scales

[rawererin]

what do you guys think about scales? as in the weight kind.... i personally think they're evil and an innacurate tool to measure a persons fitness- this is why i judge myself weight wise by using measurements and how my clothes feel, although now i have a strange urge to get one to track my progress daily, what do you think?

[Damzlfly]

evil evil EVIL!!!!! I hate them yet I am drawn to them...buggers. A MAN must that devised those contraptions to make women feel bad.

If my clothes fit thats all I care about...and if they fit looser...well then all the better :)

But your profile pic is absolutely adorable!!!

[Zuri]

I don't think it's necessary, although stepping on a scale every now and then and seeing the number go down really is a high. I also like to weigh myself by how my clothes fit and it works to continue motivating me. It feels really good!

I'd definitely be careful of doing the dreaded weigh in every day. It's detrimental to your spirit if you become dependent upon a number on a scale. It'll do a number on your mental. Plus, that number that shows up on a scale when we weigh ourselves doesn't always reflect the truth or mean anything. I'm black american and I work out, so I know the numbers will be higher when I weigh myself because I am naturally muscle dense. I lift weights also and muscle always weighs more than fat. If my clothes continue to be baggy and the dress size is going down, it's all good for me! :D

[lafsalot]

Haven't used one in over two years ~ Cathy

[RawVegan4Health]

I use one weekly to gauge my weight loss progress. Beginning early February, I set a goal of 100 pounds to lose, with the hopes of doing so in 12 months. I wouldn't be able to tell where I was without a scale. I only meausre weekly, because you can have fluctuations in your weight throughout the day.

As for people who are not overweight, I do not see a need for them. Then it just becomes a tool to make skinny people feel fat. On the flip side, it is also evil for overwieght people who do not want to know how overwieght they are.

[Veganforlife]

I have one, but I rarely use it anymore. My clothes are my "scales".

[Zella Juice]

They really do drive me crazy. I have avoided them for 14 years. When I was pregnant I would tell them to not read the weight out loud.

I finally got on a scale cause I thought I was the lowest I have been in 14 years. I thought I might be down to as low as 170. And then NOOOOOO. I was 217. So that made me feel like crap and I was mad that I ever got back on the scale. Then I was thinking...I wonder how much I really weighed when I was at my heaviest. 250 prolly. wow..I thought 200 was the fattest I got. When 200 was actually one of my lowest weights. (I'm 5'8 by the way)

I also got on the scale because I wanted a starting weight for starting Raw.

So, three months after starting Raw...I am at 200. So I guess I am glad I stepped on the scale. It does drive me crazy at times. But since all my clothes fit and even the skinny clothes in the closet fit. I am not as bothered by it. I even took DUMPY before pics. I really look fat and dumpy...sheesh.

I am really stuck at 200 now. Not losing anything. I know I could if I cut out Avocados...but they are what keep me raw. I don't think I would be able to stay raw without Avocados or Green Smoothies. So they stay for now. Until I am a strong enough raw person. So I will just have to be happy with 200. :o

I get tons of compliments every day...so I can deal with it. Somedays my throat hurts from telling all my customers (I own a juice bar) about Raw.

[StarFire]

I gave my scale away before I started the April challenge. I used to stress way to much when I would diet and be constantly weighing myself - then get disappointed because I didn't lose weight - or whatever. Raw is not a "diet" for me -but a change in lifestyle, so I will not guage my success by the evil scale! My clothes fit better - great. Then I'll know I'm losing those unwanted pounds!

[Pierre]

I weigh myself at least once a day, sometimes several times a day. I don't worry about it. I weighed 84 when I started recording, and 81 the beginning of the month when I started raw, and figured if I can bike 8 km with no problem, it doesn't much matter if I'm numerically obese. (I'm 1.51 m short.) I'm 62 kg now, which is up one, and I still don't worry about it.

The other scales are in the kitchen. I don't, and never did, limit the amount of food I eat in an attempt to lose weight. In fact I do the opposite: my salad should weigh at least 640 grams, and if it doesn't, I'd better go to the store because I'm out of something and don't have enough different veggies to put in it.

[Morn]

I recommend only weighing yourself once a week or less if you do so choose to get a scale. Your body can fluctuate a pound or two over a days time and sometimes not getting the number you desire can drive you crazy. I know it does for me. If I am exercising and eating right, etc. and I don't get my desired results I get frustrated and stresses me out and negatively impacts me. I think there are multiple ways to measure success and a scale can be one of those but be careful to not put too much emphasis on it!

[RawChicky]

I think weight is SO stupid, even if you weigh once a week it ALL depends on what you ate that day and if you've emptied your bowels and bladder.

One day my weight fluctuated 6 POUNDS just because of the water weight of the fruit and veg I ate. Then you pee and poop it out and your back to normal.

[magglepie]

I have never taken stock in what the scale says. I find that the best indicator of health and weight is what you look like wnd how you feel. If your clothes are looser, if your skin and hair look better, if you feel like you are losing weight and you feel healthier, then why use a scale or conventional methods of what is healthy or not?

