My case for weighing yourself every day.

martywilcox · November 2012

I have often heard that you shouldn't weigh yourself every day because your weight will fluctuate and you may be discouraged. Well if you weigh in once a week and that happens to be the day you fluctuate up, tell me that is not discouraging having no weight loss in a week.

Ok getting to my point, I weigh in every day and today just happened to be a new low and that is encouraging. If I am up a pound tomorrow big whoop, I am fluctuating but if I reach another new low in a few days or a week from now, hey that shows real progress and makes me want to hit another new low. Maybe it's a case of "whatever works for you" but to me it just makes more sense of tracking real progress.

Thx,
Marty

martywilcox · November 2012

Oops probably in the wrong section sorry. I haven't really had enough success yet

Scottish_charlene_84 · November 2012

Yip i weigh in eveyday coz i was fed up having such a good week then getting to weigh day and being in tears. now i know it goes up and down and weighing everyday helps me see every step

lizblizz2012 · November 2012

I weigh myself about 5 times a day so that I get a feel for which parts of the day I am the heaviest/lightest. Also just because I like seeing my numbers go down! And like you, I get excited when I hit that new low! Of course I don't weigh in every day on MFP... usually every week or so, or whenever I have gone down a full pound. I agree with your thinking! It really is the best way to monitor your weight.

bamadwl · November 2012

I do weigh every day because I like to pattern the ways my body reacts to different work out regiments and different types of foods I'm eating. Some might say I'm obsessed, but I've lost around 145 lbs doing it this way thus far,

drkatiebug · November 2012

I weigh every day as well. It helps with awareness of the correlation between what I eat and water retention.

MemphisKitten · November 2012

Sometimes being up a pound or two is a "trigger" for people with eating disorders. And those of us who have issues like that tend to become obsessed with the scale; once a day weighing becomes two, three, four, five times a day weighing and then starts to become a problem. We just don't want people to develop obsession with the scale because it can ruin lives. But if weighing once a day helps you stay on track and isn't a problem, then it's okay to do so.

rieann84 · November 2012

i also weigh every day, in the morning. sometimes i'll weigh in later at night just out of curiousity. keeps me accountable and won't let me get too far gone before i do something about it.

maricash · November 2012

I completely agree. I also think it's important to record your weight. If you record it and graph it you will see that even though your weight goes up and down all the time, the trend will be obvious whether you are losing/gaining/maintaining. If everyone did it this way it might cut down on a lot of the "I lost/gained blank pounds in 1 week/day/night" posts too.

mcpjan · November 2012

I weigh in everyday too. I do it at the same time everyday. I can see days that I do well and days that I am retaining water. I find it very encouraging when I reach a new low. Yes, today is a new low tomorrow I might be up a little tomorrow, but in a few days I will have a new low. By watching my weight daily it helps keep me on track.

sarahg148 · November 2012

There are pros and cons for weighing in everyday, once a week, once a month or once a year. I think it really depends upon the individual. There is no right or wrong.

Have a great weekend!!!

auroranflash · November 2012

I used to be a defender for weighing every day, saying "as long as you don't take the fluctuations personally, it's no big deal". I'd even weigh multiple times a day, just to "see the difference".

Then I realized that no matter how hard you try, that number may slightly tweak your mood and affect you for the rest of the day if that's how you start your day off. And that number is dependant on so many things that could be going on in your body, it's not fair to you to have that set the tone for your day.

I've "lost" 8lbs overnight from being dehydrated. I've "gained" 8lbs in a day because of ..... something. All of it is arbitrary when it comes to your actual health and body fat %, which is what you're aiming to reduce - not your body's actual weight, but the chubber.

So it's much more logical and kind to your psyche to just weigh once a week or even once a month on the same day, under the same conditions (in the morning, no clothes, after the potty) and watch the trend, rather than nitpick at the details.

Say you were actually logging this weight every day.... your graph would look like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I'd rather have a long linear downslope. It's much more encouraging, and it takes away a lot of the stress and perfectionistic thinking.

