To weigh or not to weigh...

chrystalah

Mid February I started back eating right & going to the gym, and I decided I wasn't going to weigh myself till the end of March... The thought was to let my efforts compound so I'd see results & not get discouraged. Of course I want to see the scale drop, but I'm more interested with being a smaller size than a certain number on the scale. Before getting serious about getting healthy I'd weigh myself about 1/wk & of course the scale never changed, in the right direction... So my question is, how often should I weigh myself & do my measurements?

mudonthetires856

This is entirely up to you & depends on your personality.
I weigh myself everyday, but I like to see those fluctuations. I like figuring out that my muscles retain water to repair themselves & I weigh more. I like seeing that a high sodium day can affect the number on the scale. I don't get discouraged because I see a downwards trend. Starting a new workout routine stalls my weight loss, but I still see results in the mirror.

Some people get discouraged easily and weighing themselves all the time just leads to feeling let down and giving up. I'm too stubborn for all that. If you get discouraged easily, I would say it would be good to take monthly pictures and measurements. You'll see the change much easier that way.

eowynmn

It's up to you, but if you have 136 lbs to lose, you will see the difference, and how much more devastating would it be to go 1-2 months and then realize you lost nothing? so I think it's safe to weigh, you just need to get into the right mindset and understand that tom and sodium levels, weight lifting and bowel movements, etc can all affect your weight. It's more about the trend and helping yourself evaluate if you had an effective week or not. I do weigh every day, but I only take my Wed morning weights seriously and put them in. Like today I was up 1.5 lbs from yesterday well I had pizza last night (first in two months) and I know I'm retaining water, so it doesn't bother me. We don't have to be dependent on the scale, but it's a useful tool.

Either way, definitely take your measurements!

mummyzena

I used to be a daily weigher. This time as ive included strength training and cardio after the 1st week, ive asked the other half to hide the scales so i can only weigh once a month because i know i'll get narked with the initial water retention. It's strange not weighing but it's getting easier.xx

JennNH12

I like to check in with the scale and the measurments once a week. I do not want to wait any longer than that. What if I have an area where the results of my hard work are not working? I would want to know as soon as I could. In all honesty, youre right about the measurments being the true measure of your work. I have been doing all sorts of activities to "loose weight" LOL LOL. Turns out I am not loosing weight to fast...but I am loosing inches at a rapid pace. So, it seems like a persnal decision to me. I like the once a week thing.

workinprogress1533

I'm the type of person who can't step on that scale on a regular basis. Seeing the fluctuations on the scale aggravates me and discourages me. So I will either give up or go to an extreme and lower my calorie intake. I become obsessive and it's not good.
So I don't even keep a scale in the house. I use the one at my mom's when I go to her house. Which is about once every 2 weeks. Sometimes once a week. I like going for longer periods of time without weighing myself because when I do weigh, I like for the number to be significantly lower than the last time. It's my motivation.
It also helps me a lot during the week. I will think...I want that number to be lower so I really don't want to eat this candy.....
So yes, it is very much a personal preference. You do whatever works for you!

Katetw

At most, once a week. At the least, never. Do what works for you mentally. As long as you are feeling better, your clothes fitting better, you feel stronger, etc you will know what you are doing is working.

mfpcopine

I usually weigh myself two to four times a week. Now, while trying an Intermittent Fasting program, I try to weigh every day. As others have said, I know that there will be fluctuations, but I also like the feedback and opportunity to respond sooner rather than later.

I suspect a lot of people got into trouble in the first place because they didn't weigh themselves.