I weigh myself all the time, but I occasionally for fun and community enter a competition with weight classes. Competitions offer something to shoot for and I feel it’s a “good stress” for me and I can gauge my progress or lack thereof.
Add me to the list who never weighs themselves. I’m a numbers obsessed person, and it’s very bad for my mental health. I was in a bad place with it in high school weighing myself a dozen times or more a day and getting upset if it went up. I haven’t had one in my house as an adult, but if I have access to one at a gym, for example, and I make the mistake of weighing myself, I find myself going back to those habits. My BMI falls around 20 with a fair amount of muscle, so I’m fine.
I’m also too cheap to buy new clothes, so that helps too. I’m finally getting rid of the last I bought when I first got pregnant with older S. He’ll be 25 in 2 weeks. And yes, I still wear them regularly… Fashion statement I am not
Edit: Also, anything that tracks numbers tends to be bad for me. Steps, for instance. It can be good, but then I get obsessed with always doing more, or not falling behind even if I need a day of rest. Same with pull-ups. One year I made it a goal to do 10,000/year. I wound up doing more than double… Also miles per week or running, etc. Not good… Just run…
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I gained 11 pounds last year to my surprise. Even with the 11 pounds, I am not overweight. Truth be told, I’ve been underweight (thin) my whole life. However, I decided to lose some of those 11 pounds. I’ve actually been surprised that it’s not so easy to do. As one of my friends pointed out, I walk and do yoga most days. I’m not a sweet eater or someone who snacks, in general. It’s the “in general” part that made me gain weight, I think.
Anyway, I’ve lost 5+ pounds over 8 months without any particular diet. I now weigh most days and track my weight. The first couple pounds took forever to stay “lost” consistently. Changes I made - mainly finishing dinner no later than 6:30 p.m. and eating nothing till the next day. I limit soda to no more than one a day - at lunch. These days I seldom eat out and eat fast food almost never. (That said I had a Whataburger, fries, and a Dr. Pepper for lunch; my son dropped by with them.)
It’s been an interesting journey and one that makes me much more aware of the difficulty of keeping weight off. My friends tend to diet and then gain it back because it tends not to be a lifestyle change.
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I used to be the queen of the yo yo dieters 
I’ve been as heavy as 170lbs and as thin as 115lbs as an adult. I’ve been the same weight now (128) for somewhere around 6 years. I did a few things that helped but there are two that have made the biggest difference.
I walk every weekday and usually once a weekend for 3 miles, every day. If the weather is unbearable outside I walk on the treadmill but I find walking outside is much better for my mood so I walk in some pretty bad weather I find after I walk that I’m much less likely to eat poorly.
I also learned to cook. Really cook, from scratch, and I do it just about every day. When you’ve made your own bread, sauces, soups, crackers, they are just healthier and in smaller portions than buying them. I don’t put sugar in the bread I make, but I’m not strict about carbs either. I just had a gorgeous lunch of fresh sourdough, avocado, tomato, and onion. 10 years ago I would have had a frozen diet meal and never have eaten an avocado, too many calories! When I really don’t feel like cooking at all I’ll eat an omelet or just some homemade bread and hard cheese and veggies. But learning to really cook has improved my relationship with food immensely.
A few other tips. I also weigh myself every day. I close my Apple Watch rings :), I eat breakfast late and dinner early and I don’t snack at night. I only drink on the weekends and only a glass or two of wine most of the time. I forgive myself when I don’t eat well (this is super important!), I allow myself to go out to dinner with friends and eat whatever I want within reason, and then the next day I might be a little more careful or walk an extra mile. If I eat crap for breakfast then I try to be better the rest of the day, I don’t just write off the whole day like I used to.
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I think everyone needs to find what works for them.
I lost 100 pounds over 20 years ago. I did gain back about 1/3 of that weight, slowly over the years, and during that time, I avoided the scale. I got the weight back off again and have been maintaining for the last 2 year. This time I look at the number on the scale as a tool and not a judgement. It’s been an important mental shift for me.
When I was younger, I had a go big or go home mentality with both diet and exercise. I was always going for personal bests at the gym, wanting to lose more body fat, run further, etc… After some gym injuries and getting older, now I’m about moderation in all things. My goal is to have a healthy BMI and blood marker levels, and be active enough to be able to do all the things I enjoy - hiking, kayaking, skiing etc… Having weight loss/maintenance not be tied to my appearance has been really helpful for me.
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I weigh myself once a week. It helps keep me in check.
Now for full disclosure of my weirdness. I have a pair of shorts from 1991. They were my absolute favorites back in the day and are from a time before everything had “stretch” built in to the material. I wore them from the time I got them at age 19 until my first pregnancy (age 29). They have never fit since. I have held on to them for years because for a long time I optimistically believed one day I would fit in them again. I have religiously tried them on once a moth for the last 22 years. Sometimes for years I couldn’t get them over my thighs/hips and sometimes for years I could, but couldn’t button them. They became a barometer for me in a different way than the scale. I recently dropped about 10 lbs, and have kept 8 of them off since January. Guess what? I can button the shorts! I’m sure I’ll never actually wear them again, but that sure is motivating me to keep on keeping on with what I’m doing to maintain this weight loss.
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Protein, protein, protein! That’s what my trainer says.
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I try to! Have salads for lunch, resist the morning bagel, not indulge in the cookies someone brought in, etc. It’s not unusual for me to feel like I may have dropped a pound or two and to learn something else! It takes me quite a while to reverse a gain - evenwitha concerted effort -, so I’d rather jump on it sooner than later.
I work to not see it as judgement but information. I also know that if I am eating “well”, there is not a lot of variability.
