How often to weigh?

FreyasRebirth
FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
edited November 2023 in Getting Started
I've heard once a day (first thing in the morning after using the bathroom) and I've heard once a week. I've also heard never, that you should be just looking in the mirror. Really though, how often do you weigh yourself?
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Replies

  • rednose83
    rednose83 Posts: 20 Member
    twice a day, most days.
  • hannahpistolas
    hannahpistolas Posts: 290 Member
    I usually weigh once a day. It helps me keep track of how much I can fluctuate, and it helps keep me in check when it comes to how much food I eat (and what kind of food).

    I always weigh in the morning before I eat or drink anything. And sometimes I weigh at night just to see how I can gain (and then lose) 5 pounds in a day.
  • muwchck
    muwchck Posts: 261 Member
    I'm not gonna lie. I jump on the scale at least once a day. Usually first thing in the am right after the bathroom. Sometimes it's more, just because I'm curious of how different things effect my body. I usually log it ever 3-4 days. I try to only make an official weigh in on Tuesday mornings, and then leave the scale alone, but I haven't been able to do that just yet. It was exciting to see that big drop off this morning. I can't wait to see if it's gonna stick around or not.
  • Babygi6003
    Babygi6003 Posts: 356 Member
    Once a day usually but I only "track" it once a week
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
    Every morning but I don't take any notice of weight only trends over time, if your going to panic if you gain a kg do it weekly or monthly!
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,641 Member
    Once a week, on Friday, typically works best for me :)
  • Oh_Allie
    Oh_Allie Posts: 258 Member
    I like to weigh myself daily becauseI like to see how what I did the day before makes my weight fluctuate (because I'm a nerd) and I log it on paper with a big circle around the date and weight when I hit a milestone.

    If fluctuating numbers on the scale are discouraging, I definitely would recommend skipping daily weigh-ins.
  • sepulchura
    sepulchura Posts: 95 Member
    I only weigh Sunday morning and I make sure it's at the exact same point of my morning routine (after going to the bathroom Sunday morning, to put it indelicately).

    Reason: weight can vary a bit much from day to day, but I graph my weight from week to week and this tells me, by trend, if I'm steering my ship right or not (I'm a pirate so forgive the metaphor).

    Edit: to fix my poor speleeng misteaks
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
    hourly. gives best results.
  • missomgitsica
    missomgitsica Posts: 496 Member
    Every two weeks--the first of every month and then the 15th. Daily weighing is probably the worst thing you could do for your self confidence, just because of how much your weight can fluctuate based on random things. I weigh first thing in the AM, before I get in the shower.
  • SkinnyBubbaGaar
    SkinnyBubbaGaar Posts: 389 Member
    Much depends upon what you do with the information that the scale provides. To me it is just data and I have reprogrammed myself to not be concerned about the inevitable daily fluctuations that happen. Scale weight ofttimes makes little sense and body weight can alter by upwards of 5+ pounds on any day and at any given time of the day depending upon water retention, sodium content of recent meals, glycogen stores in your muscles , etc.

    Once I realized the above then it's now cool to weigh myself daily and sometimes more than once daily as , for me, I can nerd out on trying to figure out what might be happening in my body by getting that extra data.

    Before figuring that out it was very easy to get discouraged if the scale did not get lower EVERY time.

    If not seeing the number ALWAYS in decline causes you anxiety then, yes, limit those weigh ins to 1 time weekly or even monthly.

    I you are at peace with constant fluctuations then feel free to hop on the scale whenever you feel like it.
  • latoyaz
    latoyaz Posts: 2 Member
    I do a morning weigh-in right after I get up every morning. My husband says its obsessive & should do it at most once a week. But I like to see some progress whether it's up or down. And it makes me more determined.
  • renatewolfe
    renatewolfe Posts: 91 Member
    Once a week. I get too discouraged jumping on the scale once or twice a day and seeing the fluctuations. Based on past experience, I know that I will retain a lot of water the week before my period, so for about 10 days (which includes before and during my period) I will either not show a very big loss, or I will show a gain of up to 6 lbs, depending on whether I have eaten a lot of salt or junk before my period. It goes away when my period does, but it helps me to anticipate this gain when I weigh in, so that I am not discouraged.

    As long as I am tracking honestly, getting exercise, and eating only up to my calorie limit, I know that I will loose weight, so for me, there is no need to weigh once or twice a day.
  • SilentMelody
    SilentMelody Posts: 57 Member
    Recorded: once a week. And you're only supposed to look straight ahead so the scale doesn't get a wrong reading by you leaning forward to look at it till it's done calculating.
    I do still check it several times during the week just to see how much it fluctuates but you really shouldn't check it every day because of the fluctuation and it could discourage you.
  • sunsetzen
    sunsetzen Posts: 268 Member
    I record once a week. I actually weigh myself every time I go into that bathroom. Just to see the fluctuations, cause I think its interesting and it helps calm me down if the scale goes up sometimes, because I can see its normal.
  • NGFive
    NGFive Posts: 125 Member
    every morning
  • littleburgy
    littleburgy Posts: 570 Member
    Once a week for me... right now, first thing every Friday morning!
  • bonawolf
    bonawolf Posts: 6 Member
    I weigh every Sunday, that way I can track my progress without being obsessive over the numbers.
  • kirstenmaria
    kirstenmaria Posts: 112 Member
    I try to weigh every morning because I have a bad habit of letting myself think I'm losing between weigh-ins. I need to be able to monitor myself every day. If my weight is up, it means I need to skip dessert and go for a smaller portion sizes. That said, I skip weigh-ins on mornings when my digestive processes are slow...if you know what I mean...and jump back on the scale the next day.

