The Scale: Every Day or Once a Week?

Iceman420

I have always been told to weigh myself every day. My doctors think this will keep me accountable, but I have had mixed results from it. When I'm losing weight, or stay the same, I relax because I assume the weight will go down tomorrow. When I gain a little, I send my body into starvation mode for a day or two. This cycle is starting to wear me out, and I'm wondering if I should cut the weigh ins back. I can use the weight watchers meeting for an official weigh in each week.

Before I make a decision, I wanted to ask the people that have had success losing weight. Do you weigh in every day, or once a week?

michirusan82

I found that when I weighed in everyday I would juß get more frustrated because I wasn't seeing results. With weighing every one to two weeks I find it more encouraging when I saw the two or three pounds gone

mekkzy888

Weekly is best - it's easy to put too much pressure on yourself if you measure everyday and don't see a difference. No need to get obsessed.

Rose6300

I posted this earlier as I've found a 7-day rolling average gives me the best of both worlds. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1198321-rolling-7-day-average-and-motivation

KingofWisdom

If you think you can stick to it, I'd recommend once a week. At first, I'd weigh myself daily and I'd get all freaked out every time the reading moved up. The body's weight fluctuates a lot, so it isn't helpful to weigh yourself that frequently. Unless, of course, you can look at the number and still go on your merry way. That's what I've been doing, because I've been too curious to wait the entire week. Now that I've observed the weight fluctuation, I'm thinking of going with the once a week approach starting Monday.

Ulwaz

Once a week is enough, or once a fortnight!, becomes obsessive

toad493lbs

I weigh in every day as per my nutritionists orders. But if I gain its no big deal to me, stuff happens. Right now I am up 5 lbs because I cannot go to the bathroom. No big deal, in time this to shall pass. I hope!
Do what ever you want because it sounds like you want weekly anyway. But for me daily is no biggy.

charlicee

Your weight fluctuates too much day to day. You could be bloating, drinking too much water, your metabolism fluctuates, you may not have had your bowel movement for the day yet...one or twice a week is best, especially for women, because the week before and during the menses the body will retain a LOT of water and mess up results.

rebeccaaa_elizabeth

I weigh myself daily. But if you choose to go that route, you have to understand that your weight fluctuates daily based on different things. I'm just a curious person, though.

If you're finding yourself becoming obsessive or discouraged with weighing daily, I'd definitely suggest going with once a week.

pkw58

I weigh daily. I have started using one of those rolling average spreadsheets. I think it is important information, and part of my routine to maintain a healthy lifestyle as I enter my third year of maintenance.

Quite a few health professionals recommend weekly. Quite a few daily. It's your choice.

UpEarly

I only weighed once a month while I was losing. In maintenance, I do every 4-6 weeks. I think daily is too often. You can't see the real trends with regular fluctuation clouding things. :-)

AmieJess

I weigh daily and track with the happy scale app that shows the fluctuations and graphs the overall trend. (you have to give this one time - at least 30 days- for the weight loss to show accurately.) I've seen changes as much as 4 pounds from one day to the next. I used to get frustrated with weekly weigh ins that showed little change despite good effort. This way, I see fluctuations as well as the overall downward trend.

Mav3rick54

I weigh myself daily. But if you choose to go that route, you have to understand that your weight fluctuates daily based on different things. I'm just a curious person, though.

If you're finding yourself becoming obsessive or discouraged with weighing daily, I'd definitely suggest going with once a week.

^^ this

I weigh everyday......but I understand weight fluctuates and that does not bother me. It would be harder for me to wait 7 days between weigh in. Everyone is different and you need to do what works best for you.

khoshgeleh16

I weigh every few days - because I'm usually too antsy to wait a whole week - but I only record my weight once a week.

If you're going to weigh every day, which I don't really recommend, you absolutely cannot obsess over the "gains" you'll see - and certainly don't go into ~starvation mode~ in response to a couple of pounds of water weight. It won't help you.

Lexy5028

I weigh every week or two weeks because I get frustrated at the fluctuation not realizing that factors such as water weight, muscle mass, food ect. plays a role. Also I pay attention to the way my clothing fits whether the scales reads pound off your clothes always tell the true nature of what is transpiring with your body.

mychanges83

once a week

psych101

If you can emotionally detach from the scale then daily. However if you obsess and then punish yourself due to the number then less frequently is probably better for you in the long run.
For me, I love to see the effects on my body of too much sodium, DOMS, the flu etc - they all have an impact on your weight - but I'm completely detached from the actual number itself.

LindseyAlyssa

I tend to weigh myself around when I take my measurements, so usually the same time once a month. The scale number isn't really that important to me. Understanding that your weight fluctuates for a handful of reasons is always something to keep in mind.

Iceman420

Thanks for all the replies. I will try once a week for a month. If it works out, I will keep doing it.

DamianaKitten

I weight once a month...

JBnyc99

I've weighed myself everyday since I've joined MFP, 480 days and counting. I have no attachment to the number on the scale, emotional or otherwise. It has simply become part of my daily routine,...hit the scale, record it, forget about it, stick with my plans and my goals.

I believe the daily weigh-ins is best for me, since I love having more data than less. I use the daily numbers to monitor the trend over the long term. Personally, I look at progress month by month, since in my opinion, daily and/or weekly data can be misleading at best, or completely inaccurate at worse. Although I log daily on MFP, I use my own spreadsheet to monitor the big picture. The main way I track my own weight loss or gain is by calculating my average daily weight over a given time period, again, usually 30 days or a month. Simply,...if February's daily average is less than that for January, then I know I am going in the right direction. The subtle, and sometimes not so subtle daily changes get washed out in the end. I also use the mirror, a measuring tape and check on how clothes are fitting to get the complete picture.

