Is daily weighing obsessive?

curleesam

I used to weigh everyday but it stressed me out and de-motivated me.

I switched to fortnightly weigh ins and the pressure was off and I lost more as I was recording bigger losses, far more motivating!!

Now I'm almost down to the last 10lbs I'm going back to weekly weigh ins as they say weightloss slows at this point.

wildon883r

My lightest day of the week will be Friday and right when i work up so that's when i hit the scale for records sake. Your body weight fluxuates as well so you could of done nothing different , been within calorie goals and gain 2lbs just to find out 3 days later you lost that +2

hellen72

The fact that weight fluctuates on a daily basis is more reason to weigh daily
If u weigh once a week and happen to weigh on a day when u r having a blip due to water retention/ dehydration/ backlog it can lead to depression.
After a few weeks of daily u get the picture that some days are up but a couple of days later it is down
A weekly weigh in means another week til u can weigh again so a week of depression if u weigh on an up day

I am the same today as Monday which is unusual. I have been up and down by 0.25 this week. I have had the same deficit as before but have been having more unhealthy foods and more bits of this and that which may have gone under recorded. When I saw the first 0.25 up it made me mindful the next day for at least half the day ( stessy week so couldn't manage all day).
If I hadn't weighed daily I would have thought that cos my deficit was the same I was ok and would prob be up more now.

suzycreamcheese

If you way yourself once a week, and you have a heavy day, it makes you think you've blown your week. (especially when the previous weeks weigh in was on a light day)

If you weigh yourself every day you know you weight can fluctuate by a couple of pounds so don't care what the actual daily reading is - so long as you can look at the last few days and work our roughly where you really are. If you can't do that "trend spotting" then you should weigh weekly, if you can daily is fine - better.

Thats what I think.

michelegbowman

It is so tempting to weigh everyday but it can sabotage you. One day you might actually gain a little water even though you've exercised and eaten clean and you still show a gain. That will wreac havoc on your motivation.

Hide the scale.

Bring it out once a week.

suzycreamcheese

on the other hand, if youre showing a steady gain over a few days, its easier to nip it in the bud if youre weighing daily or twice a week than it is if you leave it a whole week or a fortnight to build up

pros and cons

djthom

I'm with you. I find I stay on track better if I weight myself almost every morning. I don't stress over the fluctuations. I used to belong to a weight loss group where I had a weekly weigh-in. All too often I'd find myself in the habit of splurging after my weekly weigh-in and then almost starving myself before it to make up for it. I got to the point where I was binging for a couple of days after my weigh-in and then barely eating for the rest of the week so as not to show a gain. Needless to say it eventually caught up with me. Now I weigh-in daily but record weekly.

PoleBoy

It is so tempting to weigh everyday but it can sabotage you. One day you might actually gain a little water even though you've exercised and eaten clean and you still show a gain. That will wreac havoc on your motivation.

If you can't see past the day to day reading then you shouldn't weigh everyday.

If you can see the underlying trend, you should weigh every day.

Horses for courses - what works for me wont for you.

missdeehere

I weigh daily & record it. I only count my weekly Weigh Ins though. I even belong to a Daily Weigh in Group.

I do it mostly because I have Lymphedema and it helps me to know when my body is in a flair and I can take extra precautions. As long as I know what I ate, I don't stress.

Obsessive???? Maybe.

jsteras

I'm with you. I find I stay on track better if I weight myself almost every morning. I don't stress over the fluctuations. I used to belong to a weight loss group where I had a weekly weigh-in. All too often I'd find myself in the habit of splurging after my weekly weigh-in and then almost starving myself before it to make up for it. I got to the point where I was binging for a couple of days after my weigh-in and then barely eating for the rest of the week so as not to show a gain. Needless to say it eventually caught up with me. Now I weigh-in daily but record weekly.

Same thing here, I was in a weight loss group and we would weigh in once a week, I would stray the first few days after the weigh in and then be a little good closer and the day of the weigh in I would eat nothing all day just to lose or not have a gain. I weigh every morning, it does fluctuate I just realize if it's more than two pounds I need to take a look at what I ate the last few days. I have to keep an eye on sodium , I have high blood pressure and will retain water very quickly. I think for me weighing every day keeps me motivated and makes me watchful of what I eat every day.

