How often do you weigh yourself? Is it motivating?

harlanJEN

I weigh daily. Not for motivation ( in fact, it isn't motivating to me) - it's about keeping it REAL. I find that if I weigh daily I am aware of my body's fluctuations and can see trends, I tend to "freak out" less for the very natural and normal flucuations that we have. For example: seeing a 4 lb overnight increase is easier to deal with and figure out than a 4 lb increase after a week. The way I roll: Water retention isn't REAL weight gain. FAT gain is. Unless you are sleeping with the Colonel and eating a couple of buckets of his chicken, you aren't gaining 4 lbs of FAT overnight . Water retention and gain totally blows goats, but weighing daily helps me keep track of those normal ups and downs and where it's coming from.

NCchar130

Started out twice a month and I had to drive to my mom's to do it. I did that based on previous eating disorder issues I've had (along with scale obsession).

I bought a scale two weeks ago because I felt I could handle it. Now I weigh first thing in the morning post-bathroom. I record it in a spreadsheet I'm using alongside MFP so I can track other variables. I've noticed my lowest weight of the week is always after a long, good night's sleep. So next to my daily weight, I record how many hours of sleep. I also am interested in seeing differences based on the type of food I at, sodium, water, etc.

I only record my weight on MFP if it's lower than my previous.

quiltingducky

I weigh every morning. I have to see what the number is, but I don't get obsessed over it. It just helps to keep me in check. The weight I track and record on here weekly is my Wednesday morning weigh-in.

isitsororo

Every morning after going to the toilet and while naked, and then sometimes when I feel bloated or particularly thin at a different time of day (aka I took a dump!). Sometimes it is motivating and sometimes it is a bit, er, depressing, because my weight increases with PMS and I sometimes get bloat weight. I figure that if I'm always going to put on 5 pounds during PMS, then I can at least compare this month's PMS to last month's.

I don't do it less frequently because I like having a fresh number in my head, and I'd get distracted doing guesswork if I only weighed once a week or once a month, plus I'd feel worse if I had gained weight after a week instead of just one day.

mikewpg1ca

For the first 85lb I weighed myself weekly, always on Wednesdays. I found with it being the middle of the week I got more consistent results, there just weren't as many fluctuations as on the weekends due to more or less sleep, more or less food, more or less exercise, whereas, my routine M-F is pretty steady.

Since then I'd say I weigh myself weeklyish. Sometimes a couple times a week on whatever day I feel like, and mostly out of curiosity to see the different effects that travel, food and sleeping patterns have on my body, and sometimes I go a little longer than a week, as the numbers just don't concern me as much as they did.

What I have ramped up is my body measurements, at the start in April I measured every month and a half. But since September I've done measurements about every 2-4 weeks.

In terms of motivation, my weight loss numbers were very motivating, but now that I'm pretty well where I want to be (within 10 lbs of fat roughly), a pound or two is no big deal. It's now the measurements that motivate me the most. For instance I measured yesterday and my stomach circumference dropped a inch over two and a half weeks, granted it hadn't moved the two weeks before that, so maybe it was due..lol. During the same two week period of my stomach losing an inch, my neck, chest, arms and legs were pretty well unchanged (lost a 1/4 inch off my chest, gained a 1/4 inch on my legs [thank-you squats], neck and arms were unchanged). Now that to me is awesome motivation, as it tells me that in conjunction with my weight workouts where I'm either gaining strength or static, that I'm most likely burning off fat from my body (my stomach is my last problem area, as the rest of my body is pretty lean) without sacrificing muscle or at least without sacrificing very much of it.

In the end do what works for you, but I highly encourage everyone to take body measurements. Because it's amazing what the tale of the tape shows. Since April I'm down 15 inches off my stomach, 10 off my chest, and 7 off my waist (where I wear my jeans). If I didn't have those numbers I'd never believe the change was that dramatic.

EdTheGinge

Every Monday morning, just makes more sense to me than checking everyday as I can't see that you'd get an accurate reading due to fluctuations but it's all down to personal preference and what you're happiest doing.

fgodfrey56

Daily. If I go 3 pounds over my threshold, I can get back to my target weight without too much effort. I have read in multiple places that people that successfully maintain their weight loss weigh themselves daily. This may be better advice for people that have reached their goal.

annie786

If I have time- I weigh myself daily first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom.
This has helped me to understand my body. If I see a gain I am not frustrated as it would be understandable to why I would have gained- bad food, not exercising- something would be obvious.
Also what motivates me is, If I see a low number, and the next day I see a high number even plus 1lbs, but it motivates me that yes, I can get back to that lower number by tweaking something somewhere.  I keep visualizing the lower number and achieve it.
I only track/check in my weight once over the weekend.
So far it’s working for me.  Will keep on pumping – cheers!

ChristinaBarnhouse

I weigh myself every Friday morining as soon as I wake up and right before jump in the shower. This is the ONLY time I weigh myself. I make sure I record my weight on my personal calendar wether I have gained or lost weight.

Hope this helps!

JohnMessmer

Once a week, on Friday morning. Once a week allows me to see the downward trend without the anxiety of any arbitrary fluctuations.

AmyFett

It used to be motivating, but after 6 weeks with no loss and 2 lb gain, not so much. I hate my scale right now.

Lisa760

I hop in the scale every morning to peek at my progress. My official weigh-in days are Fridays - whatever number that flashes on the display gets logged into MFP.

Getting on the scale daily isn't a motivation for me, it's more to learn about trends and what's typical for my body. For example, I've learned first hand how sodium affects my body and my weight. I also learned that fluctuating 1-2 pounds is totally normal and not to freak out. I've learned that even if I didn't make my weekly goal, it's totally possible that the numbers will even out next week and I'll be back on track. Recently I've discovered that working out a lot has stalled my weight loss but my body is looking freaking awesome.

