Chucking the measuring tape instead of the scales?

I've heard all about people throwing their scales away and just measuring themselves. This...will not work for me. I'm okay with my weight and how I'm losing, but last night I bought a measuring tape...oy. It's brought my motivation right down into the garbage. I've always know I had big hips (and of course needed to lose weight) but seeing those numbers and comparing it to others just made me incredibly depressed.

So, I'm throwing it out for now! If/when I hit a plateau I might measure myself again, but for now, they're my enemy.

I also think it's making me delusional! A couple days I posted how my rings were falling off, and today I think they just feel normal. I'm not sure if it's just water retention or my head playing games with me.

Is anyone else done with the measuring tape?

Personally I have kept both, but I think the scales have a more positive mental effect on me. I think sometimes your waist can go up in size a bit when you're bloated or have just eaten.

I love the tape!  Since March,  my waist is 8 inches smaller than it was!  I don't measure every week, (there wouldn't be enough difference to be motivational)  but instead measure about once a month, or every three weeks or so...

Rules for measuring tape:

1.  DON'T compare yourself to others.  Only compare to your previous measurements.

2.  DON'T measure too often - once a week max.

3.  DO measure in the morning, when your muscles are less tired and you naturally stand up straighter.

4. If it doesn't motivate you, there's no reason to do it.  However, since you've already made the first measurement (that's the worst, because you can't see any progress), wait another month, then try it again and compare it.

I measured myself when I started in April 2008, then I measured again in April 2009 (fell off the wagon for seven months).  I did like the second measurements much better.  Honestly though, I like the scale much better; it shows me the results of one or two pounds, whereas the measuring tape doesn't. 

Original Post by jpegg0:

I've heard all about people throwing their scales away and just measuring themselves. This...will not work for me. I'm okay with my weight and how I'm losing, but last night I bought a measuring tape...oy. It's brought my motivation right down into the garbage. I've always know I had big hips (and of course needed to lose weight) but seeing those numbers and comparing it to others just made me incredibly depressed.

this is the problem.   dont compare yourself to others because it will always be depressing, no matter how good you thought you were doing before.   ive read about some people who have lost 100 lbs in 8 months.  Ive managed to lose 31 lbs in 18 months, and i have another 70-80 more to lose.   it makes me feel like a loser to hear about these people, so ive stopped reading their stories.    a big key to achieving anything is to make sure that you dont go crazy in the process.   just keep trying your hardest and doing the best you can and forget everyone else.

I'm going to echo everyone else by saying that you shouldn't be comparing your measurements to other people.  All I know is that in the 1st 2 months I started using CC, I lost a total of 3 lbs.  It's progress, but when only looking at the number on the scale, it's really really slow progress.  Fortunately, I had taken my measurements, and those numbers had definitely shrunk!  Significantly.

I have to say, those first measurements were rather depressing.  Especially since I have an excel file that I kept a few years ago with my measurements when I was trying to lose weight then, and I realized that I was bigger than I had started out back then.  But seriously, it's awesome to take your measurements 2 months later (that's how often I'm recording mine) and see those numbers get smaller.  It's proof in black and white that you're getting thinner.

I am so with you. Recently I took my measurements for the first time in a long time and I was appalled. Recently I weighed myself for the first time in 2 years, and I almost pooped myself (not literally, I'm not sure if that brand of humor is universal?) I posted this on a diff topic recently, but it bears repeating.

I measure myself with string. There is black tic where I started and red ticks for every measure after. That way I can't compare to others or some 'ideal' I can only see progress.

I don't weigh myself often. I'm healthy, by body is slowly figuring it out. I just run with that.

Yeah, I didn't purposefully compare myself to others. I've just happened by threads in the past where people posted their measurements, and I guess it kind of stuck in my head? I try to avoid those posts now.

Thanks minda_spk, that sounds like a much better idea for me. :)

Yea the best thing is to compete against your self. I, for example, have a very small frame, therefore I have small hips. But trust me, what i would not give to have larger hips :D

And measuring does work better for me, just because I've been excising to the point where I've built muscle, so the scale hasn't really changes much.

I am having issues with my measuring tape too. I'm down 8 pounds since mid April but my measurements haven't changed ONE BIT. It's frustrating, because I'm down 25 pounds total and I'm still wearing the same size.