Do you think having a scale prevents you from gaining too much weight?

I weigh myself every day. I have an inner checkpoint of 5 pounds. If I'm a few pounds down, I allow myself to eat more. If I'm a few pounds up, I begin to watch things. I have been weighing myself since I was 16. The thought of not owning a scale has never occured to me.

Wed. Mar 21, 12:52pm

It helps me so much. When I didn't have a scale for a brief time in college I gained weight! I do the same thing you mentioned, gauge my weight within about 5 pounds.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 12:58 PM

a scale and peertrainer!
I gain weight without either/both!!

I'm not at a maintenance point yet, but when I am, I think a "range" is a healthy way to go about it. You don't want to stress over every ounce, but you don't want things to get out of control either.

I don't understand when people are "afraid of the scale" - - as though seeing the number MAKES you fat. The scale is your friend, people - your very honest friend! : )

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 1:03 PM

not eating too many calories keeps me from gaining too much weight. and exercising every day. i don't measure my hair to decide if it needs to be cut, and i don't measure my weight to decide if i need to exercise more or eat less. it's all about how i feel and my energy levels and the way my clothes fit.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 1:06 PM

yes. I completely and totally agree with this post. The scale is keeps me sane.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 1:08 PM

to 1:06pm

The scale is going to notice a weight gain before my clothes do. I'd rather not wait until my clothes are too tight to adjust my eating/exercise to accomodate that. Perhaps I'll feel differently when I'm more into weight-maintenance than weight-loss, but I don't know.
And, your hair growth is not at all the same as weight gain. If I eat sensibly and exercise daily, I may be able to maintain my weight - or not. And then I'd make adjustments. But my hair is going to grow on it's own whether I want it to or not. If diet and exercise affected hair growth, I'm sure I would LOVE to have something that measured it's growth to keep tabs on it.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 2:13 PM

i'm not saying hair growth and weight gain are the same thing. i'm saying that i don't use tools to determine if i need a haircut or to lose weight/increase my physical activities. instead, if my hair is falling in my face and just becomes a mess to deal with, i will get it cut. likewise, when i feel like i need more exercise or less food in my daily routine, i make the necessary adjustments. it's all according to how i feel and my ability to get things done efficiently. i am not suggesting that you change the way you do your thing, i am just answering the OP's topic question about how i feel about the scale and how effective it is. personally, i only get on a scale when i get my routine physical. i am not concerned if i gain a few pounds and it does not hinder me, just as losing a few doesn't make me jump for joy. there is no magic number i am trying to reach and, for me, to calculate every day the fluctuations in my weight seems like a lot of wasted time and worry. but, of course, i am not speaking from experience on that last point.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 2:32 PM

ok - I see your point.
but - isn't PEERtrainer a tool? doesn't logging your food/exercise help you in some way? I think you probably use tools to help you stay on track - a scale just doesn't happen to be one of them.
I guess I just took your comment as a little condescending - but if you didn't mean it that way, no harm done.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 2:38 PM

not meant to be condescending.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 2:41 PM

I feel that I notice the change in the scale before my clothes get too tight, too. Especially now that I am maintaining my weight, it's easy to let things go a little... and then one day, I've gained back 8 pounds. But I wouldn't have really thought that without checking the scale, because my clothes fit about the same and it's winter anyway, so baggy sweaters abound.

Another example: my boyfriend has always claimed to weigh about the same (145-150). He has probably gained 20-25 pounds over the past two years, and up until about a month ago (when his pants finally got WAY too tight), he still claimed to weigh "about the same." Though, I don't think that a number on the scale would have made him start eating better, because his solution now is to just buy bigger pants...

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 5:45 PM

i use my scale at the gym which has the added benefit of making me go to the gym. i would say i agree. my scale holds me accountable. logging too.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6:35 PM

5:45 - lol!

My husband is the same. Pants don't fit? Buy bigger pants! Problem solved!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6:54 PM

My husband is the same too. What is that!??

Thursday, March 22, 2007, 9:04 AM

i think a lot of men just try to problem solve by addressing the result of a situation rather than the cause of a situation. not all men, but a lot. (and some women, too.)

Thursday, March 22, 2007, 9:25 AM

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