When do you weigh, and why?

onebeer
onebeer Posts: 36
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all, just something I have been wondering about recently.

Since I started losing weight this time, I have always weighed myself post excersize. And I am weighing myself at least every couple of days. I feel in my head that this wrong due to those daily fluctuations we all have, however, I also feel it helps; After a 'good' day, I can see a small change, after a 'bad day/ weekend :) ), I can see the impact my eating/drinking has had, and it gives me a bit more resolve to work harder the next week. Apart from a blip about a month ago when I didnt seem to move, I am seeing a downward trend. Currently my post excersize weight has gone from 219.8, to this morning after blasting away on the cross trainer for an hour @ 189.8. My morning weight which is the one I record on here is 192.8.

I know that the advised thing is to weigh and do measurements once a week, but I feel that for me, thats too long...perhaps its just a control thing!

So, I know whatever works for you is right, but what do you do, and why?
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Replies

  • SimonLondon
    SimonLondon Posts: 350
    While I was losing the big amount of weight I would weigh myself once a week (It was great seeing 4lb drops!)

    Now I'm only 1lb away from my final goal I tend to weigh myself every day and my mesurements once a week. I'm so close I keep checking in case today is the day :laugh:

    Once I've hit it I'll probably check once a week but certainlly after any bad days to remind me why I call them bad :smile:
  • sandara
    sandara Posts: 830 Member
    When do I not weigh would be easier! lol I weigh all the time but I only log my Friday AM weights each week, good or bad. I know I shouldn't weigh all the time but just can't seem to stop.

    I measure once a month on the 1st.
  • Holton
    Holton Posts: 1,018
    When I started on January 4th through the month of March, I weighed myself once and only once a week (because losing weight takes time and I did NOT want to be focusing on each and every ounce, but rather on eating healthy and exercising), and that was always on a Monday morning around 5:30 am (sans clothes) because that is when I get up. I would record my weight on that weigh in on my bathroom mirror (using dry erase marker), so that I have visual everytime I am in there. And now enjoy looking at my mirror and seeing how far I have come! Since losing a bulk of my weight but still needing to lose more, in April, I started weighing more often, though I only recorded the Monday morning weight as my "official" weigh in to document progress. As I am maintenance mode currently, it is important for me to weigh every morning, to ensure that I am not gaining (my goal is to accept any 2-4 pound fluctuation as a normal possibility, but anything above that requires action - dropping calories, upping exercise!)
  • staps065
    staps065 Posts: 837 Member
    No more than once a week, first thing in the AM and in similar clothing each day' shorts, t-shirt, sneakers with pager and wallet. So the clothing doesn't have a factor. Works for me anyway! :)
  • catfan
    catfan Posts: 90 Member
    My official weigh in day is Friday. I actually weigh everyday just out of habit and to remind myself of the choices I made the days before. I picked Friday because normally on the weekends my husband is off so we go out to eat for one meal and I do not want to worry about my calorie intake for that meal. Also it gives me the whole week to work that meal off:) Hope this helps
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
    I weigh every Tuesday...this gives my body time to settle after any meals out or drinks at the weekend and ensures that I get the most accurate measurement.

    Also...I don't have a weighing scales in my home but use the ones at my mothers house. She works full time so I can't visit every day and (even though I have a key) this stops me weighing myself everyday.
  • selbyhutch
    selbyhutch Posts: 531 Member
    Friday mornings for me. Most often, a cheat meal will be during the weekend and I want a few days to balance that out. Plus Fri morning weigh-ins keep me focused for the weekend... I just think I don't want to blow all the good work for the week.
  • NewImprovedCnbethea1
    NewImprovedCnbethea1 Posts: 1,108
    I use to weigh myself daily I found that to be frustrating for me. I now weigh in every Monday. It helps keep me honest over the weekend. I use to also weigh in before and after my workouts I notice on days when I only did cardio I would be down a few ounces and on days when I did strength and cardio I may be up a few ounces so needles to say I stopped weighing in after workouts I didn't find that accurate for me!! As for my measurments I normally do those once a month unless I join a challenge that requires an accurate number and I will do them then. I feel those that use the scale daily for healthy reasons to keep them honest is not a bad thing especially at the maintenance stage I just know for me it was getting a little out of hand especially when I reached a plateau.
  • bethinagain
    bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
    I may be a little crazy, but I weigh myself every morning at the exact same time. Not "time" on the clock, but rather "time" meaning, after my coffee and bowel movement, but before my breakfast. And I always weigh myself with just undies on. This give me a true reading before I start consuming ounces of food in me and mistaking that as my weight.

