The Scale

Experts say to weigh in just once per week. Sorry to say I am a daily weigher. I know that comes with its ups and downs (literally).

I can't seem to avoid weighing in every morning when I wake up.

There have to be others out there like me, so when you weigh in, does it discourage you to see the scale stay the same for a few days? Should there be a change on a daily basis, even if it is only half a pound?

Replies

  • jamiek917
    jamiek917 Posts: 610 Member
    im guilty of it too, but i only count it 1x per week. the body can retain several lbs easily- from sodium, time of month, stress, whatever-- so u cant let it drive you crazy. after a day of crazy holiday eating it has said i was up 6-7 lbs. in 24 hrs. 2 days later, 5 of it was gone...by the end of the week if i ate well every day aside from that one day, i may be a lb up.

    you cannot accurately guage it on a daily basis.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    I usually weigh in daily as a sanity check, but I log weight changes fairly infrequently. I use my morning weigh in to get a rough idea of how I'm doing and making sure I'm not overestimating burns or something similar, but I don't place much faith in the scale. I track body measurements once a week and use that as more of an indicator. The scale is more about curiosity than anything for me.
  • stephyy4632
    stephyy4632 Posts: 947 Member
    I have not weighed myself in over 6months and that's the best thing for me I could have ever done IMO. When I had the scale at home I would check it almost every time I walked into the bathroom and it drove me crazy so happy with my choice to remove it and I know that I`m still on track since I`ve dropped almost 2pant sizes since getting rid of the scale :)
  • vofide1
    vofide1 Posts: 3
    Weighing in Daily is a huge challenge for me! I am addicted to it! What I actually did to stop myself because I was losing motivation was I trashed my scale. It is no longer at my convenience and I go down to the my local king scooper once a week (While doing my weekly shopping) and weight myself there! Hope this helps:)
  • There've been a few times when I've wanted to throw my scales out the window! I don't think any of the grocery stores in my area have a scale, but I will certainly check. My problem is I like to take care of business first thing and then strip down to get a more accurate reading. Sometimes that is still a problem depending on fluid retention and other bodily issues. I'm going to come back and read these terrific replies in greater detail in just a short while..I've gotta walk my dog! Thanks for the replies thus far! :)
  • dreambodin2011
    dreambodin2011 Posts: 166 Member
    I'm not weighing in these days either - I know if I've behaved and I am so much calmer and happier without the scales dominating that.

    Your conscience and your clothes should be able to speak to you louder....for me this is a more nurturing way than the scales and those numbers - which are never accurately going to tell you what is going on with your body composition at any rate.

    I get my trainer to weigh me less than once a month. Works for me.

    Good luck.
  • rlv2680
    rlv2680 Posts: 289 Member
    yeh i do the same thing. First thing in the morning after first bathroom trip i strip down and step on the scale.
    I have Saturdays as my official weigh in day though,
  • ferrytrip
    ferrytrip Posts: 497 Member
    I'm guilty of it as well. I use the excuse that I work nights and that my schedule changes every week so there is no set day for me to weigh in.
  • mayflowermn
    mayflowermn Posts: 52 Member
    I weigh in every day even though I realize that measurements and how my clothes fit are a better indications of how I am doing. And even more so, how I actually feel is the best indication of how I am doing.

    However, making myself step on the scale even when I know the number might not be so good helps make me own up to those times where I "fall off the wagon" so to speak and realize that all is not lost because I decided not to be good one day. I think that is important since this is a LIFESTYLE change and not a temporary thing. I believe it is important to realize that yes, you are going to have some bad days here and there, BUT that doesn't mean that all is lost. It is one day and I need to get over it and start fresh again rather than beat myself up over it and give up. It helps make me re-commit to my goals. It also helps me realize how much your weight can fluctuate over the course of a few days and that those fluctuations aren't worthy of getting worked up over. It's just the way our bodies work.
  • I agree - I figure the in-between times are helping gauge if I'm on the right track - esp if I need to tone it down the next day concerning food intake).
  • jpalocy77
    jpalocy77 Posts: 114 Member
    i have vowed to not weigh for a month.. my weight has not dropped at all. i was doing it everyday...and my weight hasn't budged in over a month..now i'm exercising alot more..and i gain a few lbs... i start tripping out and saying "screw it..give me that pizza or ice cream, i'm never going to get there" just better off not looking at it for a month or so..
  • irunoveru
    irunoveru Posts: 38
    The last time I weighed myself was 3 weeks ago and that is because I had a doctors appointment. I felt like I gained weight but I actually dropped 4 pounds. I used to do it daily but it was driving me insane. Now I just do it monthly and I take monthly photos to see the difference and my clothes to feel the difference.
  • retiree2006
    retiree2006 Posts: 951 Member
    I'm in the maintenance phase so, if I remember, I step on the scale every morning. I don't get crazy if I have a bit of up and down as I know that's normal for me. I just want to catch things before it gets out of hand again.
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    i used to! i manage to refrain to once every two weeks. its tough but i see better numbers lol
  • Colorfan
    Colorfan Posts: 230 Member
    For a while I weighed daily just to see how my weight fluctuates. Found it changes quite a bit on a daily basis, by quite a lot sometimes.

