Is it bad that I weigh myself everyday?

flatblade

It is bad to weigh yourself every day if you are fragile. I am not saying that I am fragile, but I only "count" one weigh-in per week. I check every day, but just to see what kinds of fluctuations there might be. I did have the king of fluctuations last week, going down a pound from the previous day to up five to down six. I figured that the "up five" had a lot to do with the eight cups of water I had already drank plus not having a BM for a couple of days--sure enough, the evacuated less hydrated me the next day was down significantly. I take daily weighing like election polls--the number is a snapshot in time, not the be-all and end-all.

tachyon_master

I weigh every day after my morning gym workout. However I only actually log it on MFP on Saturdays.

Articeluvsmemphis

i do better weighing in (in the morning) everyday. i prefer it. then log it once a week or whenever

volume77

i weigh at least every day if not more

slkehl

It depends on if you're genuinely just interested in progress or if you have a psychological attachment to the number. If you're feeling obsessive, it might be a good idea to step away for a while and focus on why you're really doing this weight loss thing.

metacognition

I weighed myself everyday but the stress of seeing the numbers climb or drop (often due to water) started to affect my program.

On days my weight stayed the same, I thought "oh, I can loosen up a bit on the diet since I am not really losing anyway."

On days when my weight increased, I thought "I've failed somehow." It's very demotivating.

If you KNOW that you are staying at calorie goals and exercising, it's probably best to weigh every one or two weeks (sometimes two, so you know water weight fluctuations can never exceed the loss).

Bob314159

I don't really understand why people say to only weigh once per week if you want to avoid weight fluctuations...what if the one day that you weigh yourself you happen to fluctuate up? I usually weigh myself 2-3x/week and take an average, but I usually find that my most valid weight is always the week after TOM

Exactly!!!!!

Weighing once a week or less is mathematically incorrect if you are trying to lose weight. Only if you have reached your goal and want to make sure you stay there should you weight once a week.

ElliInJapan

I don't really understand why people say to only weigh once per week if you want to avoid weight fluctuations...what if the one day that you weigh yourself you happen to fluctuate up? I usually weigh myself 2-3x/week and take an average, but I usually find that my most valid weight is always the week after TOM

Exactly!!!!!

Weighing once a week or less is mathematically incorrect if you are trying to lose weight. Only if you have reached your goal and want to make sure you stay there should you weight once a week.

It's not mathematically incorrect. I think he point behind weighing yourself once a week is that even if you fluctuate up, after a whole week you'll have lost some weight anyway and the measurement will motivate you to keep going. Personally, I've been weighing myself daily up to now, as I kept losing some weight almost every day. However, after 1,5 months in, my weight loss is starting to slow down and I'm considering weighing myself a bit less, maybe every other day. It's not that my weight fluctuates, but it's sometimes frustrating to work hard and be proud of your eating and see no change on the scale.

Anyway, my advice to the OP would be: do what you think is best for you. If daily weighing yourself helps you and motivates you, keep doing it. However, if you start feeling demotivated, reducing you weigh in days may help - just don't give up on your diet and exercise plan.

fg8585

I weigh myself daily but only before I eat or drink anything. Anything afterwards doesn't count. Of course don't forget to pee before you weigh yourself.

NocturnalGirl

If you can handle the natural daily fluctuations then it's not bad, but if it affects you, it's best you stick to once a week or once a month. However, weighing in at night isn't very accurate as it takes into account food weight, and it's not like your food intake is perfectly identical each day either. For accuracy, weigh in in the mornings after going to the toilet.

pinky_pie

I become too frustrated because my body retains water like nobody's business and my weight fluctuates just too damn much to weigh daily. It would be sabotage for me. So no, I don't weigh daily - I weigh every Monday morning.

But that's just me. Do what is right for you, and if weighing daily is a positive experience for you then why the hell not?

Julesoola

I think it just depends on how you process the daily information from the scale. I weigh everyday, actually at the beginning and end of everyday. But, I do this to learn patterns of how my body reacts to things like water, sodium, etc. Learning how my body weight fluctuates and why it fluctuates keeps me from being shocked when it happens. It's to a point now where I can pretty much predict what the scale will say before i step on it most days and if there's a surprise I can generally figure out why by looking at my diary and move on without any major disappointment or discouragement.

ladioffaith

When I first started, I was 341 so I could not weigh at home. I only got to the doctor's office when time permitted.

As soon as I dropped 12 pounds, it was my new toy! But it quickly became my nemesis. It can seriously change a pound, or two, or five depending on how much sodium I'd consumed, whether my body needed fiber and whether I had consumed enough water.

