Hmm? Scales and tape measure both lie!!

[MadmellyGT]

I know that a lot of people swear by the tape measure if the scales are misbehaving, however, How can I believe my tape measure when I'm so bloated?? I mean the scales can be telling me Go girl you've got this at 8st8 yet the tape measure will say No girl, you aint got this measuring my waist at 31". Other times it's the other way round. Waist say's 29" then the scales tell me I'm 8st12. WTH??? What's with that?? What is a girl supposed to do?? Ho Hum!

[Hidden]

My measurements haven't budged in three months but I lost fourteen pounds. So where did it come from? I'm still huge!!! It's so frustrating!!

[Tiggerr in reply to Hidden]

Try not to be frustrated Melhall. You've lost the equivalent in weight of 7 bags of sugar (or more). Imagine picking them up and having to carry them around with you all day. Plus the 5lb you've lost in the last two weeks, what a great loss.

Lots of articles to be found on initial weight loss in women and where it may be lost first. From my perspective, I lost it off my face for weeks before my waist moved at all.

[MadmellyGT in reply to Hidden]

weight can come off from different places. I tend to measure my waist at the thinnest point, me waist at the belly button, my right bicep, right forearm, Chest, hips, right thigh and right calf. If my waist (belly is bloated) I can usually gauge how I'm getting on by measuring my thigh as I know that can't get full of gas and bloated.

[Honey10 1lb]

Good morning Madmelly GT, sounds like you have done really well on your weight lose journey. Maybe now your hitting the point where you don't need to lose weight, just a thought. I know when I was 8 stone, i couldn't go much lower without feeling dizzy and quite ill. Just concerned for your health.

Wishing you a positive day x

[MadmellyGT in reply to Honey10]

Hi Honey, 8st is where I'd like to be. Or a 28" waist. Or both even. LOL. But I'm trying my hand at maintenance at the moment and if I do lose then great, if not it doesn't matter. So long as I can still fit into my new dress for new years eve. Goota beat the bloat tho'.

[JiminyCricket 7lbs]

That's a bit bonkers!!! I must confess to measuring myself quite a lot - but that's partly to get my head round the fluctuations. So if I weigh myself every day for 6 days and it's nice and steady, then on day 7 there's a mad result I don't worry about it, and know it's just a blip and all will be fine tomorrow. But if I'd only seen the day 7 weight I'd freak out.

Your scales and tape measure are contradicting each other! I would go with the one that's being nice! Which is more important to you?

[MadmellyGT in reply to JiminyCricket]

Niceness. Heh heh. I generally measure myself about once a month or so, but I don't bother if I'm bloated because I know it won't be a true reading.

[Hidden]

How tall are you? A good guide for waist measurement is for it to be half your height. So if you're 5'2" or taller then a waist of 31" is fine.

I would also suggest finding out why you get so bloated. I've had to combat digestive issues on my journey and as a result rarely feel bloated now. And I certainly wouldn't measure my waist if I was having a bloaty day anyway... But if you're feeling bloated most days then I suggest trying things like fennel tea, drinking lots of water and relaxation exercises. See this as a sort of maintenance fine tuning

[VickyDLM 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

Good point, Ruth. There are many things that can cause bloating, including several food intolerances. If you're having a lot of trouble MadmellyGT , it could be worth looking at what you've eaten before having symptoms, then try to cut it out and see what happens. That's what we had to do when they were investigating my stepdaughter for coeliac disease and dairy intolerance. She was diagnosed as a coeliac (after a stomach biopsy) but luckily is fine with dairy.

Good luck!

[Hidden in reply to VickyDLM]

I had a whole year of no wheat or dairy. Also one alcohol free year prior to that 😓 Luckily I only have to avoid dairy now as long as I keep everything else in moderation. Small price to pay for getting my health back! Hope your stepdaughter is coping better since her diagnosis

[VickyDLM 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

She is from a health point of view, no more stomach aches!

But it is tricky to be the odd one out at that age, especially as her primary school didn't cope all that well. They were good with day to day stuff (like hot lunches) but not so much with special events (like the French day where all the food was bread). Luckily, when she started Guides a couple of years ago there were 2 other girls plus one of the leaders in her unit that were all coeliacs. It's really nice for her not to be the only one!

[Hidden in reply to VickyDLM]

Oh she's young! Hopefully she'll adapt well enough. I hate events where everything is sandwich based as inevitably it's all been spread with butter! I tend to take my own stuff a lot. But that's harder for a little kid. I think people are so much more aware of food intolerances now though, things are definitely getting better

[VickyDLM 2 stone in reply to Hidden]

She's adapting ok, food-wise. It's just that at her age (she's 12) it's tricky to be different!

