Discussing how often to weigh yourself

Sharkbite2016

I was discussing this with someone and they told me there are two schools of thought regarding how often to weigh yourself. The first is what I go by which is every two weeks. The other school of thought says that you should weigh yourself everyday in order to learn about your natural weight fluctuations and to become more acclimated with what makes you gain and lose weight over time, with more accuracy? I have my problems with the second school of thought, but I was just wondering who does this and what kind of luck they have had with it? I don't want to be close minded to the approach if it works for people.

ColinsMommaOC

I weigh daily. But I like data and seeing that yes, sometimes I just go up, is helpful to me. If I were to weigh weekly or bi-weekly and happen to be on an up day, I would probably be a lot more stressed out by weighing.

dhimaan

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer. Some people like to closely monitor their weight while others take a longer term view (weekly weigh ins). Both are valid.

Kalikel

It doesn't make any difference at all. Do whatever you want.

You certainly don't need a scale to lose weight. I lost forty pounds before I even bought one.

AppetiteControlFreak

The most important thing to weigh isn't me.

Weighing the food I eat so I can track calories is much more important.

mewickla

I weigh myself daily with the Happy Scale app for three reasons: it shows me my weight trends, predicts my rate of loss, and sets smaller "mini" goals in a visually appealing way that makes me feel more accomplished and that also help to make the "main" goal seem more attainable. Then I usually only enter my weight on MFP once or twice a week as a more general weight log.

However, this is just how I like to do it. I don't think I believe that there's only certain acceptable weighs to log, just different preferences.

sflory68

I think people should do what makes them feel comfortable. I currently weigh myself every morning at the same time. With that said, I only record the weights every Sunday. I have lost 54 lbs since April on the Ketogenic diet. It was challenging at first but now I believe it might turn into a way of life!!!!

tryin2die2self

sflory68 wrote: »

I think people should do what makes them feel comfortable. I currently weigh myself every morning at the same time. With that said, I only record the weights every Sunday.

Spot on

bmakkz

I really like to weigh myself everyday, but it's easy to get discouraged by normal fluctuations. So what works for me is logging my weight everyday in a website that calculates the average trend of my weight. So if my weight is smaller than my averaging weight, it's a victory! Even if my weight is bigger than the day before. May sound complicated but it's amazing. Have a look: http://www.weightgrapher.com/about

mom2wessarah

I used to weigh myself once a week, same time, wearing the same thing. I've gained a lot of weight over the past 6 months and just got serious about losing it. I'm afraid to weight myself. So, this time, while I'm eating better, I'm not going to weigh myself. I didn't when I started. I'm going to let the looser clothes and how I feel guide me. I'll weigh myself right before Thanksgiving to help me keep on track!

lemurcat12

Sharkbite2016 wrote: »

The other school of thought says that you should weigh yourself everyday in order to learn about your natural weight fluctuations and to become more acclimated with what makes you gain and lose weight over time, with more accuracy?

I do this, but for the first reason (get used to natural fluctuations) and also to avoid building up getting on the scale as a big deal with emotional consequences in my own mind. It's just part of my daily morning routine, like brushing my teeth and showering.

People will have different things that work for them, but it is really important to me not to be afraid of the scale or to see it as more than a helpful tool that provides information.

As for understanding what makes you gain or lose over time, weighing daily doesn't do that, and attributing too much significance to daily fluctuations is the thing to avoid.

What I dislike (for me) about the 2 week (or even 1 week) approach is that not only does it make me place more significance on the number, but it would be so easy to get a weekly low one week and then a weekly high 2 weeks later and think you had made little or no progress when likely you did. Weighing daily gives a truer picture of the weight throughout the week.

momar23

mewickla wrote: »

I weigh myself daily with the Happy Scale app for three reasons: it shows me my weight trends, predicts my rate of loss, and sets smaller "mini" goals in a visually appealing way that makes me feel more accomplished and that also help to make the "main" goal seem more attainable. Then I usually only enter my weight on MFP once or twice a week as a more general weight log.

However, this is just how I like to do it. I don't think I believe that there's only certain acceptable weighs to log, just different preferences.

+1
And like @lemurcat12 said what I dislike about the once every week or two is if your weigh in day happens to be on an up fluctuation then it's easy to get discouraged thinking you've lost nothing. With daily weighing though i think it's important to track the data to get a clear picture of where you are going.

Machka9

Sharkbite2016 wrote: »

The other school of thought says that you should weigh yourself everyday in order to learn about your natural weight fluctuations and to become more acclimated with what makes you gain and lose weight over time, with more accuracy.

I do this ... and it works very well for me.


