DO or DON'T Weight Yourself Everyday??

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Lind5ay90
Lind5ay90 Posts: 376 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I tend to weigh myself almost everymorning...and I see a pattern of down 2 pounds one morning, up .8 pounds the next, down 2 pounds, up 1.8 pounds, etc. I'm assuming that this is bloat and salt, so I'm wondering what the best time of day to weigh yourself is and how often you are supposed to?
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Replies

  • Inaya2002
    Inaya2002 Posts: 4
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    ONCE A WEEK
  • cherio256
    cherio256 Posts: 219
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    I think weekly is best. I go to my grocery store and weigh myself once (maybe twice) a week. Then I decided to get my own scale. Bad idea! I want to weigh myself 10 times a day and for some reason the scale I have says the same thing every time when the other scale I use says I'm losing weight!
  • HotAshMess
    HotAshMess Posts: 382 Member
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    I "officially" weigh myself once a week (but I do hop on occasionally during the week). Sunday mornings I get up and I don't do anything until after I use the bathroom and...well, clear out the waste. Then I weigh in.
  • ccourtem1
    ccourtem1 Posts: 2
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    I try to stay away from the scale because I get consumed with "did I lose anything yet?". Then when I dont I almost want to just give up. Instead I opted to see if my clothes start to fit a little better, maybe if and when that happens I'll jump on the scale to see.
  • Elegra2006
    Elegra2006 Posts: 144 Member
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    You'll get lots of different answers but I weigh myself every day so that I can see the trend, I don't get hung up on if I'm up 3lbs one day and down 2lbs the next, it's the overall pattern that I like to be aware of.

    If I only weigh myself once a week then I find that I have no idea about the overall trend ie, I don't know if I was weighing myself on a 'heavy' day or a 'light' day.

    This is what works for me.
  • RisOnTheRun
    RisOnTheRun Posts: 624 Member
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    I tend to weigh myself almost everymorning...and I see a pattern of down 2 pounds one morning, up .8 pounds the next, down 2 pounds, up 1.8 pounds, etc. I'm assuming that this is bloat and salt, so I'm wondering what the best time of day to weigh yourself is and how often you are supposed to?

    I also weigh myself every day because it helps me learn what causes the fluctuations. I don't freak out when I'm up due to bloat or start cheering if I'm down due to dehydration--I've learned to recognize what true gain and loss looks like. If you're okay with the fluctuations I think it's helpful (and informative) to weigh every day, but I know a lot of people drive themselves crazy with the ups and downs so they weigh once a week. There's no right answer for everyone. As for time of day, I think that first thing in the morning is the best--your weight is least likely to be affected by food or water in your stomach.
  • popsicklestar
    popsicklestar Posts: 166 Member
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    I like to weigh myself every morning before I eat. I think the morning is the best time since there are fewer factors that will alter it right when you wake up. I know some of the fluctuations are due to water weight changes.

    You have to do whatever works for you. Some people find it discouraging to weigh themselves everyday or get too upset by the water weight fluctuations, but it helps me stay on track. I also log my weight everyday, so I can see my patterns and weight loss progress. I tend to gain weight when I don't weigh myself because I don't realize I'm gaining until it's too late.
  • DandelionCupcakes
    DandelionCupcakes Posts: 234 Member
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    Every day, several times a day. Not because I'm obsessed,but because knowing that the number I see on the scale changes every hour or two depending on SO man different things makes me feel better.
    Yesterday I 'gained' 8 pounds. If I hadn't weighed myself a few hours before and seen a number I was more comfortable with, I probably would've had a heart attack

    But then I decided to be reasonable. I said "HM, I woke up around 180 pounds, why would I be falling asleep at 188? Did I eat that many calories? Most certainly not! So if I wake up tomorrow at 186 I can probably continue to be calm!"

    I record whenever I see a loss, usually once a week :]
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    I weighed myself once a week when I was losing. Now that i am not actively trying to lose weight -- maybe once a month.

