Motivation

hi i'd like to know how important having a scale is to you and your weight loss i've been dieting for years now and i have only been able to estimate my weight loss by how my clothes fit, occasionally ill get a number when i need to see the doctor, or when i can sneak a weighing at a friends house but,i really miss the luxury of being able to see my weight loss in a quantitative way opposed to a qualitative way my mom threw out our scale ages ago because she thinks my weight loss goals are obsessive and unhealthy but recently i've gotten a job and im making a bit of money im thinking of buying my own scale and keeping it in my room with me i was looking at the ones on the ikea website and they have one for 40$ they also have one for 9.99, do you guys use scales to get an accurate reading of your weight? or is it more of a general number? also do you think the 9.99 one is going to be accurate? probably not? and is having an accurate scale really that important? sorry for all the questions!

My scale was probably 15 bucks at walmart. I know it is fairly accurate, because I have a five pound weight that I weigh....and my scale says 5.0 every time.

Even if it was off by a few pounds, though....after using it for months, and tracking your weight loss....losing 30lbs is losing 30lbs. Even if you are really 210 and your scale says 207, it isn't that big of a deal.

I wouldn't spend 40 dollars, I would go a more mid-range scale. The cheaper one will probably be fine, just be careful not to toss the scale around, or bump it a lot. My sister had a 30 dollar scale that she moved all over (picked up and put in the closet, etc) and she ended up having problems.

Of course, if you think you are going to get the scale and start weighing like crazy...you might not want to get one for your home.

For me knowing my weight is essential, because I don't trust BMR calculations entirely and I am little suspicious of my own ability to accurately calculate portion control and hence the calories in the food I eat. Maybe I need a kitchen scale, and if I see one I like I may pick one up. But I'm comfortable with the deck of cards sized meat, palmful of nuts, using tea and table spoons and a measuring cup for some items, a medium sized apple or banana, etc.

I like my digital scale. To test if it's at least consistent weigh yourself, let it reset and weigh yourself a couple more times. If it gives you the same weight 3 times in a row, then you can be pretty sure it will give you consistent readings.

 

sounds good im also suspiciouse of my ability to calculate portions so i guess your right thats probably why i need a scale

Reading between the lines, are you still a teenager? And if so, was there a particular reason your mom threw out the scale? Were you weighing yourself obsessively and living by the number rather than by general health? I don't know much about your situation, but a growing teen shouldn't be worried so much about "dieting" and the numbers on the scale, as long as you are fit and healthy.

So I am not so quick to recommend you using a scale without knowing more about your age and situation.

I  really get silly about this, I would put the scale  in the kitchen at the fridge door! haha...but,I found to very compulsive.  So, I got rid of it, got my lazy ass on a bike, ride down to the nearest clinic every friday and weigh in on a medical scale  ,usual the clinic will   allow  this since you are watching your weight, just ask. Plus you get a reason to get going and excercise a little before weighing in.

When we went to IKEA to re-furnish my room, I bought that scale

Its okay I suppose, but the numbers are hard to read. Also dont move it much, it caused mine to be on a permanent setting where its already at 5 pounds when you step on :/

I think the home scale can be dissapointing because you gain muscle mass before you can loose any significant weight for what seems quite awhile. Cultivating new habits in the mornings and through out the day is essential to a longterm weightloss or rip training or both. If your getting ripped {the way to go to loose longterm weight} by building up muscle mass first takes great patience, practice & TIME . So, it senseless to weigh in if you KNOW WHAT YOU HAV E BEEN EATING AND THE REPS YOU & CARDIO YOU ARE DOING EVERYDAY,  I eyeball yourself and trust that you ARE looking & feeling better. If theres a clinic nearby or a friends  house you can go weigh  in at , do that instead you might feel more support. I like Friday's myself before the big weekender.