Weighing everyday makes me comfortable with all the little ups and downs. I can see patterns. There is a cause-and-effect. And overall, the trend is downward.

jemhh

I think people should do what they want.

That being said, I tend to wish that more women would weigh daily for 3 months or so, just to learn how their weight fluctuates over the course of their menstrual cycles. Way too many women are under-educated about how their bodies work. It is strange to me that a girl will start menstruating at 8 to 15 years old and will then seem surprised, as a 25 or 30 or 35 year old, to find out that her weight fluctuates throughout the month due to the normal hormonal shifts involved in her cycle. But then again, way too many people are embarrassed to even talk to their daughter's about their periods (I know my mom was) so I shouldn't be surprised.

scolaris

mom2wessarah wrote: »

I used to weigh myself once a week, same time, wearing the same thing. I've gained a lot of weight over the past 6 months and just got serious about losing it. I'm afraid to weight myself. So, this time, while I'm eating better, I'm not going to weigh myself. I didn't when I started. I'm going to let the looser clothes and how I feel guide me. I'll weigh myself right before Thanksgiving to help me keep on track!

I'm very similar to you! Watching the scale makes me play to the scale & robs the little victories (like fitting in the WHITE jeans I hadn't worn in a year... Woot woot!) of their power. I totally get it that weight maintenance requires frequent weighing. But for weight loss I put together five 10-week sessions of meeting my calorie goals, walking 100k steps a week & doing body weight resistance training and I only weigh at the end of each 10-week segment. I want to love the process more than the results. I know my starting weight & I'm prepared this will take time. The scale doesn't really need to play such a big role for me personally.

cnbbnc

It just depends on the individual. I think if you're just out to see weight loss progression then every week or biweekly is ok. Weighing daily can be upsetting for some people because of the fluctuations, but if you can easily let that go then it's ok. I think it's interesting to see how my weight fluctuates after a heavy lifting workout, or if I've eaten too much salt (water weight!). It's interesting, but I don't like it.

Merkavar

I think it all depends on the person.

If you don't understand that weight fluctuates UP and down or you freak out when the scale doesn't budge since yesterday etc then weighing less often is probably better.

But if your fine with the ups and downs then weighing more often is probably better, more accurate, more data.

I weigh once a week, I look at weightloss over the month or 3 months so daily weigh ins seem over kill to me.

kdz526

I like daily weigh ins. It helps me to keep on track with my eating, but I do realize that there is one week where its going to be all wacky and If I go out drinking, the next several days are going to be me shedding water weight. I only record my lowest reading. When I stray off course (most of the summer cause..camping and beer), when I start in again, I record whatever and accept the gain and start working to get lower again. Thankfully, when I stray off course, it only takes me a week to get back to my lowest again, which means I was eating more at maintenance then over indulging.

allyphoe

I weigh every day. Gives me the data to calculate maintenance calories.

Machka9

jemhh wrote: »

I think people should do what they want.

That being said, I tend to wish that more women would weigh daily for 3 months or so, just to learn how their weight fluctuates over the course of their menstrual cycles. Way too many women are under-educated about how their bodies work. It is strange to me that a girl will start menstruating at 8 to 15 years old and will then seem surprised, as a 25 or 30 or 35 year old, to find out that her weight fluctuates throughout the month due to the normal hormonal shifts involved in her cycle. But then again, way too many people are embarrassed to even talk to their daughter's about their periods (I know my mom was) so I shouldn't be surprised.

I agree ... one of the things that has surprised me in the forums here on MFP are the number of women asking about weight fluctuations due to menstrual cycles.

Maybe it helped that my mother was a nurse, and she was happy to talk about everything. There was nothing that was TMI.

But even my husband knows ... I'll come home after work one day, he'll take one look at me and say, "Your TOM will start this weekend" ... and he's right. The clue is that I'm looking a little bit puffy, especially in my tummy area.

gilliebee63

I weigh daily (unless I am too rushed or away from home). I log it every couple weeks, when I've seemed to stabilize around a new low. I like the data... I also heard a good analogy once. It's like keeping your eyes on the road ahead when your driving. It helps me see I'm headed in the right direction.

arditarose

So there are only two options? Guess I've been doing it wrong.

SimoneBee12

I weigh daily, I like the data in HappyScale, I like knowing when I have light days in my cycle (two days before I gain 1lbs, and the day before I start is normally my lowest in about a week and it doesn't go back up once it starts), I like seeing the progress, and I'm impatient.

