HELP! What weight should I use on scale?

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  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
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    My vote is for the naked morning reading.
    Remember that the number on the scale is just that, a number, a rough guide really. If I drink a lot of water say 10-12 glasses my weight will be up an easy 4-5 lbs the next day, it used to bother me until I began to understand what it was.
    Don't be a slave to the number, make the scale your friend and understand why it moves.
    A scale is just like a computer, it will only do what you tell it to do.
  • Blacklance36
    Blacklance36 Posts: 755 Member
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    Take your weight in the morning after toilet stop, before eating and drinking anything for 7 days. After 7 days average the 7 weights.
    That is a good estimate of your weight.

    This is good advice.
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
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    scale are almost worthless if you're training....
    A measuring tape and a mirror are the key!

    Scale doesn't measure your bone structure,water,poop (yes,you can accumulate up to 5lbs) and MUSCLES!

    So you can lose 6 inches on your waist and get toned but you'll gain 5 lbs on the scale! but that's not the goal here.
    Training etc will get you toned,build muscles etc which does weight something.

    So...if you like to weight yourself a lot on a scale..please at least..measure yourself and use a mirror too to be able to understand the difference with muscles gain and fat gain.

    Hope this helped.

    Take care
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    My vote is for the naked morning reading.
    Remember that the number on the scale is just that, a number, a rough guide really. If I drink a lot of water say 10-12 glasses my weight will be up an easy 4-5 lbs the next day, it used to bother me until I began to understand what it was.
    Don't be a slave to the number, make the scale your friend and understand why it moves.
    A scale is just like a computer, it will only do what you tell it to do.

    Yep, I drink a ton too. I'm a naturally thirsty person. The other day I was 6 pounds heavier from all the water!
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    Lets see if we can get a more scientific approach to this. A given weight on a "average day" cannot be compared against weights from other points in the day. So if you weighed yourself every day at the same time and started at 90KG and are now 75 KG you have shed 15KG of weight. Why most people weight themselves first thing in the morning is because this is the time of day with the largest amount of time with a constant energy burn preceding the weigh in - the "fast" so as many possible variants have been removed as practicably possible. So if you compare numbers from a given time against each other with as similar circumstances before hand and monitor the trend average over time (this is what I do - I use excel to plot the weights and insert a trend line) - but only compare weights against ones with similar "stimulus" before them - If you want to be obsessive collect weights 3 times a day one first thing in the morning, one (i would suggest before) lunch and one just before going to bed You would have three trend lines in an excel graph and actually would look pretty cool if you are into that kind of thing. You will see if overall you are gaining or losing or maintaining over a given period and how much the line fluctuates. I found when I first started plotting after about 2 - 3 weeks you get some interesting data.

    Now insert personal opinion here: Weight on it's own is a poor indicator - inch measurements and / or BMI with a calipar should be used in conjunction - woot more data to monitor your progress. IE: Once you get within your goal weight zone weight becomes a poorer indicator of progress especially if you do start putting on lean muscle over time.
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    Lets see if we can get a more scientific approach to this. A given weight on a "average day" cannot be compared against weights from other points in the day. So if you weighed yourself every day at the same time and started at 90KG and are now 75 KG you have shed 15KG of weight. Why most people weight themselves first thing in the morning is because this is the time of day with the largest amount of time with a constant energy burn preceding the weigh in - the "fast" so as many possible variants have been removed as practicably possible. So if you compare numbers from a given time against each other with as similar circumstances before hand and monitor the trend average over time (this is what I do - I use excel to plot the weights and insert a trend line) - but only compare weights against ones with similar "stimulus" before them - If you want to be obsessive collect weights 3 times a day one first thing in the morning, one (i would suggest before) lunch and one just before going to bed You would have three trend lines in an excel graph and actually would look pretty cool if you are into that kind of thing. You will see if overall you are gaining or losing or maintaining over a given period and how much the line fluctuates. I found when I first started plotting after about 2 - 3 weeks you get some interesting data.

    Now insert personal opinion here: Weight on it's own is a poor indicator - inch measurements and / or BMI with a calipar should be used in conjunction - woot more data to monitor your progress. IE: Once you get within your goal weight zone weight becomes a poorer indicator of progress especially if you do start putting on lean muscle over time.

    This is a great idea, and yes, I am totally into that kind of thing. I like seeing trends like that.
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
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    OK, let me put it this way: I have obviously lost weight because I've dropped inches. But how do I know how much if it fluctuates constantly? The whole "weigh yourself at the same time every day" isn't cutting it for me.


