How often should I be weighing in?

archersm26
archersm26 Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
Hello! I am just starting my weight loss journey and was wondering how often everyone weighs themselves. Lately I have been doing so daily but found that I begin to get obsessive over the number on the scale.

What is a good time frame for weighing yourself to track progress?
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Replies

  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    No more than twice a month. Log your food and exercise daily. Good Luck

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  • mundaycarroll
    mundaycarroll Posts: 64 Member
    I usually will weigh myself once a week on the same day each week. Sometimes I'll go 2 weeks in between weigh ins. I used to be really bad about getting on the scale multiple times a day though.
  • BEVERLYSTEEN
    BEVERLYSTEEN Posts: 106 Member
    I aim for once a week to keep myself on track but I agree it can get obsessive and I have to pull myself away when I get the urge to do it more than twice a week.
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
    Whatever you want... I log my weight daily.
  • uconnwinsnc1
    uconnwinsnc1 Posts: 902 Member
    As long as you don't obsess over it you can weigh yourself whenever you want I suppose. Once a week is generally recommended but lots of people do unofficial weigh ins all the time.
  • LadyGisborne
    LadyGisborne Posts: 32 Member
    I weigh myself every morning. It is part of my routine. I don't panic because of the water weight fluctuations.
    I only log my weight once a week.
  • Justamom410
    Justamom410 Posts: 90 Member
    I weigh whenever I want...but I only record the weight on Friday mornings weigh in.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    I was weighing myself once a week on Tuesday mornings. This was with my old scale - the kind with the manual arrow... Until I started to hate that it was ALL over the place.

    Then I bought my Eat Smart Precision Plus scale (Digital).
    Since I have this, I have been weighing myself every morning - because I like to see the small changes (the 0.4 lbs or whatever) showing.

    I like the daily look at what is happening, and I can use the numbers to see on my MFP chart the ups and downs, and to get an average.
    For me this week my TOM is due.. but I have been losing anyway, so I am quite happy! I would not of noticed any change with my old scale though...
  • He1loKitty
    He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
    I weigh myself every morning. Yes, the number on the scale fluctuates. But I find that I'm more likely to keep myself on track throughout the day and week if I have an idea of what I'm weighing and how I'm progressing. I think the important thing is that I don't get hung up on seeing the fluctuations or obsess over it if I see a small gain. You can do whatever feels best for you. There's no right or wrong way.
  • trixibelle_
    trixibelle_ Posts: 5
    I weigh myself sporadically, but aim to do it once a week and no more frequently than that. I'm the same as you - if i do it every day I obsess over it and it can affect my mood.
  • woofer00
    woofer00 Posts: 123 Member
    I weigh daily, mostly out of curiosity about how when and what I eat affect daily weight and keep a loose eye on any wacky changes. Most scales have +-0.5 lb accuracy and water weight can flux way more than that (up to 3-4 pounds for me), so if you think you'll obsess over minute changes, do NOT weigh daily - it's meaningless. Weight and fat loss that stays off is earned over a long period of time - months, not days.
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    When ever feels right for you?

    Beyond the scale, make sure you do measurements!!! Prob. more important than the scale!! IMO
  • sarajenivieve
    sarajenivieve Posts: 303 Member
    i try to limit it to every 2 weeks but rarely stick to that, except righrt now my scale battery is dead soo i cant at all im also trying get back into measuring myself every 2 weeks
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
    Every day that I'm home. The more often I weigh, the more in-tune I get with my daily fluctuations, and the less emotional weight I put on the scale weight. It gets easier to correlate the minor ups and downs with things in my diet/exercise regimen that might cause them.

    Then that info gets fed into a spreadsheet that does basic analysis and trending, because I'm a tremendous nerd.
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    I weigh myself every morning. Yes, the number on the scale fluctuates. But I find that I'm more likely to keep myself on track throughout the day and week if I have an idea of what I'm weighing and how I'm progressing. I think the important thing is that I don't get hung up on seeing the fluctuations or obsess over it if I see a small gain. You can do whatever feels best for you. There's no right or wrong way.

