Should I always weigh 1/week? Do you ever go to 1/month? Continue to log you daily food?

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  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I like logging and have logged for 3 years. But I don't think about it much and it is certainly no longer a focus in my life like it was when I was losing. It's like brushing my teeth.

    Besides just liking it, it often gives me permission to eat when I think I'm hungry and it sometimes tell me I should step back and listen to my body telling me I'm full. So I obsess less about food when I log than I don't because I don't worry - I know.

    I weigh every morning. If I forced myself not to weigh I'd start worrying about it. I don't. I just go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, and step on the scale. I also would not worry if I didn't own a scale. But I do. It's there. So I step on it.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    jcim1ru wrote: »
    The scale is right there waiting for me every day after my shower. I step on it, read the number, think about my personal range allowance and step off. It's my sanity check. I can live without it and do when I travel. But the scale is like MFP, my buddy for life.

    That's me.

  • tjennings75
    tjennings75 Posts: 2
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    I actually don't own a scale. I am 5'3", weigh 168 lbs but wear a size 6/8. My family physician told me I should never go by the scale but go by how I feel and how my clothes fit. I tend to get obsessed with numbers and am never happy when I do.
  • rdlewis123
    rdlewis123 Posts: 106 Member
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    I weigh once a week, but not for the pounds. I am monitoring body fat vs muscle mass. I also log faithfully. That is just how I have to be accountable to myself. It is a part of the lifestyle that works for me.
  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
    edited March 2015
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    So far, I continue to weigh daily. It is a part of my daily routine, just like putting on my socks – absolutely nothing obsessive. I make a mental note and go about my day.

    I “record” my weight 1 @ week at the same time / conditions and pay close attention to that number.

    I have no plans to stop logging / weighing. It reinforces all that I have learned. I actually like it.

    I know too many people (friends/family) that gotten to maintenance and then started down the slippery slope. I will NEVER regain that fat under any circumstance.

    HAPPY MAINTENANCE TO YOU!

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  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    Exactly what NikonPal said!! I don't think of it as obsessive... what was obsessive was how I used to eat a box of cheez-its at night
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    I only weigh myself if my clothes feel tight. And maybe once every 6 months just for s's and g's. Other than that, not worth it - I keep active and eat healthy and that's all that matters.
  • 64mustangsue
    64mustangsue Posts: 27 Member
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    I agree with NikonPal too. I have been maintenance for almost 2 years now. Continuing to log my intake and my weight keep me accountable. I never want to be fat again so this is now my routine.

    I quit logging for a few months and found myself slipping back to old habits. So much so my IBS is in full uproar again. I am determined to be healthy and thin. Being 50 now I have to stay mindful as weight gain is even easier now and weight loss so much harder. I am back to the routine starting this week. I don't consider is an obsession, it's a lifestyle must.
  • starfish235
    starfish235 Posts: 129 Member
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    I have been on maintnace for 13 years after counting everything for 4 years on paper. For a long time I counted everything in my head before my husband got home and realize the portion size I needed to eat at dinner. I find I eat more naughty things when I am counting on paper. I am not afraid to go over when I am counting. I have been counting on MFP for 70 days now to lose Xmas weight. It a WONDErFUL tool.
  • Building_Bulk
    Building_Bulk Posts: 20,596 Member
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    Deipneus wrote: »
    There are no universal rules, just what's right for each of us. I lost weight and gained much of it back when I quit logging. I am now a permanent food tracker since November 2011. I am also one of those people who weighs himself every morning. It's right for me but I don't think it's right for most people. There are technical advantages (it very accurately averages out the daily fluctuations) but for many people, psychological disadvantages. Congratulations on hitting maintenance and good luck!

    Glad I'm not the only one weighing myself every day. I usually take a 3-day average as my weight to help account for fluctuations. I think everyone is a little different so you need to find what works for you where you don't feel you have become obsessive but are able to hold yourself to where you have gotten. Congrats and good luck!
  • paradi3s
    paradi3s Posts: 343 Member
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    For me i weigh and measure myself every morning. Sounds obsessive, but thats just me.
    As for logging, I believe I won't stop. I feel like if i do start being a bit more free and stop logging, ill eventually start eating more than what i should and gaining
  • Vixenmd1
    Vixenmd1 Posts: 146 Member
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    I lost a lot weight with WW online 07/08 and kept it off till 2011. Then gained a little bit so I made the bright decisions to take a break from tracking and weighing myself. In six months I had gained 30 lbs. Which is where I stayed for a few years then I put on even more of the weight I had taken off. Here I am. I started up 55 of those 75 lbs. I will tell you for me I now know that I need trackimg and daily weighing to maintain. When I did it I was able to maintain a 75lb loss. When Instopped the weight came back. I think the tools help me be real with myself and make better choices.

