How often should I be weighing myself for weight loss?

jax_006
jax_006 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What are you guys thoughts on this?
«1

Replies

  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    It's totally up to you. Some people like myself prefer daily weighing. I think it makes me more accountable and I just plain like data. Other people weigh weekly as they feel like they get freaked out by the (inevitable) daily variations. Others apparently like less-frequent weighings, say monthly.
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    It's easier to correct your errors if you weigh daily
  • jax_006
    jax_006 Posts: 87 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    It's easier to correct your errors if you weigh daily

    Interesting. Do you mean if you have a slip/ a cheat day or meal?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    jax_006 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    It's easier to correct your errors if you weigh daily

    Interesting. Do you mean if you have a slip/ a cheat day or meal?

    If you are not trending downward, then there is something wrong with your intake/outtake. Your calculations are off. Catch it now or catch it in a month, you decide.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    I like to log my weight daily becomes I'm a numbers freak and love graphs. Haha
    But also because I don't want to be surprised at the weekly/monthly weigh in when I haven't lost what I thought I did (either because I really haven't lost it, or because I ate a high sodium meal or worked out really hard the day before and am retaining water, etc.)
  • jax_006
    jax_006 Posts: 87 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    jax_006 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    It's easier to correct your errors if you weigh daily

    Interesting. Do you mean if you have a slip/ a cheat day or meal?

    If you are not trending downward, then there is something wrong with your intake/outtake. Your calculations are off. Catch it now or catch it in a month, you decide.

    Great advice! I have always been scared to weigh everyday because I am a bit obsessive (in a bad way) when it comes to the number on the scale. I will give that a try since I feel I have stalled. Thanks! :)
  • jax_006
    jax_006 Posts: 87 Member
    MzManiak wrote: »
    I like to log my weight daily becomes I'm a numbers freak and love graphs. Haha
    But also because I don't want to be surprised at the weekly/monthly weigh in when I haven't lost what I thought I did (either because I really haven't lost it, or because I ate a high sodium meal or worked out really hard the day before and am retaining water, etc.)

    Good info! I think I will give that a try!
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    Once a week, weighing yourself every day can have negative impact on your goals. Your body weightwill fluctuate daily, even more so for women. So it's important you don't become obsessed with the numbers and just weigh yourself once a week in the morning.
  • CrabNebula
    CrabNebula Posts: 1,119 Member
    I tend to weigh daily so I can keep track of general trends, like increasing or decreasing water weight. I think it would drive me nuts to weigh just once a week because I wouldn't know what exactly led to a particular weight at that point in time. Control freak, yes.
  • jamesabella
    jamesabella Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2016
    I believe it would depend on the individual and what you do with that info. If you use it to motivate you to do better and as purely a benchmark of how your doing I would think daily at the same time within your routine is fine. But if you obsess over your weight and it affects your mood perhaps weekly would be better suited.

    I use a withings scale and will sometimes switch it to weigh in Stones or Kg. so I don't really know what the number is until I reset it but it will still track and graph in whatever I want so I don't lose the data.

    My $.02
  • fochizzy87
    fochizzy87 Posts: 51 Member
    I weigh daily but only record weekly. That way I can monitor how I am doing without being crazy about the fluxuations.
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
    I check my weight 2-4 times a week, probably, but I only record it once a week. The non-logged ones are just out of curiosity honestly.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
    Daily, unless I am on my period. Then I weigh myself the day after my period is over.

    I like the data and I enjoy watch it go down every day or two. Plus it keeps me accountable. If I am weighing myself every morning I feel less inclined to back-pedaling.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I weigh daily and use Trendweight to track my trendline. It is harder to log the gains but the data and seeing the fluctuations and how they fit in the long term is pretty interesting. I only started making myself log gains and started using the trendweight app a few months ago and looking back over the past year's graph I really wish I had done it from the beginning.
  • Chiqui74
    Chiqui74 Posts: 72 Member
    edited March 2016
    I weigh myself once a week, always first thing in the morning on the same days (Wednesday), for the sake of consistency. Your weight fluctuates from day to day, I think it's futile to weigh yourself every day. For me, it's also a carryover from over a decade ago when I did Weight Watchers for the first time because that's when my week started for the purpose of points.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    I weigh daily precisely because weight fluctuates so much day to day - it makes it easier to identify fluctuations AS fluctuations, and more data points means more accurate trending.
  • lmflorhy
    lmflorhy Posts: 19 Member
    I would weigh monthly since you may also be gaining muscle if your lifting. At least see some results!
  • Mandingo15
    Mandingo15 Posts: 10 Member
    If your goal is weight loss at least twice a week. Same exact time and situation. Keeps you motivated and accountable.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    jax_006 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    It's easier to correct your errors if you weigh daily

    Interesting. Do you mean if you have a slip/ a cheat day or meal?