    I'm like you. Every morning! I can't help it.. Would I recommend it? Nope lol. I know I'm crazy.. I don't like spreading my crazy around XD But if it works for others.. then weigh daily XD

    So true.. no right or wrong.
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    Every day that I'm home. The more often I weigh, the more in-tune I get with my daily fluctuations, and the less emotional weight I put on the scale weight. It gets easier to correlate the minor ups and downs with things in my diet/exercise regimen that might cause them.

    Then that info gets fed into a spreadsheet that does basic analysis and trending, because I'm a tremendous nerd.

    Yes! I'm this way also!!!
  • jim_just_jim
    jim_just_jim Posts: 148 Member
    Every day, first thing in the morning. That way, if I have a good number, Im in a good mood, a bad number and I have something to focus on !
    Trying to stay positive ! Looking for like minded friends. Looking to lose 50 by next summer. Down 10 so far.
  • bergpa
    bergpa Posts: 148 Member
    I weigh every day too. One thing it has taught me is that having an occasional big splurge really doesn't affect my weight.
  • keefmac
    keefmac Posts: 313 Member
    I weigh daily, interesting to see what effect different foods have on my weight etc.

    When I get to maintenance and settle down I'll probably go over to once a week.
  • TheSatinPumpkin
    TheSatinPumpkin Posts: 948 Member
    Personal preference.

    I weigh daily after i get up and gone to the bathroom.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    I weigh myself once a week, on Fridays. Weight can fluctuate too much to do it daily.
  • Barry2513
    Barry2513 Posts: 4
    Step on a scale once every 2-3 months . Use your clothes and how loose their getting as a guide for your progress.
  • jfauci
    jfauci Posts: 531 Member
    I'm also a daily weigher...but log weekly.
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    Step on a scale once every 2-3 months . Use your clothes and how loose their getting as a guide for your progress.

    I wish I could get my weighing addiction under control.

    BUT YES YES YES!

    measurements way more important!
  • majigurl
    majigurl Posts: 660 Member
    I'm also a daily weigher...but log weekly.

    Yep.. I only log when I've lost a lbs or 2. Usually every week or so I log it.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Every day that I'm home. The more often I weigh, the more in-tune I get with my daily fluctuations, and the less emotional weight I put on the scale weight. It gets easier to correlate the minor ups and downs with things in my diet/exercise regimen that might cause them.

    Then that info gets fed into a spreadsheet that does basic analysis and trending, because I'm a tremendous nerd.

    This. Even if you were to weigh weekly or bi-weekly or monthly, what if a day or two before you had a high sodium meal or it's PMS time or you got a hard workout in? You're still going to see less of a loss than you expeced or possibly even a stall. My point is, weighing less often isn't necessarily the answer - coming to terms with why fluctuations happen is the answer.

    Also as someone else pointed out, find other ways to measure success - body measurements, progress pics, keep one pair of bigger pants and/or a shirt as you lose, etc. Many times the scale may not show progress but if you look back at what you looked like or what you wore, that can definitely show a change.

    I've been getting back on track the last few weeks after a major set back and although the scale hasn't show any real change yet, my clothes are already fitting better and my rings are loose again. Yay!
  • Parafly9
    Parafly9 Posts: 8
    I get on the scale about every day but I also understand that it goes up and down within a 3 - 4 pound range so I dont' stress about it. I have a Withings so I track it over time and see which way it's trending which is the priority.
  • gopgirl425
    gopgirl425 Posts: 140 Member
    do whatever works for you.

    I weigh daily and I write it down on my bathroom mirror with a dry erase marker.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    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 smoothed moving 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. As long as most of my daily weights are below the trend, I know I'm making progress. Contrariwise, if most of my daily weights are above the trend, and there's not an obvious explanation (like recovering from a major cycling event), then I can be fairly certain that I am gaining weight. I plan to continue daily weigh-ins once I'm at maintenance (in a month or two), as an early warning system against regaining the weight.
  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
    I weigh daily to keep track of the fluctuations.

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