Sarah1023

I have heard many schools of thought on how often to weigh yourself. But, I'd love to hear how people use it as a motivation. Do you weigh daily and track the little ups and downs? Weekly?

I weigh every 2-3 times per week on average, but I do go through phases where I weigh daily depending on food/exercise.

4kuykesh

I'm trying to go to monthly weigh in. I was getting very discouraged by lack of results when weighing myself daily and recording it weekly. I decided to make a change when i got so discouraged with lack of progress that I indulged in 1)Suzy Q, 2) A little Debbie snack cake, and 3) a piece of cake from the kroger deli ALL IN ONE DAY! :blushing: :sad: :sad:

nixerific

I weigh myself every day and record it on a calender next to my scale, but I only report it on Wednesdays on MFP due to fluctuations.

Kitsada

The scale is one of the many things I left with my ex when I moved out. (I did take the treadmill though, not that I use it a lot...lol.)

I weigh myself on arrival at work, on the days I'm at the work where I'm down the hall from the dieticians with their fancy digital scale. (Tues,Weds,Thurs, Sat). Only if I'm not super busy, and not if I was 'bad' the day or two before. So... sporadically, like everything else I do, I guess.

I only record the weight on MFP if it is lower, and also, I have to get it more than once, for me to consider it a 'real' weight. Those are my rules. lol.

Far as motivation, I do note what the number is, and how far off.. .if it is within a pound or three of my low, I consider this could just be fluctuation.. long as the trend is downwards. If I see it climb more than three pounds, I drink more water and try to be more careful.

jessicathomas15

I'd like to say once a week but I get too impatient and it ends up being every 2 or 3 days - in a way it's good though because I can see the little changes as the days go by

pichild

Looks like I'm definitely in the minority here...I weigh in multiple times daily. First thing in the morning and at least 2 more times before leaving the house the last one fully dressed... I also weigh in when I come home...I log the morning and evening weights in the food notes portion of my diary along with the 5 week prediction...this way I can have all of the information available to me easily... I regret not having started recording it sooner so that I could have a clear trend...I find the scale to be incredibly motivational...as time progresses I see definite patterns emerging... anyway it works for me...even when I get frustrated by an expected gain at least I knew it was coming

trogalicious

Looks like I'm definitely in the minority here...I weigh in multiple times daily. First thing in the morning and at least 2 more times before leaving the house the last one fully dressed... I also weigh in when I come home...I log the morning and evening weights in the food notes portion of my diary along with the 5 week prediction...this way I can have all of the information available to me easily... I regret not having started recording it sooner so that I could have a clear trend...I find the scale to be incredibly motivational...as time progresses I see definite patterns emerging... anyway it works for me...even when I get frustrated by an expected gain at least I knew it was coming

The reports section of MFP will show you trends, that way you don't have to log every teeny tiny little thing. I know it's easier for me to look back on those and see weight vs caloric intake vs exercise, etc.

ErinBeth7

I don't have much of a weigh-in schedule. Just whenever I feel like it! It's definitely not every day as that would drive me nuts. Typically it turns out to be once a week at the most. Maybe every 2 weeks.

oOMusicBabii

I personally weigh every morning (except the day before my official weigh-in). It's motivating watching the numbers change and seeing how what I've eaten the previous day affects my body and what changes should be made.

AmberLee2012

Everyday, but I don't recommend it!

Slack2ShortGo

I weigh myself every morning. It helps me watch trends with food and water consumption, as well as the amount of exercise I did that day.

MizKittyB

I like to have lots of data and keep tabs on trends or get instant feedback on how something affected my weight -- I weigh daily (same time each morning, just after getting out of bed), but track only the Friday morning weight. That way, I know when I'm up because of a workout or because I went out to eat, or if the last few days of being very, very careful and not splurging have paid off, etc. (Lately, I've been putting less stock in the numbers on the scale only because I've been lifting weights more often, which means I'm losing inches but not pounds.)

nikbolok

I don't weigh, because as I gain muscle and lose fat, I'm not going to see much weight loss. I do my measurements, this helps me accurately see my true progress And of course how much better the clothes fit without the measurements! I may step on it every couple of months just to see where I stand.

sarahisme18

I weigh probably..... once every two or two and half weeks. When I do it more often than that, I feel like I start getting obsessive and really down about small fluctuations. I pay more attention to how my clothes fit, and when I'm curious I will weigh myself.

alpine1994

I weigh daily. I found that I would fall off track at the beginning because I would overeat, then not weigh the next morning because I didn't want to see the damage on the scale, and this would go on for days, etc. I only record a loss in MFP when it's the same weight 3 days in a row. I don't record gains.

Sometime's it's annoying. Like yesterday I was under my calories (1400) but over my sodium because I had soup for dinner and showed a 2 lb gain on the scale this morning. I know it's water retention from the soup, but still, ugh. At least I know to cool it on the sodium and it should go back down.

ETA: I take measurements at the beginning of every month too, which means more to me than what the jerk on the floor says.

Rambo529

I weigh in weekly. For me it doesn't do the little ups and downs that can happen daily from water intake and outflows of stuff. I like to see the number, and if it didn't move the way I'd like it to, I look at what I ate (first) to see what I could do better and maybe make changes. I also do different measurements but those are every 2 weeks because sometimes when I'm lifting a lot at the gym, there ends up being even swaps of muscle and fat, so the scale doesn't move.

vpsalama

Once every morning. Keeps me focused.

karibj2010

I get on the scale every morning, but my official weigh in day for me is Fridays. I weigh every morning to keep myself motivated and accountable. When I have gone up, I know I need to step it up, when I have gone down it is even more motivating.