Which number should I record?

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Castrofreak
Castrofreak Posts: 67 Member
edited April 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I weighed at 6am when my daughter woke up, but we both fell back asleep. We woke up at 9 and I weighed again cause I felt idk.. lighter? Stupid, i know. But when I weighed at 6, I was 183.6 (finally broke that 184!) and when I weighed at 9, it was 183. My scale is pretty consistent. Which should I record? Both or one?
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Replies

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    The lighter one. Always the lighter one.
  • stevesample76
    stevesample76 Posts: 248 Member
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    I agree. I always try to weigh first thing in the morning. My first thing in the morning is generally the same time every day but some days I sleep in. Great job breaking 184!
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    edited April 2015
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    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    The lighter one. Always the lighter one.
    Always! Why is this even a question?!
  • _QueenE_
    _QueenE_ Posts: 459 Member
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    I would also do the lighter one. Woo! Great job!
  • Castrofreak
    Castrofreak Posts: 67 Member
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    Thanks! Lol I just didn't know. I felt like it was cheating to put the lower one :p It sure feels like cheating. I feel like these first 11 pounds have come off waaay faster than I thought it would.
  • ReeseG4350
    ReeseG4350 Posts: 146 Member
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    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.

    Or you can weigh every day, realizing there are fluctuations and not freaking out about them . . . And it's very unlikely that the average MFP user is putting on that kind of muscle without trying.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.

    Weighing daily is fine as long as you don't take it too seriously. If weighing daily works for a person, there is no reason to stop.

    Building muscle weight is difficult and unlikely to happen on a deficit.
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.
    If that's what works for you, great! Lots of people, myself included, weigh at every opportunity. I like to see the fluctuations - I find it interesting and it doesn't make me panicky if the scale goes up a bit, because I know it will eventually come down again.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Castrofreak wrote: »
    Thanks! Lol I just didn't know. I felt like it was cheating to put the lower one :p It sure feels like cheating. I feel like these first 11 pounds have come off waaay faster than I thought it would.

    That means you have a good plan set up taking yourself and your needs into consideration. Good job :)

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.

    Sorry, how is your weigh in suddenly more accurate because you've waited a few days without weighing? People can fluctuate by several pounds a day. If you only weigh once a week and you happen to be fluctuating that day, you won't know that you were lighter the day before and the day after.

    Also you don't gain muscle in a deficit, not any significant amount anyway.
  • Jgasmic
    Jgasmic Posts: 219 Member
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.

    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.
    That's why I DO weigh daily. Anything within a 3 pound radius is pretty normal for me, but if I only weighed once a week I may think I gained weight because I'm up a pound from the previous week. And yes I might be down two pounds the following week and it will all even out in the end, but I'm not good at waiting patiently. I need to know what is going on as it happens.

  • stevesample76
    stevesample76 Posts: 248 Member
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    Weighing every day is not for everyone. Both sides of this subject are correct. Some people will get freaked out by the daily fluctuations while others like knowing the daily trends. I personally weigh every day but Saturday morning is my "official" weigh-in that goes on the calendar.

    For a lot of people it's a much better idea to take pictures and measurements ever 20-30 days and avoid the scale all together.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I would record the weight from 9 AM.

  • Castrofreak
    Castrofreak Posts: 67 Member
    edited April 2015
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.

    Thanks. But I'm not planning on weighing daily for much longer (maybe, we'll see how it goes). I'm gonna try to not weigh at all for a week, starting friday. I have a bit of an addiction to the scale, from my ED past. Oh and I don't work out yet. I'm going to focus on that once I can stop 'worrying' about losing weight. Its the best plan for me.

    Btw, still not sure if I'm going to not weigh. Might just kick that idea by friday. I kind of like knowing I lost!
  • jessjess210
    jessjess210 Posts: 91 Member
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    I weigh every day. Was driving me a teeny bit crazy til I synced with trendweight.com. Gives you a much better idea
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    ReeseG4350 wrote: »
    DON'T weigh every day! Your body weight can fluctuate multiple times throughout the day and even from one day to the next. You weigh today at 183.6 and tomorrow at 183.5 and the next day at 184.2 and then you find yourself all depressed trying to figure out what you did to gain half a pound when the answer is... you just kept breathing! Far better to weigh "today" and log 183.whatever and then wait until a week or so later and weigh and find you have a more accurate weigh in showing a loss of 1.5# or 2.2# or whatever.
    And don't obsess over what the scales tells you. If you are working out along with your dieting, you might not see as much change in the scale as you might want because you are losing fat weight but, at the same time, building muscle weight. So, while you may have lost 4 pounds of fat weight, you have gained 2.6 pounds of muscle weight and lost two inches off your waist, etc.
    It's a process and all parts of your body tend to operate in concert.

    A woman is not going to add that type of muscle mass while in caloric deficit ... period.
  • morselw
    morselw Posts: 11 Member
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    I weigh every day, but only first thing in the morning before I've eaten or drinken anything. I use the restroom first and weigh without clothes. I feel that's the best way to stay most accurate. I only record a loss if it stays the same for three days. My scale isn't digital, so I only record in whole numbers.
    Congrats on breaking 184!
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Castrofreak wrote: »
    I weighed at 6am when my daughter woke up, but we both fell back asleep. We woke up at 9 and I weighed again cause I felt idk.. lighter? Stupid, i know. But when I weighed at 6, I was 183.6 (finally broke that 184!) and when I weighed at 9, it was 183. My scale is pretty consistent. Which should I record? Both or one?

    I'm all for being precise but holy cow don't sweat the small stuff.
  • ButBurgersAreDelicious
    ButBurgersAreDelicious Posts: 60 Member
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    I happily weigh every single day, because I love the fluctuations. It gives me a great idea of how my day should go, because really, the only time it goes up for me, is it I went over calories something fierce, or ate WAY outside my macros. It helps me buckle down and go "Okay, today I have to be strong and good to myself."

    I only record every week, but I weigh every day :) If I weigh more than once, I always record the lowest, because I can, and it feels good.

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