Lizzy_Sunflower

By weighing daily, I think I'm learning more about how my body responds to what I eat, how exercise really does make such a huge difference, and how sometimes my body seems to do whacky things that I'm not expecting and can't explain . I find it all fascinating and whether I gain a little, stay the same or lose a little, I still end up feeling motivated to keep doing my best. But the biggest motivator is when I've had a bad day and I see immediately (usually the next morning) how my bad decisions have real consequences and it really encourages me to get back on task and not let my guard down too much.

Exactly... Its all in how you look at the scale. It is a tool and the number found there is not good or bad.... it just Is.
Seeing how your daily choices affect that number is the key.

I learned that in a study I am involved in... more notes here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Lizzy_Sunflower/view/what-i-ve-learned-so-far-86049
:drinker:

Best to you!

MyNameIsNotBob

If I'm honest I sometimes weigh before bed AND as soon as I get up! It's amazing the difference overnight!! haha

Haha, me, too! I've lost 4 lbs. since last night!

So, my answer is, no it's not obsessive. Unless you're looking for daily results, which you won't see and getting frustrated.

jodimitchell

i'm a morning and night weigher... i think its great! The 2 lbs that i may fluctuate never bother me and the days that i get on and its suddenly 0.7 lbs lighter I LOVE it!!

To each their own!

cath1024

I am guilty ... i weigh myself like 3 times in the morning when i get up just to be sure the number i see is what it is and then i find myself weighing again in the afternoon and then again before bed :blushing:

I am trying to change this but its so hard - can be exciting to see the numbers drop daily but can also be depressing when i see the number raise.

I only log once a week though.

cowlover22

personally when I was weighing myself after ANYTHING I put into my mouth.that was obsessive...as long as it doesnt affect your whole day(mood) then go for it..It can give you a better understanding of your body to. For example if you have more sodium one day you might see the effects the next day...but hey congrat on losing!

kpadilla411

I personally think, it should depend on the person. I weight myself everyday or sometimes every other day, but I see it as a motivation. As a reminder not to binge I I want the number to go down or stay the same. Even if the number doesn't move, just think it's better to stay the same then to go up.
It becomes obsessive if you weigh yourself several times a day. But it all depends on the mentally you look at it. Since you see it as a motivation to lose weigh then it's not an obsession.

suzooz

As long as weighing in daily motivates you, go for it! If it becomes an issue, then take a break for a while.

I am a multi-x-day weigher. I want to know what that weight fluctuation is, even if I only record once per week. Last week on my weekly weigh-in, I only lost 1/2 pound. If I had only weighed in once that week, I would have been depressed. But I knew that my body was tending to gain that week (whether it was water or muscle). So I was actually pretty happy about the 1/2 pound loss.

The scale can be a pretty fickle tool -- sometimes the scale goes up or down without reason. (I don't think I gained 4 pounds one day by eating a single donut!) Just be aware of this and your emotions, and you'll be fine.

samcee

I weighed myself every morning of last year but since losing weight I've weighed myself every other day instead. I avoid the scale during my time of month too. Nowadays I can guess whether I've lost or gained depending on how I feel when I wake up. I think you get use to it and I'm normally right. I think it's good to be conscious of it so you don't let yourself go.

flyingspatulas

I weigh myself every day so I can track the fluctuations and find trends with what foods I eat, etc. I find it helps me stay motivated, but I know for some people it can be depressing!

dustyhockeymom

I weigh daily because it is motivating to me. Somedays there aren't losses and somedays it's more than the day before, but that is normal so it doesn't stress me out. I have learned that my body tends to drop 2 pounds then go up a little bit and then drop two more, so it is like 2 steps forward and one back, but it is consisently going in the right direction so that is all I care about. On the days were there is no loss or a small gain from the day before, I am more motivated to follow my plan and excercise so that is why I weigh daily. I think it is about knowing yourself. If it is motivating for you, like me, then it works. If it is frustrating than once a week would work better for you. I have always heard that you shouldn't weigh more than once a week, but that doesn't work for my motivation. I trust myself to do what is best for me and you should too.