I’m just wondering… I only “officially” step on the scale when I visit my Functional Medicine doc a few times a year. Otherwise, I don’t. Recently, I visited my GYN where they require me to weigh in but, for the third year in a row, I told them to not tell me how much I weigh and to move the weights on the scale back to the starting position before I open my eyes. I know they think I’m crazy, but it works for me. I already hate going to the GYN, but Ī especially hate starting my visit feeling bad about myself. I had a colonoscopy last week and, once again, told the admitting nurse to not tell me what the scale said. Of all days, that probably should have been the weight to see! But I knew the number would be low, and I knew it would set unreasonable expectations for later in my head. I made the decision to stop weighing myself about four years ago when I set out on a journey of total wellness–physical and mental. I’ve never been diagnosed or treated for depression, but I felt so BAD about myself all the time! I used to weigh myself everyday and if the number I expected didn’t show up I would beat myself up for the rest of the day. I look back on those days with such sadness. Fast forward four years…I’m down at least 50 pounds (I see my doc next month), I DO NOT obsess about weight anymore. Ī really just want to be healthy and happy. Simple. I’m 59 years old and it’s taken this long for me to figure it out.
Does anyone NOT weigh themselves?
I can’t resist stepping on the scale, but the number it shows appears to have no relation to reality. I can use it to track trends, but not to know my actual weight. If I really needed to know my weight, I would have to go to the gym and use their balance scale.
There are two reasons I can ignore my weight. The first is that I started eating a ketogenic diet to stave off diabetes, and have achieved that goal. The other is that before I started keto, I was so obese that I couldn’t do many simple tasks. For example, tying shoelaces was a challenge, because I couldn’t bend over and couldn’t hold my breath long enough. I didn’t dare get down on the floor for any reason, without first planning my strategy for getting back on my feet. On keto, I can bend over, cut my nails, tie my shoes, get down on the floor and get back up without thinking about it, climb stairs without making my knees sore, and so forth. So even though my vanity would be pleased to lose some more fat, I am fully functional again, for the first time in years, and that’s why I don’t worry about my weight.
Exactly why I don’t need the scale anymore. My husband weighs in every morning and it doesn’t make him crazy like it makes me. I really enjoy seeing my Keto success in the ways you describe. It’s very satisfying to be able to paint my toes again! Toes, by the way, that I’ll keep because, with Keto for life, I plan on never having diabetes.
Great question! I’m a 56-year-old male. I have no doubt that this is a very personal question, in that your tastes, habits, and preferences will guide you best.
When I started low-carb 2.5+ years ago, I was a rabid tracker and weigher. In the past month, I’ve reduced my daily weigh-ins to Sunday morning only. I love the extra time and reduced stress of the daily weigh-in. My stable weight remains stable.
My switch to low-carb is forever. I now have experienced the stability it provides me, so I don’t have to do all the insane stuff I did on CICO-based diets. That said, I do see value in tracking and getting to know yourself better.
I don’t have scales.
I’m the same as you, I just weigh in on doctors’ visits. It helps for working out drug doses more accurately, if needed.
How clothes fit is my guide.
Yes, that is why I’m so thrilled with Keto. I really “hear” my body these days–you all know what i’m talking about–it’s such a wonderful feeling, isn’t it? My husband is finally all in on Keto with me and he just hit that sweet spot. It’s really a joy to see!
I used to weigh myself daily, even at the gym. I would track both. After I got some DEXA scans done, though, I lost about 6 pounds of fat and gained about 4 pounds of muscle in a YEAR. Meanwhile, if I fast for a day, my scale can show a change of 5-7 pounds. The “noise” in the scale far outweighs my actual weight.
So, I now use my pants and belts as guides. I just bought some 34 inch waist “goal” pants. Most of my 36 inch waist pants are loose, so I’ll use the 34 inch pants as a guide.
I go through phases of not weighing myself at all for months but sometimes weigh most days.
This is me, too. I don’t know where our scale is in the house and I don’t care. My husband will weigh himself occasionally and we use it to weigh the dog. 
I get weighed at the doctors, probably four times a year, and that is enough for me.