    Weekly weigh ins are nice, but thanks to the daily weigh ins, I can see why there may be weeks where it seems my weight is the same, then I suddenly get a huge spike, and then back again.
  • SutapaMukherji
    SutapaMukherji Posts: 244 Member
    I weigh myself everyday (mostly even many times a day). I find it interesting to notice the food changes. Like going up by a pound or so after meal which again comes down after 2-3 hours etc. However, the important thing is that I do not let me affect me.

    I weigh in and record my weight only on Fridays.

    Edited to add -

    PS - IMO it helps me keep track of myself. If I have had a pretty controlled week and yet I have the increased weight for more than 2-3 days, it gives me the chance to reassess my food and exercise goals and lets me examine where I went wrong.
  • lar4290
    lar4290 Posts: 55 Member
    I weigh every day that I can (e.g. not on vacation, whatnot) and track it. If you do weigh daily for a long enough time you'll get so you won't mind plateaus or little fluctuations. I think they'd bother me a lot more if I *didn't* weigh daily because once a week I wouldn't know if I was in a flux zone that one day (I only aim for .5-1 lb. a week so a .6 lb. flux would make a big difference!). As long as you look at a graph over time and don't obsess over a particular number, I don't think it's as bad of a habit as people make it out to be! Also gives motivation. Finally, a lot of .2 scales auto back to the last weight if it is pretty similar, so you may see fewer fluctuations (you can keep a heavy object near it (I use a set of 5 lb weights) to "reset" the scale so when you step on it may show a small change.

    It's all in your perspective--you can say I'm disappointed that it hasn't changed in 3 days or you say I've been working hard for 3 days, so if I keep it up I'm going to see a big change soon! (And when I tell myself that and I do keep it up, there is usually a reward (e.g a 1.2 lb. drop out of nowhere).
  • choijanro
    choijanro Posts: 754 Member
    Me weight once a week or once a month
  • That's discipline! I don't know if I could weight a whole month to weigh myself!
  • I agree! I appreciate your insight!
  • MissLady03
    MissLady03 Posts: 22 Member
    I weigh in every morning. I like to know where I'm at. For instance, if I gained some weight, then I can think about what may have happened the day before to cause that. Like too much sodium (so I need to drink more water today), maybe it was those donuts I couldn't refuse (so I need to watch my sugar intake today), etc.

    Weighing in every morning has also helped me in seeing my weight loss pattern. I tend to lose like 0.4 lbs, then stay at that weight for 2-3 days, and then drop again. I like knowing my routine.
  • SergeantG
    SergeantG Posts: 92
    I did that a couple of times last week..."just to see"....in one day, I literally had a five pound fluctuation...I gained four pounds one morning, and by the next morning, I had lost it plus one. I attributed it to the (sorry to the men reading) my cycle starting. So after that 'panic moment', I now keep it to just once a week (maybe I will check mid-week) but that is pretty much it....
  • Determined82
    Determined82 Posts: 455 Member
    I need to weigh in daily in order to keep my motivation. I get pretty discouraged if I go a whole week thinking I did really well and then the scale shows otherwise. If I weigh myself daily, then I can see where I went wrong and correct the problem right away. Usually the scale drops a little every day. The only times I stay at the same weight for several days is if I had a cheat meal and my calories weren't low enough.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    I weigh in every morning if I can. I have learned what causes me to gain (alcohol, salt, heavy exercise), and not to panic. I gained 4.5 lbs this week and lost 2 today -- pretty consistent when I have a few drinks!
  • That's discipline! I don't know if I could weight a whole month to weigh myself!

    That was supposed to be "wait" - and I'm an English major. Yeesh.