    I keep a log sheet next to my scale. When I see the same weight for 3 days in a row than I can officially say that I lost that pound. For example: If I weigh 162 one day and the next day it says 161, I will log it on my paper but will not enter that pound lost on MFP until I see 161 on that scale for 3 days straight.
  • baxyboy
    baxyboy Posts: 70 Member
    At the moment I weigh myself every Saturday morning... but I am thinking of changing to Friday mornings instead as the time I wake up on a Saturday varies too much depending on how much of a lay in I allow myself, whereas Friday mornings I am always up at the same time to get ready for work (so it's going to be more of an accurate measure).
  • onebeer
    onebeer Posts: 36
    Thanks for those responses peeps, I was beginning to feel a little neurotic about it. I think at the moment it helps to 'see' the impact of my excersize and diet, and so long as kept in perspective ie. I know it will fluctuate, then I will continue.

    I also worked on the three mornings the same weight meaning that I've acheived that weight, so its good to know there are like minded thinkers out there.

    Hope you all enjoy your days!
  • Junisahn
    Junisahn Posts: 166 Member
    I may be a little crazy, but I weigh myself every morning at the exact same time. Not "time" on the clock, but rather "time" meaning, after my coffee and bowel movement, but before my breakfast. And I always weigh myself with just undies on. This give me a true reading before I start consuming ounces of food in me and mistaking that as my weight.

    This is exactly what I do, too. And on mornings that I get up at the crack of dawn to take a run, I weigh myself but never count it because usually I've had a pint or two of water and that REALLY ups the pounds.

    Which makes me wonder about those of you who weigh AFTER exercise - do you have any fluctuation issues with the water you drink to stay hydrated while exercising? Every pint is a pound on me!
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
    Every morning, after shower, before breakfast. At this point I'm pretty much on maintenance, so I'm just watching for the backslide.
  • princessorchid
    princessorchid Posts: 198 Member
    I weigh myself on Tuesday mornings, every week. I used to do WW and the weigh ins were on Tuesday evenings, so force of habit I suppose... ;-)
  • chandnikhondji
    chandnikhondji Posts: 136 Member
    I do it once a week, Tuesday before breakfast. Tuesday because i started on a tuesday and before breakfast because i like to weight myself without food in me that could make me heavier *lol*
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    First thing in the morning on Fridays & Mondays, before food, after I use the bathroom and naked. I've heard this is the most accurate way to weigh (not the specific day - I'll get to that) and definitely want the most accurate!! My highest weight was recorded RIGHT after I ate lunch so I'm not even sure if that was my highest weight but I still count it because I didn't weigh again until I had already been eating better & working out for 2 wks.

    I weigh on Fridays because I have my biggest calorie burn on Wednesday and try to eat VERY well during the week (also, weekends, but it's harder) so I want to know where I'm at BEFORE the weekend, and then also how I did over the weekend, so I weigh Mondays.
  • Soon2beskinny73
    Soon2beskinny73 Posts: 255 Member
    My weigh in day is on Saturday and I only weigh in once a week. I used to get on the scale everyday but seeing the scale go up and down all the time frustrated me to the point of quitting a few months back so when I started again I decided to only weigh in once a week.

    I weigh in first thing when I get up before I eat breakfast and weigh naked since this is the most accurate way. I used to be obsessive with the scale when I started on my journey and it would frustrate the heck out of me because I have such a long way to go and I couldn't see the finish line.

    I have kept the weigh ins to once a week and it has worked out well and the upside is I see a big loss most every week instead of seeing little drops here and there if I were to weigh in daily. Hope this helps!!
  • kirstyleed
    kirstyleed Posts: 9
    I weigh myself naked and in the morning (before coffee) and try to do it about 3 times a week. I also discount any weights my wiifit gives me because it had a fit once and told me i had put on 7lb in a day. The next day I had lost 7lb. I stopped talking to it for about 3 months!!
  • swilkie1961
    swilkie1961 Posts: 107 Member
    I get weighed at Jenny Craig every Wednesday evening. I don't eat dinner till after my weigh in. I am down to wearing same clothing, lightest one I have, so weight of my clothes don't get measured into any loss or gain I might have. Before JC, I used to weight myself nake after a good work out!
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    I weigh in every Monday right after I get out of bed and pee. You know you're lighter after you pee. HA!
    Mondays help me stay on track during the weeekends.
  • AbiLuV
    AbiLuV Posts: 47
    I weigh myself every morning before my shower. I know your not supposed to that much but knowing I'm going to weigh myself the next morning keeps me honest that night :wink:
  • inspiration78
    inspiration78 Posts: 22
    A trainer told me that it's best to weigh first thing in the morning and BEFORE a workout. She said something about your blood volume increasing after a workout or something like that which makes you weigh more (plus all the water you drink).

