I CANT STAY OFF THE SCALE!!

Yes! For the last week I have put the scale out of my sight in the cupboard. I have got it out once to weigh though . It will be coming out tomorrow though because its weigh-in day!

I try to stick to once a week - try being the key word. I know that I can get overly worried over nothing. I might appear to be 2lbs heavier from one day to the next, but I know that it's just natural fluctuations. At the same time, I do freak. It's like the rational part of my brain shuts down when I look at the numbers. What I did was to remove the scale from the bathroom. When I didn't see every time I stepped in there, slowly the urge subsided. I still cheat from time to time on the whole only once a week thing, but I do so a lot less often when the trigger, this being the scale, isn't so readily available and in sight.

I weigh in every morning first thing. I use an app called Happy Scale to log the daily weigh ins, which helps smooth over fluctuations. I went up almost a full pound this morning but no sweat - app still shows I have a downward trend so I'm on track and will keep eating well & working out and it will all be good At this point it's interesting to see how the numbers jump around, but when I start to eat poorly, seeing a number go up is a reminder to get back on track and that if I get back on track, this will be a-okay.

dcgi wrote: »

It doesn't give you any meaningful data to weigh in everyday for the simple fact that if you're keeping yourself properly hydrated your weight will yo-yo throughout the day and going to the loo will change that significantly.

Stick to doing it once a week because at least then you have a proper trend as to your weight and not a volatile set of readings that will only end up needing to be averaged into a weekly reading to make sense of them anyway.

Funny, I think the exact opposite. Weighing once a week you're not only cutting your data down to a seventh, but you won't know where you actually are with your weight because you won't know where you were the day before or the day after. As you say, we fluctuate everyday. So let's say one day you fluctuate 3lbs heavier. It wasn't there the day before and won't be there the day after. But if you happen to weigh on the day you're fluctuating, you won't know that, and you may get disappointed because you haven't lost or have gained that week. I simply don't see how less data could, from an analytical point of view, be better.

I agree that there's not much point in weighing multiple times a day as your weight then comes down to what you're eating & doing that day, but in the morning things like that haven't affected you yet. And as tigerblue said, if you're aiming for a low weight loss, then it'll be ages before you really see a loss since it can get so easily masked by fluctuations. Weigh every day though and you're 7 times more likely to find a new low.

I weigh daily. Every morning and sometimes when I'm done with a workout just to note the difference. It's how I keep myself accountable.

If your a serous athlete that is monitoring weight for training and race weight. Then once a week is ok. Always on the same day and same time each week. Mine is Friday mornings right after I get up and use the restroom. If you are dieting to loose weight once a month. Same deal, same day same time each month. First thing in the morning is best because our weight fluctuates durning the day.

91octain wrote: »

If your a serous athlete that is monitoring weight for training and race weight. Then once a week is ok. Always on the same day and same time each week. Mine is Friday mornings right after I get up and use the restroom. If you are dieting to loose weight once a month. Same deal, same day same time each month. First thing in the morning is best because our weight fluctuates durning the day.

Why once a month? Why cant she weigh as often as she likes as long as she is consistent, she undestands fluctuations and it helps motivate her?

I weigh everytime I wake up for my "day" (I work nights so my day starts at 6pm lol). I record every morning because I like to be able to see the effect things like sodium and water intake have only weight so that I can not get discouraged if I see a spike after a high sodium day.

I weigh myself every morning before getting dressed for work. It's become a routine for me. I don't really have an emotional reaction at all to the number on the scale I just use it as another means of measurement along the way. (well that's not completely true if it goes down I do get excited, but not nearly as excited as when I get to wear a size lower in jeans!) I also only log my losses but only if I've had that loss for 2 days.

I also weigh every single morning, but only after I have used the restroom. If i was you though, don't adjust too dramatically if you gain a lil weight even if you worked out and were strict on the diet. I only use the daily weight as motivation and try not to change up my routine based on it! Good luck to you!!

joeboland wrote: »

I got rid of my scale a while back - best decision I ever made. I rarely even bother weighing myself anymore, now that I'm about where I want to be. I agree that weighing yourself daily is an unhealthy habit that is going to bear false promise on some days, and completely discourage you on others (your body weight is going to fluctuate every day). Are you seeing muscle definition? Going down in clothing sizes? Weight is just a number that has very little bearing on how healthy, in shape, or attractive you actually are.

I definitely agree that the scale only tells a small part of the story. However it can be difficult to find any other good gauge for progress. Right now, I seem to be losing in places you don't measure--like just above the chest, under the arms. Or at a certain place on my hips, or my arm or wrist, etc. unfortunately for me, the waist, which is where I measure, and where I would like most to reduce, doesn't change much.

It is hard to be consistent with fat calipers.

And clothing--I can convince myself that I can squeeze into pants a size too small! (Just because you CAN put it on doesnt mean you SHOULD wear it in public!). Especially now that so many pants have lyrca! And low waists! The fat just squeezes out over the top. But surely I have not gained any weight, because I can still button them, right?

So if anyone could give me a better measure of progress than the scale, well I would love that.

I also agree that more data is better. But it definitely takes the right mindset!

I weigh daily, first thing in the morning after bathroom, before shower and log it into a physical calendar. I find it keeps me accountable. I also keep my scale in a separate bathroom that I only use in the mornings for showers. Out of sight, out of mind. Any time I go out of my way to use that restroom, I weigh and get yelled at by my DH. He keeps my obsessive behavior in check.