Thoughts on checking the scale more than once a week

kateland

So I'm positive this has been discussed before, but it's a great subject to revisit.

What is everyone's thought on frequency of checking the scale?

For me, having been obese most of my life, now that I've gotten to a more "normal" place I find I actually like checking it almost daily when I start a new regimen, or every few days, because I can see the direct effect I have on my weight. It's all about the math; if I've been true to exercise, calories, and the scale doesn't move, I drink a ton more water and it drops off. If it still doesn't drop, I change the types of food I'm eating to startle my fat-hording cells in a ninja attack, and it drops.

I know conventional wisdom is to ignore it and see the new diet (as in the body of healthier food you eat, not the act of Trying To Lose Weight) as a way of life, but after 25+ years of hating food, scales, and my body, I find this is a really fun pasttime at the moment.

jenneyd

I'm with ya! gigglin~ ninja attack! hee hee:laugh:

LindaSueBakk

I step on the scale 3 times a week (or more ). To each his own. I only record my weight once a week - on Friday morning.

Julezebub

My own thoughts on this after reading thread after thread about it are:

At the beginning of your journey it can be disheartening to check everyday because at that time you need the encouragement of seeing the numbers change and the truth is the numbers don't start changing until your body becomes efficient in burning calories ie. you build up your muscles to the point where they burn a lot more calories just doing nothing. This is your metabolism changing and it takes a while to kick in a month or two even.

Later on in your journey after the pounds start coming off regularly and you get to know your own bodies routine, how many pounds you're likely to lose in a week/month etc then I think there's nothing wrong with checking the scales everyday as part of your routine. I check the scales early every morning before eating anything pretty much everyday and this helps me keep on track. Some people who weigh in once a week slack off after their weigh in day because they know they don't need to get on those scales for a week. I think that's what I'd end up doing anyway. Also if you do weigh in every day you know that there's a little fluctuation that occurs and I'd be disheartened if I was a once a week checker and the day I'd chosen was the day after I'd had a late meal the night before and gave myself a false reading of a pound heavier. I know that when I see a number thats a pound heavier that its just a fluctuation and I only believe the smallest number.

RissaE

I check everyday. It keeps me on track and motivated. If I'm doing what I should I almost always lose "something" everyday, and if not that's my kick in the *kitten* to step it up in a work out or cut back on something (most likely carbs)!!! I love the scale and find it to be my ultimate motivator!!

Suzy12

I check everyday. It keeps me on track and motivated. If I'm doing what I should I almost always lose "something" everyday, and if not that's my kick in the *kitten* to step it up in a work out or cut back on something (most likely carbs)!!! I love the scale and find it to be my ultimate motivator!!

YES!!!

Adsnwfld

I get on the scale every morning when I wake up. It helps me set priorities for the day. For me it is a constant reminder that this isn't a "diet" but a change in lifestyle. Once before I dropped a ton of weight using an unsustainable eating plan of high protein / low carbs. I lost the weight but it slowly came back till I was only 10 lbs less then the heaviest I ever was.
So for me the scale ( and mirror) is my conscious and keeps me focused.

ashley0616

How does one startle fat hoarding cells? I want ninja cells too!

I also get on every morning and while it is frustrating to see that damned number not budge, it's also motivating. For the first time in my LIFE I don't get depressed, I get mad and work harder. It's awesome! This morning, for instance, I FINALLY saw the scale go down 1.4 lbs after a good week of it being stuck and I did a little happy dance right there in my bathroom. So today, I will work just as hard as yesterday because I'm motivated by the downward trend. Had it been stuck still, I probably would have worked harder LOL.

Some days, just for laughs, I will get on at the end of the day too, to see the difference. That number does not affect me whatsoever, it's just for refrencing.

athenafl

I do an official check in/weigh in only once a week. I weigh every day to make sure I'm on track.

I agree with the other posters here who've said that it reminds me that this is a lifestyle change and helps me tune in to a trend in either direction.

I was just telling my husband last night that for the last two or three weeks my weight on my check in day was not as low as expected. And then naturally the following day it was more than a pound lower. In these situations, the daily weigh in helped keep me from getting discouraged and giving up (or giving in).

YMMV.

ctraill

I'm a little obsessive about scale checking - I do it every morning and every night - but I only log my weight once a week. I just like knowing that my weight really has dropped and if I was only weighing myself once a week, I would constantly worry that the weight loss was a fluke/fluctuation and then I'd be so upset the week after if I weighed more or was the same.
But I think this sort of thing depends 100% on your own body image and what works best for you, some people like the accountability of weighing in every day and some people succeed better using NSV techniques like measurements, etc.

little_ali

I weigh myself everyday, it's one of the first things I do when I wake up but I try not to log it on here more than once a week. It's just nice way to know that mid week or whenever, I'm stil on track and myself motivated.

nskerr

I currently am obese. I have been a yo-yo guy. I lost 40+ lbs on WW. I lost 112 on Atkins. I lost 30+ on South Beach. I never stuck to any of those routines. In my new diet/lifestyle I weigh myself once a week for two reasons. I always seem to have 1 day where I eat more than my allotted calories. My body needs time to regulate the weight. If I checked daily or every other day I do not think it is a true reflection of the weight. Secondly and a really key point is confidence and positive thinking. I look forward to my once a week weigh in to see progress. Since I started in September I have only had 1 week where I lost nothing and 1 week where I marginally gained. Every other week was a loss which further incentivizes me. Even though my banner says I have lost 9lbs, that is because I only found this tool recently. I am down almost 40lbs. I have a long way to go but everytime I jump on the scale and see down 1-3lbs down per week, I try even harder. Looking at it every day would defeat that

Julezebub

Nskerr

If I was you I would go back and edit my starting weight in the settings! You've earned the right for that ticker to display every single one of those pounds! It's a badge of honour haha!

americansugar80

I'm a little obsessive about scale checking - I do it every morning and every night - but I only log my weight once a week. I just like knowing that my weight really has dropped and if I was only weighing myself once a week, I would constantly worry that the weight loss was a fluke/fluctuation and then I'd be so upset the week after if I weighed more or was the same.
But I think this sort of thing depends 100% on your own body image and what works best for you, some people like the accountability of weighing in every day and some people succeed better using NSV techniques like measurements, etc.

DITTO!!

ArchyJill

I used to weigh every morning religiously (for YEARS), but as of this past Tuesday I have stopped. Yes, I have been scale free for three whole days now and I feel like I am going through cocaine withdrawls! Why did I stop? For me it had become unhealthy: if the numbers were up I would eat out of discouragement, if the numbers were down I would eat cause I "earned" it, if they didn't move I would eat cause it didn't seem to matter. The scale was a GREAT tool for me when I started out, but now I'm just trying to focus on doing the right thing (i.e. being healthy) and letting my body do it's thing.