It's Wednesday ...

I like alliteration. If you look back on my blog posts, watch the wording of my terrific titles, you will probably see that. So many of the link-ups out there also adopt alliteration, Wednesday being one. There is Workout Wednesday, Weigh-In Wednesday, and What I Ate Wednesday, just to name a few. I wasn't sure which one to work on this Wednesday, so I figured I'd hit all three *Ü* Wonderful!

The scale said 154.9 this morning. Not wonderful.

I weigh-in every day, but my official day is Friday. I do usually join the Weigh-In Wednesday link-up late, only linking up on an actual Wednesday if I'm discussing something else weight related. I thought I would share my updated weight graph today. 2014 has come to a close, so I thought it would be good to post it in comparison to my previous years (last year's line is in gray). It was a pretty steady year, right there in my "comfort zone happy place" of 150-155 pounds for most of it. I did have a little dip Octoberish, but the packed on some holiday pounds to end the year. It's always interesting to take a really broad view of my weight, looking at it over years, not just the weekly check in.

 We had pancakes for breakfast ...

It's the eating! I actually enjoy exercise, but I have NOT mastered my eating. Thus the constant struggle. I to track on MFP at least, and try to control my calories. Because I don't have much good or inspirational eating advice, I don't participate in the What I Ate Wednesday link-up very often. But I have really been thinking about what I've been eating lately, as it's been SO hard keeping calories in check. I think one of the reasons is our big breakfasts. Normally, I'm not much of a breakfast gal. Yes, I know ... "most important meal of the day" and all, but I'm usually just not that hungry. If I eat, those are 200-500 calories that I wouldn't have consumed otherwise. Over the holiday break, I made quite a few breakfasts for the boys. Pancakes, waffles, french toast, muffins, cocoa and toast, cinnamon rolls (yes, we like the breads) ... sometimes scrambled eggs, bacon and hashbrowns too. Even with the boys going back to school, they are still expecting me to make them breakfast (go figure!) Before, it seems like they would just grab a banana or some cereal, things I didn't have to take time to make and then be tempted to eat myself. I'd think I'd do better off going back to eating my "breakfast" around noon ... 

Lastly, there is Workout Wednesday ( #wowlinkup)

 I do participate in the Workout Wednesday link up quite often. Working out ... that is something I seem to have endless ideas to talk about, things worth sharing. I like the exercise and activity part of this attempted healthy lifestyle! One of my main workouts is Zumba. I go Mon-Fri, to five different classes. While I love all my instructors, their different styles and steps, I don't know that I could go to the same class everyday without getting a little burned out. So I switch it up! Today, my Wednesday class was having a theme. "Black and White" ... ok, that is pretty much my usual attire (Lacking in Color Confidence).  These theme days can be fun though! It's their Wacky Wednesday ... look, more alliteration!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Fitbit Aria - A Review

 Reflecting on my Aria

I've had my Fitbit Aria scale for a little over a year now. I've mentioned it a few times on the blog, but when a friend asked me some questions about it, I realized I didn't really have a "review" post, one I could reference people to if they had questions about the scale ... so I thought I'd do that today for the Weigh-In Wednesday linkup.

PROS

• Accuracy: For the most part, I've found the Aria to be quite accurate. If I step on multiple times, I do get the same (or very similar) readings. When I weigh in on the Aria, and then weigh-in on WiiFit, the readings are almost identical. Note: I'm commending the accuracy for the WEIGHT only, NOT the body-fat reading ... which I do not put much stock in at all.
• Convenience: The wireless transfer of data to the Fitbit site is WONDERFUL. I can't tell you how many times in the past (pre-aria) I'd forget the numbers after stepping off the scale, quickly getting dressed and sitting down at my desk to write them down. I also love that I don't have to input the data manually. My weight is constantly updated on the Fitbit site (and therefore on My Fitness Pal as well). 
• Multiple Users: If you have several people weighing in on the same scale, the Aria can keep track of up to eight people (we have four people connected ... hubby, my two oldest boys and myself). If the weight of two people is similar, the scale will "ask" you (by flashing the initials of the users) who the stats should be assigned to. Just tap the scale with your toe to move from one name to the next. (My 18-year old son and I were similar in weight for a while, I was pretty happy when I dropped low enough that the scale could tell the difference between us).  
• Rewards:  Ok ... this is a bit silly, but you DO get credit for both the weight and body fat readings if you are working toward Achievemint awards. 30 points a day ... :)    Walgreens Rewards also credits you for weighing in ... but although they auto-sync with Fitbit, they don't grab the weigh-ins.  I rarely get around to entering it there manually. :(
• Interesting Information: In addition to the weight and bodyfat readings, the "weight" section at the Fitbit site shows the date and TIME of the weigh-in ... it is quite interesting to keep track of that little bit of information too (at least for me!) The weight numbers can be shown in graph format (at Fitbit, MFP or link your Fitbit up to Trendweight.com for even more analysis).

