Weighing In

staceymarie1971
staceymarie1971 Posts: 29
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!! Question..... How often do you weigh-in and why?

The reason I ask is because I was getting on the scale quite frequently but one day I had a 2lb gain and it totally discouraged me. I know weight fluctuates but if I see it go up even a pound I freak out!! I am thinking about monthly weigh ins but I am not quite sure. I know some people get on the scale daily to keep accountable. UGGHHHH, not sure what to do...looking for some suggestions or what you do....Thanks : )
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Replies

  • thathelenagirl
    thathelenagirl Posts: 24 Member
    I've vowed to weigh in once a week on Mondays, because I started this journey on a Monday and that seemed best. If I got on the scale every day and watched the numbers there I'd probably already be discouraged and have given up. Good luck!!
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    You need to do what works for you. Daily weighing is going to freak you out - so don't do that. I'd suggest maybe bi-weekly if you think you can't do monthly.

    Personally I weigh in most days, but ONLY Friday morning counts. I log that number - up, down or the same.
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
    i promised to only weigh once per week, but i weigh every day. i just like to see fluctuations (hormonal, water weight, etc.) and it helps me stay on track. if i can't weigh for some reason (out of town, etc.) then i don't stress or worry. i'm not obsessed, but i like to know.
  • sstolii123
    sstolii123 Posts: 205 Member
    I weigh in once a week and I measure about once a month!
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    I weigh every day, in the morning post pee, pre-coffee.

    But it's not an emotional thing for me. I realize that weight fluctuates quite a bit depending on many different things. It's the overall trend I focus on.

    You should find what works for you. If you're freaking out over 2 pounds, I'd say once a week is probably a good frequency for you.

    I can lose 2 pounds after a poo. It's a pretty small fluctuation.
  • ntnunk
    ntnunk Posts: 936 Member
    Personally, I weigh in every day but I try to only concern myself with my weekly average weight. I have a spreadsheet (Google Docs) on my phone that I just plug my weight into every morning and it calculates and graphs my weekly average weight.

    I started doing it this way at the suggestion of my cycling coach and I have come to like it. Looking at the downward trend on my weekly average is motivating for me.
  • rgrady33
    rgrady33 Posts: 48 Member
    I weigh-in twice a week. I do Tuesday morning just in case the weekend caused some....fluctuations, and Friday as a nicely spaced day from Tuesday. I tend to count only the Friday since I reached my second GW and move more slowly toward my final GW.
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,268 MFP Moderator
    I weigh in most mornings. I like to see where I am. :) I think I'm going to cut that back to once every couple of weeks, though. I'm supposed to be in maintenance and I keep losing. I think, for me, the scale is mentally tied to weight-loss, rather than keeping a check. In my case, the daily weigh ins keep me in a weight-loss mindset - and if I lose any more I'll need to buy new clothes again. LOL! So maybe I need to change to every couple of weeks, and rely on my clothes to tell me if I need to start paying better attention.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If the fluctuations are getting to you, go with weekly at the most. I do weigh daily, but I don't let them bother me as long as I'm seeing a trend downward.
  • thismamarox
    thismamarox Posts: 105 Member
    I am a habitual weigher.. I will weigh sometimes a couple times a day...not because I am obsessed over what the scale says, but because I find the human body very fascinating, and I like to see t just how much I fluctuate (weird I know!).

    As far as what counts: I always weigh in the morning after I go to the bathroom right before I get in the shower. That just kind of keeps me on track and accountable with myself. My Friday weigh ins are what I track. I almost have my body down to a science. Week 1-3 I will drop about 1- 1.5 pounds a week. Week 4, I will ALWAYS gain about 3 pounds (Damn that week 4!!!) . In the end, it really just depends on you and what works for you!!!
  • corinic91
    corinic91 Posts: 148 Member
    How does this thread show up every. single. day?
  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,268 MFP Moderator
    How does this thread show up every. single. day?

    Magic. :flowerforyou:
  • rgrady33
    rgrady33 Posts: 48 Member
    How does this thread show up every. single. day?

    Because it is something people think about every. single. day. You know, like "would you marry/spank/workout with/date the person above you?" and "should I eat less than 1200 calories?"
  • staceymarie1971
    staceymarie1971 Posts: 29
    Maybe the new people on here do not see this thread every single day and aren't we here to reach out and support one another not be negative...
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I used to never weigh myself. Now, I weigh often, but I expect it to vary. My weight loss isn't linear. It hovers between a 1-2 lb range and then one day it drops, then it hovers a little lower. As long as it is trending downward I don't stress. Maybe pick one day of the week to weigh yourself
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
    How does this thread show up every. single. day?

    Because it is something people think about every. single. day. You know, like "would you marry/spank/workout with/date the person above you?" and "should I eat less than 1200 calories?"

