Is it a bad idea to weigh yourself everyday

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edelm09
edelm09 Posts: 20
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Hi everyone i'm a newbie and i'm wondering do you weigh yourself's everyday or once a week..

Is it a bad idea to weigh everyday? will the scales keep going up and down if i do?..
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  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    It's a bad idea IF you get emotionally attached to the number on the scale. If you accept the fact that the number on the scale will fluctuate daily and use that number as data to track the overall trend, then no it's not a bad idea.

    I weigh in every morning, track it in excel. Like today I'm up 2 lbs from yesterday, it doesn't upset me, I know it's water weight because of my sodium intake. My overall tracking is still moving in the right direction.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    It's a bad idea IF you get emotionally attached to the number on the scale. If you accept the fact that the number on the scale will fluctuate daily and use that number as data to track the overall trend, then no it's not a bad idea.

    This.
  • kagevf
    kagevf Posts: 509 Member
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    i would weigh once a week on an empty stomach when I wake up first thing in the morning after I did my 1s and 2s
  • ProMooch
    ProMooch Posts: 39 Member
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    I personally choose to weigh weekly, every Saturday morning, I like to have a regular weigh and don't do it daily as I don't want to track that closely, knowing that your weight does fluctuate daily. Ultimately its what works for you, I'd advise weekly and others would advise different.
  • Miss_james1990
    Miss_james1990 Posts: 214 Member
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    I weigh once a week. I quite look forward to a nice little surprise on a Saturday morning! I also measure once a week as the results are a lot better than weighing for me lol
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Hi everyone i'm a newbie and i'm wondering do you weigh yourself's everyday or once a week..

    Is it a bad idea to weigh everyday? will the scales keep going up and down if i do?..

    the scales will go up and down, its normal for your weight to fluctuate... i
  • Flab2Fab27
    Flab2Fab27 Posts: 461 Member
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    Agree with the other poster. Don't get obsessed with the number on the scale because it does fluctuate a lot. I would track measurements as well which you could do once a week. You may notice you're losing inches even if the scale isn't giving you the numbers you want to see.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    - DON'T! -
    Your weight varies from one day to another up and down. Depending on the period of the month, water retention levels, time of the day and other factors you could pick up 3 to 4 lbs in a day and the day after loose them or stagnate over and over again.
    Realistically your best way to measure yourself is yourself in front of a mirror.
    Your body will start moving and you will notice changes as and when they happen.
    they wont happen form one day to another but they will come.

    If you really have to weight yourself then do it every other week or once a month.
  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
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    I weigh myself every day because I'm curious. But I've definitely learned that so many factors influence what you weigh at any one time - water weight due to sodium, TOM, new exercise routine, stress, lack of sleep.... the list is endless. Add to that a very slow digestive system and it gets very interesting!

    But it's important not to stress to much with the fluctuations. Apart from being counter-productive (see above), it's really not worth your mental health. Which is why most sites recommend you don't weigh more than once a week.

    I only log once a week and I find that weighing every day can actually get me over a temporary up on weigh-in day - if the previous few days have been lower, I know that I'm not gaining - I'm just fluctuating. That data I wouldn't have if I only weighed once a week.
  • edelm09
    edelm09 Posts: 20
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    Thanks Everyone yeah i think i might be disheartened a little bit if i see it going back up even if it is normal..

    Ill stick to doing it once a week and the measuring sounds like a good idea ill start doing that... :)
  • Madam_Natalie
    Madam_Natalie Posts: 3
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    I must admit, I do weigh myself daily but I can't help it. If I don't weight myself then I will just be wondering whether I've lost any weight that day for the rest of the evening.
  • saragirl2000
    saragirl2000 Posts: 2
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    I weigh in once a week. I can get easily discouraged if the scale doesn't drop fast enough sometimes. :tongue:
  • ketorager
    ketorager Posts: 3 Member
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    I weigh myself once a day, after waking up. The whole purpose is not to consistently check on a measure that a tool is providing, and to react accordingly if I see changes that appear as a trend.