Weight History Readings

Weight Graph from Fitbit

CONS:

• Price: This IS an expensive scale.  If you don't have a Fitbit ... you could probably find something else that would work well for less. If you do have a Fitbit, it really does sync well with the website/app and is well worth it if you're already using the system.
• Speed: This scale is slow. Now I don't have the space to keep the scale in place, I have to store it upright (Tipping the Scales). As I lay the scale down each morning, I need to let it sit a few minutes and calibrate (otherwise it comes in about 5 pounds too high!). Then, it goes through it's little process "Hi ... Step On, Sensing, Step Off, Thinking" then it reflects the weight, then the body fat, then the name of the user, then it connects to your wireless, shows that it is transmitting and then it is done. If you were someone who likes to weigh multiple times, it takes a little time! After the initial weigh-in of the day, it does often go straight to the weight (without the Step On, Sensing, Step Off, Thinking) but is still slower than your average scale to show the results.
• Reflective Surface: I actually consider this a con ... I weigh myself in my birthday suit, as I'm sure many of you do. I find the reflective surface ... unappealing.

 Tipping the Scales

 Why You Won't See The "Scale Shot" For My Weigh-Ins

Just some other thoughts on the scale ...

• Setup: Many people struggle with the setup ... I didn't find it too difficult. I do recommend using a device connected wirelessly (laptop, iphone) as my initial attempt using my hardwired computer didn't work. We've changed routers this past year, so I had to redo the setup and it was a snap the second time around. It's easy to connect users to the scale too (simply sending an email of having them respond).  
• WiFi & Battery: The scale does require batteries. I put new ones in when I got the scale a year ago and haven't had to change them since. There is a battery level notifier on the Fitbit site. The scale DOES require wifi to complete sending the information.  My wireless went down for a few days. I still weighed in everyday and when we got up and running again, my weights DID come through.. they were saved somewhere and then sent across once wireless was restored. Good to know!
• Making Changes: If you do get an erroneous reading, or have weighed in later in the day (and you don't actually want that reading recorded) simply go into the Fitbit site or app and delete any numbers you wish. While it is easy to erase entries ... it actually keeps me from doing a quick weigh in during the day as I sometimes did in the past.

If anyone has any additional questions about the Aria, 

I'd be happy to try and answer them ...

What scale do you have?

What features are most important to you in a scale?

My Milestones

It's Weigh-In Wednesday ... of course I step on the scale EVERY day. At least I have for the past eight years. Prior to that, I never (well, very rarely) weighed myself. I really don't remember what I weighed in high school and college. I'm not sure if I crossed over 200 during my pregnancies...probably. I'm sure I could ask for my medical records, but at the time, I'd actually look away when I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office. It's interesting to look back, to take my numbers and graph the fluctuations over the past several years.  Some of the numbers that stand out in my memory as milestones ...

185 ... that's where I topped out. I do count myself lucky that I never went any higher (except during pregnancy). With my eating habits and inactivity, I'm a little surprised I didn't have a bigger problem. So 50 pounds over where I want to be.

135 ... that's my goal, and my low. When I reached that weight, I was able to fit into my wedding dress, so I assume that was my high school/college and pre-wedding weight.

150 ... I have many thoughts on this particular number. I distinctly remember "flirting with 150" on the way down the first time (back in 2006). I was SO happy to get there. Then I continued to lose and get to goal. As I struggled to maintain my weight, I remember being pleasantly surprised at how I was able to fluctuate to 140, 145 without really noticing that much of a difference. But 150 ... that was like a switch, suddenly clothes didn't fit right, I could see it in my face.  I vowed NOT to go above 150 ... then I went above 150 and beyond. Looking at my graph above, a lot of lines converge right around 150. It's where I'm at now ...