Apazman · November 2012

I map my daily weight on a calendar (Dry-erase). Write it in green if its lower than the day before, red if its more than the day before and purple if its an all-time low. When I start stacking green days during the week, I try harder and harder each day .. because it will lead to that really special purple day! and nothing feels better than a new all time low!.

MaudeBeige · November 2012

I weighed myself twice a day every day for months and then tracked it on an Excel spreadsheet with maximum and minimum trend lines... Over the top?! It worked for me!!! The thought of ups and downs didn't worry me because I knew that the general trend was down.

TheNEWMonicaB · November 2012

I weigh and log every morning too! I wouldn't do it any other way.

Bentley2718 · November 2012

I weigh every day as well. It helps with awareness of the correlation between what I eat and water retention.

This is mostly what you're tracking if you weigh yourself daily--although water retention can be influenced by factors other than what you eat (such as exercise). I think this is a matter of whatever works for you. If you find weighing yourself daily useful, and do not become obsessive about it, or let fluctuations freak you out, go ahead and do it. Other people find it works best to weigh themselves less often, and some people opt not to weigh at all, but to use how their clothing fits as a guide. Whatever works for you as long as it's actually working for you (i.e. you're not just ignoring a problem).

fizzletto · November 2012

I agree that weighing every day can help. It's important to keep track of which days you fluctuate up and down, and then once you know which days you tend to fluctuate, go back to weighing once a week or whatever, on your low days.

For example, I used to I weigh myself every Thursday. I never really saw any progress from week to week, sometimes my weight would even go up. And then suddenly I'd drop 4lbs in one go. Once I started weighing on Sundays instead of Thursdays, I found a much steadier progression each week.

nbischoff15 · November 2012

Yep - I am a 'weigh every day' person, too.

In the morning before getting dressed.
I do understand the 'obsession with weighing' comment - but think that for a lot of people, weighing every day isn't a bad thing - as long as you do understand that you may fluctuate some from one day to the next.

wahmx3 · November 2012

Exactly why I weigh daily! I would hate to miss seeing the new low weight!

I have often heard that you shouldn't weigh yourself every day because your weight will fluctuate and you may be discouraged. Well if you weigh in once a week and that happens to be the day you fluctuate up, tell me that is not discouraging having no weight loss in a week.

Ok getting to my point, I weigh in every day and today just happened to be a new low and that is encouraging. If I am up a pound tomorrow big whoop, I am fluctuating but if I reach another new low in a few days or a week from now, hey that shows real progress and makes me want to hit another new low. Maybe it's a case of "whatever works for you" but to me it just makes more sense of tracking real progress.

Thx,
Marty

Bentley2718 · November 2012

I used to be a defender for weighing every day, saying "as long as you don't take the fluctuations personally, it's no big deal". I'd even weigh multiple times a day, just to "see the difference".

Then I realized that no matter how hard you try, that number may slightly tweak your mood and affect you for the rest of the day if that's how you start your day off. And that number is dependant on so many things that could be going on in your body, it's not fair to you to have that set the tone for your day.

I've "lost" 8lbs overnight from being dehydrated. I've "gained" 8lbs in a day because of ..... something. All of it is arbitrary when it comes to your actual health and body fat %, which is what you're aiming to reduce - not your body's actual weight, but the chubber.

So it's much more logical and kind to your psyche to just weigh once a week or even once a month on the same day, under the same conditions (in the morning, no clothes, after the potty) and watch the trend, rather than nitpick at the details.

Say you were actually logging this weight every day.... your graph would look like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I'd rather have a long linear downslope. It's much more encouraging, and it takes away a lot of the stress and perfectionistic thinking.

Very well put!

digitalyssa · November 2012

I weigh daily, but only log weekly.

DiscipleN2k · November 2012

I like to weigh in everyday, but I'm a data nerd. I love adding plot points to my progress chart! If my morning weigh-in is higher than I expect, then I just assume I'm probably still carrying a bit more of the previous night's dinner with me than usual and the next few days should average out to my true weight. At the end of the week, it's not the individual data points that matter, it's the overall trend.

