How to record weight loss?

clare2403
clare2403 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Most people weigh themselves once a week to check on their progress. I have unfortunately gotten into the habit of weighing myself every day - I find it motivating even though I understand that your weight fluctuates day to day based on many things such as salt consumption etc.

What do I do if the weight I get on my weigh-in day is heavier than it was another time during the week? Should I record my weight as it was on my official weigh-in day or record the lowest weight I got on the scales that week? It just seems to me that I'm heavier on Tuesday mornings than I often am a few days earlier but I doubt I could have actually gained an extra few pounds in that time especially when I'm doing everything right.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I've just been logging every day, but I'm thinking about just logging new lows. I think either is fine.
  • steff274
    steff274 Posts: 227 Member
    I weigh every morning I need someone with cat burglar skills to come in and pinch my scale!! :open_mouth:
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    Re weighing daily, I actually think it is a good thing IF you can ride the fluctuations. It provides helpful information and keeps me focused. It's actually helpful for me to learn more about when I fluctuate. I'm not overly focused on the number on the scale, but weighing daily keeps what I'm doing forefront in my mind. However, if you get very upset by the number on the scale I'd say weekly max.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    How crazy are you likely to get if the fact you've lost the same lb over and over again is displayed on your wall, and people are congratulating you each time? Mainly because they never add up the fact all the 1 lb losses are more than the total loss displayed.

    Since you seem to know that not every day is a valid weigh-in day for totally known and expected water fluctuations, are you truly going to make use of like 2 months worth of noisy data to see a trend line in there?

    If not, don't waste emotional energy on the ups and downs - pick a valid weigh-in day to minimize those water fluctuations.
    Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels (not higher, not lower), not sore from last workout.

    As you stated, you can't base eating decisions on what happens in one day's movement. If you truly want to burn yourself out from daily weighing, weigh 3 times daily to see just how much movement is normal, then let it go and get out the tape measure.
  • corinne1977
    corinne1977 Posts: 142 Member
    I weigh every morning then do an average for the week and that's weight I go by.
  • darkhorse43
    darkhorse43 Posts: 70 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    How crazy are you likely to get if the fact you've lost the same lb over and over again is displayed on your wall, and people are congratulating you each time? Mainly because they never add up the fact all the 1 lb losses are more than the total loss displayed.

    Since you seem to know that not every day is a valid weigh-in day for totally known and expected water fluctuations, are you truly going to make use of like 2 months worth of noisy data to see a trend line in there?

    If not, don't waste emotional energy on the ups and downs - pick a valid weigh-in day to minimize those water fluctuations.
    Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels (not higher, not lower), not sore from last workout.

    As you stated, you can't base eating decisions on what happens in one day's movement. If you truly want to burn yourself out from daily weighing, weigh 3 times daily to see just how much movement is normal, then let it go and get out the tape measure.

    You can set it so it doesn't post losses to your wall.
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    blazepurr wrote: »
    As for the weighing, I weigh every day too and understand the fluctuations etc. I dont record every week though, I only record when i've seen a new low for a few days in a row. But 99% of the time, if i'm seeing a new low then it's not a fluke.

    I basically do this ^^

  • ewhip17
    ewhip17 Posts: 515 Member
    I weigh myself every day for "trends", but the only weight that I officially register is Wed AM and I'm strict about that. Yes, there have been Wednesdays where I was higher (or even lower) than I might have been in the surrounding days for whatever reason, but in the long term those blips are minor. That's also why I weigh every day - so if I'm high/low on an "official" weigh in day I can look at the days before and after and understand the trend and try to assess why it might have happened. But changing the number I see on the scale on Wed AM is a slippery slope for me as it just causes confusion.
  • davidp2711
    davidp2711 Posts: 42 Member
    i stick to every sunday morning
  • Solar_Cat
    Solar_Cat Posts: 188 Member
    I weigh multiple times a day. The fluctuations interest me, and I don't freak out over them. I record my daily official morning weight -- the real one, whatever it is -- here and at WeighTracker. The WeighTracker site applies a formula to smooth out the fluctuations and calculate your "true weight" based on daily logging. It seems to work pretty well. It has charts too. B)
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
    i weigh in first thing when i wake up, every single day, and keep a journal of my logs. It's the only way I can see how my weight fluctuates and reacts to foods I choose to eat.
  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
    Dude, I have a spreadsheet. I got all OCDy on it.

    I weigh every morning and track it, along with calories in and out as well as anything kooky (sick, ate everything, busy & ate nothing, etc).

    It's really interesting to me to see the fluctuations and it doesn't wig me out. As someone here once said, you don't have a weight. You have a weight range - I'll bounce around the same 3 or 4 pound range for as much as a week or two. Then suddenly down two and so forth.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I weigh almost every day but only log Friday - but I always log it even if it is up, down or the same.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I only log on here on Wednesdays, but I track daily in another app on my tablet in order to view my fluctuations
  • lizfiz50
    lizfiz50 Posts: 179 Member
    If you're truly doing everything you can for weight loss, then you will see a change further down the line as long as you stick through it. I've had weeks where there was no loss in weight, but my clothes fit better. Then the next week, 5 lbs come off. I get in that whole thing of weighing myself and it's been frustrating me. Lost a bunch the first few days then gained it back. I still have a net weight loss. Just keep eating healthy, take pics of your progress and stick to it. You are bound to see results.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    I weigh and log daily. I want to see the fluctuations on the report sheet MFP has. I dont care if it logs the same loss over and over - its still pounds lost!! As long as the trend is DOWN... then I am good. Recently I remembered I actually wrote down the MFP 5 weeks you would weigh this number and I am almost EXACTLY at what it said I would be.
    - So even though I went up and down several times, got angry and upset sometimes, I KNOW I am doing it right. I am where MFP said I should be, if I stayed on goal. THAT makes me feel better!
  • jorge_ta83
    jorge_ta83 Posts: 49 Member
    I used to weight myself everyday, but the chart looked like some weird stock market.

    I decided to weight myself only once a week.
  • meridianova
    meridianova Posts: 438 Member
    i weigh daily, and i log every time it changes. my body likes to drop a couple of pounds, and then spend the next 3-ish weeks gaining and losing those same couple of pounds repeatedly. then i'll see another pound or so down, and the bouncing continues.

    part of the reason i log every change is because i'm downloading all the MFP data into another tracking spreadsheet, and it starts to get confused if i'm not logging each change. it makes a difference in my trend charts and other calculations.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    meridianova wrote: »
    i weigh daily, and i log every time it changes. my body likes to drop a couple of pounds, and then spend the next 3-ish weeks gaining and losing those same couple of pounds repeatedly. then i'll see another pound or so down, and the bouncing continues.

    part of the reason i log every change is because i'm downloading all the MFP data into another tracking spreadsheet, and it starts to get confused if i'm not logging each change. it makes a difference in my trend charts and other calculations.

    I lose like that, too. I record every time I see a new low because I will then maintain that low or go up a smidge and stay there for 2-3 weeks before another big drop.

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