    Go to the doctor, get a %bf scan. At my school they're like 30 buck for the bod pod. THEN in 2 months you can compare again, because mostly what you care about is %bf.
  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
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    okay first weigh yourself first thing naked after a pee.

    second, the fluctuations are caused mainly by water. too much salt the day before makes you heavier the next day. if you haven't had a poop yet you will be a little heavier. at night when it hot you may sweat a little more than other nights. when you ovulate you are heavier. daily weighing will drive you crazy unless you realize all this.
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
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    You could also use something like "the hackers diet" where you input daily weights and they tell you if its fluctuations or weight loss, based on statistics.

    Cheers.
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    OK, let me put it this way: I have obviously lost weight because I've dropped inches. But how do I know how much if it fluctuates constantly? The whole "weigh yourself at the same time every day" isn't cutting it for me.


    Go to the doctor, get a %bf scan. At my school they're like 30 buck for the bod pod. THEN in 2 months you can compare again, because mostly what you care about is %bf.

    Another good idea.
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    Yes, daily weighing drives me a little nuts but I can't stop! Haha
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
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    Maybe I just need my husband to hide the scale? Because I can't not weigh myself when the scale is right there. LOL

    We have two bathrooms, and one has the scale in it, so I only use that bathroom when it is weigh in time and use the other bathroom the rest of the time (unless someone else is using it).
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    We have one bathroom, so I guess I have to play "hide the scale". LOL My hubby always yells at me for weighing myself that much but it's like an itch waiting to be scratched!
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
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    I can't deal with the daily weight fluctuations. I prefer weekly, first thing in the morning. That said, I may get on the scale another day during the week, but only my Monday morning weight counts for loss.

    I agree there are many factors that influence the variation, but I have found the weekly weigh ins pretty close. I track my calories in and calories burned and can 'predict' my weight loss. Most weeks my weight on the scale is within .5 lbs of what my deficit would predict. I have also been able to use my calorie and weight data to calculate my personal TDEE. I have found I've become numbers obsessed, but the number on the scale is the one I least worry about. I am far more concerned with accurately logging my calories and figuring out my exercise burns. At the end of the day, it is a sustained calorie deficit that moves the scale.
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    I can't deal with the daily weight fluctuations. I prefer weekly, first thing in the morning. That said, I may get on the scale another day during the week, but only my Monday morning weight counts for loss.

    I agree there are many factors that influence the variation, but I have found the weekly weigh ins pretty close. I track my calories in and calories burned and can 'predict' my weight loss. Most weeks my weight on the scale is within .5 lbs of what my deficit would predict. I have also been able to use my calorie and weight data to calculate my personal TDEE. I have found I've become numbers obsessed, but the number on the scale is the one I least worry about. I am far more concerned with accurately logging my calories and figuring out my exercise burns. At the end of the day, it is a sustained calorie deficit that moves the scale.

    Yep, I know better. If I'm eating my calorie goal or less and exercising, I know I'll lose the weight. It just gets frustrating when you want to tell someone how much weight you've lost and you really don't know!
  • David_AUS
    David_AUS Posts: 298 Member
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    I get obsessive with weighing as well - Everyone is different and I find for me a weekly weigh in just not give me enough "bulk data" to monitor progress. Even when I know I have a "system" that is working - Currently I only weigh once per day that I log - I may weigh myself at night but I never log it - I know that I generally "lose" 0.08 - 0.10 kg per hour of sleep.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
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    They are trivial. IMO you need to stop weighing yourself so often. Obsession is very rarely good or helpful.
  • Anonycatgirl
    Anonycatgirl Posts: 502 Member
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    My husband laughs...but I get so peeved if I weigh less the day after "official weigh-in day" than I do the "official" day and I look back and realize I'd had a lot of sodium or something the day before the official day. So I feel your pain. I try to restrict the weigh-ins to once a week, but I get curious!
  • KikoAlonsoGal
    KikoAlonsoGal Posts: 88 Member
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    My husband laughs...but I get so peeved if I weigh less the day after "official weigh-in day" than I do the "official" day and I look back and realize I'd had a lot of sodium or something the day before the official day. So I feel your pain. I try to restrict the weigh-ins to once a week, but I get curious!

    This!! Hahaha I always weigh more on weigh-in day! Darn you gravity!

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