Question about weighing yourself

walker306
walker306 Posts: 92 Member
in Getting Started
Hello! I am pretty new to this site and have been reading a lot of posts trying to get a feel for everything. I think I am getting the hang of MFP.

Anyway...my questions are:

Do you weigh yourself every day?
When do you weigh yourself? ex: every morning as soon as you wake up..or at night...or right after breakfast?
Do you weigh yourself with the very same clothes on...or off ???

Just want to get a feel for what people find is best for them.

I usually weigh myself every morning when I get up or right before I take a shower (no clothes). So only one time/day.
I don't like to weigh myself after meals or in the evening cuz I don't want to be discouraged.

I have yet to record my daily weight because I always want to be sure that the weight actually DID come off. Only been doing this for 3 days or so.

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions!

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I weigh myself once a month, not always in the same clothes but something similar, first thing in the morning after the bathroom and before breakfast. But, I've also been at this for a while and I know that my routine is working.

    If you're going to weigh every day you need to be prepared for the random and sometimes inexplicable water weight fluctuations that are going to occur.
  • Archer9304
    Archer9304 Posts: 113 Member
    A lot of people freak out if they weigh everyday because one's weight fluctuates by up to 5lb, everyday, through the day. Sometimes even more.

    I'm not one of those people. I've just recently started losing again after a maintenance break, and I got in the habit of only weighing once a month. (I'm not very scale-focussed.)

    I'm trying to get into the habit of weighing weekly again. Before eating/drinking anything, after peeing, naked and around the same time.
  • cherrilovee
    cherrilovee Posts: 194 Member
    I weigh myself every Monday morning, before I eat breakfast and after I use the restroom. That way I reduce the fluctuation of water weight and things like that. No matter when you decide to weigh yourself, make sure you weigh yourself that exact time every week.
  • hobnobler
    hobnobler Posts: 20 Member
    I weigh myself once a week before shower, naked. Not saying i only have a shower once a week lol its just that too often and you do get disheartened by the fluctuations.
  • Dgydad
    Dgydad Posts: 104 Member
    I was advised to check my weight daily when I was discharged from the hospital following an angioplasty. While it's no longer medically necessary, I continue to do it 'cause I got into the habit. As other responders have noted, your weight WILL fluctuate day to day. If that's gonna freak ya, then daily measurement probably isn't for you. If you do go this route, do it the same time every day for consistancy. For me, it's after the bathroom & before getting dressed....................
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    If you weigh every day, look into tracking your weight with some kind of moving average to give you an accurate trend line. If you're drinking 8 cups of water a day, remember that there's 4lbs of water moving through you every day just from that. Your exact number on the scale is more of an indicator of hydration state than anything else. It's that trend line that will tell a story closer to the truth.

    Something like this:

    hackers-diet-chart-20140501-20140531.png
  • jet32
    jet32 Posts: 11 Member
    I like to do once a week, Weigh Day - Wednesday!
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    About 5 times a day.
    I am crazy that way. I expect fluctuations, but don't worry about them. I only record new losses to MFP weekly or else I would annoy the hell out of my community friends with every little update. I used to record daily but my weight has stabilized the last few months.

    I personally like to know what is going on. The more information the better. I have learned that I tend to gain weight after lifting weights, I tend to lose weight immediately after a long run or bike ride...but then immediately gain it back the next day plus one lb more. I guess the body recovers the damaged tissue from muscle use, and needs water to do so....hence the weight gain....eventually it lets go and you are at a new low. Fascinating really

    Thats my two cents....there is no right or wrong....do what ever works for you.

    As a side note...about ten years ago I lost a significant amount of weight (I estimate 50lbs) without ever once weighing myself. So it can work both ways, (except now I am going to keep it off!)
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    If you weigh every day, look into tracking your weight with some kind of moving average to give you an accurate trend line. If you're drinking 8 cups of water a day, remember that there's 4lbs of water moving through you every day just from that. Your exact number on the scale is more of an indicator of hydration state than anything else. It's that trend line that will tell a story closer to the truth.

    Something like this:

    hackers-diet-chart-20140501-20140531.png


    That is awesome and very well stated! Good answer
  • quatermore
    quatermore Posts: 96 Member
    Once a week before consuming anything, after the bathroom, and naked. Good luck to you.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
    I tend to weigh daily soon after waking, naked, after toileting and before I eat or drink anything. I don't record each weigh-in though.

    When I weighed weekly, it was too easy for me to get stressed out by what were probably simple water-weight fluctuations. Seeing that the sale is going to bounce around a bit day-to-day made me much more relaxed about it.
  • walker306
    walker306 Posts: 92 Member
    Thank you all! I really appreciate the input! I think I will do it weekly right now because I just started and may change that to every month a little further down the road.

    All very helpful suggestions!

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