Should I weigh myself after a workout or when I wake up for consistency?

Losingthedamnweight

I notice after a workout I seem to sweat off most water weight and be a pretty consistent number but not sure if I should do it this way or when I wake up. What do you think?

janejellyroll

You don't have a "true" weight -- as you noticed, your weight can change throughout the day based on activity. I would personally just choose one time and stick with that.

cwolfman13

As mentioned, you don't have "true weight"...body weight isn't static and always in flux. Most people weigh in first thing in the morning before they've eaten or drank anything and after they've eliminated waste from their systems.

rsclause

I always weigh first thing in the morning. It's never exact but I am just looking for the most consistent data point.

sdolan91

I weigh myself in the mornings before I eat anything to make everything consistent

angelamary61

I do my work out in the morning when I first get up before I eat so do both, weigh myself in the morning after my workout, but not everyday.

MegaMooseEsq

So long as you're watching the trend across time instead of day-to-day it really doesn't matter. Most people try to create as much consistency as possible, thus the nude-after-waking-and-peeing standard, but there's still plenty you can't control for. The first 15-20 pounds I lost, I was weighing myself at work in the afternoon fully dressed, which is a really inconsistent way to do it unless you're really looking longer term.

HellYeahItsKriss

I always weighed after workouts because my water retention is ridiculous sometimes. But i know the number on the scale is just a number, i was only seeking consistent trends downward.

timgallegos15

Morning bro.... And at least every couple of weeks, like someone mentioned, your weight fluctuates daily...

HellYeahItsKriss

timgallegos15 wrote: »

Morning bro.... And at least every couple of weeks, like someone mentioned, your weight fluctuates daily...

daily weigh ins are beneficial to understanding those fluctuations.. what if you stood on the scale two weeks later and weighed more due to heavy sodium and carbs but didn't understand how your body retains and then lets go of the water? I know i need to wait at least 5 days after a high sodium intake, but thats due to daily weigh ins, i wouldn't know this with data from every couple of weeks.

Azdak

In the morning, after the bathroom, before you eat or drink anything, without clothes. (or minimal clothes)

rheddmobile

It doesn't matter as long as you're consistent. If you sweat a lot more on some occasions than others it could be misleading.

When I'm in a deficit I weigh every day but only record whenever there's a new low, ignoring all the fluctuations. If I don't have a new low at least once a week I check myself to be sure I'm still in a deficit. If I know there's another issue such as swapping schedules and not sleeping enough, I give it a few more days. But almost always there is a new low point at least once every week.

TimothyFish

Either way, just to it the same way every time.

tess5036

As long as you weigh yourself at the same time of day each time you will be able to make a comparison

apullum

Most people here seem to prefer weighing first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom, no clothes. That should give you a consistent baseline given that your weight fluctuates during the day. It's also when my weight tends to be lowest, since I haven't yet put anything else into my body and I've had time to digest dinner.