    @littleburgy: Let's go Pens! :)
  • RunBrew
    RunBrew Posts: 220 Member
    Some days I weigh myself multiple times over the course of 14 hours.
    I weigh myself every morning after I pee. Everyday.

    On the majority of run days I weigh myself (no clothes) right before I run, and again when I get done and about to shower (no clothes) to figure my hydration needs. It wasn't uncommon during the summer for me to lose 3lbs+ on a 10 mile run. Gotta put back that liter and a half of fluid.
    Despite recent research that says 'drinking to thirst' is sufficient, I've found that personally, if I don't at least casually monitor my replacement, over the course of a week or so I'll fall further and further behind until I end up feeling like crap on a run and end up drinking a gallon of water to feel 'right' again.
  • 86muffintop
    86muffintop Posts: 69 Member
    Every morning. Mainly because I don't trust myself and I think it keeps my eating in check. There is an app called Libra that I put my weight into every morning (just started 2 weeks ago) and it provides a graph of my progress. I think it has really helped me! I've been on MFP since the beginning of this year and I am barely losing now because I am facing my weight daily and I know that I can't afford to eat like I used to. When I get to my goal- or closer to it, I want to weigh in weekly and then maybe monthly after that. I have gained 50 pounds within the last 5 years (20 in the last year) and I think a big contributor to that was never weighing myself. But that's just me.
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
    Once a week on Fridays, in the morning before I step in the shower. I pick that day because Monday morning weight-ins have too much weekend weirdness (My excersize and food in-take is all over the place on the weekends). I'm more consisitent during the week. I pick first thing in the morning becasue we tend to be slightly dehydrated when we wake up and water weight is not that much of a factor.
  • DanaNichelle
    DanaNichelle Posts: 3 Member
    I weigh & take my measurements once a week on Sunday morning.
  • mwal74
    mwal74 Posts: 112 Member
    I do a morning weigh-in right after I get up every morning. My husband says its obsessive & should do it at most once a week. But I like to see some progress whether it's up or down. And it makes me more determined.

    Ditto! :smile:
  • shawnakrebs
    shawnakrebs Posts: 50 Member
    You should only weigh yourself once a week since there can be a lot of factors to mess up daily weights, like salt and water intake. If you eat a salty dinner, then you can weigh more the next day. Usually you want to weigh first thing in the morning. I wait till after my morning exercise on Monday mornings.
  • sbrownallison
    sbrownallison Posts: 314 Member
    I've heard that if you're trying to lose weight, you should weigh every week (same day, same time of day). This gives you seven days to accumulate some appreciable weight loss, rather than obsessing (being discouraged) with daily scale visits. But once you reach maintenance, you should weigh every day, as it establishes a good daily habit and keeps you apprised right away of the need to put the brakes on if you begin to see gains. This makes sense to me....
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    I've always weighed every day. Sometimes twice a day. Sometimes even more than that. I'd tell myself, "I'm a smart girl. I understand nutrition and water retention and even glycogen stores and stuff like that. I can handle day-to-day fluctuations." But, then, even though I logically know that I did not eat 1450 calories yesterday and still gained 0.8lbs of fat, I found myself still getting really discouraged. Like, I'd even get frustrated about the NON-fat gains, like "I drank a TON of water yesterday, was under 100 carbs, didn't lift, had black coffee for breakfast and asparagus for dinner and didn't eat very much salt, I had a good poop, how did I STILL gain weight yesterday????" The more I educated myself about the whys of daily scale fluctuations, the more frustrated I got, not less.

    So, this is brand new (like, as of Tuesday), but I'm hiding my scale for the next two weeks, and I'm hoping to move to a two week pattern. I do slightly fear that if I gained over this first 2 week span that I'll go totally and completely off the rails, but hopefully that won't be the case. We'll see if that improves my mental health any...I think once I make it through the first two week period it will be easier after that, even if I do eventually see a gain at some point.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    never
  • toholio
    toholio Posts: 46 Member
    Weigh as often as you like so long as you don't drive yourself nuts.

    Ignore short term fluctuations regardless of whether you weigh daily, weekly, or something else.
  • toholio
    toholio Posts: 46 Member
    never

    Since this is MFP I'm going to suggest the complete opposite and say you should get special shoes with scales built in and never stop weighing yourself.
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