This, however, drives my wife NUTS! It's pretty distressing for her to see her weight jump up two pounds from one weigh-in to the next. She can rationalized it and see that there are likely good reasons why one weigh-in was especially low while the next was especially high, but it still bothers her enough to disrupt her progress. For her, a once or twice a week schedule works way better.

It's definitely one of those things that just requires each person to find what works for them and stick with it!

LATeagno · November 2012

I always weigh daily! This lifestyle change is all about routine to me. I know my weight will fluctuate, but I like having my morning weigh-in as a routine. It helps me stay on track.

That said, I don't log my weight daily. My rule is I only log losses. If I gain, a gain has to appear for three consecutive days (weigh-ins) and then I'll log the gain.

It keeps me going and it works for me. Since this is all about YOU, always do what works for you!

angiechimpanzee · November 2012

I used to be a defender for weighing every day, saying "as long as you don't take the fluctuations personally, it's no big deal". I'd even weigh multiple times a day, just to "see the difference".

Then I realized that no matter how hard you try, that number may slightly tweak your mood and affect you for the rest of the day if that's how you start your day off. And that number is dependant on so many things that could be going on in your body, it's not fair to you to have that set the tone for your day.

I've "lost" 8lbs overnight from being dehydrated. I've "gained" 8lbs in a day because of ..... something. All of it is arbitrary when it comes to your actual health and body fat %, which is what you're aiming to reduce - not your body's actual weight, but the chubber.

So it's much more logical and kind to your psyche to just weigh once a week or even once a month on the same day, under the same conditions (in the morning, no clothes, after the potty) and watch the trend, rather than nitpick at the details.

Say you were actually logging this weight every day.... your graph would look like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I'd rather have a long linear downslope. It's much more encouraging, and it takes away a lot of the stress and perfectionistic thinking.

This is the exact same reason why I stopped weighing daily. I'd see the same number, or a bigger number, for days in a row and even though I'd try to tell myself "it's okay, you're just retaining water because of x reason", or "its just the weight of the food still in your digestive system" I still felt a certain way after seeing a number I didn't want to see. I hated that a number set the tone for my day, regardless of how well I've been doing.

At the same time, though, I suppose the same thing could happen from week to week. And in that case it would be even more disappointing. I guess with weighing daily, you can see how low you possibly get. And you can see that the up & downs from day to day over time create a downward trend, so I suppose those could calm one's obsession. Sigh, honestly I have no clue which one is better.

maricash · November 2012

I used to be a defender for weighing every day, saying "as long as you don't take the fluctuations personally, it's no big deal". I'd even weigh multiple times a day, just to "see the difference".

Then I realized that no matter how hard you try, that number may slightly tweak your mood and affect you for the rest of the day if that's how you start your day off. And that number is dependant on so many things that could be going on in your body, it's not fair to you to have that set the tone for your day.

I've "lost" 8lbs overnight from being dehydrated. I've "gained" 8lbs in a day because of ..... something. All of it is arbitrary when it comes to your actual health and body fat %, which is what you're aiming to reduce - not your body's actual weight, but the chubber.

So it's much more logical and kind to your psyche to just weigh once a week or even once a month on the same day, under the same conditions (in the morning, no clothes, after the potty) and watch the trend, rather than nitpick at the details.

Say you were actually logging this weight every day.... your graph would look like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I'd rather have a long linear downslope. It's much more encouraging, and it takes away a lot of the stress and perfectionistic thinking.

I've found it much easier on my psyche to weigh every day. When I used to do it less often, I'd be so discouraged if I didn't see a big loss. It made it feel like a test that I needed to pass and I felt hopeless if I didn't pass it. It never even occurred to me that my "failure" might have just been because I ate salty food the night before.

I don't log my weight every day on MFP. You're right that it would make the progress graph all over the place. But, I do log it every day in Excel and add a trendline. When I get discouraged, I look at the trendline (still steadily downward) or I look back at another day in which my weight was way up and remember that it's usually followed by a drop to a new low. I only record the new lows on MFP.

