Weighing yourself

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  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
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    I weigh maybe 3-4 times a week (out of curiosity) but I only log it weekly or biweekly.

    As often as I wish during the week, but same as you logging on the same day and time each week. What I find neat about checking in during the week is discovering that weight loss is not a linear trajectory. Nothing for a few days, and then boom, pounds lost. The body is working and it needs time to process it all.
  • KilaMarie88
    KilaMarie88 Posts: 28 Member
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    Um... so I just weighed myself again... with clothes on...and I'm down 2.2lbs....so crazy
  • hairchic29
    hairchic29 Posts: 4 Member
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    I weigh myself once a week and measure about once a month. I went from sitting on the couch and doing nothing(stopped being a couch potato since Feb) to working out 6 days a week, eating clean and doing 5ks. I eat 1000-1200 a day and am just not losing weight or inches. I do Jillian Michaels videos and use the elliptical....I sweat gallons, I swear! and yet, the pounds and pants size are not budging.....HELP!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    I like to weigh daily. Weight fluctuations don't bother me and I like data. I'm weird like that.
    :heart: Weight – So many things can affect weight, because of this it shouldn’t be the only way you track your progress. Things to keep in mind:
    :drinker: Always use the same scale – Different scales can show different weights. You will get the most accurate number for tracking when using the same scale.
    :drinker: Don’t move the scale – Carpet, uneven flooring, different types of flooring…can all affect the weight on the scale. So when you weigh, you want it to be approximately the same spot for the most accurate number for tracking.
    :drinker: 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
    :drinker: Muscle Repair – Muscles will hold onto water to repair, because of this it is not uncommon to see a gain for a little while after a workout. This weight comes right back off when they are done repairing.
    :drinker: Sodium – Can cause you to retain water. This can also be amplified if you don’t drink enough to flush it out of your system. This is also another reason for temporary weight gain.
    :drinker: Water – Not drinking enough water can actually cause you to retain water. Recommended amount is 8 cups or 64oz. I drink 64 oz to 128 oz of water a day. It doesn’t have to be plain water either. I like to flavor mine with crystal light or tea.
    :drinker: Time of day – Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. So for the most accurate tracking, you want to weigh at around the same time.
    :drinker: Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
    :drinker: Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
    :drinker: Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
    :drinker: Clothes – If you weigh with clothing on, keep in mind that the scale will show your weight plus the weight of your clothes. (Jeans are heavy)
    :drinker: TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.

    This is a chart I made last year (using my own weigh ins) that shows day to day fluctuations. Notice how the overall trend is down:
    29l0bqr.jpg

    Measurements are a better way to judge progress.
  • Momjogger
    Momjogger Posts: 750 Member
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    I weigh myself once a week and measure about once a month. I went from sitting on the couch and doing nothing(stopped being a couch potato since Feb) to working out 6 days a week, eating clean and doing 5ks. I eat 1000-1200 a day and am just not losing weight or inches. I do Jillian Michaels videos and use the elliptical....I sweat gallons, I swear! and yet, the pounds and pants size are not budging.....HELP!
    That really stinks! So sorry you are struggling to lose even though you are making healthy changes. YOU ARE NOT EATING ENOUGH THOUGH. EAT MORE PLEASE.
  • kahulalui
    kahulalui Posts: 33
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    I weigh myself way too much. I guess it is a good thing but, sometimes it really ruins my day.
  • FireStorm1972
    FireStorm1972 Posts: 1,142 Member
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    I weigh myself daily also to see the fluctuations, but check-in every Sunday morning 1st thing in the morning after the morning bathroom ritual. Weighing yourself daily can get discouraging, especially if you ate late or ate a lot of sodium the night before as that causes water retention.
  • GrandeHombre
    GrandeHombre Posts: 7 Member
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    I used to weigh myself several times a week and I would flip out over the fluctuations. I weigh in as soon as I wake up on Monday Morning and record it. At my size I can fluctuate a pound or two and it drove me crazy. The only expect you to loose a few lbs. a week so one day shouldnt make a difference in the grand scheme of things.
  • spatty_harris
    spatty_harris Posts: 17 Member
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    Generally I weigh myself once a week (6am on Tuesday mornings - nothing significant about the time, that's just when I get up and before I eat breakfast), and take my measurements at the same time.