    Stamp!
  • mysweetjenna
    mysweetjenna Posts: 52 Member
    I weigh in once a week at about the same time, before breakfast and after I've used the bathroom :)

    HOWEVER, I skip aunt flow week because I know it'll be jacked up-so I don't even bother.

    Having a healthy relationship with food/exercise is very, very important to me. If anything starts going the way of obsessiveness, I try to curb that thought/behavior.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    Friday morning is my "official" weigh-in. I'll usually step on the scale a couple other times during the week (always first thing in the morning) just to see how things are going. However, I'll stop the extra days for a while if I start obsessing & weighing every day or if the weigh-ins are getting me all stressed out.
  • mom3over40
    mom3over40 Posts: 253 Member
    I weigh a couple of times a day.

    In the beginning, I did this because the scale went up a few pounds in a short time. So, I thought, maybe I had a big meal last night. Then, I wondered what would happen after I use the bathroom...... So, I started to weigh myself many many times. Then, I found out my scale could go up to 2 lbs difference with no reason. I could reset it and it changes. For me, the more I know how I fluctuate, the less I worry about the fluctuations.

    Besides, I think I'm a nerd at heart -- I may just as well open a spreadsheet and chart my numbers, together with the calories burnt, calories intake, hours of sleep etc. and see how they relate... Just not sure if I truly have the patience to do all of that!
  • Maquillage_
    Maquillage_ Posts: 194 Member
    I weigh in every-day, but Monday is my "official" weight-in. Monday's weight is the one I log on here, regardless if it is more or less than the day before.
  • Jreeves9210
    Jreeves9210 Posts: 19 Member
    every day as soon as i wake up. I got the idea from a post I saw on here to keep a daily track and graph it. Obviously there will be fluctuations, but it was very cool to see the long term progress made.
  • anapestic
    anapestic Posts: 169 Member
    I weigh in every morning. But if I had a lot of carbs or salt late in the previous evening and my weight is up a little, I don't get upset. My method of handling daily fluctuations is to only update my weight when it's lower than the last time I updated my weight. Denial is a powerful tool: master it.
  • A_Dabauer
    A_Dabauer Posts: 212 Member
    I've done a 50lb weight loss and never weighing once...at the time I was trying to give up my obsession with being perfect, I naturally let it happen, trust me you can tell when you're loosing weight scale or no scale. It can work :)

    However currently I weigh every day.... and this is why:

    Your weight can fluctuate up to several pounds a day up down and around again, if you weigh say once a week, and your weigh in day is Monday, what if you are on a low day on Monday but a high day the following week. It may show you've put on weight despite doing everything right.

    If you weight the same time EVERY day, yes you see increases but you still see the trend, adding in weekly measurements and I'm currently satisfied with what the scale tells me regardless of my daily fluctuations.

    Here is a link to a great blog on why it's ok to weigh every day :)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/SingRunTing/view/why-i-weigh-daily-692421
  • staceymarie1971
    staceymarie1971 Posts: 29
    Thank you so much forthe advice...greatly appreciated!!
  • staceymarie1971
    staceymarie1971 Posts: 29
    Great words....thanks so much!!
  • staceymarie1971
    staceymarie1971 Posts: 29
    :smile:
  • lanniesue
    lanniesue Posts: 16 Member
    After what I saw on the scale this morning, I am thinking of starting to weigh once a week. It shows that I am up several pounds from Friday. I have been walking a lot more, so I am not sure how this could be. Anyway, it frustrated me so bad this morning, that I have eaten all day.
  • spiff1971
    spiff1971 Posts: 5 Member
    I weigh myself at different points during the day so that i can better understand my body. I only count the first one of the day. I accept that the weight is going to fluctuate. If my goal is to drop 50 pounds, 2lbs is really nothing in the grand scheme. Also, it keeps me honest.

    I look at the overall trend. That to me is the key.

    Find what works for you.

    Chris
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,858 Member
    I weigh daily because I like to see the fluctuations and realize they are perfectly normal, even look to see if I can figure them out. If I weighed weekly, and happened to have an "up" fluctuation on weigh in day and seemed to lose no weight, or even gain weight, after everything being on point all the prior week, I would think that would be far more discouraging than looking at daily weights, which are influenced by water weight, hormones, sodium, elimination(or not) etc.
  • Texnell
    Texnell Posts: 20 Member
    Once a week. Same time/day of week. After pottie/before coffee.

    The scale plays head games with me if I weigh more often. If I were to weigh mid week & see a loss, I would tend to think hey, you're doing good, you deserve a treat. If I were to see a gain mid week, I would think to heck with this, it's not working, and probably binge on something.

    Those weekly weighins can sometimes are not always negative, so as to not be discouraged, I look at monthly totals.

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