Those are the three main numbers on my mind as I look back at my weight over the years. The top, the bottom, and the middle. But there are a couple other numbers that have a "milestone" moment for me as well ...

I remember when I hit 155 (this time around) ... that was a milestone moment for me. That moved me from the "overweight" category, to the "normal" one.  It isn't easy being green, but green is good. I'm still a little too close to the top there. I'd like to be comfortably in the middle.

My Fitbit scale tops out at 153.3 ... that is another number that stands out. For a while, this number really confused me. I'd seen other people's dashboards, to see that of course higher numbers were able to be listed.  For quite a while, this tile didn't even show anything, because I as "off the chart" so to speak. I did finally figure out 153.3 ~ That's what I weighed when I FIRST got my Fitbit back in April 2010. That is my "original" weight according to Fitbit. Even though I added an impressive 30 pounds over the years, that number still stuck as MY number to beat. Fitbit credits me (with badges and what not) with both ... my loss from my highest point, and my loss from my starting point. But 153.3 ... if I have a bad day and bop up above that and lose all my color and credit from this tile, well, I do NOT like that. So I definitely need to stay under 153.3!

Those are five of my milestone numbers ... 

Do you have "numbers" of your own?

Check back on Friday for my "official" weekly weigh-in.

Tipping the Scales

Scales need to be on a hard surface to register correctly, right? In our bathroom, we only have a tiny amount of tile, the rest is carpet. There is just a small section in the toilet closet. So, we need to store the scale upright, and move it down when it's time to weigh.  I do wish we had a bit more room so that I could leave the scale in a stationary position.

Anyone else have silly scale situations?

I mentioned on Monday that Hubs has begun his own weight loss journey (again).  He hadn't stepped on a scale in a while, and he hadn't ever stepped on THIS scale  ... I got it this past January. I had to laugh at his Facebook post:  "I decided to step on the scale this morning. It's a new-fangled digital device that went through about 20 seconds of "SENSING", whatever that is. At the conclusion of the sensing cycle it insensitively registered "ERR" and no weight reading. Perhaps a hint of some sort..."

The Fitbit Aria scale CAN be a bit temperamental. I know as I shift it from the upright to the down position, I can't step on right away. I need to give it a minute or two to calibrate or something.  Hubby has since had a readout as he weighed in. He doesn't have a Fitbit (yet), but I did set him up an account to track his weight wirelessly.  He hasn't weighed in a few days ... he says he's only going to weigh-in every week or so. 

I weigh in every day, with "official" weigh-ins on Friday. It's been a bit bumpy lately. The weight dropped this morning, if I can maintain, I'd be fine with this number for my Friday weigh-in. But ... tomorrow IS Thanksgiving. So we'll see. I don't really plan on overeating, but exercise will be impacted.  Linking up with Weigh In Wednesday  ...

Tracking Weight Through The Years

... you know, prior to 2006, I don't know that I ever stepped on the scale. Since May of 2006, I have stepped on the scale every single day. I've got all those numbers in an excel file on my computer. As I think back on the last few years, I remember my drastic weight loss in 2006. In my memory, I had a slow gain of about five pounds a year ... but as I actually looked back and plugged the numbers into a graph (taking the weight from the 1st of each month) I can see that there was actually a LOT of fluctuation. That after a gain in 2008, I was able to get back down (temporarily). 2010 was pretty steady, higher than I liked but not much change at all (and TODAY, I'm right about where I was September of 2010). The end of 2012, the beginning of 2013 ... the only good thing about that gain is that it got me motivated to really try ...

I really hope to be back where I was at the end of 2006 at the end of THIS year.

That's the goal.

I really found it interesting to look back at my changing weight. I thought it was a good topic for today's Weigh-In Wednesday link up.  

Have you kept track of your changing weight over the years?

Do you plan to?

