When to weigh yourself?

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trenzalours
trenzalours Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm kind of addicted to the scale. I want to weigh myself all the time but I fight the urge to since when I see I've gained or lost during the day I just go into a downward spiral.

So my question is when should I weigh myself and how often? Should I weigh myself after I workout out and before I eat? Or weigh myself before I even do any of that jazz?

And also for us ladies out there is it even worth weighing yourself during your menstrual cycle? I get bloated and all that crappy stuff so I don't even know what I weigh! I started this about 2 weeks ago and because of how irregular I am I could have started my PMS/Bloating about the time I started this. Red bank hasn't made its deposit yet but all the emotional symptoms are there. (I'm all effed up in the nether parts but thats TMI)

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited November 2014
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    In the morning, after you wake up and use the bathroom, before you eat. Whether you weigh every day, once a week, or once a month is up to you, but that's going to be the best time of day.

    I weigh every day, during TOM as well. I know I go up two pounds in that week before, so the fluctuation is normal to me and I can see where I am compared to a month ago.
  • focus135
    focus135 Posts: 58
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    trenzalours wrote: »
    I'm kind of addicted to the scale. I want to weigh myself all the time but I fight the urge to since when I see I've gained or lost during the day I just go into a downward spiral.

    So my question is when should I weigh myself and how often? Should I weigh myself after I workout out and before I eat? Or weigh myself before I even do any of that jazz?

    And also for us ladies out there is it even worth weighing yourself during your menstrual cycle? I get bloated and all that crappy stuff so I don't even know what I weigh! I started this about 2 weeks ago and because of how irregular I am I could have started my PMS/Bloating about the time I started this. Red bank hasn't made its deposit yet but all the emotional symptoms are there. (I'm all effed up in the nether parts but thats TMI)

  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
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    I also weigh every day. I like to see the trend.
    But, as Malibu927 says, wake up, pee, and weigh (naked) I step on the scale twice to be sure then move of for the day.
    Don't weigh more than once in a day as you can fluctuate all over, and if you easily get discouraged, that will do it.
  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
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    I weigh myself first thing in the morning.
  • siminske
    siminske Posts: 35 Member
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    Everyday, right after I wake up, I only count the Saturday weighing for my offical weight loss.
  • focus135
    focus135 Posts: 58
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    You need to weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Use the restroom first and don't drink any water. If you weigh yourself during your period you are retaining like 3 to 4 extra pounds of water weight. If you weigh yourself in the evening or afternoon you are getting a false read on the scale. The reason being is that if you drink a gallon of water and step on the scale that is at least 8 pounds. Or if you eat a lot of salt you will be retaining water as well. Add me if you like.
  • trenzalours
    trenzalours Posts: 60
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    tracymayo1 wrote: »
    I also weigh every day. I like to see the trend.
    But, as Malibu927 says, wake up, pee, and weigh (naked) I step on the scale twice to be sure then move of for the day.
    Don't weigh more than once in a day as you can fluctuate all over, and if you easily get discouraged, that will do it.

    I'm going to be doing this more! I haven't been using the bathroom first thing in the morning since it takes me a bit for my body to get moving I guess.
    siminske wrote: »
    Everyday, right after I wake up, I only count the Saturday weighing for my official weight loss.

    I like the idea of picking just one day to make your official weigh in day! That will help me a lot since I never know really when is the right time to actually do the "check in" on MFP.
  • trenzalours
    trenzalours Posts: 60
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    focus135 wrote: »
    You need to weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Use the restroom first and don't drink any water. If you weigh yourself during your period you are retaining like 3 to 4 extra pounds of water weight. If you weigh yourself in the evening or afternoon you are getting a false read on the scale. The reason being is that if you drink a gallon of water and step on the scale that is at least 8 pounds. Or if you eat a lot of salt you will be retaining water as well. Add me if you like.

    Yeah I'm really worried about weighing myself on my period. I don't want MFP's goal tracker to get all wonked because of my period. I'm just worried it will mess up the actual weight loss journey I'm going through (if this makes any sense?)
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    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:
    • 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.
    • 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. [/color]
    • 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
    • Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
    • 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.
    • 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)
    • TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.

    My weigh in's for 8/1 to 10/29
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  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    Just weigh yourself at the same time of day either daily or once a week (same day of the week) or once a month. Whatever you choose. You can't obsess over the numbers. Your body can range "crazy" amount of pounds for so many reasons. Focus on the trend going down over a period of time.

    Your monthly visitor isn't going to mess anything up. You may see a 1-3 pound increase that week, but it will go back down (as long as you didn't pig out on chocolate that week ;)). Just be prepared for it and accept it. You are a woman and our bodies go through it.

    I've found obsessing over the scale and numbers (even calories and such) can hinder my weight loss journey. Talking to a friend or professional about that can help.

    Good luck!
  • hotasfire36
    hotasfire36 Posts: 235 Member
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    I weigh once a week
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Numbers geek here. I weigh every day to see the patterns. I also do a trailing 28-day average "trend line." That's the mean length of my cycle, meaning any point in the trend line reflects one full cycle. It smoothes out the annoying weight spikes and makes loss (or maintenance or gain) over time more obvious.
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
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    I weigh once a month typically, but that's because the fluctuations still bother me to a degree so its a personal preference. Also not anytime during TOM... I've gained up to 8 lbs of water weight during that time and I don't need to see that on top of already being an emotional train wreck.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    I can gain anywhere from 8-13 pounds of water weight during my period so I stay far away from the scale then.

    I used to weigh myself once or twice a week, but now the numbers are starting to tweak my brain too much so I'm going to try to do it once a month instead.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    First thing in the morning, after you do your business. Most important, is to be consistent-same scale, place and time of day.
  • slucki01
    slucki01 Posts: 284 Member
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    I weigh every morning but I only track the weigh in on Thursdays.
  • pdank311
    pdank311 Posts: 137 Member
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    6 am daily... unless I'm not home, then whenever I get home. Like someone else said, I think it's more about being consistent on weigh in time.
    Daily works for me. I like seeing the data and being able to go back 2+ years to see things. Upward trends used to be hard to deal with but I've learned a lot about one bad day not killing you with this approach too.

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