How does weighing once a week make sense?

Vain_Witch

I see a lot of people on here saying, "Weight fluctuates! Don't weigh everyday...weigh once a week!" I don't really understand the logic behind that...if weight can really fluctuate that much (which I KNOW it can!) wouldn't it be possibly counterproductive to only weigh once a week? If I weigh every day I can see the fluctuations. If I weigh once a week...what if THAT'S the day it fluctuated in the wrong direction and now I think I've gained weight when maybe I haven't...

Just curious as to the logic behind this...

Mentat72

Generally people don't weigh every day as weight loss can be frustrating and you don't want any set backs. For example; weigh on a monday -2 lbs, weigh on tuesday +2 pounds. This would potentially make you very disheartened. If you weighed just once a week, your lower calorie count is more likely to produce a consistent loss than weighing every day.

To be honest, if weighing every day gets you to your goal, go for it.

emmymcq

I weigh everyday for two reasons: 1) it keeps accountable, 2) I'm on certain meds that have potential to cause weight gain, so I like to keep a close eye on that. I really think its all a matter of personal preference.

darrensurrey

I see a lot of people on here saying, "Weight fluctuates! Don't weigh everyday...weigh once a week!" I don't really understand the logic behind that...if weight can really fluctuate that much (which I KNOW it can!) wouldn't it be possibly counterproductive to only weigh once a week? If I weigh every day I can see the fluctuations. If I weigh once a week...what if THAT'S the day it fluctuated in the wrong direction and now I think I've gained weight when maybe I haven't...

Just curious as to the logic behind this...

You're right. Best off weighing once a month.

The problem with weighing every day or more than once a day is that the weight fluctuates throughout the day depending on food and fluid intake plus what you do that day so unless you're happy to monitor without attaching emotions to the numbers, best off staying away from the scales, otherwise it can be a soul-destroying experience.

LadyPakal

I weigh everyday and record that, along with net calorie intake each day. I also have a second table of my weekly weights and I average the calorie intake for each week to try and correlate.

tryshaantonelli

I honestly weigh almost everyday. I just like to keep it fresh in my brain so I know if I start to get lazy or trick myself into thinking a night of pizza, wings, beer and cake aren't going to effect things. I don't enter in my weight to MFP everyday. I just do it for me, to keep myself on track.
I think that recommendation is also to remind people that you can do everything right and have a great food and exercise day and you still may not loose any weight. In fact, you may gain weight if you had too much salt or if (for girls) you are getting your period etc..... They recommend that mostly not keep people from getting easily discouraged.

livelaughlove384

I tend to weigh myself a few times a week. It keeps me motivated and on track better then just weighing myself once a week. Do what works best for you and what keeps you motivated! rock it

MsipiGRITS

I agree w/ OP regarding what if you're up on the one day you weigh. So, I am a daily weigh-er, BUT I put it all into perspective... I use a little tip from some PhDs regarding our love/hate relationship with our scales. If you are addicted to your scale and are compelled to weigh daily (mememememe), a good rule of thumb is to first weigh at the same time of day and under the same circumstances (e.g. w/o pjs after morning potty break... haha) then average all of those daily weights and use that as your weekly 'true' weight, as your weight WILL fluctuate daily due to many factors. Then, you can average your weekly 'true' weights and see what your monthly weight is.... This is a more accurate picture of where you are over time... It also takes some of the stress out of the fluctuations you might see daily so you don't obsess over it.... Just MHO, so always check it out for yourself! )

monjacq1964

weigh regularly, but instead of paying attention to individual readings, look for trends. By that i mean, don't get freaked about a pound up or down, but if you're consistently going up rather than down, be concerned about that.