I think people should weigh as often as works for them, but I think a lot of people would benefit from daily weigh ins if they gave them a try.

gauchogirl · November 2012

I used to be a defender for weighing every day, saying "as long as you don't take the fluctuations personally, it's no big deal". I'd even weigh multiple times a day, just to "see the difference".

Then I realized that no matter how hard you try, that number may slightly tweak your mood and affect you for the rest of the day if that's how you start your day off. And that number is dependant on so many things that could be going on in your body, it's not fair to you to have that set the tone for your day.

I've "lost" 8lbs overnight from being dehydrated. I've "gained" 8lbs in a day because of ..... something. All of it is arbitrary when it comes to your actual health and body fat %, which is what you're aiming to reduce - not your body's actual weight, but the chubber.

So it's much more logical and kind to your psyche to just weigh once a week or even once a month on the same day, under the same conditions (in the morning, no clothes, after the potty) and watch the trend, rather than nitpick at the details.

Say you were actually logging this weight every day.... your graph would look like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

I'd rather have a long linear downslope. It's much more encouraging, and it takes away a lot of the stress and perfectionistic thinking.

GREAT answer! And I keep two graphs, one looks like /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ and one I only enter the new low so it's linear. always going down. (And, LOL, I actually have a third, which rounds the number into the closest 2.5 lb increment so it doesn't fluctuate as much if I'm still in the general ballpark...) And I was/am an everyday weigher, until I started noticing problems. Like you mention, every change affects my mood and I thought it was pretty crappy of me to start my day with an artificially (and arbitrarily)-induced mood. So I am working towards once a week weigh-ins, but I'm not there yet.

beachlover317 · November 2012

This is why my scale now resides in the very back of the linen closet. I have not weighed in 3 weeks. I will not weigh again until 01-01-13. I am seeing great losses of inches from lifting heavy - but not a lot of pounds. I want to abolish the mindset that the scale is the be all. It's just too discouraging. :sad:

I used to weigh once a week, then it became every day, and finally several times a day. I have had enough. Nobody sees the number on the scale, but everybody notices when you lose inches! :noway:

Just me

Katla49 · November 2012

I weigh myself about 5 times a day so that I get a feel for which parts of the day I am the heaviest/lightest. Also just because I like seeing my numbers go down! And like you, I get excited when I hit that new low! Of course I don't weigh in every day on MFP... usually every week or so, or whenever I have gone down a full pound. I agree with your thinking! It really is the best way to monitor your weight.

I am so curious about this. Did yo find a pattern? When are you heavy versus light? Or does it seem random?

photossandy11 · November 2012

I weigh myself every day and then I use www.trendweight.com to get the real picture.

KeltaRose · November 2012

I have a morning routine, and weighing myself is part of it. Regardless of whether I am up or down, I start my morning thinking about my weight and that is what I have to think about all day in order to be 100% conscious and in control of what I am eating and how much I exercise. I log it on MFP to keep track of it. This works for me.

lizblizz2012 · November 2012

I weigh myself about 5 times a day so that I get a feel for which parts of the day I am the heaviest/lightest. Also just because I like seeing my numbers go down! And like you, I get excited when I hit that new low! Of course I don't weigh in every day on MFP... usually every week or so, or whenever I have gone down a full pound. I agree with your thinking! It really is the best way to monitor your weight.

I am so curious about this. Did yo find a pattern? When are you heavy versus light? Or does it seem random?

I'm lightest at night. Almost as light in the morning. And in the middle of the day I'm obviously my heaviest because I'm eating. My weight fluctuates in a 2 lb range every day. This morning when I weighed myself I was 164.4. When I weighed myself at work I was165.2 and tonight when I weighed I was 163.6. It really does follow a pattern, though some days it's a little off. When I hit a new low that is a full pound from my last weigh in, I log it.

My case for weighing yourself every day.

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