daily weigh ins make me want to smash things like Hulk.

hydrocooled
hydrocooled Posts: 8 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on this journey since mid March and at first I was weighing in daily. You know how it goes at first, the weight just seems to fall off when you find something that works. A month or so goes by and the weight is not coming off as fast. This is to be expected but still kind of sucks.

So. It's morning. I'm standing on the scale, staring at the calendar where I record my weight every day, crossing my fingers, holding my breath aaaaaand here comes the readout. dammit. I weigh one more pound than I did yesterday. I'm trying not to be disappointed because I know within the span of the week my weight does not steadily go down. sometimes it goes up sometimes it stays the same but I still see progress from week to week. I mean, how did I get to a point in my life where one-pound can be the difference between the start of a great day and a Day when I want to punch somebody in the face?

My question is this for those of you who weigh yourself daily: do you have a similar experience? Do you have days where inexplicably your weight will go up and then a day when it will suddenly drop?

Are there people out there who weight simply decreases over time without these odd spikes?

For those of you who do not weigh your self daily how often do you weigh yourself? How do you resist the siren call of this stupid scale?
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Replies

  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    edited May 2015
    Weight fluctuates daily. If you insist on weighing daily then you have to get used to this.

    Try using a weight tracking app like Libra or Happy Scale. It will monitor your fluctuations and estimate your 'true' weight, helping you to see which way your weight is trending over time.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    I weigh daily but only pay attention to the weekly and rolling averages.
  • thatyogagirl
    thatyogagirl Posts: 50 Member
    I use HappyScale, it's a great app if you choose to weigh-in daily. Even on a bad day, it will show you your lowest weight for that week, it will calculate based on your numbers when will you be done loosing weight, and it gives you milestones, so on a bad day, it really helps by giving you the big picture.
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    I have only been doing this for 16 days but have weighed myself daily since starting. It has usually gone down or stayed the same but there have been days when it's gone up by around half-1lb. It can be annoying, but the next day I might see it go down as much again. I know what you mean about it being the start of a good or bad day though!

    Really I guess bodies just fluctuate and as long as the overall trend is down then it doesn't really matter. I will still weigh myself daily as it keeps me motivated, if it hasn't changed or goes up I tend to work harder, and if it has gone down I feel great :smile:
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,757 Member
    Do you measure yourself? How are your clothes fitting? Look for non scale related victories. I do weigh myself daily but I only go by the lowest weight, unless it bounces up over several days to at least 3 lbs more than that low weight. Salt, water, TOM for women, too many high GI carbs in one day, a heavy workout session, etc., can cause 1-2 lbs. Keep focused on your goal and let something besides a number on a scale be that goal.

    And yes before I adapted to this method, I would sit crying like a baby over a dumb number on a scale. Been there, not going back.
  • ReynaDay01
    ReynaDay01 Posts: 57 Member
    I don't weigh daily as I get frustrated by the fluctuations. I weigh my self weekly on the same day, at the same(ish) time every time.
  • csmullins78
    csmullins78 Posts: 61 Member
    I like weighing daily because it will show my trends. I never freak out if the number is up so long as I stuck to my calorie goal.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited May 2015
    I weigh daily. I know fluctuations happen, so they don't bother me. Especially since I know usually when they'll happen because I know the causes. Even if I wasn't expecting it and weigh a few pounds more, who cares? I know it's not fat, so what's the problem? I weigh daily so that I can get excited when I reach a new low, because if I weighed weekly I'd be 7x less likely to see that new low when I reach it. I've also never understood how weighing weekly solves this problem - it's not like the scale somehow averages your weight over the week on the one day you happen to step on the scales. You could still fluctuate and be a pound higher than you expect.
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    You have to keep it in perspective....And you have to remember that what is going on on the scale is not always a reflection of what is going on with your body, and more specific your fat percentage...
    I weighed a pound more this morning than I did last week, but in the mean time I had a lovely cheat day filled with salt, carbs, and alcohol...Nothing crazy, still under maintenance, but different. I also got three heavy workouts in over the last few days, and it is almost TOM.....
    My choices - being mad and despondent, or keeping the above in mind, and just for fun, using my tape measure - which produced a nice half inch loss around my thighs, hips and waist.....
    The scale lies.....
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    I weigh daily and I do have days when my weight goes up (2lbs this morning) but it doesn't effect me the way you describe. I find the losses spur me on for more losses and the gains make me more determined to have a loss very soon.