ApexLeader

if you weigh yourself at the same time each week you see a general weight trend rather than the fluctuations. you are supposed to weigh yourself at the same time so that your body is in the same state it was in during previous weigh ins. weight fluctuations occur throughout the day due to sodium and water intake, undigested food and excrement in your intestines, and other factors.

so if i weigh myself every monday morning at the same time, i'm keeping my weigh in as close as possible to the same conditions that i had on previous monday mornings and that helps reduce error (it doesn't completely get rid of it, however, as there are things you can do sunday that influences your weigh in on monday). on top of that, your weight doesn't change considerably much from day to day, so you want to wait at least a week between weigh ins so that you either see results or you see that you have stalled. even better would be weighing in only once a month and as long as you are consistent with calorie deficits and exercise then you should see results.

or better yet, take measurements

ron2e

I know exactly what you mean. I usually weigh myself every day expecting ups and downs but it is the trend that matters but when I travel and don't get so much to drink, I tend to retain water and of course can't weigh myself. I came back late last Friday from a week away and weighed myself Saturday morning and had lost only 0.4 lbs from the previous Sunday. By Sunday morning I had lost another 2 lbs, 1 further on Monday so I had actually lost 3 lbs in a week (about what I expect at this obese stage, 2-3 a week) once the water retention was stabilised.

darkguardian419

Once a week is recommended for those people who will see their number go up 3 pounds and instead of realizing it's just a natural fluctuation, feel that they've failed and go eat a large cheese-lovers pizza while sitting on the couch watching Serenity crying themselves to sleep when Wash gets killed...

Or that could just be me...

Cyclink

I weigh myself every day.

I have formulas in Excel that remove the high and low values each week and calculate the average of the remaining values. If one day is very high from a huge meal, it gets thrown out. If one day is really low from being dehydrated, it gets thrown out in the overall picture.

I have the averages of each week on a graph.

All that insanity lets me see every day's weight and also see whether I am trending in the right direction each week.

I think weighing in once a week just misses too much data and gives you no opportunity to correct it if you are heading in the wrong direction. Now, you have lost a week and gained weight instead of being able to fix something mid-week.

gleechick609

:laugh: If I weighed in every day, I'd want to jump off a building.

With that being said, you weigh in when you see fit. I do a "check in" once every 2-3 weeks and that works for me. I don't want to be crazy about a number on the scale

CharmCityBella

I weigh in every morning. I never understood the "once a week" method either. Weighing in every morning holds me accountable and it works for me, so that's the only logic I have behind it. I would say, do whatever works best for you!

auntygill

I weigh myself once a week at the same time every wednesday morning , it works for me , and dont usually weigh myself any other time now . weighing every day gets me too worked up , the scales are down then they are up .so only once a week now .x

KNarrainen

The logic is because your weight should be tracked as a trend.
Yes you might see some upturns even weighing once a week, but daily it's inevitable.
Keep a track by all means but be prepared for some jumps up but the key thing is how your weight graph looks over a long period, so daily tracking in that way is of little importance.

mariposa224

I started recording weekly quite a while back. Consistently, Saturday mornings, after bathroom, before eating/drinking. I chose Saturday because, according to trends I had seen in my weight fluctuations, that's the day I tend to weigh the least. But I will record on Saturdays whether it goes up or down (I'm in maintenance). The reason that I do this, and tend to recommend it, is because our weights DO fluctuate so much daily, I've seen so many people get disheartened because of those fluctuations. You can generally get a better view of the way your weight is trending if you record once per week (or probably even if you do it every two weeks/month, etc). I actually do weigh myself most days, but only record it on Saturdays.

HerBravado

I weigh once a week, but I don't take the reading seriously until about every 4 weeks--that's when I log it. If I weighed myself everyday, I'd be too hard on myself for gaining, or losing just for it to be back by lunchtime tomorrow.

I also learned not to hold myself strictly accountable by a scale--measuring inches is way more reliable in my case.

AliceNov2011

I weigh everyday, 1st thing in the morning, and record it. It helps me recognize the foods/behaviors that have impact, especially since I calorie cycle. Once I reach my goal and get into maintenance, my plan is the switch to weekly.