    If I'm cutting weight for a competition, then I'll more likely weigh myself twice weekly, and the week beforehand, every day.

    I don't like to weigh myself daily though, because I feel like it encourages obsessive behaviour.
  • whatascene
    whatascene Posts: 119 Member
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    Hahaha I have a ritual now.

    I think the lower in weight I got, the less I weighed myself because my weight fluctuates much more over little stuff I don't know why. Now it's about once a week or every 2 weeks.
    When I was heavier I weighed myself about 2-3 times a week, when I was heavier my weight remained pretty consistent.

    If I eat bad on a weekend, I'll wait until the end of the week after eating right and being good for the week before I weigh myself. Those are the most accurate and consistent weight recordings I get. Usually I weigh myself after eating good and working out for a couple of days, and wake up in the morning not feeling bloated or anything.

    ^^ I do this because fluctuations can be discouraging, and there is no point getting upset over water weight and such.
  • Aero1dynamic
    Aero1dynamic Posts: 702 Member
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    I weigh myself occasionally, when I am curious but imo ( remember this is just MY opinion) measurements are a much better way to go. I may not have lost any weight but when I lose an INCH off my waist??? That's going to feel good! Keep in mind it may not JUST be water weight. You said you're working out 3-4X a week? Remember that some of that weight could be muscle and THAT is a good thing =D Keep your head up.....it won't be long before YOU see the changes your body is going through =)
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
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    once a week if I'm brave enough but once a month to be honest. I like to see big change at once..
  • Sobus76
    Sobus76 Posts: 242 Member
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    I weigh myself everyday after i wake up and use the bathroom. I'll also step on it when i use the bathroom since its in there. I watch the fluctuations and stuff, just out of curiosity. Personally though I feel like by weighing every day at the same time it helps keeps me on track.
  • bidimus
    bidimus Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm curious how often people weigh themselves and deal with water weight fluctuations?? Anyone have some tips??

    I weight myself every morning as well. Sometimes it's up, but as long as I stay on track it's down more than it's up. Occasionally I can justify why it went up, last large meal was too close to bed time so stuck around for the weigh in. Other times if I'm honest I went over my goals sometime in the last couple days and it caught up. There are lots of reasons for this to happen.

    Stay on track and true to your goals and you should see more down than up. I use a Withings WiFi scale so I get a nice graph that shows me the average trend as well as my actual weight. This also helps sooth the shock when it goes up. Stick to the plan and it should go back down, possibly lower than it was before the spike.

    Weighing myself less, which I tried, was a bad idea for me. I grew complacent and since I wasn't measuring calories then either I was completely in the dark. When I finally weighed myself it was not good. I thought it must have been a spike but once I started weighing myself frequently I saw it was a definite trend in the wrong direction. I had developed a new eating pattern that looked good but didn't add up.

    That was when I started MFP and the trend is now going the other direction. If you're like me and only looking to lose a pound a week the changes can be subtle too. If your scale isn't very accurate you may not see the subtle changes too. Just stay on track, don't worry about it, and wait for a few more numbers. If the numbers do move up after that then take a deep breath and change something. Add a workout to your routine. Remove or reduce a high calorie vice. Or my personal favorite, moderate your intake a little more.

    But whatever you do, don't panic. Panicking doesn't burn enough calories to be worth the effort.
  • KilaMarie88
    KilaMarie88 Posts: 28 Member
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    But whatever you do, don't panic. Panicking doesn't burn enough calories to be worth the effort.


    Good point!

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