    The scale is simply that, a tool, and the interpretation of its measurements is up to you. I like data, and to be able to use it and analyze it.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Hi everyone i'm a newbie and i'm wondering do you weigh yourself's everyday or once a week..

    Is it a bad idea to weigh everyday? will the scales keep going up and down if i do?..

    It's actually a good idea to weigh in every day to keep a close check on your weight. You'll get an honest answer day in and day out which is a very good reality check for us all and keeps one on task. And it's a good way to keep one in maintenance mode once the goal weight has been reached.

    And if you are exercising a lot, it's good to weigh in before and after so you know if you are hydrating enough to fight what you lose in water weight during an hour or two of cardio. Too many of us easily get chronic dehydration which makes us feel lethargic and not sharp, so the scale can help you detect that with the fluctuations you see.

    As another poster mentioned, it will fluctuate a lot based on hydration and sodium intake. I ate Mexican last night - not a lot of calories as I did run a 314 calorie deficit for the day, but the meal had a a lot of sodium. A ton of it!!! I'm 2.4 pounds heavier this morning thanks to the sodium and water retention. That will easily be gone by tomorrow morning based on my exercise scheduled for today and laying off the high sodium foods for sure.

    I would advocate the daily honest reality check by using the scale.
  • marsellient
    marsellient Posts: 591 Member
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    It's a bad idea IF you get emotionally attached to the number on the scale. If you accept the fact that the number on the scale will fluctuate daily and use that number as data to track the overall trend, then no it's not a bad idea.

    I weigh in every morning, track it in excel. Like today I'm up 2 lbs from yesterday, it doesn't upset me, I know it's water weight because of my sodium intake. My overall tracking is still moving in the right direction.

    You will get a variety of opinions on this issue, for all kinds of reasons, so you need to figure out how you'll respond best to the numbers on the scale. I'm in the every day camp because I know that if I'm avoiding the scales it is because I'm avoiding the truth about what I've been doing with eating and exercise; however, I also know the number will fluctuate. I'm just looking for the trend.
  • GiveMeCoffee
    GiveMeCoffee Posts: 3,556 Member
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    Thanks Everyone yeah i think i might be disheartened a little bit if i see it going back up even if it is normal..

    Ill stick to doing it once a week and the measuring sounds like a good idea ill start doing that... :)

    Measurements, progress pictures, how your clothes fit, and fitness goals are great ways to track progress.
  • BrainyBurro
    BrainyBurro Posts: 6,129 Member
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    Hi everyone i'm a newbie and i'm wondering do you weigh yourself's everyday or once a week..

    Is it a bad idea to weigh everyday? will the scales keep going up and down if i do?..

    is it a bad idea? that depends on your mindset and whether you are informed about the reasons why your scale "weight" may change.

    will the scale keep going up and down? yes. your body is not at a steady state. you are constanly eating and pooping and peeing and perspiring and all sorts of metabolic processes are occurring in your body that convert matter to energy. your scale "weight" is going to vary from hour to hour and day to day. if you don't understand that this DOES NOT reflect only fat loss and fat gain, then you may panic. if you are prone to that sort of panic, then don't weigh yourself every day.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
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    I weighed myself every day during weight loss and I continue to weigh myself daily now that I'm in maintenance. It's been a great tool for me, but I've learned to remove any emotion from it. It's like brushing my teeth or combing my hair-weigh, chart it on my graph and move on with my day :)
  • tatty2707
    tatty2707 Posts: 1
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    I used to weigh everyday but it can be a soul destroyer because your weight will fluctuate from day to day so now I do it once a week and I get on a lot better.

    Someone once tried to talk me out of using the scales completely, they said that in reality we're not trying to be lighter, the actual goal is to be smaller/thinner which is true so if you can get by on just measuring yourself you'll see better results. However, I like to see the difference on the scales plus I can't be sure I measure myself exactly the same way everytime.
  • Greytfish
    Greytfish Posts: 810
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    It's a bad idea to weigh yourself daily if the number on the scale with affect your self worth, or if you mistake a number changing either way in the course of a day or two means that you have gained or lost soemthing other than water.

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