    Same with my favorite budgeting app does for my money. You need a budget. Since when I am tracking what I am actually spending on things I have to be real with myself.

    To eavh his own but I wish I had never taking a break from trackimg and weighing myself.
  • Vixenmd1
    Vixenmd1 Posts: 146 Member
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    This is why I habe always weighed daily. I know that weekly can just hit a water weight day ect so if I weigh daily and I am up I can tell myself it was water weight. If it takes me two weeks to realize no you are gaining that is much harder to adjust then if it takes me 3-4 day to realize the same thing. I weigh in am and after my run daily. after my run since then the water weight is gone.it only takes a second. I used only log one of the days but now I have a wireless scale and it logs each day.
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    When I am focused on my weight loss, I weigh in every day and focus on the newest low of the week, that is my weight.

    The reason I don't fully recommend weighing weekly is because weight fluctuates. i used to weigh in on mondays. Some weeks I'd lose no weight at all. For example it's monday and I weigh in at 230lbs and lets say I don't weigh in to next week, but here is my actual results

    monday-230
    tuesday-230
    wedensdsay-234
    thursday-232
    friday-230
    saturday-228
    sunday-229
    Monday-231

    I actually lost 2lbs but I don't see it because I only weighed in once a week and it looks like i gained a pound...

  • ckrct5
    ckrct5 Posts: 1
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    I think every person is different and they have to find what works best for them. I weigh myself everyday, not so much for weight but just to make sure what I am doing is working. I still find it difficult to eat the right food all the time. So its the scale that help keeps me honest (most of the time). Besides, the scale is right next to the shower. If I see something overtime, I know I need to make corrections.

    With all that, my fitness goals have always been % body fat and not weight. It took a lot of work to lose the 51 lbs I didn't need so I will weigh-in at least once a week and continue to log diet on myfitnesspal.com so I am conscious of what I am eating and what is doing to my body.
  • vfit10
    vfit10 Posts: 228 Member
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    A week cause If I'm lossing or gaining -- and how I see my self in the mirror and my performance at the gym then I adjust the cals according to my goals
  • rckk18
    rckk18 Posts: 27 Member
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    Since you are on maintenance I would weigh myself every 2 weeks. If a pound or two was gained you would be able to address it right away before it becomes 5 or 10 lbs.
  • mynameisoliverqueen
    mynameisoliverqueen Posts: 63 Member
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    Instead of going on what the scales tell you, believe what the mirror shows and invest in a body composition meter. Other people do not see weight only what is visible. Get the body fat percentage down and you will soon ignore what the scales say.

    Muscle weighs more than fat, so you could be exercising, healthy muscle increasing, unhealthy fat decreasing, yet scales say you are 5lb "overweight" still.

    Also avoid any supplements with Creatine in them as they will make the muscle "weigh" more by increasing the amount of water stored in the muscle itself.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    I weigh once every week or ten days. I went most of March without logging, but I felt my nutrition was suffering so I am back to logging the last few days.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
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    I lost 130+ pounds. During the weight loss period, I weighed in most days.

    When I first began maintenance, I kept weighing daily.

    Now, 2.5 years into maintenance, I hardly ever weigh myself. I try to remember to weigh in once a month, but I often forget.

    I still log my food. I stick to my exercise routine. I can tell if my clothes feel tight. This feels like a good routine to me.
  • TerryKes
    TerryKes Posts: 35 Member
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    So many great responses, thank you! I was surprised by the number of you that continue to weigh daily. One of the commonalities, though, was so many of you are in maintenance. I like the idea of focusing on goals, too, as RaspberryTickleChicken (and that name is awesome!) said, set goals. That's where I've struggled when I've hit goal before - and being so goal oriented - I've not know what kind of goals to set. That's so helpful. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

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