    I usually weigh myself once a day but do my official weigh in on Saturday mornings at 8am before my Zumba class. I just have a bad habit of weighing myself every morning right when I get up. I'm not sure why I do it though. Habit, I suppose.
  • txyogalover
    txyogalover Posts: 4 Member
    I really struggled when I weighed a couple times a week with the fluctuations. I really noticed a negative impact on my mind set. So I started the once a week, which I also struggled with if I saw no change. So I have now started only weighing every six weeks when I visit my rheumatologist. I found that really helped my emotional fitness state, cause i could see a significant change on a dr scale. As I get closer to my goal, I will probably go back to once a week.
  • sundinsgurl
    sundinsgurl Posts: 1,157 Member
    I used to weigh myself everyday, but I would become really upset if I gained weight - yet it is sooo easy for your weight to flucutate a lot in a day! Than I moved it to once a week.. but than if I did loose weight than I would be like oh its alrite to eat this... and this.. and this.. so now I've changed it to once a month - every month on the 6th now. THis way I have to keep working hard for an entire month before I can even check my results - and I see a larger number than 2 lbs... its a GREAT feeling :)

    and yes like everyone has said soon as I wake up.. after I go to the washroom.. and wearing the same clothes (shorts, t-shirt,).
  • sorellabella
    sorellabella Posts: 133 Member
    I weigh in once a week in the morning for my tracking purpose. I also weigh in on a whim when I feel like I have lost weight but try to fight that urge cuz I sometimes get disappointed. I have noticed that my clothes are fitting better so the fact for me is that I am excercising more and if the scale says I have gained I take it as a grain of salt. My clothes fit better and I feel better and that is what matters to me most to me.

    I would love for the scale to say I weigh 135 (my goal) overnight but it took years for me to get to my current weight so I'll work to take this off the good old fashion way...with hard work :ohwell:
  • pichild
    pichild Posts: 72 Member
    I weigh everyday in the morning after i use the bathroom (if i go more than once before i dress for the day i weigh each time) i log it in my food notes on mfp...i also weigh when i get home for the day typically before dinner (since i usually eat at home) and i log that evening weight in my food notes...i typically.eat lunch and dinner only so this allows me to see how different food choices effect my weight...the evening weight reflects my lunch choices and the morning weight reflects my dinner choices...i log it on mfp because i have often wondered what i weighed at a particular point during my journey and had no way of knowing...im a little ocd but it helps me.
  • leeanneowens
    leeanneowens Posts: 319 Member
    I'm a little obsessed with weighing. I weigh every morning and every night. I'm not at all sure this is helpful, but I feel a little stressed when I don't do it.
  • anewlife1980
    anewlife1980 Posts: 225 Member
    I am just finishing week 10, I weigh in every Monday morning & no more (after I use washroom, before I shower & always in the same clothes), it would drive me absolutely nuts to weigh in every single day, I just couldn't do it. In the start it was harder getting use to once a week but now that this has stopped being a "thing" I am doing & become part of my life, I find it easy, its just like everything else in my life, it has a time & place. I also like routine & schedule so including this was just one more part of my routine.

    I don't find I need to weigh in daily to know how something affects my weight loss, maybe if I had a gain a few weeks in a row then I would but if I have a low week (1lb or so) or not what I am expecting then I go back over my week to see what food I ate, to see if there was something new there from the previous good loss week. Its usually obv at least for me. Right now I pay close attention to my calories, sodium & more recently fibre so those are my main goals right now for food, just to keep those on track bc I find if I do my body responds so much better.

    We do measurements only once a month at this point in time, I still have about 100lbs to lose so there is no point in me doing measurements more frequently, I don't see the change if I do but monthly I am noticing it more. Maybe when I get more into this & have 50lbs or less to lose then I might do it more frequently, maybe bi weekly but hard to say for certain.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
    Sunday morning, every week, once and only once! Wake up, go toilet, sip of water and weigh...
    I do so because it gives me a more accurate weigh in if you stick to a weekly basis, choose mornings because its usually your lightest and you simply fluctuate too much throughout the day to weigh in then!
  • sallyleebooks
    sallyleebooks Posts: 9
    I only weigh in once a week, usually Sundays. Your weight can fluctuate a lot and you don't want to get frustrated. It works for me. :smile:
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