When do YOU log a loss?

kaned_ferret · July 2013

I weighed myself the other day, it seemed as though I may have lost a couple of pounds. But I didn't log it. The day after, they seemed to be back, and I didn't log it, and was glad I hadn't logged the first loss. Today, I seem to be a definite 3lbs down, and I'm still scared to log it. Then i realised, I'm pretty sure my head has already decided I won't log a loss til i see the scale hit 11stone - why did I decide that? I didn't even weigh regularly until I started seeing this loss, now i keep jumping back on to check if a) it's real and b) if it's gone again - argh! Apparently i am too chicken to log my loss in case I lose the loss, lmao.

So, when does everyone here decide to log a loss? Am I just being a bit of a crazy lady??

PheonixRizing · July 2013

Don't over analyze this. I log every couple weeks as my weight fluctuates depending on time of day, what I've eaten, TOM for women, and what day. A couple pounds fluctuation is normal. If you see drastic 10 + or more than I would try to make adjustments in your diet regimen. Otherwise the point I'm trying to make is there is no right answer here. There is no rule, just the one you set for yourself. Log when YOU want to. If you want to wait til you are seeing a decline in weight, do so. If you wanna log every week religiously, do so. It's all what you make it girl. What I would suggest is also tracking your measurements. Sometimes the scale won't move for weeks but I take my measurements and have lost inches. Good luck to you ^_^

daniellemm1 · July 2013

I weigh daily just to gather info. I log a loss when it has stuck for a few days so I'm sure that it is not just a fluctuation of sorts. For example this morning it appears that I lost two pounds. I will log that when I have seen it for a couple days

marcvandenberg · July 2013

If U only log it when U loose it it looks better.
I loged every day and then it looks like U loose a lot.

ltgarrow · July 2013

I only log a change after I've been at or below that number for more than a week. I'm usually a week or two behind. For instance, Mine now say's that i am 172.5 For the last 5 day's I've been weighing in at 171.

55in13 · July 2013

While my weight was steadily dropping (while I lost the first 45 or so) I recorded the lowest number I saw and would only have adjusted back high if I didn't see it again or go lower within a week or two. That never happened. The way I look at it, there are spikes up for water or timing of digestion but there is no way to spike down. You may be a little dehydrated, but so what? It's the body weight. If you see lower numbers than you have before you have lost weight, but seeing higher numbers doesn't mean you have gained if they are interspersed with low weights. I am currently dropping slower on purpose and now wait until I see the weight a few times before "claiming it". It is partly mental - I am so close to goal now that I don't want to claim it unless I feel like I will definitely stay below it.

arenee48 · July 2013

I agree with daiellemm1, my rule for logging is if I see the same weight for three consecutive days in a row I will enter in the new weight. I weigh myself daily at the same time every morning as a little motivation (either if the number is a little higher or the same it's a reminder that I need to stay on track if I want to meet my goals, or if it shows that I've lost weight it's a little boost of confidence that what I"m doing actually works). Many people think weighing themselves daily is a bad idea because the number often fluctuates but for me weighing myself daily is a win-win because it's a constant motivation tool; and if it shows the same number three days in a row it's most likely a permanent change rather than a natural fluctuation in water weight, etc., so I think it's okay to log it.

Alwayssohungry · July 2013

I log a loss once I've seen it three mornings in a week.

acogg · July 2013

I log it daily in a paper journal to track trends, but on MFP I only log new lows. I don't want to report on my newsfeed the same pound or two that I fluctuate.

harleygroomer · July 2013

my trainer took my scale AWAY from me. NOW she lets me see it weekly and I am not so stressed about the ups and downs and can concentrate on the losses. GET OFF THE SCALE

kaned_ferret · July 2013

I'm quite liking the premise of logging once a consecutive loss has been seen

fatzant · July 2013

I get round this by having a weigh day!, once a week on the same day at same time off day i weigh myself in same clothes, closest you can get

OnorahS107 · July 2013

I agree with daiellemm1, my rule for logging is if I see the same weight for three consecutive days in a row I will enter in the new weight. I weigh myself daily at the same time every morning as a little motivation (either if the number is a little higher or the same it's a reminder that I need to stay on track if I want to meet my goals, or if it shows that I've lost weight it's a little boost of confidence that what I"m doing actually works). Many people think weighing themselves daily is a bad idea because the number often fluctuates but for me weighing myself daily is a win-win because it's a constant motivation tool; and if it shows the same number three days in a row it's most likely a permanent change rather than a natural fluctuation in water weight, etc., so I think it's okay to log it.

This is exactly what I do too.

lisiloulah · July 2013

I get round this by having a weigh day!, once a week on the same day at same time off day i weigh myself in same clothes, closest you can get

^^ this!

I weigh once a week, first thing in the morning before breakfast, typically in my underwear just for consistency! and I log it every week, even if the scales went up a little, as I have to be honest with myself (and others) about my progress and what's working and what isn't.

Lisa x

spoiledpuppies · July 2013

Hmm...I'm logging every day. I don't really have any friends yet

but I hope it won't be annoying to people. The daily ups and downs are natural, so I'm not going to feel embarrassed by them, and I'd rather log for awareness. Years ago, I kept a written food journal without calorie counts but with a daily weight. I find it helpful to put the number somewhere "official."

smerkord · July 2013

I weigh myself every Friday and log the weight be it up or down.

Capt_Apollo · July 2013

after a poop

AztecKermit · July 2013

I log ups or downs twice a week.

ken_hogan · July 2013

Hmm...I'm logging every day. I don't really have any friends yet but I hope it won't be annoying to people. The daily ups and downs are natural, so I'm not going to feel embarrassed by them, and I'd rather log for awareness. Years ago, I kept a written food journal without calorie counts but with a daily weight. I find it helpful to put the number somewhere "official."

Peronally, I only 'offically' log my weight on MFP once a week..every Friday morning. I do have an app though where I log my weight daily just for my own curiousity for my fluctuations...

kpick41 · July 2013

I weigh myself daily, but only log every Tuesday.

syk731 · July 2013

I weigh daily just to gather info. I log a loss when it has stuck for a few days so I'm sure that it is not just a fluctuation of sorts. For example this morning it appears that I lost two pounds. I will log that when I have seen it for a couple days

I do this as well.

suibhne · July 2013

I weigh in every day because I like having the data. I log every datapoint. What matters to me is the long-run moving average, not the number on any individual day, and I've seen enough of my body's patterns that I think weighing in once a week would give me a much less accurate picture of what's going on. That is, weighing every day gives me enough granularity that I can extract a meaningful pattern with a week or two of data, sometimes less; I imagine I'd need more than that to feel confident with any pattern I perceived with 1/7 as many datapoints.

The important thing is to figure out what makes the most sense for your situation.

livedb · July 2013

Every morning when I get up. I think the small up's and downs are part of the process, so why hide it? It also gives me motivation to put those numbers behind me.

jim9097 · July 2013

Not sure how I would log it; I have only gained since starting on here...

debralekicsummers · July 2013

i weigh ever Monday. If i have a slight gain i don't log,only if it goes over 1 kg (2.2lbs) but don't let it discourage you, just use it as a guideline.

escloflowneCHANGED · July 2013

I check every week but only log it into MFP once a month!

ltgarrow · July 2013

after a poop

Absolutely understandable.

amwoidyla · July 2013

I weight myself everytime I go to the gym (4-5 times/wk) since I don't have a scale at home. I only log when I've seen the same loss for 3 weigh-ins, which could be over the course of a week.