help for scale obsession

I freely admit to getting on my scale daily - it helps me mentally by reassuring me that this is not all a dream and that I AM progressing in the "right" direction.  BUT, I also understand (and have been through one stall so far) just how frustrating it can be when you're in a stall and how that can play its own games with your head.

One thing that might help others in a similar boat is to GET A DIFFERENT SCALE.  By this I mean to look at the scales that offer multiple measurements in addition to simply weight.  My Homedics scale, for example, shows my weight and also shows the % of fa****er, muscle, and bone that make up that weight.  I look at the fat and muscle, in particular, and can see those proportions change significantly when I'm exercising.  The water % goes up when I'm PMSing. 

The additional info that is showing me the changes in my body's composition... even when the weight reading isn't changing... are reassuring me that the transformation I'm working so hard on IS still happening.  If anything, it's showing me even more clearly than a weight reading, that the fat is being replaced by muscle (which is more dense and heavier, and takes up less space... so  accounts for those times when I'm losing inches but not weight).

There are numerous scales on the market that have this type of reading capability. So if your scale is one of your key mental tools in your journey, consider taking a look at one of them.

Just a thought!

Karen

Interesting idea!

I wonder how a scale figures all that out (especially the water weight during PMS time)?  Do you just stand on it, or do you do something "different" for those other calculations?

Pam,

It's interesting... it sends a tiny (imperceptible) electric signal (or maybe a radio wave?) through your body from your feet to complete a circuit.  Based on the resistance at certain wavelengths, it can tell how much of whatever thing it's passing through (kinda like ground-penetrating radar). 

You have to have a tiny little dampness to your feet (i usually weigh right after I get out of the shower, after I've toweled off) for the connection to work properly.

So basically, you just stand there and it weighs you and then sends the signal through and gives you the other measurements.

Neat stuff.

Karen

Karen,
Great idea, it isn't all about one number as you now know.
Chris

The degree of error in those scales is huge. Even body comp with calipers can be way off. True body comp can really only be done with underwater weighing or the new air chamber system.
Don`t worry about the scale. I don`t ever see a scale except when I have my check ups. Clothes fit and how I feel physically is all I worry about.

The problem with scale numbers is they force us to justify any gain or plateau. A women gaining enough muscle mass in a matter of weeks to maintain a weight is very difficult. Most women don`t produce enough testosterone or lift heavy enough.

Get a sledgehammer and beat that scale into submission, then tra****