Love this!!! Wish more people would ditch the scale - I really think they would feel so much better. To me, the scale is the devil - whether it is up or down. In light of muscle weight and body recomp, what does it really mean, anyway?
Took me a long time to get to this point, too, however, I feel so much better releasing myself from weighing. Honestly one of the best things on this I have done for myself. I am with you all the way.
Yes; it was horrible. I remember one time I thought I’d take a bath - don’t ask me why because I was never one to take a bath (and I wasn’t even at my highest weight yet) - and I couldn’t get out of the tub. I had visions of needing to call my husband in to help me - no way that was going to happen!!!
Had trouble putting my shoes, socks, pants on. I couldn’t even lift my leg up enough in a standing position to get one leg in my underwear, holding a pair as low as I could - we’re talking like 8" here, maybe not even that. Terrible.
It chills me to remember how bad it used to be. I get so sad when people say you have to give so much up on keto, that they can’t do it. I am getting thin and healthier than I’ve ever been, all the while eating delicious food and ample portions.
I weigh regularly, let’s me catch a bad trend in progress. Normal fluctuations are ignored and that way I can take action if needed. Way to easy for me to put on 10-15lbs and not notice it.
My husband and I were just laughing about the contortions I used to go through to get my underwear on. Laughing in a good way! Happy to say I’ve mastered the standing up, one leg at a time method 
I weigh daily unless a scale is not available due to traveling. Not weighing led to denial about my choices and results.
For me I need to be awake and aware and seeing that number is part of that. I use it as a moment of mindfulness and saying yes to reality. However, I also actively work on not being emotional about it. It’s merely information coming from a tool. I do not use it in judgement.
I think everyone needs to figure out what works for them.
I go back and forth. Right now, I’m not weighing. Trying to focus on how I feel and how clothes fit.
I used to not own a scale and literally didn’t know my weight for probably about 15 years (though I tracked detailed measurements that I took every month). This May I had some sessions with a trainer who insisted that I get a scale, and so I did, and now I actually have fun with tracking and seeing the effects of various things I try. I also decided in August to get serious about leaning out and I dropped about 15 pounds in less than a month, and it was definitely fun to watch those changes on the scale (it was fun to watch the changes with the measuring tape as well, but it would be tedious to take those every day!).
Same here. It’s impossible to resist that bathroom scale … and yet it means nothing of significance. Just an indication as to how hard the Earth is tugging on me at that moment - and a highly inaccurate measure at that.
It seems that maintaining ongoing relationships with meaningless data is a hobby of mine 
I’ve been a slave to the scale for WAY too many years, and your post has inspired me to stop. I agree with others who have said the number is essentially meaningless. I’m eating a good keto diet and I don’t plan to starve myself, so what difference does it make what the scale says, especially if I’m feeling good and my clothes fit or are getting too big? I may keep the cursed device just to weigh luggage or whatever, but it’s going to live under the bed!
I weigh daily first thing in the morning and my scale logs it for me. I now have years of data points. I went down through caloric deficit and back up and back down with keto. I can remember eating more calories than I should on the weekends which would erase half my weekly losses. The weekend I ate well but drank lots of beer. I have to marvel that I can maintain my weight now all week long without the scale moving more than a pound one way or the other.
Most nights I measure by blood glucose, breath ketones, body temp., blood pressure and weight. Then I take an extremely hot bath for 20 minutes and measure them again except for weight then after a 15 minute cool down I measure blood pressure and weight again. The weight measures show how much water weight I sweated out during the bath and cool down which typically is about 3 to 4 lbs though it can be as much as 8 lbs. By tracking how my body responds to this regular fairly consistent stress I get some sense of my health, fitness and stress resilience. It also makes it very clear that my weight is noisy day to day and shows little to no correlation with what I ate or didn’t eat for the day. Daily weight measures averaged over a week or a month might give some indication as to how ones diet is working but I think using a tape measure or taking a weekly photo with consistency of pose, lighting, etc. is a better way to track body composition. Combine that with regular performance measures such as weight lifting or how far one can walk or run in a fixed period of time or how long it takes to climb a few flights of stairs and you’ll know how you are doing power to weight ratio wise which gives a much better sense of how well ones diet and other factors like sleep, stress and exercise are impacting ones body. Weight by itself is somewhat meaningless.