Best time for an accurate weigh?

Mrsindepenant1
Mrsindepenant1 Posts: 196 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When do you weigh yourself? I weighed myself in the morning yesterday and was 2kg down. Weighed myself again today at lunch and was 1kg up. I’m eating a lot less and doing well or so I thought. When’s the best time to weigh in? And will different times of the day affect the reading? Scales are accurate. I don’t weigh myself every day, usually weekly, but did this once and it’s annoying to see the scales change for the negative

Replies

  • witchaywoman81
    witchaywoman81 Posts: 280 Member
    I weigh myself daily, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom. I’ve gained a pound one day and lost it the next. Fluctuations are normal. It doesn’t really matter when you weigh yourself, as long as it’s at a consistent time (and day if you’re doing it weekly).
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    Your weight fluctuates throughout the day because you eat and drink stuff. There is no "accurate weight". Your weight is what your scale shows at any given time.
  • mywayroche
    mywayroche Posts: 218 Member
    As others have said, first thing in the morning after any excretions you need to make
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    ANY time of day is accurate, your scales just tell you your weight at that particular time which is made up of a lot of aspects not just the relatively slow changes in fat.

    But accurate isn't the same as consistent which is what you want to enable you to track your weight trend over time.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    I weigh myself when I roll out of bed (I can't really say "first thing in the morning" since I'm currently on night shift so won't get up till afternoon), use the restroom, and nekkid. That way I'm always comparing apples to apples - if you've been up all day eating/drinking and are wearing clothes, obviously your weight is going to be significantly higher.
  • Mrsindepenant1
    Mrsindepenant1 Posts: 196 Member
    Thanks everyone. Obviously I know food will put on weight but a 1kg increase after consuming much less than a kg of liquid didn’t really add up for me. I jumped on again first thing this morning and I’m down even more so I’m pretty happy. I’ll just stick to morning weigh ins.
  • simpsonsfantoo
    simpsonsfantoo Posts: 7 Member
    edited January 2019
    Mrsindepenant1 wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. Obviously I know food will put on weight but a 1kg increase after consuming much less than a kg of liquid didn’t really add up for me. I jumped on again first thing this morning and I’m down even more so I’m pretty happy. I’ll just stick to morning weigh ins.

    Our weight fluctuates for other reasons besides what we eat & drink. The sodium or carb content of our meals, hormones, & exercise, to name a few (because these cause us to retain water in varying degrees). Changes throughout the day or even day-to-day are meaningless... it's only the long-term trend that matters.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,269 Member
    Think of it this way: Weight has a current range (not a single number), and a long-term trend (up, down, level).

    Through a day to a week or few, the scale cycles though the current range, up and down a few pound or kg.

    Over weeks to months, the range trends down (weight loss), up (gain), or holds steady (maintenance).

    For example, for a few months now, my daily weight can be anywhere from 134-point-something pounds to 138-point-something pounds (and occasionally, with odd circumstances, a bit above or below): It's maintenance.

    Pick a time to weigh. (Like others, I recommend on waking, birthday suit, after toilet, before eating/drinking.) Do this for 4-6 weeks. Pay attention to the long-term trend, not the daily fluctuations. The fluctuations are irrelevant, just how a healthy body functions.

    If it helps, use a weight trending app: Libra for Android, Happy Scale for iOS, Trendweight, Weightgrapher, others. But don't expect it to give you insight instantly, either: 4-6 weeks, really. After that, the apps can help with insights

Categories