Daily weighing associated with better weight losses

meerkat70

So, here's one for the myth that you should 'never weight yourself more than once a week'.

Study finds that daily weighing is associated with more, and more consistent weightloss.

http://www.spring.org.uk/2015/01/this-is-how-often-dieters-should-weigh-themselves.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+PsychologyBlog+(PsyBlog)

LavenderLeaves

I've seen this. My issue with it is that it doesn't give one inkling of information on the long-term effects of the weight loss. If it was kept off long-term, that's great. If not, what's the point? It really has everything to do with the mentality of the person, as well. It's far more damaging for a lot of people to weigh daily. That's great if there's people who can do it daily and not be bothered by the normal daily weight fluctuations our body goes through.

TimothyFish

Cause/effect is uncertain with that study. It is possible that people who are success at weight loss tend to step on the scale more often because they know it will show them something they want to see.

cinderquest

I base my current practice of weighing and recording my weight everyday on a long history of losing and gaining weight. If I don't weigh, I don't care, and I gain weight, it's that simple for me. When I weigh AND record my weight every day I stay on track and keep the weight off. I lost 130 pounds and kept it off for seven years. Then I blew out my knee and got frustrated and stopped weighing myself and gained 80 pounds back. I'm slowly taking it off again, but each time I stall, I noticed I've stopped weighing myself. It's a checks and balance thing for me, and I know that a 2-3 pound variance is normal for me so I don't freak out. Doesn't work for everyone, but I kind of hate the one rule fits all thing anyway.

ukaryote

OK, for that population it affected their behavior positively. It would frustrate me. Different reaction to the same stimulus.

Driagnor

I personally find that weighing myself every day helps to keep me accountable. I understand that water retention can cause large fluctuations, and so if I jump up, it doesn't stress me out much - it does make me look back on the previous day and assess whether there was anything I could have done better though.

I also track every day's weight on a spreadsheet so I can see what the long term trend is. If you're only weighing once a week, and you have a lot of sodium the day before your weigh-in, I imagine that it could be quite demotivating to see little to no improvement for the week.

kbkeats

I like to weigh myself each day. It keeps me focused and helps me keep track which items I've eaten the previous two days that contribute to scale movement (up or down - typically shows high vs low sodium items).

brianpperkins

A single study of 40 people is a mere data point. Does the finding hold up in a larger population? Does it hold up across country boundaries?

Branstin

There isn't any rule to the number of times a person should weigh themselves. I weigh once a week because I am not going to waste my time with daily fluctuations. However, if a person could stick to their plan better by weighing daily then they should do it as long as they understand the daily fluctuations.

RibStabsHeart

I dunno -- I like to weigh every morning, but I see the value in "throwing out the scale" as well. For me, it keeps me on point and keeps me accountable (like others in this thread have said). It's also interesting to see how my weight loss changes -- I tend to stick at the same weight for 2-4 days, then drop a couple pounds, then gain about .5-1 pound, then keep that for 2-4 days, on and on.

Knowing that I have to weigh-in in the morning helps me not snack at night, which is also a good thing.

pscarolina

I'm not planning to give up weighing entirely, but I don't weigh very often. For me, it starts a pattern that's unhealthy. I start cutting back more & more, to an unsustainable level, obsess over what the scale is going to say, try to sweat more (weighing before & after class), eat even less, eat lighter weight foods, or whatever variety of insanity you can come up with basically.

trina1049

I weigh in every day then average the week's results and follow the trend by posting it into The Hacker's Diet. There seems to be a pattern in the fluctuations which I find interesting. The body is a marvelous thing.

dopeysmelly

I find the daily weighing reminds me to maintain my positive habits in general, and logging the daily weight makes it easier to track the longer term trend, which is my early warning system. I find the fluctuations intriguing and occasionally irritating.

If I didn't weigh every day I would seriously just forget to do it at all.

seltzermint555

kbkeats wrote: »

I like to weigh myself each day. It keeps me focused and helps me keep track which items I've eaten the previous two days that contribute to scale movement (up or down - typically shows high vs low sodium items).

Same here.

I think different approaches work for different people.

For me, daily weighing is essential.

My boss is a 50-something woman who has always been at a healthy weight. She weighs every single morning and if she's gone up 2-3 lb it reminds her to take it easy on the food intake. She has never dieted or had a massive amount of weight to lose, but this works well for her. I plan to track my intake for years to come but once I've been maintaining a healthy weight for years I hope to do that long term, as well.

lalepepper

I do find daily weighing to work well for me in general. Depending on peoples' expectations for the number on the scale, I can see why it can be frustrating. I like to use the Weight Grapher website to see trends over time. This has helped me learn that there are general trends behind the daily fluctuation. I like seeing my "trending weight" from daily weigh-ins versus hoping the weekly weigh in falls on a lower weight day.

While I think studies and anecdotal evidence can be helpful for people trying to decide how they'll approach these habits, I'd recommend people don't worry too much about them. The best you can do for yourself is try different methods until you find one that works for you.

tbplayer59

To me, when I weigh myself every morning, it's because my weight and my eating's effect on my weight is foremost in my mind. It's the same as logging every meal.

kommodevaran

TimothyFish wrote: »

Cause/effect is uncertain with that study. It is possible that people who are success at weight loss tend to step on the scale more often because they know it will show them something they want to see.

Yes. This.

sjaplo

kommodevaran wrote: »

TimothyFish wrote: »

Cause/effect is uncertain with that study. It is possible that people who are success at weight loss tend to step on the scale more often because they know it will show them something they want to see.

Yes. This.

Then how do explain my dread in getting on the scale Monday morning?

The scale is a tool, like any other. I use it daily because it keeps me on track and it is interesting to see what happens to weight in relation to activity level, food ingested, atmospheric conditions etc.

Either that or I'm OCD.

Angiefit4life

I am so glad I am not alone. I weigh daily but record if I have lost .5 or more. this works for me.

Cheriesaurus

I like to weigh daily so my reading is more accurate overall cause I'd hate to weigh myself on a day I'm bloated for whatever reason and wonder what I did wrong all week when actually I could of lost some. Low carb I saw a loss daily and that definitely encourages me to keep going.

minamu68

I think I'd become obsessed if I weighed myself every day, but I must admit I haven't tried it. I've done weight watchers, and with that you weigh once a week. Also, I have such major fluctuations at certain times of the month that I think I would be majorly depressed if I weighed myself daily, like if I was bloating, I'd feel like even though I did everything right, I still didn't get the results.

That said, since I've never tried it, perhaps I'll try it for a week or two and see how it goes. It seems like it would make one too preoccupied with weight, though.