You're right though, it's a lot easier to find stuff for her an more and more restaurants are aware of the need to consider customers with food allergies/intolerances. As long as we stay away from fast food, we're generally ok! And taking a picnic is always a good way to go (not to mention cheaper!.

[MadmellyGT in reply to VickyDLM]

It seems to happen after a couple of days of not being able to "go" so to speak. Also if I eat too much at one time but that's just me being a pig. (occasionally)

[Under-orders in reply to MadmellyGT]

The same has happened to me, I have been on Co-Codamol since I came out of hospital, got fed up not being able to ‘go’. So dropped down to just paracetamol 4 times a day. Got Co-Codamol as a standby in case I need Codeine again. So far-so good. Knee has been much better since my arthroscopic removal of the medial cartilage and the partial removal of the medial meniscus

[MadmellyGT in reply to Under-orders]

Yeah, I take co-codamol for a dodgy shoulder but cut them right back to one in the morning. I've been on them for years but it's only been since about a year or so that I really started suffering with constipation so I'm a bit worried that something else might be going on down there.

[MadmellyGT in reply to Hidden]

I am 5ft2 Ruth. I suffer with constipation (TMI I know) and have done for a while now. I've made an app. with the doctors on Tuesday to see if I can find out what's going on. They gave me movicol a while back but I try not to take it too often as I prefer to let my body rid itself naturally. Something isn't right with my digestion so let's just hope I can get to the bottom of it. (pardon the pun) Lol. I also don't bother with measuring when bloated.

[Under-orders in reply to MadmellyGT]

Try senna tablets

[Under-orders in reply to Under-orders]

Gentle, but usually get the ‘job’ done next day.

[gman1961 Restart April 2024]

I know the feeling ,

I'm doing loads of running and walking .

Stayed the same for 3 weeks ,

It's not fair ,not lost or gained an ounce .

Gary

[VickyDLM 2 stone in reply to gman1961]

At least you haven't gained anything!

[gman1961 Restart April 2024 in reply to VickyDLM]

Hi Vicky

Only an obsession with scales lol.

Thanks for replying.

Gary

[MadmellyGT in reply to gman1961]

Hi gman1961 . Are you keeping on top of your eating habits? Are you eating enough? If so then you will probably experience the woosh effect in the near future. Some people recommend carb loading for a day to bring it on.

[gman1961 Restart April 2024 in reply to MadmellyGT]

Just about on track 800 calories daily .

Not having many carbs ,looking to lose this week

When I think of what I would normally eat , definitely got to win on the scales .

Even reduced my coffee intake by about 2 thirds .

Gary

[MadmellyGT in reply to gman1961]

WHAT??? 800 cals is no where near enough. You maybe need to go onto the NHS BMI calculator and it will give you the number of calories you need to be eating to lose weight safely. I opted for the lower number and was losing at a steady rate of 1lb a week. If you don't eat enough your body will hold on to any fat it can for as long as it can. Also it isn't sustainable to eat that fewer calories and you will likely fail in the long run if you don't make yourself really poorly before that. There is a post on here somewhere called "Eat more to weigh less conundrum" Maybe moreless can help here with finding the post. I am assuming that you're not a very very short person of course. If so then I do apologise.

[gman1961 Restart April 2024 in reply to MadmellyGT]

Hi madmelly,

Thanks for your reply ,I am doing the blood sugar weight loss.

I'm into my third day now .

I'll check my BMI .

I'm 5:8 and weigh today 12st 6lbs.

I'm realising how much rubbish I have been eating .

I'll let you know how I'm doing / feeling.

Appreciate your reply.

Gary

[MadmellyGT in reply to gman1961]

Hi again Gary. I've just gone onto the NHS BMI for you. (hope you don't mind) I picked the middle activity level because I know your exercising a fair bit but not knowing if you have a sedentary or active job I thought I'd just play it safe. It says you should be eating 1770 - 2276 a day. Here's the post I was referring to healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... I hope this helps. Also, if you're not eating enough, some of the weight you do lose will be muscle and no-one wants that because more muscle = more calorie burn naturally. The more muscle you have the better your metabolic rate is.

[gman1961 Restart April 2024 in reply to MadmellyGT]

Hi madmelly,

Thanks for your reply and advice regarding my weight loss attempt.iwork in a office but I'm not at my desk for long periods of time.

I have to go out and about ,I walk to my car and up and down stairs.

I will have a look at the website.

Thanks for all of your effort much appreciated.

Gary

[MadmellyGT in reply to gman1961]

Not a problem, I'm happy I could help. We're all in it together.

[gman1961 Restart April 2024 in reply to MadmellyGT]

Defo

Gary

[Ceals]

Our bodies change based on so many things, they are complex machines. The best thing is to keep on healthy eating and exercising and feeling better about yourself.