Why weigh if you know you've gained?

[JEC48]

Hey everybody,

I have been Atkinizing for 3 years this month. I'm not much of a poster but by lurking feel I know many of you very well. During this time I have lost 40 lbs. which for the most part has stayed off. I know I am up a few pounds right now - just by how my clothes fit and how I feel. I'm not freaking out or anything I'm just getting more strict with myself and cutting out unneeded carbs. I have no desire to weigh myself to see the numbers. I KNOW. After I have been strict for probably a couple of weeks I'll check the scales to see where I am. All I know is I cannot afford another wardrobe and that is all it takes to make sure I loose these few pounds - it's probably 7-10. This has happened before, usually during the winter when your body wants to have additional fat. I have pretty much maintained my 40 lbs. loss over these 3 years but would really like to lose an additional 20 lbs. Just my 2 cents - it makes no sense to weigh all the time. I know alot of you feel you need to see the numbers to let you know it's working. When I started the WOL in Jan. 03 I didn't weigh for almost 2 months - just wanted to see bigger results. I realize everybody is different, but it is such a great reward to see the number go down rather than see the same numbers for days and days. Just my opinion. Anyway, just wanted to post to let everybody know the scale is not all it's cracked up to be.

[Tracie515]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

After I had my son, i gained 45 lbs without knowing it by my clothes! I knew i was not feeling that good but had no idea. Thank god i stepped onto the scale last halloween cause it was a life changing step. For some of us it is the scale that saves us. I definitly see your point though. But for me, I will keep my scale close.

[carina]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

I agree with Tracie. Avoiding the scale is partly to blame for the shape I've gotten myself in because I was also in denial about how much I had gained.

Right now I'm in a "no weigh" challenge to help break the habit of getting on them a dozen times a day since I started Atkins. After the challengers are over I won't go back to weighing every day but I plan on getting on the scales about once a week to keep things under control.

[JEC48]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

I understand where you are coming from, but it can be so depressing to step on the scale an no loss - you know you have done good, eating wise, and still no loss. I think this is especially true of women. With all that goes on with us, with water fluctuations and all. It just seems more prudent and encouraging to maybe weigh 1 time a month. That would give you a more relevant number to be dealing with rather than the up 1 or 2 down 1 or 2. To me it gives you a more accurate feel for the whole thing.

[sadie147]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

I'm with you JEC, I haven't weight in months, I think the last time was in October?

I too am in maintanence and up probably 5-7 lbs, but I also wont weigh, I go strictly by how my clothes feel, how I feel and how I look. I spent months agonizing over my last 3 lbs when I was trying to get to goal, and I don't want to go thru that frustration again. I'm at a healthy weight, I'm happy, I'm still wearing the same size i was at goal, and i'm doing everything right (well i could up the exercise at the moment, which i know is the issue)..so why stress myself out....I dont wear many 'stretchy' clothes, so a pair of jeans is definately a good guide for when I've put on a couple of lbs!!! Like you I also can't afford a new wardrobe, and I made sure I through the old one out!

Despite being up a couple of lbs, I still consider myself at goal. This is a lifelong WOE, and as long as I can stay at a weight and size where i am happy and healthy, I don't want to stress over 2 or three pounds on a constant basis.

[pgmr_64804]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

When I don't weigh I always gain. I weigh every day. I need the scales to know if I ate something that caused a reaction or if I need to cut down on something.

I have read many many articles that state that the most successful people that keep their weight off are the ones that weigh daily, but if it stresses you out then maybe it is not good for you.

[drosa75]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

I think its good to know what your weight is but its a negative to be a slave to it...l am currently 160pds at 5'2 and according to that scale/charts I am very overweight ... but I wear a size 8/9 and I have a very healthy fat percentage and not to mention good health in general..go ahead and weigh..just dont let that scale control you...

and judge your progress or lack there of by how you feel..the clothes will def let us know if we have gained or not...

[Hudson]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

For me the first step in correcting a "few pound gain" is to make sure and get on the scale. Face up to the damage and then get back to work. For most people getting on the scale every day is not so good. But neither is not getting on at all. Once a month to me is an ablosute minimum and every other day an absolute max.

At some point you are going to want to know where you are right now. You may not want to know today, but later you will wish you had known.

[Tracie515]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

When i get to goal or even alittle closer to goal then, yes i will not weigh even half has much. But having 90 lbs to go, I have to for my own sanity!

[sadie147]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

Wow everyone is definately different when it comes to weighing that is for sure. If dr. atkins recommended once a week, I'm one that doesn't go by this though. I think I can really a slave to #'s, and I try not to be. I'd rather go by my clothes fit, my health, and how I look and feel.

This is a really intersting thread actually....

I think its good to know what your weight is but its a negative to be a slave to it

I should also add..that in the beginning of this woe, for the first year even, I did weigh every day, even more than once a day, it became an obsession for me. It took alot of willpower to break that habit! Even a difference of 1 or 2 pounds of gain, could ruin my entire mood and whole day, which I don't think was healthy.

[dreamof145]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

I weigh the most when I feel I've gained a few pounds. I don't look at it as depressing...instead it is a wake-up for me to do better at measuring and choosing the foods that I know help me lose instead of adding foods that bring on weight. If I weigh and the scale shows a few more pounds, I jump into action. Since starting Atkins, the scale has become my friend... All my life it was my enemy and I avoided it, all the way up to 285 pounds. Now, I know that it will not lie to me even when I lie to myself. My measuring tape and the scales are two things I will never live without for the remainder of my life.

[julirama723]

Re: Why weigh if you know you've gained?

I think everyone is different and must do what works for them. I've still got about 30lb. to go, and normally I weigh once a week, but I'm not weighing this month as part of a no-weigh challenge. My weight is very evenly distributed on my body, and honestly, if I didn't weigh myself, I wouldn't notice a gain or a loss of a few pounds. I am, however, learning on how to judge my progress and success without weighing--how my clothes fit, if they're looser, what my measurements are, etc. I will have to wait until I get to maintenance, but I think for me, it's a good idea to weigh once a week to keep myself on the straight and narrow. By the time I'd notice my pants are tight, I'd probably have gained 10-15 lbs.