[juliebove]

I have one but don't use it for the sake of fitness. Actually I didn't have one for years but got a gift certificate to a store I never shopped at. I kept looking for something to buy there but saw nothing of interest. The gift certificate was soon to expire so I decided to use it for something rather than lose it. I got a scale. I thought my husband could use it. He's in the military and weight is one thing they measure on them. He was or maybe still is overweight and was ordered to lose some.

Turns out lately I have been using the scale more than I thought I would. I have medical problems that cause me to get quite sick to my stomach at times and because of this I tend to take to bed and sleep until I feel better. I was getting myself dehydrated from sleeping too much and not drinking enough. So for me, the scale is a good tipoff that I might be getting dehydrated. Any time I've been sick and see a 10 pound immediate weight loss I know I'm in trouble and need to head for the water.

[garden granny]

I weigh myself every morning and every night before bed. I use this as a tool to let me know if I'm staying on track with what I'm eating. If my weight jumps up 2 or 3 pounds higher than it was yesterday then I take a look at what I've eaten and I know to cut back on that a little bit. If you just rely on your clothes getting too tight, by that time you have gained 5 to 10 pounds and that is really hard to get rid of. So, for me, keeping a check daily works great.

[lavendarJ]

I personally think it is pointless to weigh myself daily as weight does fluctuate throughout the day. I have even read that your weight will be more in the evening that first thing in the morning - which sorta makes sense and further makes it seem silly to weight multiple times in a day (at least for me). I used to get really caught up in the scale and later learned that I lose a lot of inches... I used to get disappointed when the numbers were not going down quick enough.

I had to get a grip and refocus on what was important. I also know that at least for my body, five pounds definitely looks like 10 pounds of weight loss and 10 pounds really makes a difference in clothing size. I weigh myself on once week on Sundays (since Sunday is the beginning of the week). Sometimes, when I am challenging myself with a goal I will weigh myself on Wednesday morning (because Wednesday is kind of like a mid-point and depending on how my weight is going I can push myself a little harder to drop off another pound before Sunday.

I've already decided that I am going to stop weighing myself weekly once I get within the range I'd like to be in (which will be probably be this summer because my body is changing quite a bit and I know there is no way I am going to be able to go down to the so-called "recommended weight" of 110 because I don't want to look like a boy-trying to hang on to some curves; I like looking like a female with curves and don't want to lose everything) Yes yes, I am digressing......

I weigh first thing in the morning on Sundays (after my tinkle) and only in my underwear and bra; I also make it a habit to weigh in the same place in efforts of getting the most accurate weight as possible.

[rawererin]

thanks for the replys you guys, it's gotten to a point where everytime i go to the doctor's office i won't let them weigh me, boy do i get some strange looks then, i think i'll just keep going by how my clothes fit, and how i look in the mirror too, you guys rawk!

[mamaP]

The scale is a tool IMHO that can only properly be utilized if the person using it has the right frame of mind...so I agree (I forgot who wrote it) that if you are over weight it can be used help you see the truth and honestly see the road ahead of you. On the flip side if you are too thin it can do the same.... I think it is more of a long term tool not an everyday or even every week use, especially if someone is dealing with an ED(eating disorder)-Personally I am using BMI and only checking it about every three weeks...my focus is not (should not) be on my weight but on my health.. "Body Image" is a tricky thing, we can lie to others and even ourselves but we can not lie to the scale (or maybe I should say it can not lie to us) --being raw is about truth...what is best for us...for our bodies in part but also for our souls anything that enables truth is a good thing.... as long as we face the truth and grow...
(Maybe a bit OT...)
Just MHO MamaP

[punkspirit]

:rolleyes: I just noticed this morning, that scales are absolutely inaccurate...
(I mean those common thingys bought at a normal electronic store...There might be better ones...)
Today I used two different (digital) scales (And they are not very old or overused or whatever) under exactly the same conditions...

And they shew a difference of 5.3 lbs!!!:confused:

[Eilene]

I agree with how your clothes fit you as being your scale. I do weigh myself every morning just because it is there & I don't want to lose too much weight.

[Zella Juice]

I think the nurses just like to give those strange looks. It's totally fine to ask them not to tell you your weight. I'm sure most women will understand. I used to look up at the ceiling until it was over and say..."Don't tell me"...and I knew that way I wouldn't get depressed for the rest of the day. That was when I was pregnant. And I would just say.."only tell me if I am gaining too much...but still...don't tell me the actual number"

[barose]

I haven’t owned a scale in years. When I started to lose weight (not on a raw diet) a year ago, almost all of my clothes were too big. That was a big clue.

I'm now fighting a urge to go out and buy a scale to record my progress. I wonder if it’s worth it.

[greenfeline]

I agree our society is much too obsessed with numbers and weight etc.. I would add your body type makes weight look different. I weigh 120-123, but I wear size 7-9, and usually buy medium bottoms and large tops. I did not think anything of this, but several people have been very surprised at the sizes I wear.

[RawBecky]

Are evil! They really can cause a lot of problems for people, espeically young girls and women. I believe they are a good tool to guide yourself with I would say a yearly basis or so, unless you had drastic weight changes. Defintely not a once a day/week think. I don't even own a scale. Usually I weigh myself a few times a year on my parents' scale.