    Having said that, my gains are rarely inexplicable. They either come from a heavy training day or a heavy eating/drinking day. Either way, it's likely to be fluid gain and not fat and will go again eventually.
  • Dave55412
    Dave55412 Posts: 88 Member
    I usually weigh myself daily. I'll go a week with a pound or more increase or no change at all. My measurements show a decrease though. My brother in law weighs 20 times a day and keeps a log. OCD!
  • hydrocooled
    hydrocooled Posts: 8 Member
    Have been biking my butt off the last few days playing Ingress and was hoping to see decreases. I didn't know that exercise the day before can increase your weight the day after. Is this typical?
  • ruggedshutter
    ruggedshutter Posts: 389 Member
    Most gains will be fluid if you are in a calorie deficit. I just remember that when I weigh in and I've gained weight.
  • GhostGames
    GhostGames Posts: 2 Member
    I weigh myself 4 times a day, its amazing how much difference a few hours makes.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    You might want to check out my post from a few days ago for some insight on daily weighing and fluctuations.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10152741/i-hit-goal-today-after-27-months
  • logicman69
    logicman69 Posts: 1,034 Member
    I do daily weigh ins, but I don't really take stock in most of them. I use them to evaluate my food choices and see how different things affect my body (sodium, carbs, etc). I only use my Friday numbers for tracking.
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
    I am not tied to my scale... I watch what I eat... otherwise I might miss my mouth and drop food.. and I don't want to do that... I am more focussed on keeping in the ball park of my calorie goal... I am also doing cardio and weights on a regular basis... I might weigh myself every month or so...I figure.. IF I lose fat I am making it up in muscle... its a longer slower road... BUT... get this.. I was sick for a couple of weeks... so I chose not to go to the gym during that time... and yesterday was the first day That I felt I could get back into my routine.. and I have to say.. IT felt so freaking good to be able to work out... to test my muscles... and to get my sweat on with the elliptical trainer... I was quite pleased to realize that the time off didn't have a negative effect.. in fact.. I felt stronger and more ambitious than I did before I took the time off... I guess what I am saying is... rather than focusing on a single metric... focus on creating healthy constructive habits and eventually the weight loss will happen... think of it as internal Karma... Best of luck to Y'all
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
    hydrocooled wrote: »
    Have been biking my butt off the last few days playing Ingress and was hoping to see decreases. I didn't know that exercise the day before can increase your weight the day after. Is this typical?

    Yes. If you work your muscles hard they will swell as they repair. I don't know the exact science, but that's the basics!

  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    Bleh, that way lies madness. I weigh every week or two.
  • geotrice
    geotrice Posts: 274 Member
    I weigh daily. It can be tough on days when the scale goes up. It's usually on Mondays and Tuesday's for me. It usually drops on Thursday and Fridays. I just try to focus on the past 3 months worth of progress. Weighing is part of my morning routine. It reminds me to stay vigilant and not cut corners. It reminds me that my health and my weight is my priority. But I don't usually let the up days bother me too much. I focus on my body fat percentage which usually drops on those days, or how I look in the mirror, or just ignore it. It's just a number...a progress bar. The daily weigh ins just keep me focused on taking everything one day at a time.
  • G33K_G1RL
    G33K_G1RL Posts: 283 Member
    logicman69 wrote: »
    I do daily weigh ins, but I don't really take stock in most of them. I use them to evaluate my food choices and see how different things affect my body (sodium, carbs, etc). I only use my Friday numbers for tracking.

    I do the same, except Saturday is my tracking day. I think it's fun to see the variations. Had tacos last night and I'm up 1 pound from yesterday. Didn't realize it was THAT salty, lol!
  • shinisize
    shinisize Posts: 105 Member
    I track my weight every day I weigh, up or down. MFP will give you a nice graph which will give you an idea of how the fluctuations make a trend. After a few months it even makes it easy to tell when TOM is approaching. I try not to think about the number, just log it and see how it fits on my graph. I also track measurements, fitness goals, and take weekly pictures, which helps take more focus off of the number on the scale and put it onto my goal of being better than last week/month/year.
  • Zara11
    Zara11 Posts: 1,247 Member
    i use happy scale. if daily fluctuations drive you crazy, weigh in once a week.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    Weight fluctuates, get used to it or stop weighing daily.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    then dont weigh daily?
  • laropmet
    laropmet Posts: 52 Member
    Sometimes I can gain 2 or 3lb between days. Sometimes it takes 4 days for a half lb gain to come back off. That's just the way it goes but if fluctuations upset you that much I think you need to stop daily weigh ins
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    hydrocooled wrote: »
    For those of you who do not weigh your self daily how often do you weigh yourself? How do you resist the siren call of this stupid scale?

    I weigh myself once a week, record whatever it says and put the scale away for a week out of sight. I don't get emotional over the number. It is just information.
    I take measurements and a photo once a month. I try on my test jeans once a month.
    The most important numbers are my daily/weekly calorie count.
    Other than that, I focus on all the positive changes in my life. I am in less pain. I have more energy. I can do more exercise. My flexibility is improving. No matter what the number on the scale says this week my life is better than it was when I started.

  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    i only weigh once a week. sometimes im up sometimes im down on that one day. all i care about is if the average for the month is down.
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    My weight fluctuations can cause me issues, but I only want to punch people in the face (or a good throat punch) based on their behavior...not my weight! ;-)
  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
    I weigh when I can remember to. At the moment it seems to be every 9-14 days. It's not a big issue for me any more as I know I'm in a calorie deficit and I can SEE the changes my body is going through. I don't want to become a slave to the scale forever and a day.
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