I also like the scale telling me I've been slacking. Lately I've been getting lazy with my logging, so I was 204lbs for about three weeks, some days would drop down to 202lbs, some back up to 206lbs. So I knew I had to get serious, I don't have as big of a calorie deficit as I did 30lbs ago. If I weighed weekly, I might not have noticed this as much because my weigh in days might have been a 202lb day.

I'm planning on going to weekly or bi-weekly weighing once I hit maintenance, however.

lemurcat12

jemhh wrote: »

I think people should do what they want.

That being said, I tend to wish that more women would weigh daily for 3 months or so, just to learn how their weight fluctuates over the course of their menstrual cycles. Way too many women are under-educated about how their bodies work. It is strange to me that a girl will start menstruating at 8 to 15 years old and will then seem surprised, as a 25 or 30 or 35 year old, to find out that her weight fluctuates throughout the month due to the normal hormonal shifts involved in her cycle. But then again, way too many people are embarrassed to even talk to their daughter's about their periods (I know my mom was) so I shouldn't be surprised.

Great point!

Merkavar

Machka9 wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

I think people should do what they want.

That being said, I tend to wish that more women would weigh daily for 3 months or so, just to learn how their weight fluctuates over the course of their menstrual cycles. Way too many women are under-educated about how their bodies work. It is strange to me that a girl will start menstruating at 8 to 15 years old and will then seem surprised, as a 25 or 30 or 35 year old, to find out that her weight fluctuates throughout the month due to the normal hormonal shifts involved in her cycle. But then again, way too many people are embarrassed to even talk to their daughter's about their periods (I know my mom was) so I shouldn't be surprised.

Maybe it helped that my mother was a nurse, and she was happy to talk about everything. There was nothing that was TMI.

warning for possible disgusting stuff.

That's one thing I dislike about nurses, especially if your eating, they are talking about everything from infected legs to pooing so much it comes out the front of adult nappies.

OsricTheKnight

I like to weigh in daily to follow the trend. You get a graph that clearly shows where you are at, like this one:



It's very clear, and very motivating, unlike the underlying scale data points, which are random and demotivating.

Osric

robertw486

arditarose wrote: »

So there are only two options? Guess I've been doing it wrong.

Only two. Choose one, otherwise you are wrong!


I've been using several methods over time, and agree with the "do what you want" method. Earlier in the year, I lost close to 20 pounds without stepping on a scale, logging food, logging exercise, or worrying much about food choices.

A couple months back I joined MFP to use with my fitness app, just to give me a better overall picture, and mostly to track calories on days of heavier exercise.

For me, getting on the scale daily does show me the ups and downs, and makes me comfortable with not seeing daily loss vs looking at a trend. I'm probably going to punch some numbers into Trendweight or a similar type thing, but that's more just the data hound nature of me at times.


Do what works for you IMO. If you never stepped on a scale but were happier with how you looked and fit in your clothes, would the final number really matter?

tomteboda

I weigh every day or two, but I generally only record once a week. Otherwise I just get way too obsessive with the numbers.

KateTii

I like to weigh daily. I log what I eat every day so Iike to match that with info about my weight every day. I keep my weight logged in a separate app but only log in MFP once a week.

But I find weighing weekly demotivating. If I happen to weigh on the lower part of my range one week and then the higher part of my range the next, it can hide my progress and I find that much worse than daily fluctuations.

zikarra

Sharkbite2016 wrote: »
The other school of thought says that you should weigh yourself everyday in order to learn about your natural weight fluctuations and to become more acclimated with what makes you gain and lose weight over time, with more accuracy.

I do this ... and it works very well for me.


Weighing everyday makes me comfortable with all the little ups and downs. I can see patterns. There is a cause-and-effect. And overall, the trend is downward.



So many people dont know about fluctuations! My friend put on 4 kilos (8lb) in 2 weeks because she was in italy and was enjoying the pizza and pasta,same happened to me - after a week of normal eating the 4kg were all gone and I actually had lost some weight on my holiday. I therefore told her not to worry because she mainly ate carbs which are stored with water and so on and she clearly didn't know that. I also don't get disheartened when I put on 800g from the day before because I know I had a lot of carbs and water. I only record my weight once I'm sure I dropped 1lb or 2 lb because my fluctuations are usually no more than 2lb.

I wouldn't want to weigh myself once a week because I would like to know where the trend is going. If i weigh myself on a high peak then I`ll think oh no. If I know it's been going down I know that it's just fluctuations.

tlcopestake82

when i first started changing my lifestyle, i weighed myself every friday (always first thing in the morning, stark naked). then when the first 30lbs. came off i switched to every 2 weeks, because the weight wasn't coming off as much and it was a bit disheartening.