Which weight to record?

trentwiggly
trentwiggly Posts: 74 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was retaining water last night and so my weight was up a little, no surprise...after I worked out I thought I'd weigh again and I was down 1.3 lbs! So. Do I record the "first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom" or "right after working out"?

Replies

  • melindasuefritz
    melindasuefritz Posts: 3,509 Member
    morning aftyer u pee
    u record your weight once a week in the morning
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    I record whatever is lowest
  • skparker2
    skparker2 Posts: 132
    After you go to the restroom, do your thing, BEFORE YOU EAT BREAKFAST and after waking up, weigh yourself. Your weight can inflate up to 5 pounds or more throughout the day otherwise. Hope this helps.
  • Textmessage
    Textmessage Posts: 387 Member
    Edit: Agree with everyone above.
  • Aleta7
    Aleta7 Posts: 92
    Personally, I record once a week at the very end of the day. This way I figure I am at my heaviest so any loss is permanent. Unless, I binge or over eat. :flowerforyou:
  • lee91356
    lee91356 Posts: 330 Member
    my weight also goes down after working out, but since weight fluctuates throughout the day, i also would go with the first thing in the morning after the pee.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    Good or bad, ALWAYS first thing in the morning after a pee here. It's the only consistent weight you are going to get all day IMO.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    I don't record post-workout weight, because I know I'm dehydrated from sweating. Plus, not every workout is the same, and not every day is equally hot, so the amount of sweat I lose is going to differ significantly. I prefer to weigh first thing in the morning--there are still going to be variables, but I don't think they'll be as extreme as the ones based on how much I exercised and how hot it was.

    But if you do roughly the same workout all the time, and, say, always do it indoors or live where the weather doesn't change much, I'd say go for it if it works for you. As long as each weigh-in happens under similar conditions, you should be able to track losses pretty well.
  • cschiff
    cschiff Posts: 209 Member
    hah sometimes i weigh MORE after a workout because i drink SO MUCH WATER.

    i definitely agree with everyone else about first thing in the morning after taking care of..erm..bodily need and before feeding.
  • trentwiggly
    trentwiggly Posts: 74 Member
    Okay, I see your points. I'll stick with the bloated, first thing in the morning because my weight loss will be more dramatic when I next weigh. Thanks!
  • Live4theLift
    Live4theLift Posts: 329
    Get a schedule going. I weigh myself every other day in the am after i wake up so i can compare my weight to the same variables. If i weigh myself at night i weigh more. Get in a schedule so you can compare you weight with a little more accuracy.
  • nobbta
    nobbta Posts: 21 Member
    Wake
    Wee
    Weight

    Works for me!
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    Personally, I don't worry about which number to record. As long as the overall trend is down, I don't care. I weigh on a few different scales (at the doctor, at the gym for the personal trainer, at home sometimes), and I hit a new loss on the gym scale today, but I didn't record it because I only go by what the doctor scale says.
  • iquiltoo
    iquiltoo Posts: 246 Member
    As long as you're consistent, same time, same scale. I don't have a working scale at home (cat's static electricity kept turning it on when she rolled at my feet in the bathroom, and killed the battery! Haven't bothered to replace it) so I weigh after breakfast at the gym before I do my exercise. With my shoes on too, because as long as I always do that, it will be taken into account. I know I probably weigh a pound or two less than the scale says, but I am not that picky - I have bad arches and I'd rather keep the shoes on! I do always have the same thing for breakfast, and use the facilities at the gym before weighing, so it's all consistent.
  • FussBucket
    FussBucket Posts: 29
    1. Record your morning weight after you empty your baldder and your belly.Follow that weight daily or weekly to track your weight loss.


    2. Do you drink water when you workout? Because the difference between your morning weight and your weight, after exercise, is how much water you lost sweating.....
  • FussBucket
    FussBucket Posts: 29
    As long as you're consistent, same time, same scale. I don't have a working scale at home (cat's static electricity kept turning it on when she rolled at my feet in the bathroom, and killed the battery! Haven't bothered to replace it) so I weigh after breakfast at the gym before I do my exercise. With my shoes on too, because as long as I always do that, it will be taken into account. I know I probably weigh a pound or two less than the scale says, but I am not that picky - I have bad arches and I'd rather keep the shoes on! I do always have the same thing for breakfast, and use the facilities at the gym before weighing, so it's all consistent.

    Exactly. Well said.
  • brent_woods
    brent_woods Posts: 32
    Don't weigh yourself every day or you'll just drive yourself nuts. Once or twice a week is fine, but make sure it's about the same time every day. Weight loss is not linear and does fluctuate due to water retention, sodium, urination, etc.

    One other suggestion is to measure percent body fat, as opposed to weight alone, since you'll probably put on some muscle mass through resistance training. The simplest way is to take measurements and use the US Navy method:
    http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-the-US-Navy-Method
  • affacat
    affacat Posts: 216 Member
    Okay, I see your points. I'll stick with the bloated, first thing in the morning because my weight loss will be more dramatic when I next weigh. Thanks!

    maybe it's just different bodies, but i'm never bloated in the morning. i lose a couple pounds at night, and after the morning pee i'm generally at my 'good' weight for the day. my post workout weight is usually about the same, despite being post-breakfast and drinking 64-75 ounces of water (sweated out). my late night before i go to bed is generally the heaviest.

    but my wife yells at me for weighing myself so much, and wishes i only weighed in once a week in the morning. she's right, but yea, not gonna happen.
  • trentwiggly
    trentwiggly Posts: 74 Member
    Don't weigh yourself every day or you'll just drive yourself nuts. Once or twice a week is fine, but make sure it's about the same time every day. Weight loss is not linear and does fluctuate due to water retention, sodium, urination, etc.

    One other suggestion is to measure percent body fat, as opposed to weight alone, since you'll probably put on some muscle mass through resistance training. The simplest way is to take measurements and use the US Navy method:
    http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Body-Fat-Using-the-US-Navy-Method

    OOO Thanks for the website! I do weigh every day because I like the self torture ;) But I have one of those devilish digital scales that SUPPOSEDLY shows body fat %, which I totally ignore. This website will help get me a truer figure I hope.

Categories