month. I hit a weight plateau three months ago, but my clothes are looser even though i weigh the same. That's because i'm skinnier -- 39 waist to 33 waist . (applause.) ( thank you, thank you.)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006, 3:18 AM

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