Best time to weigh

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Hello all!

I was wondering what was the best time to weigh? I thought mornings would be ideal but I wasn't sure if after a workout was best? I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 247.2 which was a but of a disappointment since I've been working out pretty consistently. After breakfast and lunch I worked out this evening and weighed myself again and I was pleasantly surprised with a weigh in of 245.4! The lowest I've weighed in the last several months of working out has been 245 but the last few weeks I've been around 248-247 no matter how much I've worked out which made me sad. I'm hoping that if I put in a few more workouts this week and monitor my food I can finally break 245 abc get to the 230s by nov 1st. Anyway is there a consensus weigh in time of day? And is after work out weigh in misleading? Thanks!

Replies

  • hatedrow90
    hatedrow90 Posts: 12 Member
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    Hello all!

    I was wondering what was the best time to weigh? I thought mornings would be ideal but I wasn't sure if after a workout was best? I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 247.2 which was a but of a disappointment since I've been working out pretty consistently. After breakfast and lunch I worked out this evening and weighed myself again and I was pleasantly surprised with a weigh in of 245.4! The lowest I've weighed in the last several months of working out has been 245 but the last few weeks I've been around 248-247 no matter how much I've worked out which made me sad. I'm hoping that if I put in a few more workouts this week and monitor my food I can finally break 245 abc get to the 230s by nov 1st. Anyway is there a consensus weigh in time of day? And is after work out weigh in misleading? Thanks!

    You must not forget by working out, you are creating muscle which weighs more than fat. Try just measuring for awhile.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I weigh in the morning, after I pee and before I eat anything. Do you sweat a ton when you work out? It could have been water weight that you lost after you worked out. (although that would be a *kitten* ton of sweat...)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Here's what i do.... I work out three days a week (lets just say mon, wed, fri). I weigh ONCE a week only, in the morning, after i pee/do my business, after TWO consecutive rest days.
  • FrauHaas2013
    FrauHaas2013 Posts: 615 Member
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    First thing in the morning, nekked, after you use the bathroom.
  • leon0897
    leon0897 Posts: 35 Member
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    I do sweat a lot during my workouts (figured that meant I was doing it right lol). I've been working out now since July and have lost 20 pounds so far. Bit of a drag since I was down the 20 sept 1st and have been going up and down on the scale since by 2 to 3 pounds never dropping below 245. It's my nemesis right now. My plan is to drop to sub 180 by my birthday (February 23) to get in great shape and get super sexier :) I'm hoping by working out tomorrow and maybe doing a morning and evening cardio session I can break that 245 wall!
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
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    at the same time each day is ideal before putting food in your mouth so that you are not weighing the food you just ate.

    But the best time to weigh yourself is when you hit your goal weight and you get to see the magic number! :)
  • sydneyplainjane
    sydneyplainjane Posts: 140 Member
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    Here's what i do.... I work out three days a week (lets just say mon, wed, fri). I weigh ONCE a week only, in the morning, after i pee/do my business, after TWO consecutive rest days.

    I agree about waiting until after rest days. I found myself not losing for a few weeks after working out constantly. And, I used to believe that if I worked out really hard the day BEFORE my weigh in (AND if I dropped my calories), I might lose another pound. It actually turned out to be the opposite and the scale would be up a pound or two. Then I read somewhere, maybe on MFP, that your body holds on to more water after exercising and that may last for a day or two.

    Once I decided to take a break from exercising (and ate closer to BMR), I weighed myself and 4 pounds were gone! So, yeah, I definitely suggest taking at least a day's break from exercising before weighing in. And, do it in the morning, after bathroom activities :-)
  • mwal74
    mwal74 Posts: 112 Member
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    You must not forget by working out, you are creating muscle which weighs more than fat. Try just measuring for awhile.

    ^^ What she said.

    I got really frustrated at first, then people told me to start measuring instead. It helped keep my motivation up! Also pay close attention to how your clothing fits from week to week. I know we always want to see those numbers on the scale go down, but sometimes we have to use other metrics for a while.

    Good luck! Keep us posted!

    (Edited to add)
    And I also like to weigh first thing in the morning. Get up, go pee, step on the scales, rub the sleep out of my eyes, squint at the numbers on the display :laugh:
  • r3ll1989
    r3ll1989 Posts: 3 Member
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    Anytime that is best for you. Just be consistent with your weigh-in time. CONGRATS ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS SO FAR!!!!!
  • pavrg
    pavrg Posts: 277 Member
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    You must not forget by working out, you are creating muscle which weighs more than fat. Try just measuring for awhile.
    LBM takes time to synthesize, just like lipolysis takes time to occur. You will not see variations in weight due to either mechanism after a workout vs. before a workout.

    What you WILL see if you work out vigorously is a small drop in weight due to loss of water and glycogen.

    To the original question: Just pick a time and be consistent about it. The further you way yourself from eating or working out, the more you minimize variations due to how much you eat or how much you push yourself. That's why a lot of people elect to do it first thing in the morning.
  • thatdude3
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    Muscle does not weight more than fat, this is like saying a pound of features weighs more than a pound of stone. Muscle is more dense than fat!

    On the other topic, I typically weigh first thing in the morning before eating anything. Your weight will fluctuate throughout the day so the main thing is to be consistent with the time you weigh in.
  • BabyNurseJen
    BabyNurseJen Posts: 64 Member
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    In the morning after a poop, naked or just in socks. Yep, I'm one of those.
  • BabyNurseJen
    BabyNurseJen Posts: 64 Member
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    Muscle does not weight more than fat, this is like saying a pound of features weighs more than a pound of stone. Muscle is more dense than fat!

    On the other topic, I typically weigh first thing in the morning before eating anything. Your weight will fluctuate throughout the day so the main thing is to be consistent with the time you weigh in.

    Muscle does weigh more than fat. Take a cup of muscle and a cup of fat, and the muscle will weigh more. A pound of muscle doesn't weigh more than a pound of fat, which is I'm sure what you meant.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    There is no best time...the important part is consistency...roughly the same time and under the same conditions on the same day. I weigh daily right after my ****, shower, and shave and before I get dressed and eat or drink anything.