Dear MizFit,
I haven't seen you talk about it before but I struggle with the scale. A LOT. Right now I am weighing myself every day. Always. Would it be better to weigh once a week? I kind of know in my head it might be but cannot let go of my daily scale visits no matter how crappy I feel after.
Also, should I weigh in the morning? Is it true that a morning weigh will give me the best information?
I try and pick emails which I think ask questions many people
have. This one DEFINITELY wins by a landslide.
Ive received the same email—written myriad ways— from a number of
you.
Before I answer lemmie give a brief disclaimer: I could ramble
about this compelling topic forever.
For hours.
It would be a MizFit video of the week and run night & day & day & night and I'd still have more to rambles left inside me.
All that to say what follows is merely scratching the surface and all my opinion.
Now let’s get to the good stuff.
Im not a fan of the scale.
Pretty much period.
Sure it’s great to hop on them once a year during your annual physical but—in MizFit’s mind—that really should be it.
I believe, in our heart of hearts, we know if we've gained or lost before we step upon that self-esteem demolishing numbers providing machine.
(& I wont even start down the muscle weighing more than fat path. I dont know what I weigh but Im confident it's more than one would guess.)
However, since Im aware that 99% of the population disagrees with my scale'pinion, let’s at least set a few boundaries with that hunk of metal which can rule our lives if we give it too much power.
I implore you never, EVER *EVER* to weigh yourself daily. Talk about a mind-game. If our goal is to be kind to ourselves and set ourselves up for success this surely is not the path.
Chinese food for lunch with too much soy sauce? Follow it all up with some air popped popcorn & salt? The scale is definitely going to be up a few pounds the next morning.
Spend a long, hot, day in the sun and forget to drink enough fluids? Your dehydration could definitely reflect itself on the scale in pounds lost.
If you must ignore all my sage advice & weigh yourself daily, oh emailer, Id suggest you pick a set time and stick with that schedule.
This segues nicely to your second question about the accurate weight reading in the morning .
Many weight-loss professionals recommend weighing first thing in the morning (post-peeing if you wanna be extra sure you’re empty) as, since you havent eaten in a while, you will receive a true “read” or weight.
Me? I really dont think that it matters.The difference is minuscule whether you weigh first thing or late.
I guess you can make the effort to always weigh either at the end of the day or first thing in the morning—-but MizFit doesnt roll with the scale like that.
Alas, there is no dramatic reason why I dont weigh myself either (I know. There’s no hope for a turbulent MizFit memoir which could then be turned into a Lifetime movie starring La Lohan) .
For me it is *all* about how the clothes fit.
For me it's as simple as asking myself: are my favorite jeans too tight?
If the answer is YES (and, believe me, is has been!) then Ive gained a few & it’s time to re-examine my activity level or my diet.
I wrote an article recently where I suggested people pick an article of clothing as a check-in piece (this was geared toward those who'd shed a great deal of weight/were beginning to maintain), shove the scale in the garage, and try on the article of clothing once a week instead.
If I could tell you what to do, emailer, Id suggest going that route.
Find a pair of pants/skirt/shorts you fit into/aspire to wear and rename that your scale.
I promise you, while it might be frustrating on the days the item doesnt fit, it will be no where near as self-esteem bashing as a hunk of metal bearing a meaningless number.
That's my .02, Oh Readers of Mine, and by virtue of visiting your blogs, Im fully aware many of you disagree with me.
What's your rationale for visiting the scale on a
daily basis? Have you found it serves to motivate you unlike our
emailer?
Please to share!
Have you succeeded in overcoming an addiction to the numbers? Wanna
share your secrets with those of us ready to break our
scaleaddiction?
Please to hit us all up in the comments...
- Looking for information on overcoming emotional eating? Check out this post.
- Want MizFit's thoughts on sustaining workout motivation? Look here!
- Tired of taking NO! for an answer? Ready to lobby for that YES? Read away!