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I have my Guess jeans from 1986 for the same purpose. They fit differently than back then, but they do still go on and zip. I probably try them once every year or so.
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I joined a No Late Night Snacking group on MyfitnessPal, because I’d be good all day, and then waste all my efforts by snacking 100-500 calories each night.
When I do the NLS challenge, I am very successful with not giving into my night snacking.
Join us
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- For new beginners with weight training, I highly recommend Stronglifts 5x5 Program.
It’s a simple concept.
Start light, and increase your weight.
- Love squats.
But for ladies who want to grow those glutes: hip thrusts and glute bridges, per trainer Bret Contreras, PhD.
About Me - Bret Contreras
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I’m not going to throw out my CV here, but I’ll disagree and say those are nice accessory lifts, but back and front squats, Bulgarian split squats, deadlifts and RDL’s are more important at growing your glutes. IME.
But with squats, we’re just keeping it very simple.
I lost 20 lbs (Covid lbs and that pesky 10 lbs that were always with me) by intermittent fasting. I eat between 12-6pm. I do have a coffee in the morning. My lunch is a pretty substantial protein shake (with strawberries and homemade yogurt+protein powder). I might have a couple cheese and crackers around 4, and then a sensible dinner. I do not like pasta or potatoes, but I do eat rice dishes regularly. However, my dinners are pretty healthy and protein “forward.” For years, I used to run 20 miles a week, but I was never able to lose anything. I got sick of running and started this diet (my husband wanted to do this so I joined him). I have lost 20 lbs pretty easily- and am at a weight I am when I was in my 20s pre kids (124). I weigh myself weekly which keeps me honest! There was a period where I did not weigh myself for years, and that probably led to my weight gain.
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Do you think that you were eating a lot more calories when you were running? Do you think that some of the “weight” when running was muscle weight - or did you feel/look larger? Are you doing some fitness along with IF?
I am going to look for the Becoming a Supple Leopard book! That’s my goal. Flexibility all over. And to that end, I just downloaded an app called Dancebit. You can set it for what style/how long you want. I get led through a 5 minute dance every morning. It’s kind of goofy and fun. I also do a big walk 2-3 times per week. But I think the biggest thing for me with losing weight and keeping it off is that I have basically stopped drinking. (Never say never, but 99% less.) I think giving up that glass or two of wine every night has made a huge difference, and then it also impacts all of my other habits. Not having the wine seems to help me not to snack, helps me sleep better, helps me want to dance and walk the next morning. And, even though I didn’t drink a ton - now that I’m not drinking at all my face shape has changed, because I guess it bloated me?
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There is so much good advice in this thread.
I am a recent weight watchers member and had a lot of weight to lose. I lost it over two years (125 lbs) and the last ten lbs were certainly the hardest.
I’m trying hard to maintain now, and am learning what my body will and won’t tolerate to keep within a 5 lb range I’ve set for myself.
For me, it’s all about my mindset first, food second, and exercise last. Every meal I eat out, even if I choose the healthiest foods and eat reasonable amounts, the scale jumps a few lbs from the sodium, oils, butter, etc. I find I can only eat out one meal a week to stay where I am.
I drink water all morning and have my first meal around 1 or 2pm. Dinner around 6. I do snack at night - air popped popcorn. I’m vegetarian and can finally say I do eat mostly vegetables, with some whole grains and healthy fats. (I was previously a very heavy “vegetarian”, but loved my sugar and junk food.)
I currently weigh daily, but did not weigh myself for decades, and only weighed once a week during my losing phase on weight watchers. I am (was?) a very all or nothing person and would let the scale numbers drive me crazy. Now that I’ve learned to view it as one measure and not the only measure, I can weigh daily. If I weigh at night, I’ll be up to 4 lbs heavier than in the morning some days. I’ve learned my body’s patterns so the numbers don’t control me any more.
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My wife has been dieting since she was a teenager, with mixed results. Lately, however, she has been using the Noom app on her iPhone and it has helped greatly. Noom helps the user track exercise, food and general habits, and provides guidance in a light hearted way. Since Christmas she has lost 15 libs without draconian changes to her lifestyle, and she has kept it off.
Last year I lost 45 lbs by 1. exercising almost every day (walking on treadmill and calisthenics), 2. cutting carbs and sugars, 3. cutting one meal a day (usually lunch, but sometimes breakfast), and 4. intermittent fasting. I increased water consumption, especially when skipping meals. This worked well for me at home, but was a challenge while travelling and eating out.
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I might have been eating more when I was running (which I had been doing for 20+ years). I got so tired of running (and my hips were really sore), that I just quit. To lose the 20 lbs, I have done zero exercise. I think IF was hard in the beginning for about a month (but not too horrible because I am pre-diabetic so I have always watched what I eat). I think the key was also to not eat any sugar. I definitely am not draconian when it comes to snacks. I love salty things, so I will have a couple Sun Chips or other chips, cheese, olives, smoked salmon, etc every day. I started IF in January 2022 and by Oct 2022 I had lost most of the 20 lbs.
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I used to run too. God bless the runners who love it but I hated it. Eventually I was just too injured to continue anyway.
If you look at Europeans, very few of them exercise the way many Americans do. They walk everywhere, bike, and eat real food. Another kind of silly thing I’ve done is get rid of our cleaning service, really cleaning the house closes my Apple Watch rings faster than a 3 mile walk.
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20 miles is less than 3 miles a day and is not a whole lot of calories burned. For a small person (assuming under 130), it comes down to 200-300 calories per run. Subtract your BMR, and it all can be negated by snacks.
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