Confessions...

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callmeLuna
callmeLuna Posts: 42 Member
...of a daily scale hopper:

When I started MFP, Thursday became my 'official' weigh in day by default; however I have found it hard to not weigh myself daily. I am interested in the daily trends, trying to tie any loss or gain day-over-day back to my specific Food intake, Exercise (or lack of). I know this is not an exact science, rather a gauge.

Since joining this Spring into Summer challenge, Monday AM has become my new 'official' weigh-in day (but I still can't stop hitting the scale almost every morning). I'm getting closer to my next goal, which is moving out of Obesity and into Overweight. As of our Monday weigh-in, I was 2.6 lbs from that mark...but after a pretty good early week of eating and lots of water, this morning (it's Thursday and old habits die hard) I was down 1.8 from Monday! (that makes 20 lbs total loss! - not on my 'goal' list, but nice to have)

...now the question is "Will I lose 0.8 lbs before next Monday's weigh-in to reach my next goal?" Realistically, I don't "need" to accomplish that this week. I've added some weight training and as nice as the BMI goal is, I understand that the measurements and composition are just as or more important (although I have no idea what my BF% is...i'm sure it is not good). Regardless, I am excited at the prospect of checking that off the list and moving on to the next goal on the list..."ONEderland" - it's been years since I've been to that glorious place.

Should I stop weighing myself every day? Had I not weighed myself this morning, would I have the same 'drive' for the rest of the week/weekend to push myself towards that 0.8 lbs for Monday? ...truthfully, I know the answer to this is 'no'.

These are the things that I think about during this process ... thanks for reading ...the end :)

Here is an interesting study regarding frequency of weigh-ins and correlation to long term weight loss:
http://bodyandhealth.canada.com/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=3868&channel_id=1055&relation_id=30090ic

Replies

  • MeeraAnnT
    MeeraAnnT Posts: 32 Member
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    congrats on your weight loss so far!

    I am just like you! my official weigh in day is thursdays but i do check everyday just to make sure i am on track....i read that article too....and i do think it is true....because if you can see yourself moving higher you can stop it and i think its better to be more aware....on the other hand it does make me depressed if i dont see it move and i can get pretty obsessed with checking so yeah you probably shouldn't but end of the day we aren't going to stop either....so just make sure you remember how well you have done and that the scale really doesn't matter since sticking to a set plan of loss isnt always reality but it is great when you get the numbers you want :)

    good luck for monday! and even if you don't lose 0.8 lbs its still amazing what you have done so far! :)
  • bwnorton
    bwnorton Posts: 100 Member
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    I also confess that I weigh myself "officially" on Sunday and weigh myself daily too. I don't know what my travel schedule holds, so a weekday weigh-in doesn't work. However, if I'm home, I can't resist stepping on the scale to see what my prior day's diet did. What I see is anytime I eat out at a restaurant, my weight goes up - probably the extra salt or MSG in the food. And then a day later, it goes back down. If I eat meals I cook, then I see plateaus and drops.

    What is bizarre is watching my weight when I bike 5 days a week. I discovered that burning all that glycogen from a 35 mile ride actually results in a water weight drop as well as "real" weight drop. If I carb load after a ride, then I don't see the 2 pound fluctuation.
  • Chucksteakswife
    Chucksteakswife Posts: 52 Member
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    I weigh myself everyday too and Thursdays are my official weigh in / measuring day (though I must confess that I don't always log my weight if I've gained a few). It's become an obsession and like the other poster can cause me to feel depressed or discouraged if I don't see the number going down. However weighing myself everyday does keep me on point and allows me to see what is working and what is not.
  • WindmillTilter
    WindmillTilter Posts: 51 Member
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    I weigh myself everyday at the same time wearing the same thing. My scale reads bodyfat also and uploads it all to MFP. TBH the number on the scale is secondary to me compared the the BF measurement. I know there is a margin of error on the test, but I am able to track it daily. I used to weigh myself/get my BF tested once a month but that leaves too much time in between for my liking.

    I'm happy with my daily measurements as long as I don't sweat the small BW swings due to hydration, food etc...
  • Honeytips
    Honeytips Posts: 337 Member
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    I also do the same thing!! My official weigh-in day is Monday morning but I can't help stepping on those scales every day. Glad to know I'm not the only one!!!