Why You Won't See the "Scale Shot" For My Weigh-ins

If you've been following my blog at all, you know MY traditional weigh-in day is Friday. I'm SO much better with the eating/exercise Mon-Thurs during the established routine. The weekends are tough, so I weigh-in Friday morning BEFORE the craziness kicks in. But, I do like to participate in the Wednesday Weigh-In Link In. 

Another thing you might have noticed if you've seen any previous weigh-in posts from me, as that I usually just show my numbers (from the Fitbit site), not the traditional scale shot. I did go ahead with the traditional scale shot for today, and will explain why this is not something you will see from me.

First and foremost ... I tend to weigh-in in my birthday suit. Can't have any extra ounces from clothing cluttering up the reading, right?  Well, my fancy-smancy Aria scale is shiney and ... reflective. Not that it's easy to really see what it is reflecting, but still, I will err on the side of caution and NOT post pictures.

Also ... as you can see in the picture above, instead of a number, the scale is telling me "off" ... really "step off" but only one word can scroll through at a time. My Aria doesn't give me my weight until I have stepped off the scale.  I have to admit, when I see the scale telling me to "step off" I can't help but recall a certain Seinfeld episode (you can see a clip here, you only have to watch the first 25 seconds to get the "step off" reference).  

But Anyway

that is why ... you see THIS (below) from me ...

I'll post again on Friday ... I'm up a teeny tiny bit from last Friday's weigh-in, although I did drop below it once since then (ok, only by 0.1 ounce, but that actually changed it from 159 to 158 to that's actually HUGE).  Ironically, that low WAS on Monday morning, after the weekend! Go figure. I have actually been being much better over the weekends since I've been tracking calories. 

Another interesting thing about my weigh-in history is it also includes the time the reading was taken.  School has started ... that means I have to get UP earlier. last Thursday was a 1/2 day for the 7th grader (only the "sevies" so they could get used to rotating through classes before the crowds) ... then Monday was the start for everyone. No more sleeping in (and 7:00 or 8:00 weigh-ins).  Body fat is slowing going down too, although I'm not sure how accurate the Aria is on that. 

... so much for my Scale Stories for today ... 

Check out the Weigh-In Wednesday Link Up for more scale stories and share your own!
Do YOU weigh in in the buff?

I'm off to elliptical ...

Weighing in on Graphs

I really like graphs. It takes numbers and makes them visual. It's very helpful to me. But even the same numbers can get a different look depending on the graph. Checking in here today for Weigh In Wednesday to take a peek at how different your weight graph can look, even when using the exact same numbers. 

I looked at my weight graph on my Iphone (using my Fitbit app, above). 

It looks pretty bumpy there.

Pretty big ups and downs.

When I look at the Fitbit website instead of the app (below), it looks very different! 

The reference numbers on the axis expand (showing more weight variety and a longer time) and this totally changed the look, makes it look super smooth (and so slllllooooooowwwww). 

The graph above is from the MFP website ... 

Shows some ups and downs, but decent progress overall.

The MFP app squished the numbers together a bit more, 

and the downward trend looks much more impressive,

of course the small ups look bigger too.

I also sync to Trendweight.com, which in addition to keeping track of actual weight, also projects your "trend" which really smooths out the bumps! It really is an interesting way to look at the numbers, and having your "actual" weigh-in come in UNDER your trend can be motivating, even when the numbers have gone up a bit. I'm not as down as I was, but I'm still down ...

I DID dip into the 150s once (159.5 on Sunday) ... it's moving SO slowly. My MPF ticker has been fluctuating between 20 pounds lost, and 19 pounds lost. It's bad enough when it stays the same for a week, I really don't like when it goes backwards!

... I know, I get a little obsessive with my numbers and graphs. It's often said how important perspective is ... how you look at things. That CAN even come into play with how you look at the numbers from your scale, you know?  

I thought this post worked with the Weigh-In Wednesday link-up. Post your own scale stories and check out other people's progress as well!

Weigh In Wednesday

So ... as part of my journey, I like to visit weight loss/fitness blogs and see other people's stories and success, and even frustrations and failures. As I was browsing tonight I came upon a blog hop hosted by Heather at PrettyStrongMedicine.