Having said all that, I know that some people have an unhealthy relationship with the scale, which is why many people suggest only weighing once per week. But to me, I believe that this may lead to even more problems for *some* people who already have issues with the scale. I have seen posts here and on other websites,where *some* people who prefer weekly weigh-ins go a bit crazy when their weekly weigh-in day comes around,...from getting super stressed and/or eating or drinking a lot less the night or two before just to get a better scale number. Obviously, this is not healthy on so many levels, but I think it happens because for *some* people, the weekly weigh-in becomes an all-too-important event, much more important than it should be. Again, for *some*, I could only imagine that the pressure would be much greater on a weekly weigh-in than if done daily. With a weekly,...there's always the chance of THAT day being the day when you "gained" 2 pounds of water weight. If done daily, I believe it would be much easier to ignore that temporary "gain",...to accept it's only a minor blip and move on. Of course, there are a great number of successful people who don't have this issue with weekly weigh-ins, so of course, this doesn't apply to them.

Daily weigh-ins have shown me that my weight, just like everyone's, fluctuates daily. Hopefully, it will always be 2 steps forward, 1 step back. Assuming someone is logging accurately, and staying within their goals, most people will experience the same thing over the long term. The day to day means nothing.

Although it may be difficult for *many* people at first,...I believe they should try to take back the power which they have given to the scale. In my opinion, daily weigh-ins and accepting the results for what they are, is the best way to achieve that.

kbkeats

I think it's a personal choice more so than a "right way". For myself, I like to weigh everyday.

Lynzigzagzay

I do it daily, I find it keeps me far more accountable. Trying to do measurements once a week though, I'm really lax with those.

gem192

I'd think about the scale MORE if I weighed in weekly than if I weighed myself every morning like I do now. Also, it keeps me accountable. I'm a master of justifying one snack here, a treat there - that would happen all week long.

Measurements once a week, though. And photos once a month.

It's all about what keeps your momentum going, personally.

DonaldChadDavis

I weigh myself daily, write it down in one of those cheep monthly calendars and see how I progress through the week, month, year. I can also see what X amount of sodium, excess calories etc does to my body.

I take my measurements weekly. I measure neck, chest, waist, hips, thigh, bicep, calf.

emboslice94

Once a month, sometimes every two weeks. But Once a month on the first usually. I prefer to focus on what I'm doing and just check in.

crzypsychnrs1

I weigh every day because it keeps me focused for the day ahead. However, I can completely relate to the let down when the scale goes up and the neurosis that follows. I have started a new approach, exercise. If my scale is a little higher, I drink more water and add more minutes to my cardiovascular. Say 5 minutes extra for each pound, 1) it makes me feel in control and that I have power over this 2) it can't hurt 3) by the end of the workout I'm too tired to care LOL!! and you get extra calories to eat:)). Exercise can make you retain some fluid, so can your sodium intake so don't be too surprised if your scale goes up after a strenuous workout, it will adjust. Don't starve yourself , just add more fiber on your heavy day, no carbs, veggies(greens)...I find the fit active vanilla shakes are great!!! Hang in there!!: also, you can weigh every 2 days if that gives your mind a rest!! smile:

Courage1895

I used to weigh myself all the time...like several times a day, but now I do it whenever I am at the gym. It takes the stress off of weighing myself after every meal which was making me crazy, and now I look forward to weighing myself and thinking how I have another few days to lower the number.

bumblebreezy91

I weigh myself daily. But if you choose to go that route, you have to understand that your weight fluctuates daily based on different things. I'm just a curious person, though.

If you're finding yourself becoming obsessive or discouraged with weighing daily, I'd definitely suggest going with once a week.

This.

And to answer the question, I generally weigh in every other day--sometimes more (every morning--I do not weigh in multiple times per day, that would be disastrous), sometimes less. If it's the day before my weigh-in and I know I went off my typical menu and may be retaining water, I hold off for another day because I can get a little discouraged seeing the number go up even a little (even knowing about the fluctuations, even realizing it's not "fat" gain) sometimes.

Booksandbeaches

I weigh myself daily. It shows me how easy it is for my weight to fluctuate depending on whether it's my time of the month, whether I've just used the bathroom, whether I've had a lot of carbs or sodium.

bwogilvie

I recommend daily weigh-ins, with a huge caveat: you need to do some math to find the difference between your actual weight loss and the daily fluctuations, which are much larger.

Your weight fluctuates depending on water, salt, and fiber intake, and other factors having nothing to do with calories. Using an exponentially weighted average can help you filter out the noise and focus on the trend, as John Walker explains in "The Hacker's Diet" (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/). The chapter on "The Rubber Bag" explains, briefly, the source of these fluctuations. The chapter on "Signal and Noise" explains how some simple math can filter them out. Walker explains how to do the math, but you can also set up a free account on his server to do it for you, or use a service like Beeminder or TrendWeight.com.

If you're going to be all "OMG! I'm bloated!" if you see the number go up by 2 lbs. from one day to the next, then daily weigh-ins aren't for you. Personally, I'm not bothered, because it's the trend that matters. My daily weight has gone up every day for the past 4 days, even though I've been eating at a decent deficit every day. But because I've been doing this for over a year, I know that it's because I have been eating more restaurant food (with lots of sodium) and doing some unaccustomed exercise (cross-country skiing -- finally enough snow!) that's related to fluid retention. I expect the number on the scale to be lower tomorrow. But if not, I won't beat myself up.