Is weighing myself in the afternoon a bad thing?

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emjohnston2014
emjohnston2014 Posts: 38
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys, so i work everyday from 8-4 and hit the gym everyday right after work. When i do get on the scale its always between 4pm and 5pm. Is this a bad thing? Am i getting any sort of accuracy ? When should i be weighing myself?

Ive been meaning to get a home scale. :)
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Replies

  • Laurenloveswaffles
    Laurenloveswaffles Posts: 535 Member
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    Just be consistent with weighing yourself at that time. But most people prefer to weigh themselves first thing in the morning.
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
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    I like weighing myself once a week, first thing in the morning, but that's just me.

    I don't know how you define "bad".

    I'm thinking that you will still be able to see a general trend (upwards or downwards) in your weight regardless of when you weigh yourself. Besides, how you feel, look and how your clothes fit are all better indicators anyway.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    For accuracy, it's best to weigh at the same time of day each time you weigh. Therefore it's fine to weigh in the afternoon, as long as you consistently weigh in the afternoon.

    The only reason for this is that what you've eaten/drunk that day will affect the reading, so weighing morning one day and afternoon the next could result in very skewed readings.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    Well, you may be getting accuracy as far as the amount your loosing but not as far as what your true weight is. To get an accurate number of your weight you need to weigh yourself when you get up after having your morning bathroom trip(trying not to be graphic). This will give you your true weight.
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
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    I weigh in the mornings...then i'll weigh again at work....then i'll weigh again before bed. I like to have an average cuz if you weigh once a week you might be skewed after having a glass of water or not pooping for a few days.

    I also like to weigh before bed cuz its funny to see how much weight i lose overnight from peeing and breathing. (every breath expels moisture.)
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
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    Yes it's a bad idea in my opinion. Cos no day is the same, you might eat or drink more or less. This will play havoc with your weight throughout the day. Big down home scaled and do it in the morning.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    There's nothing wrong with it. Consistency is key. Plenty of people go to places light Weight Watchers and are weighed in the afternoon and evening with food in their bellies and clothes on their backs and they stlil will see losses.
  • LuckySlydog
    LuckySlydog Posts: 34
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    "Bad" is relative. I'd say if you want the best idea you should weigh yourself first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and with nothing on. That's probably as accurate as you'll get. In the afternoon after eating all day and with clothes on is probably less accurate but you'd still see a trend up/down over time.

    Yup, that's what I do. It'll be your lightest weight as you lose moisture with every breath you take and natural perspiration throughout the night. And then going to the bathroom makes you even lighter. I will gain 1 to 5 lbs. during the day.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    as everyone else is saying, nothing really bad about it

    even if you weighed yourself at different times each day, you would still see an overall trend downwards over time. its just really for day to day weigh-in differences that people recommend at the same time every day, preferably in the morning to eliminate some fluctuations from food waste

    but again, the overall trends are what you should pay attention to
  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
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    People actually concern themselves with the weight they lose from BREATHING???

    ibzh0TWyX24O8H.gif
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    People actually concern themselves with the weight they lose from BREATHING???
    you actually lose a considerable amount of weight from breathing via water vapour throughout the day/night

    definitely not something worth concerning yourself over, but it would skew short term results enough to cause some worry in those who dont know any better

    edited to take out the pic
  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
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    People actually concern themselves with the weight they lose from BREATHING???
    you actually lose a considerable amount of weight from breathing via water vapour throughout the day/night

    definitely not something worth concerning yourself over, but it would skew short term results enough to cause some worry in those who dont know any better

    edited to take out the pic
    Lol yeah i wasn't saying i was concerned about it...but I find it interesting how many pounds are lost through just breathing overnight.

    Its just water weight though...that goes up and down like the tides.
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
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    People actually concern themselves with the weight they lose from BREATHING???
    you actually lose a considerable amount of weight from breathing via water vapour throughout the day/night

    Wait.........wut??? :huh:
    Pretends_to_be_interested_know_your_bsing.gif
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    As long as you're consistent (always morning or always afternoon or always whenever), you should still be able to track general trends. If you are dehydrated when you weigh in, you may weigh in lighter one afternoon than if you drank more water one day. That's why a lot of people prefer the morning. It doesn't really matter.
  • mnwalkingqueen
    mnwalkingqueen Posts: 1,299 Member
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    My doctor told me to weigh myself in the morning before eating because that is when you are at your lightest. I think consistency on day of the week, time and how you are clothed also matters.
  • Pathend2
    Pathend2 Posts: 142
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    I do it frequently nowadays. It's like an addiction, but it helps me. Plus by weighing myself routinely every day, I can see when I'm starting to plateau out and can make the necessary arrangements to fix it before it becomes a problem. Basically, it's a reminder to me that I need to change things up.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    People actually concern themselves with the weight they lose from BREATHING???
    you actually lose a considerable amount of weight from breathing via water vapour throughout the day/night

    Wait.........wut??? :huh:
    Pretends_to_be_interested_know_your_bsing.gif
    can be +/- 0.25 lbs/hour depending on the person and the temp/humidity of the room they are sleeping in according to what i've read.
  • melindafritz1976
    melindafritz1976 Posts: 329 Member
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    Just be consistent with weighing yourself at that time. But most people prefer to weigh themselves first thing in the morning.
  • melindafritz1976
    melindafritz1976 Posts: 329 Member
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    My doctor told me to weigh myself in the morning before eating because that is when you are at your lightest. I think consistency on day of the week, time and how you are clothed also matters.

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