I weigh in every day, and my faithful Fitbit Aria scale automatically sends that weight to my computer to sync with Fitbit, and Trendweight, and MFP ... this does often make my MFP ticker slide around, and unfortunately sometimes go backwards. I'm happy to say that it is showing a 16 pound loss, so that's better than my 15 pound post just a bit ago (much better than the 13 pound it had backtracked to in recent days). 

Now this morning ... hubby was home. Usually he is gone to work hours before I'm up and weighing myself. I locked the bathroom door and stood on my scale and weighed myself, in my birthday suit as I always do.  I heard the door opening ... hubby was coming in! Now, not that he hasn't seen it all before, but I'm not really a parading around naked kind of gal.  Even if/when I get to goal weight, I don't think I'm that comfortable in my own skin ... in ONLY my skin.

The Fitbit Aria Scale is fairly fancy ... all automated as it is, it can keep track of up to eight different people. However, if two people are close in weight, the scale will "ask" you who you are. In my mad dash to grab a towel this morning, I didn't see the scale ask if I was me, or my son. As I didn't correct it, it sent MY weight record to my son's Fitbit account. 

So I had to jump onto the computer to straighten that out, and re-weigh, making sure my measurements went to my account. 164.5 ... my son's last reading was 155. I guess the scale needs more than 10 pounds to verify a difference.

I was a little perturbed by the bodyfat readings though ... as my reading went to my son's account, it came in at 18.5%. When I weighed again and made sure the reading went to my account, my body fat reading was 37% ... Ummmmm, I was the same person both times, the only difference was who the Aria THOUGHT I was. So this experience definitely puts the "bodyfat" reading validity into question ...

Things are looking on track for my official weigh in on Friday.

July is NOT the easiest month for good eating and exercise. Two holidays (July 4th, and July 24 ... that one's just for Utah), the summer schedule (sleeping in). New wave runners, which mean trips to the lake (not much exercise in), kids out of school and fun, distracting activities ... I know some people find the summer easier, I am not one of them. But at least it's moving in the right direction!

Smart Scale (Fitbit Aria)

Through high school and the first fourteen years of marriage ... I never really stepped on the scale. I just felt that some weight gain through the years (and having five babies) was inevitable. During my pregnancies, I didn't pay much attention to weight gain either ... I really couldn't tell you what I gained or weighed at any point. 

Then ... May 2006. I lost 20 pounds quick and easy and without even trying (yes, there was some stress at that time). But that 20 pound loss ... it changed everything! I felt like losing WAS possible, and I could already see a change at that point. It gave me the motivation to keep going. I lost 30 more pounds over the next couple of months and I reached my goal weight. During THIS time ... I stepped on the scale everyday, sometimes multiple times a day. I've stepped on a scale pretty much every day since.

You can see (in the picture above), I had an old analog scale. Through the years, I upgraded to a newer, digital scale. But when Fitbit recently added a scale to their line of products, I felt like I needed to upgrade once again. Like the Fitbit, the Aria connects wirelessly to the Fitbit Dashboard. Now I can't tell you how many times I would step on the scale first thing in the morning, and by the time I dressed and went to my desk to write down the numbers~ they had slipped from my mind. And while I did enter the numbers (that I remembered *Ü*) into my excel spreadsheet with all my stats, I would seldom actually update the Fitbit website with my changing weight. The Aria does it all ... and includes a body fat reading as well as body weight.

Now the Aria IS pricey ... $130.  But, it's been worth it to me. My Fitbit Dashboard is now completely up to date. The weight is updated daily, and this also transfers to MFP, which updates my weight loss there. Since I have been tracking food on MFP, and making sure I'm staying below my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) the scale HAS been moving in the right direction too. I've never tracked my body fat before, and while it's still too high, it too is getting lower. 

I've also connected my Aria to Trendweight.com ... so my daily weigh-in is also transferred to that site and the many cool graphs and data it provides.

I didn't discover this website until a few weeks ago, but because of the wireless connection, TrendWeight was able to get ALL the data from the scale, from when I first got it in January. I'm also signed up for a couple rewards sites, and one of those gives points for daily weight and body fat weigh-ins, so the Aria gives me extra points there each day as well. 

I DO still have my old analog scale sitting in the bathroom downstairs ... I hope to be able to recreate the "goal weight" picture at the top of this blog post.