Daily weigh-ins

standout00
standout00 Posts: 150 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
If weighing myself daily helps motivate me to keep going, should I keep doing that?

Answers

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,874 Member
    edited February 27
    Why wouldn't you keep doing that, especially if it motivates you? Did you read somewhere that you shouldn't?
    I weigh daily because I like the data it gives me. And I use Libra to help me see the weight trend beyond the daily fluctuations.
  • standout00
    standout00 Posts: 150 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Why wouldn't you keep doing that, especially if it motivates you? Did you read somewhere that you shouldn't?
    I weigh daily because I like the data it gives me. And I use Libra to help me see the weight trend beyond the daily fluctuations.

    At the moment, I'm weighing myself daily. A lot of other people tell me that I'm only meant to be weighing myself once a week...
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,874 Member
    Well, they're wrong :wink: There's nothing wrong with daily weighing unless it causes stress/emotional distress (for example panic when the scale jumps after a high sodium day) or perhaps overly obsessive behavior (for example people who have/are recovering from an eating disorder)
    So if weighing daily suits you, go for it.

    Purely data-wise, weighing daily (in identical circumstances) makes it easier to determine the weight trend. But preferences also come into it, so many people do prefer weekly weigh-ins.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,977 Member
    Nothing wrong with weighing daily! Make sure the conditions are always the same, like same clothes (or none), same feeding status (food and fluid in your body has weight), etc. Thus best to do it after getting up, naked after being to the loo.

    Weighing daily has one big advantage: you see how weight fluctuates daily, and the influence a bit more salt, being dehydrated with high temperatures, TOM, eating late, etc can have on scale (not not body fat) weight.

    Disadvantage of this: some people cannot deal with this additional data and panic.
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,765 Member
    Keep weighing daily. Keep track.
  • wm3796
    wm3796 Posts: 100 Member
    I have been in maintenance for nearly 7 months and weigh daily. It keeps me on track.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,640 Member
    edited February 27
    Take your motivation when and where you can find it.

    I weigh almost daily. I’ve built a great database I can rely on to review when things start going up or down more than I want. I can easily pick up on calorie deficits that are too high, or see what’s contributing to short term increases.

    OTOH my husband, also on MFP, stresses badly over weighing. He probably hasn’t weighed in six months. But that works for him.

    Find your own comfort zone.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,540 Member
    standout00 wrote: »
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Why wouldn't you keep doing that, especially if it motivates you? Did you read somewhere that you shouldn't?
    I weigh daily because I like the data it gives me. And I use Libra to help me see the weight trend beyond the daily fluctuations.

    At the moment, I'm weighing myself daily. A lot of other people tell me that I'm only meant to be weighing myself once a week...

    Meh, other people aren't experts on your best life.

    Some people shouldn't weigh daily, because they freak out over any tiny scale fluctuation that isn't downwardDownwardDOWNWARD, and they can't get past that.

    As long as you don't expect the scale to drop every day (or even every week), and can keep the daily weights in perspective emotionally, it's fine to weigh daily IMO. I've weighed myself daily for well over a decade, starting even when I wasn't even trying to lose weight. (I'm a data geek, not a bodyweight obsessive. I measure/track various life stats that are important to me.)

    One caveat: If you're motivated by daily weighing because the scale is dropping every single day . . . reasonable odds that you're losing weight too fast for best health, unless you're very, very seriously obese (or have so little to lose that you only need to cut calories deeply for a couple of weeks-ish).

    Best wishes!
  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,304 Member
    I have a wifi scale at home it tracks my weigh in sessions so I can look back to see what my trend is. I truly believe this helps me to maintain my weight.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,893 Member
    Lietchi wrote: »
    Why wouldn't you keep doing that, especially if it motivates you? Did you read somewhere that you shouldn't?
    I weigh daily because I like the data it gives me. And I use Libra to help me see the weight trend beyond the daily fluctuations.

    I also weight daily and use Libra. I like seeing the strands and fluctuations.
  • CrazyMermaid1
    CrazyMermaid1 Posts: 356 Member
    Weighing daily in the morning helps set my brain to subconsciously have a focus on my food intake.
  • mimimunchery
    mimimunchery Posts: 69 Member
    For me weighing daily (or as close as I can get to that) is crucial.

    If I stop weighing I find myself slowly slipping into weight gain. It’s happened a few times over the last several years. Last time I stopped weighing myself because I broke my ankle and literally couldn’t step on the scale.

    Fast forward over a year and a half when I finally dragged myself back on the scale again - I gained back the 15 lbs I’d lost over the previous 9 months (back at almost the exact same starting weight - I think I have a set
    point!

    The thing that has *really* helped me this time is using Happy Scale - it calculates your daily moving average. So each individual weigh in doesn’t feel so charged. I can see the pattern over time.
  • clcrafter8950
    clcrafter8950 Posts: 903 Member
    I'm weighing daily and it really does help motivate...if I'm up, I focus more on food and exercise and if I'm down I do the same ...when I weighed weekly, I felt defeated if my weight went up or didn't move.
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    If it helps, do it.
    People tend to lose more when they first start. So some people have a few good starting days and then freak out when they have their first day where their weight goes up. if that's you, you shouldn't weigh yourself daily.
    My weight can vary by more than 5 pounds within one day - depending on what I eat, drink, and wear. Remember that if you drink 16 ounces, you just added a pound of liquid to your weight. Hormone levels and exercise can cause temporary changes (for both men and women). As long as you keep in mind that there will be temporary fluctuations, and you focus on the overall trend, it can be fine to weigh yourself as often as you like.
  • frannyupnorth
    frannyupnorth Posts: 56 Member
    I weigh daily but then use the weekly average to track the loss week to week. This helps smooth out any high or low weights that are usually due to water retention or dehydration. Do what works for you.

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