What it Looks Like to Weigh Yourself Everyday

How often do you weigh yourself? Everyone I know weighs themselves at maximum once a week. I weigh myself every single day so I can be able to recognize normal fluctuations (see link below of my report for the last 90 days).

If I waited an entire week to weigh myself and then the number was higher or the same, I would get frustrated.

I have learned what is normal for my body and do not get frustrated weighing myself everyday. I am kind of obsessed with weighing myself actually... I even weighed myself with and without my dog the other day... Haha okay I was just trying to see how much he weighs ;)

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/90dayweight.jpg/

<IMG SRC="http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/90dayweight.jpg/"&gt;

Note: I followed my nutrition and fitness routine 90-95% of the time. I went on two vacations during these last 90 days (although I worked out and watched what I ate). Also, I noticed that a particular time of the month for women can affect the number on the scale.

I hope this helps to show how much your weigh can fluctuate from day to day so you do not get discouraged if you see an unexpected number :)
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Replies

  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    I weigh every morning and record every friday.
  • Daisey4522
    Daisey4522 Posts: 171 Member
    What is the most you see your weight fluctuate from one day to the next?
  • nikkohli
    nikkohli Posts: 311 Member
    I do the same thing. Once I see a weight for 3 days in a row, I count it as a true loss. From there I still may vary 3lbs either way but I consider that my "true" weight. For awhile I was weighing every Friday only and not seeing a loss but my clothes were getting looser. By tracking I realized that for some reason every Friday I am 1-2 lbs heavier than the rest of the week! Also, I can see fluctuations I have because of low water intake or my period.
    I have been plateaued for 4 weeks now and am starting to get frustrated from that but weighing every day lets me see it as a plateau and not think I am truly gaining-which I could think if I only weighed once a week because of my fluctuations. I like weighing every day and it doesn't panic me if I see a 2-3 lbs gain.....usually it is gone in the next day or so.
  • Peejer2001
    Peejer2001 Posts: 18 Member
    I weight every day too, and don't count it until I see it three times! It flucuates so much!
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Weigh every day.. I have been at maintenance for almost a year and it goes up or down just about every single day. I don't record it and less it continues to climb up or down for more than three days. which hasn't happened it yet.
  • Daisey4522
    Daisey4522 Posts: 171 Member
    Oh good to see other people do the same thing as me! I actually just record every time I see a new "lowest" number. So it may not be my TRUE weight, because I like to drink wine sometimes and I know I am dehydrated the next morning, but it still helps show the trend and I am sure it's only a lb or so off from my true weight.
  • Daisey4522
    Daisey4522 Posts: 171 Member
    I completely agree Pu :)
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    I weigh myself every morning after using the restroom. I normally won't follow my weight more my measurements that I do every week. They to me show the true loss, I mean if the scale says I am down I am super happy, but if it shows same or a gain of 2lbs I know that its my body fluctuating. People say you fluctuate 5lbs up and down, my body is 2lbs up and down lol
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    I weigh every day because it keeps me motivated...even if I see the number go up. It reminds me that I've lost 12 lbs so far and to keep going. To each his own though. Some people prefer once a week and that's fine too.
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
    I read that people who are on the national weight loss registry (people who have maintained a weight loss for more than 5 years) weigh daily or more often than once a week.

    If you can see the number on the scale as a tool not a definition of who you are as a person or the hard work you've put in then weighing daily is awesome.

    I weigh daily, only once a day. I am like you and if I weighed once a week I wouldn't see progress on the whole.
  • bumblebums
    bumblebums Posts: 2,181 Member
    .
  • bregalad5
    bregalad5 Posts: 3,965 Member
    I weigh every day as well. I should really track my day-to-day weight so I can see true patterns instead of the ones I think I see in my head :) How did you track yours?

    One strange thing I have found is that I usually weigh less at around noon than I do if I weigh myself at about 8am (I typically don't eat until 12-1pm). I checked several days in a row, and my weight will vary up to 2lbs in those 4 hours!

    I record my Saturday weight, even if it's higher than other days.
  • ashlbubba
    ashlbubba Posts: 224 Member
    I weigh myself everyday too- I aim to weigh in at around the same time of morning.. my "official" weigh in is usually around 930 AM.. I feel like it keeps me accountable but it only counts if it's a loss. If I feel like I'm really dehydrated or it's a huge drop from one day to the next I don't count it either.

    This morning I weighed in at an all new low for me and a full pound below what I've recently seen.. seemed off.. tomorrow will confirm if it's a true weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I weigh every day as well, or at least a few times a week. I think it actually helps keep me on track, and it's helped me understand how my body reacts to things like alcohol, high sodium levels, hard workouts, and natural hormone fluctuations. As long as you're mentally prepared to see those fluctuations on the scale, I think it can be a great tool.
  • mindyrae22
    mindyrae22 Posts: 19 Member
    I weigh daily for most of the reasons stated, but there is another that I have relied on heavily. When I weigh in I take note of what I ate the previous day. The morning after I eat beans or salty foods I am a pound or two up. I make note of this because when an event comes around I like to know this so I am not bloated and at my lowest weight. For example, my wedding was a month ago. When it came to the two or three days before my wedding, I knew what foods to avoid to not bloat and stay at my lowest weight on my big day.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    I weigh every day and my weight goes up at least 3 times/week. Also goes down at least 3 times/week. I can see how people who think weight should only go down would get discouraged. I just find it amusing to watch.
  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
    I like to weigh myself daily but I only record it once a week. I'm used to seeing some ups and downs (especially around my time of the month... I've jumped up as much as 5 or 6 lbs the week before but then during the next week it falls back off and sometimes will drop an extra pound), and I know that if I've been eating right and getting my workouts in that it's just normal fluctuations.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    daily is frustrating for me because I vary as much as 5lbs in a day
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I weigh daily...I like data. I analyze data for a living.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
    Oh good to see other people do the same thing as me! I actually just record every time I see a new "lowest" number. So it may not be my TRUE weight, because I like to drink wine sometimes and I know I am dehydrated the next morning, but it still helps show the trend and I am sure it's only a lb or so off from my true weight.

