When to Weigh In...

six1908
six1908 Posts: 99 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey all. When is the best time to weigh in? Morning, evening? After a day that you have hardly eaten, a day you've eaten more than usual? And what's the odds that you can fluctuate a great deal? I ate a super big meal last night with some buddies and according to the scale I'm up 6lbs... I find this hard to believe considering I've worked my *kitten* off in the gym this week and been crazy under my calories except for yesterday? What causes weight to fluctuate so greatly? Any advice?

Replies

  • LilDaisyWaisy
    LilDaisyWaisy Posts: 4
    Once a week @ the same time I say :)
  • leeannef1982
    leeannef1982 Posts: 3
    once a week same time and before breakfast
  • MsKriss281
    MsKriss281 Posts: 91 Member
    Once a week, at the same time (the best time is first thing in the morning or when you first get out of bed) with the approximately the same amount of clothing on (or no clothing at all) so that you have the same factors each time you weigh.

    It is pretty impossible that you gained 6 lbs overnight. Did the meal that you ate contain a lot of salt? It is more than likely water weight/retention.
  • EmmaStewart45
    EmmaStewart45 Posts: 4 Member
    once a week as soon as you get up :D
  • happydispatcher
    happydispatcher Posts: 56 Member
    I will share with you advise I was given once that worked for me. For an entire week weigh yourself morning and night so that you can track how you body fluctuates in weight and according to certain foods etc. Then when the week is up choose 1 morning a week to weigh in. For me however it isn't always actual morning because I work varied shifts. If I work a graveyard shift then I would weigh in the evening when I wake up which according to my schedule would be morning. Make sense?
  • torymichaels
    torymichaels Posts: 79
    I weigh in immediately after getting up (after I go to the bathroom of course, and sorry if that's TMI).

    If you worked out crazy-hard at the gym yesterday, I seem recall something about day-after weight gains.

    Your weight just fluctuates naturally day-to-day. As another poster said, if you ate heavily salted foods in the past day or two and didn't drink enough water to flush your system, that could have an effect as well. I know water makes a 'huge' difference. I tend to drink less water (less overall) on the weekend and Monday is usually the WORST weigh-in day for me.

    I'm currently addicted to my scale, which is a bad habit but very hard to break (heh, quoting Agent Pendergast there if anyone knows the Pendergast books by Childs/Preston), and when I finally break myself of the daily weigh-ins, it'll probably be first thing either Tuesday or Wednesday morning.

    Just be consistent in your weigh-in days and if one week you see a gain, look back at your food diary a couple days prior to your weigh-in and see if you ate saltier-than-normal foods or didn't get enough water.
  • wllwsmmr
    wllwsmmr Posts: 391 Member
    Hey all. When is the best time to weigh in? Morning, evening?

    It is best to weight everytime under the same circumstances for comparison, and the best way to minimize discrepancies would be when you wake up before any food and after your toilet trip! Which would usually be mornings unless you have a different schedule ie working night shifts etc!
    What causes weight to fluctuate so greatly? Any advice?

    From what I know, carbs and sodium retains water in particular! In general eating more than usual (hence more carbs than usual) would cause water retention! And not to mention restaurant foods are usually much higher in sodium than foods you prepare yourself healthily.
    I also read that when you workout differently/harder, your muscles also retain water while repairing, so there could be another source of water retention!
    And another thing that I feel is that scales are funky in itself sometimes, It might be the batteries running low or whatever, but I have seen the scale reflecting differently after consecutive weighings! I'd say to not fret over scales too much, though it is one form of monitoring your progress!
    Give it a few days and see if the gain persists!
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
    3-4 Times a day is what worked for me ... Morning, after work, after dinner and before bed. I know it seems like alot but it kept me honest and focused. If i knew I was going to be on the scale, i knew I need to stick to my meal plan as well as my workouts, not extras or cheats because the scale would know. Yeah I had daily differences, but that wasnt the concern... maybe it is a little obsessive, but hey it helped me drop 140 lbs, so it couldnt be all bad... good luck man.
  • Ben_1960
    Ben_1960 Posts: 97 Member
    I weigh every Saturday morning first thing before eating or drinking and after a bathroom visit. I do Saturday because Friday night used to be binge night on food and wine and was the hardest night to stay good. Knowing that the following morning was when I discover if my hard week of exercise and diet had paid off makes sure I do not give in to temptation.

    Yes you can carry excess water too, I make sure I do not go overboard with my water intake on Friday too.

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