    If you are not trending downward, then there is something wrong with your intake/outtake. Your calculations are off. Catch it now or catch it in a month, you decide.

    Tracking a trend takes time; you don't learn much different from weighing daily or monthly. With daily, you still need time to see a trend. With monthly, you just take a snap shot of the trend.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    jax_006 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    It's easier to correct your errors if you weigh daily

    Interesting. Do you mean if you have a slip/ a cheat day or meal?

    If you are not trending downward, then there is something wrong with your intake/outtake. Your calculations are off. Catch it now or catch it in a month, you decide.

    Tracking a trend takes time; you don't learn much different from weighing daily or monthly. With daily, you still need time to see a trend. With monthly, you just take a snap shot of the trend.

    You do see a trend faster if you log daily, or rather the trend reaches a given level of accuracy sooner.

    If you look at 3 weeks of data, a trend calculated from 21 data points is a lot more accurate than a trend from 3 data points. Each measurement still has "error" - in this case, the fluctuations due to non-fat weight - but as you include more data points, the error tends to cancel out to a much higher degree, so for a given length of time, you are more confident in the trend line with more data points.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    Like most have said, daily weighing gives you more data to work with. If you can do that without obsessing about the daily fluctuations go for it. It's all just a personal choice. I have made it part of my early morning routine and look forward to it.
  • allstarelmo23
    allstarelmo23 Posts: 120 Member
    I weigh myself once or twice per week first thing in the morning
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    I like to weigh every day. Always the same context: naked, first thing after toileting. If I drink a glass of water or coffee it's over until the next day...
    I personally like all the data. I take seven days data, throw out the highest number & the average I get is that week's weight. It shows a nice downward trend. Interestingly enough, weighing everyday is a personal habit that really jumps out on the national weight registry where people who have maintained their weight loss over time discuss their habits.
    Now, if I visit the doctor, as I did this week, and weigh myself fully clothed, fully fed, fully hydrated, I expect to weigh 4-5 lbs more than the fasted weight I collect first thing in the morning. But most of that 'weight' is just things passing through. I really think the fasted morning weight is the best marker for measuring loss over time.
  • davidmartinez66
    davidmartinez66 Posts: 92 Member
    I weigh in weekly, I don't get too high or too low if the numbers isn't what I want. Different things work for different folks. I do eat slightly different on the day before a weigh in, but other than that, I do not sweat it.

    Enjoy your journey!

    David
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    I weigh myself everyday. I like being able to know my weight, and seeing how it fluctuates. I only record my weight once there is a loss.
  • ralexhou82
    ralexhou82 Posts: 17 Member
    I am weighing myself every day, and logging it every day. I am also using Libra App on Android to see the trend line. It's helpful!
  • Cyndiaquino
    Cyndiaquino Posts: 72 Member
    scolaris wrote: »
    I like to weigh every day. Always the same context: naked, first thing after toileting. If I drink a glass of water or coffee it's over until the next day...
    I personally like all the data. I take seven days data, throw out the highest number & the average I get is that week's weight. It shows a nice downward trend. Interestingly enough, weighing everyday is a personal habit that really jumps out on the national weight registry where people who have maintained their weight loss over time discuss their habits.
    Now, if I visit the doctor, as I did this week, and weigh myself fully clothed, fully fed, fully hydrated, I expect to weigh 4-5 lbs more than the fasted weight I collect first thing in the morning. But most of that 'weight' is just things passing through. I really think the fasted morning weight is the best marker for measuring loss over time.

    I completely agree with you. I'm the same way.☺
  • plantgrrl
    plantgrrl Posts: 436 Member
    I weigh myself daily in the morning, etc, etc. as the person above me. I find the data useful. I tend to spike and then drop down lower, and spike and drop in my weight loss. There's a pattern. It's nice to see it so I don't get too discouraged and know when a pattern emerges that doesn't fit the norm.

    That said, I also use a tape measure, so if the scale doesn't seem to budge I check in with my buddy the tape measure and see how things are going. If the measurements are down, I don't worry to much. But I am a data hog. I think it's in my blood as a scientist. You should see the excel tables and graphs I've made with it all. Especially now that I have a fitness device (garmin vivofit2). So many steps! So much data!
  • kristinajeang
    kristinajeang Posts: 63 Member
    Daily in the morning, under all the same conditions! It's just what I like best! I record losses and it really helps me keep on track and work towards my goals. Most times it fluctuates, but that ends up keeping me more motivated!
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    For the last month or so I've weighed myself just about every day.
    I like to see the fluctuations, I know that's a normal part of life and it takes away the "big deal" aspect of only weighing in once a week/fortnight/month and judging success or failure based on that single number.
    I log my weight in the apple health app, and it's good to look back over the last month and see how the numbers are trending.

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