    I do this as well! Any time I have a lower number I also record it. Whether its my true weight it not I use it for motivation to get lower!
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
    I weigh in every day, but I do not record it every day. I have kind of a different system than most folks. I too like to get a better understanding of my normal weight fluctuations, see what a difference it makes when I am drinking lots of water, when it's that time of the month, etc. I normally step on the scale at least twice a day - once first thing in the morning, and once in the evening.

    So, for recording - what I do is mentally keep track of where I'm averaging between my morning, in-the-buff, pre-breakfast weight and my evening weight. I don't log my weight at consistent intervals - rather, I log when I have lost a pound (I would also log if I gained a pound but that has not happened during my process). So during times that I stayed the same, I just went longer in between logging my weight.

    Some might say this isn't the best way to go about it, but it has worked for me - I've lost 33 pounds over 9 months.
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
    I weigh every morning and record every friday.

    This. I don't let the daily fluctuations bother me...
  • SadKitty27
    SadKitty27 Posts: 416 Member
    I weigh every morning in my bra and panties after using the restroom (before eating or drinking a thing.) My weight is usually consistent (in terms of ups and downs.)

    I usually only log when my weight goes down :)
  • MaggieKillNMaul
    MaggieKillNMaul Posts: 24 Member
    I'm so glad to hear that other people do this too...I record my lowest weights as well. Ultimately, I try to focus on how my clothes fit, but watching the scale and seeing my body fluctuate and knowing the patterns really helps me!
  • dondimitri
    dondimitri Posts: 245 Member
    I weigh every morning at the same time right after I get up.

    I think it is very instructive to understand how much your weight can fluctuate over a period of time. My weight loss chart is very similar to the one you posted with perhaps even more drastic ups/downs however the general trend is very much downward.

    As an engineer I can't have too much data! More! More! Bring me more!

    My personal feeling is that the conventional advice to weigh yourself once per week is incorrect. I believe it can be very misleading.
  • cjenkins91
    cjenkins91 Posts: 92 Member
    I wrote this on my wall a few days ago, and on my facebookpage.

    "Weigh ins.. A friend wanted me to discuss this. So I will. What is the best time to weigh in? Once a week, or daily? I believe a daily weigh in is best, every morning. You will see your weight go up and down. You will see how your body reacts to certain types of foods(high sodium/carbs). You will also notice a gain of a few lbs is no big deal, it's natural, it will be gone soon. You will also notice patterns of times you weigh less. For me I would weigh less mid week, heavier earlier in the week.Before I decided to weigh in daily I would weigh myself every monday(worst possible day for me to weigh in). If you weigh yourself one day a week, you might be weighing yourself on your worst possible day... Once you weigh in daily, the only thing that matters is new lows, your lowest number of the week, record that, ignore the rest. Remember It takes 3,500 calories to gain 1lbs of fat. If you have a TDEE of 2,000 calories, to gain 1lbs in 1 day you would have to eat 5,500 calories. If you didn't do it... it's not fat, stop stressing."

    Sooo true! Great advice!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    People get to obsessed about weight numbers ( I hold my hands up I have too). No offense meant but it seems to me daily weighers are even more obsessed. I'm trying to get healthier and fitter. The numbers on the scale are a guide for me. They are not the be all and end all. As long as the trend is downward I'm happy. Monitoring your bodies fluctuations in weight through the week I just can't see the point. Overall the numbers aren't that important they are just a guide of your overall health.

    What's more important to me is that I'm in smaller clothes I did a PB on my normal running route today after swimming 3000 metres. These to me are far more telling numbers of my health and fitness than a daily fluctuating number on a scale.

    Each to their own though and if it works for you good luck but there is no right or wrong way there is just what works for you.
  • Im trying to weigh myself every 2 weeks but I usually end up doing twice a week.
  • vivaldirules
    vivaldirules Posts: 169 Member
    I weigh daily but use a five day moving average to help smooth out the noise (see the green and blue lines in the chart).
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1014524-how-accurate-are-mfp-weight-loss-estimates-one-example
  • kayaksara
    kayaksara Posts: 157 Member
    I weigh myself every day in the morning right when I get out of bed. I record it when I hit the next whole number down. It is motivating to me to stay on track. I wouldn't say I am obsessive about it. Probably because my weight does not fluctuate. And I lose on average no more than 1/2 pound a week. My daily routine is very similar -eating, exercising, sleeping. This weekend I had lots of entertaining to do and gave myself the liberty to eat whatever I wanted. Saw the scale go up 3 pounds. Not freaking out at all. All part of the process. I probably won't be able to record a weight loss for weeks but weighing in every day will keep reminding me that everyday counts and to keep going. Works for me.