    There are a lot of problems that can arise when you weigh everyday -- most obviously you get down when you have a gain -- but also, when you do see a loss, I know personally I sometimes felt like "oh, I was down 2 pounds this morning I can have some extra xyz". It was self defeating on all levels. So I started weighing myself every Thursday morning. Now, it's the 1st of every month.
  • tenajh
    tenajh Posts: 208 Member
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    I get on daily because of my inflammatory process that kicks up or in with over doing it, heart is not in great shape ,so if I put on 5# in a day, I need to scale back on my workouts. Otherwise I would only go by how I fit into my clothes and not get on it at all : ) btw, my wt is 123 so adding 5 # at that wt is more of a consequence of inflammation or chemical imbalance than if I was 173, which is where I started out a yr ago
  • FireEngineRedHead
    FireEngineRedHead Posts: 281 Member
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    Every day, several times a day. Not because I'm obsessed,but because knowing that the number I see on the scale changes every hour or two depending on SO man different things makes me feel better.
    Yesterday I 'gained' 8 pounds. If I hadn't weighed myself a few hours before and seen a number I was more comfortable with, I probably would've had a heart attack

    But then I decided to be reasonable. I said "HM, I woke up around 180 pounds, why would I be falling asleep at 188? Did I eat that many calories? Most certainly not! So if I wake up tomorrow at 186 I can probably continue to be calm!"

    I record whenever I see a loss, usually once a week :]

    Exact same thing. Weigh like crazy, record whenever you drop below your previous lowest.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I weigh every day, and record it every day. First thing in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating anything. Do what works for you. If you're prone to feeling anxious or discouraged when you see daily fluctuations, then weighing every day might not be for you. I personally don't find weekly weighing that useful as you can't tell what's a fluctuation due to water retention etc and what might be a fat gain/loss. If you go up 5 lbs overnight, you can be pretty sure that's a fluctuation.
  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
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    I also weigh daily but also to learn from it and see what is causing the gains, so I get to know my body better and I learn what I can and can't do for the best possible results. I found out that eating 1/3 bag of M&Ms at night do not cause weight gain, I've actually lost 1 lbs the next day after doing this, twice!! So I know not to feel guilty when I feel like it again :) Same goes for cake!
  • sarah12277
    sarah12277 Posts: 212 Member
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    If the weight fluctuations won't affect your mood for the day or attitude about your plan and you understand that your weight will fluctuate through the whole week, I don't see anything wrong with daily weighing every morning to see those fluctuations.

    Use one day and the same every week for an "official" weight.

    If you don't want to see the science of your body with it's fluctuations or it will make you feel bad - once a week at the same time is fine.

    I weight myself daily and chart it on a calendar at home so I can see the trends. I understand my own fluctuations though. I had taken one week to chart it and logged it after eating, bathroom visits, etc just to understand how I worked. After that I just do it in the morning. Most weeks I have at least 2 lbs difference between the days (a 3-5lb difference within the day), if not more, but those aren't gains it's just my normal fluctuation. I "officially" weigh on Friday as that's my lightest.

    Everyone is different but you have to understand how it affects you to make that decision on what's best.
  • Lind5ay90
    Lind5ay90 Posts: 376 Member
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    I think I'm going to try to wittle down to weighing once per week. While the fluctuations don't "ruin" my day, I can see how it might make it hard for me to stay motivated.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I weigh myself daily because I enjoy the learning process. If the number on the scale is causing you stress, then don't. But if you can view it objectively, then it's interesting to learn. As far as time of day, first thing in the morning is best.
  • DopeyDudleyDursley
    DopeyDudleyDursley Posts: 155
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    I would say once a week or at least make sure you weigh yourself at the same time every day, such as right when you wake up. I personally weigh in about once every 10 days, but that is just because I am slightly OCD and I used to weigh myself all the time and wonder why my weight fluctuated so much. This was until I realized that some individuals (myself included) can differ by approximately 4-5 pounds a day alone. :)
  • Kevintron2
    Kevintron2 Posts: 101 Member
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    I weigh myself first thing every morning right after I get up from bed.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    It's really a matter of opinion. It all depends on whether not the fluctuations will bother you. I weigh daily, but I got used to seeing weight fluctuations last year when I used wii fit daily.
  • Shellbug75
    Shellbug75 Posts: 74 Member
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    I am one of those who weigh myself everyday, but only count it once a week. I like to see where I am personally. Some days I gain quite a bit, other days I lose. I do this because I like to think about what I ate the day before and how it affects my weight.

    I have always heard the best time to weigh yourself is in the morning after you use the bathroom. That is when I weigh myself.

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