What time of day do you weigh yourself?

_funrungirl

I was having a discussion with my friends and they told me I was weighing myself "wrong". I weigh myself at the end of the day before going to bed rather than on a empty stomach like they do. I figure the only time my stomach is empty is when I wake up so weighing in at that time is not my "true weight".

Am I weighing myself wrong?

What does everyone else do?

cwolfman13

You're not necessarily weighing yourself wrong...but you are weighing other things...I assume you consume food and drink throughout the day...so those things would be included in the number that reads on the scale. Depending on whether you ate more or less and/or how much waste was in your system could further impact the number on the scale.

This is why most people weigh themselves first thing in the morning after they've dropped the kids off at the pool, etc...this is when you are at your emptiest (even though you still do have waste and other fluids to contend with)...at least you've fasted for roughly 8 hours and eliminated quite a bit of waste by using the restroom.

All that said, you don't really have a "true" weight...body weight isn't a static thing as it is made up of so many different things. Nobody weighs exactly XXX Lbs.

What is most important is that you're weighing yourself at roughly the same time and under roughly the same conditions. I also don't understand why people weigh themselves with clothes on either...your clothing has nothing to do with fat and whatnot...so don't do that.

leahraskie

I usually do in the morning before a shower, you lose a lot of water while you sleep 1-5lbs worth so it can skew your weigh in badly if you do it at the end of the day.

There is no wrong way of weighing yourself though, either way if you see results it's fine. If you go to the doctor their weigh in would probably be the most accurate then you could compare your weigh ins to that.

Areneholmes

I weigh myself in the morning or at the gym before a workout because my gym scale is so accurate. Honestly if you are consistent in your meal times and what you consume, I've found that weighing in at the same time each day, regardless of what time of day, will give an idea of whether you're losing or gaining.

BosLady1

I weigh in the morning. I feel that is the most accurate weight I can get. Although I won't say night is wrong, I do prefer mornings since I have an empty stomach. I also noticed weighing at the same time of the day is a good bet as well. Best of luck !

Orfygirl

I weigh myself in the morning before my shower but after my workout. The reason for this is because I am on blood pressure and water pills. First thing in the morning the water pills have almost worn off since I haven't taken any in about 24 hours so I am retaining a LOT of water. Therefore, I take my meds, workout and then weigh myself right before my shower after they meds have kicked in. I feel that it gives me a more accurate weight since the amount of water I retain is different from day to day.

kandyice1

In the morning, on an empty stomach. Also, when it's check in day with my PT, which is once a month.

jasonmh630

In the morning, after you go to the bathroom, and before you shower and/or have breakfast. That gives me a MORE accurate reading even though we all know the scale can be a dirty little liar sometimes.

_funrungirl

For the most part I have been eating the same types of food every day. So it sounds like weighing myself at the end of the day is ok, although I didn't think about all the other stuff in my system (waste, etc)

I have recently changed my macros and workout routine to move past my comfort zone weight (I'm lost a total of 40 lbs and have maintained my current weight for 3 years).

I'm going to try weighing myself first thing in the morning and again in the evening. It will be interesting to see the difference weight over the next few weeks/months will be.

Thanks everyone!!

otterleee

I have wondered about this for a long time. I understand the need for consistency, so it does make sense to weigh yourself first thing in the morning prior to eating and after using the bathroom, but I agree with the OP that that doesn't necessarily reflect my weight when it matters the most. For example, I ride horses (well, I used to before I got too heavy--trying to fix that!). My weight first thing in the morning is not what I care about when I'm sitting on a horse's back. What matters is what I weigh at that moment, whether that weight is from my own body or anything else that may be on my person. The horse has to carry all of it, so all of it should be taken into consideration. The same can be applied to many other types of activities.

I guess it really depends on what activities a person is doing, so it makes sense to think about what you do during the day and decide when your weight is most important. I still weigh myself first thing in the morning now, but that's because right now that just works best for me. Maybe eventually that will change. Mostly I try not to be obsessive about weighing myself too frequently!

enzosmama

It doesn't much make a difference if you weigh yourself at the beginning or the end of the day, as long as you're consistent. I personally prefer to weigh myself first thing in the morning right after peeing :-)

Amanda4change

I weigh myself in the morning. I do not think that it matters when you do it, as long as you are consistent. So if you choose to do it in the evening, just keep doing it in the evenings.

TheFrugalFatass

I weigh in the morning before breakfast, but preferably after I poop. I do it that way because I like to see a lower number on the scale. Honestly, it doesn't matter what time of day you weigh, as long as you're consistent.