Now I still weigh daily but take it with a grain of salt, especially if I've HAD salt! And when the scale "lies" and says I've gained, I struggle with whether to log it. I have finally decided I must log every weight, high or low. It helps me see patterns.

zoukeira

Meh it's how you respond to the changes that make the time in between weighs positive or negative so go for it and stop if it starts to affect your mood or the way you work out negatively.

mfpcopine

It's fine to weigh yourself daily so long as you're not being obsessive about it. Look at the results as a guide on how to eat that day. Understand that there will be fluctuations based on diet and physical conditions.

Weigh yourself under the same conditions each time on the same scale. Find a way to estimate your body fat percentage as well.

ladyrider55

I don't believe there's a right or wrong on how much you weigh yourself, be it daily or weekly. Do what you're comfortable with. I believe most places tell you to weigh yourself once a week due to people playing into "Oh wow look I lost 2 lbs from yesterday" or "Oh no I gained 2 lbs from yesterday" and soon that person is doing too much one way or too much the other way. Do whatever works for you, that's my thought.

nosey_rosey

I weigh myself everyday.... It keeps me motivated

smileMOR

id say so because results are not instant they take time the more you weigh yourself the more frustrated you can become by not dropping a pound every time

^^true.
BUT everyones different.
for some people it keeps them motivated.
others, it just well....makes them simply hate life. ha

clausner

Don't weigh yourself daily. If you start to plateau and you're being really careful, you'll get discouraged and quit, telling yourself what's the point in being good when I'm not losing. Might as well eat what I want and enjoy myself.

hiker359

As long as it provides motivation and not despair, i say it doesn't matter how often you weigh in. It's the people that get all distraught over the slightest uptick in their weight that should not weigh in as frequently.

zephtalah

No, I weigh in daily. I only record the weight if there is a steady loss. I don't record the weight if it goes up a bit more from the norm.. it's like a science experiment.

^^This a very interesting science experiment!

ecw3780

I do...but I am a little obsessive. However, you can't let your self freak out if your weight jumps up occasionally- because it might. You also have to make sure you weigh at the same time. I also don't log ann weight gain. Keeps me a little less crazy.

If you are trying to maintain, they tell you to weigh every day at first so you don't miss weight gain. If you gain more than two pounds (that stick), you need to go back into weight loss mode. I assume after a while of not gaining you wouldn't need to weigh so often. When I get pregnant I plan on weighing every day so I don't go crazy and eat for two.

KelBgess

I weigh myself every day at the same time of day, which for me happens to be first thing in the morning. I feel that is the best way to really know what I weigh. If you weigh at the end of the day, some of the food you have eaten during the day can easily affect what your scale says. By weighing in the morning, nine or more hours have passed since I last ate any food and most if not all of it has probably been digested.

rose313

I weigh myself every day, I understand fluctuations and I don't sabotage my efforts with my frequent weighing. If you are the same way, then it is not bad to weigh yourself every day. If you find yourself freaking out over the littlest tenth of a pound, or don't know what water weight is, or become a little too obsessed, then cut back on the weighing.

blonde_fitness_0419

It's a psychological thing, in my opinion. I weigh myself everyday (as soon as I wake up) and take it with a grain of salt... it's good for me as an over-anxious, statistically-minded person to know exactly what I weighed that morning.

jennifer_417

It really just depends on how it affects you. I tend to get discouraged and tempted to quit when I have a gain, so I weigh less often. If it doesn't affect you negatively, then there's not harm in it.

MissSusieQ

if you want to weigh yourself every day, weigh yourself every day. i do. i love the feeling when the scale drops a little notch further

as long as you know to take the results with a grain of salt, i don't see the harm. if you find yourself feeling like a failure when your weight fluctuates, it's time to step back and reassess your weigh-in frequency, but if it's motivating you, why not?

trogalicious

No, I weigh in daily. I only record the weight if there is a steady loss. I don't record the weight if it goes up a bit more from the norm.. it's like a science experiment.

^^This a very interesting science experiment!

I like to think so. It's working for me. I've basically eaten the same since February, so I haven't dealt with any of the 5lb swings in my weight. It's still going down, albeit slower at this point (I think I must be nearing the end), so I don't stress about it. I've been hovering around the same weight now for almost a month. Not losing weight, but losing fat. I go back and look at the week previous to a whoosh and see if there were any signs that pointed toward the loss.

As far as weighing daily, it's a good habit for me. The fact that I had tons of bad habits before is why I'm keeping this particular good habit going. It's a motivation as long as the fine points are understood. There will be occasional water retention / weight fluctuations... but MFP keeps all of the info on easy to see graphs over 1, 2, and 3 months time frames.. so it's all good.

If the weight tomorrow is higher by .5 lb, so what. If I can't get to my scale, my world isn't going to end.

just my .02.