Like most things in life -- whatever works for you...

annemcharles

I choose to weighdaily...I was recording it daily too. But then the fluctuations, when I recorded, did bug me so now I record once a week. Generally my weight only fluctuates a half a pound so I don't worry about it (I might see a two pound gain if I had a high sodium meal...but I totally expect that temporary weight gain). The thing I like about weighing in daily is that if I do see an increase, I am more focused on sticking with my healhty eating plan that day. If I wait a week, I can gain some serious weight that won't be considered fluctuations! So if you aren't getting frustrated by the slight daily fluctations then I would weigh daily - it can help keep you on track!

emacb123

If I weigh once a week...what if THAT'S the day it fluctuated in the wrong direction and now I think I've gained weight when maybe I haven't...

Just curious as to the logic behind this...

Yeah, I've thought of this too. So here is what I do (which is seriously neurotic)

I weigh every morning and keep a spreadsheet of daily weight. At the end of each week I take the highest and lowest weights and record that range in a separate column on the spreadsheet. This way I can see trends while factoring in daily fluctuations.

For MFP I record Friday's weight and every other Friday I measure.

I said it was neurotic, didn't I?

rebeccab575

Do what ever you need to do to stay motivated, as long as it doesn't become obsessive. If you can control your mind when you see #'s go up a pound or 2, then weigh daily. I'm weighing in about 3-4 times a week. Some days I just don't want to step on the scale, and other days I can't wait to wake up and see where I'm at. I have a long journey, and I need to lose a lot more weight, so its important I stay on track. Like you, once a week doesn't cut it for me.
**As long as you feel good and its getting you to your goal - do what you need to do for your own well being**

stephdeeable

It makes sense to me if it stops at least a few of these posts a day "Haaaaaaaaaalp me, I gained 9 pounds overnight. Why can't I lose weight??! I'm just going to quit! Haaalp! Call an ambulance!"

now_or_never13

If you are ok with seeing the changes day to day than daily weighing is ok.

The issue is for those on here who weight daily and expect the scale to go down each day. They see a gain and freak out... come post on here about how they are so discouraged and they didn't overeat but they are gonna binge now because they gained two lbs and they are gonna give up because they just cannot lose weight. Those are the ones who should not be weighing everyday.

If you are ok with the changes, weigh more often. Some people do so they know their body better by how their weight changes. For some, daily weighing can ruin any progress.

714rah714

I started recording weekly quite a while back. Consistently, Saturday mornings, after bathroom, before eating/drinking. I chose Saturday because, according to trends I had seen in my weight fluctuations, that's the day I tend to weigh the least. But I will record on Saturdays whether it goes up or down (I'm in maintenance). The reason that I do this, and tend to recommend it, is because our weights DO fluctuate so much daily, I've seen so many people get disheartened because of those fluctuations. You can generally get a better view of the way your weight is trending if you record once per week (or probably even if you do it every two weeks/month, etc). I actually do weigh myself most days, but only record it on Saturdays.

Sounds quite logical

FlannelMothman

I weigh everyday for two reasons: 1) it keeps accountable, 2) I'm on certain meds that have potential to cause weight gain, so I like to keep a close eye on that. I really think its all a matter of personal preference.

I like to weigh in every day for the same reasons - If I don't see a "gain" I might lose motivation. Seeing an 8oz gain one morning might make me push a little harder during my run, whereas if I see a 2oz loss, let's say, I might not challenge myself as much. And weighing in once a week doesn't work for me - I'm too curious! I'll weigh in several times a day just to see how my body works with food and stuff. "I had nothing but veggies all day, let's see what I'm at. Oh, neat."

Or "I've had like 3 gallons of water. I wonder what my water % is at?"
It's all a little game with me, and that's what keeps me interested in continuing to lose more... And I'm down almost 45lbs, so I'm going to stick with what works.

Nissi51

I weigh every 12 weeks or not at all....

FinallyDoingMe

I weigh myself at the same time every day but only record it once a week. I like to see the fluctuations and it keeps me on track.
I guess it's personal preference.

Guamybear

I weight every day...to impatient for once a week.

JanaCanada

I say, weigh in once a year. Oh wait, nevermind...that might be the day I gain. :laugh: