Hate seeing daily fluctuations?

robynmoosehead
robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
edited November 21 in Health and Weight Loss
does anyone else weigh themselves daily and get really demotivated or disheartened when it goes up or stays the same due to fluctuations?

I recommend downloading Happy Scale! It's so refreshing to have all the fluctuations evened out and see a move downward curve on the weight graph. It's really helped keep me on track.
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Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I've also heard libra recommended

    I use trendweight.com (need a fitbit/withings scale or set up a free fitbit.com account and link it to MFP) automatically updates from MFP weights and the info is just there when you need it

    Great graphs
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    then dont weigh every day.

    the overall trend is what matters.

    sometimes i weigh every day. sometimes i dont. when i think my body is being stupid i dont. LOL regardless, i weigh and log every friday morning. the other 6 days... meh. whatever.
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    then dont weigh every day.

    the overall trend is what matters.

    I do see what you're saying but personally it doesn't work for me. I stopped my last weight loss attempt after losing two stone because the scales didn't budge for a few weeks over two years ago. I've still got another two to lose.

    Sometimes my weekly weigh in would coincide with an 'up day' on the scales so it looked like nothing had changed. Although in reality, the trend was still going down. This time round, I've found it helps me to track the daily fluctuations
  • 3b1p
    3b1p Posts: 10 Member
    robynmoosehead wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    then dont weigh every day.

    the overall trend is what matters.

    I do see what you're saying but personally it doesn't work for me. I stopped my last weight loss attempt after losing two stone because the scales didn't budge for a few weeks over two years ago. I've still got another two to lose.

    Sometimes my weekly weigh in would coincide with an 'up day' on the scales so it looked like nothing had changed. Although in reality, the trend was still going down. This time round, I've found it helps me to track the daily fluctuations

    This...don't pay attention to the scale, pay attention to your clothes. The scale just gives you a number, but doesn't distinguish between fat, muscle, water, etc.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    I like weighing every day and using Fitbit/Trendweight. I can see through the fluctuation that my weight is just where I want it to be.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
    I weigh daily. If I eat a a restaurant, I don't lose at all. If I am my normal day to day I lose a little most days. Salt fluctuates my weight. I am more motivated by daily weights, but some are not.
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    cbelc2 wrote: »
    I weigh daily. If I eat a a restaurant, I don't lose at all. If I am my normal day to day I lose a little most days. Salt fluctuates my weight. I am more motivated by daily weights, but some are not.

    I agree. There's something about numbers and data and graphs that I love. Guess that's the scientist in me. The lovely downward graph is the best sight ever!
  • lautour
    lautour Posts: 89 Member
    edited July 2015
    Weighing every day is really only useful if you are going to take a more scientific, long-term observational approach. Otherwise, it can be discouraging, anxiety-inducing, and highly stressful. And completely unnecessary. I weigh daily and have done so for years, and I use the Libra app. I observe the trends but actually I find it more useful just for seeing how different changes in lifestyle and health affect my body. I also track inches and body fat. I also track lots of other things with other programs (journal for mental health, track pain levels, track digestive function, track finances with budget, etc.). So if you're a tracker and you like information, maybe go for it. Just remember it's for informative purposes, and not to self-flagellate.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member


    I use trendweight.com. I like it because it links to Fitbit and I have a wireless scale (Aria)so I don't have to enter the weight every day.

    I've been struggling with losing and gaining the same five pounds over and over again, so I'm really trying to lose at a slower rate this time (.25 pounds a week). I think weighing myself daily is important to not becoming frustrated with the slower loss.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    I hate seeing them (up) but I love learning from them. Happy Libra user here with 2 1/2 years of data.
  • scottwblack
    scottwblack Posts: 26 Member
    There's also the Libra app for Android and The Hacker's Diet Online (https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/online/), both of which do the same thing as Happy Scale and Trendweight. I really like HS, but it's unfortunately not available for Android phones.
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    Well i hope you don't quit next time you hit a plateau. Plateaus, i've discovered are par for the course. YOu shouldn't hit a plateau before three months though. You just have to deal with it. And you may ultimately have to accept that you super skinny goal isn't realistic for you. Get inside the healthy weight range. This should be achievable for all us but I suggest the lower end is not sustainable for most of us who tend to gain weight.

    There's a book called The Don't Go Hungry Diet which will explain all this and show you how to think about it differently from the way that you have in the past. Understanding your body in this way will help you. Trust me. Its helped me heaps.

    I also weigh daily and don't worry about fluctuations because i have a reasonable idea of what's going on. So long as the trend is downwards i'm good. I keep a record in my private food diary.
  • Dominicj569
    Dominicj569 Posts: 30 Member
    I weigh everyday, sometimes several times, I only record the dips.
    I dont obsess over it, but I do make note of it, if I'm not losing, I make sure I'm not doing anything wrong.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    I'm a daily weigher who uses happy scale.
  • Lilyquinn83
    Lilyquinn83 Posts: 3 Member
    I do weigh every day, even though I don't always see a downward movement. Sometimes I even see an upward move by as much as four pounds, either due to something I ate or things out of my control. Historically, I've given up after seeing too much of this. Now, I've been reminding myself that at my highest this year I was at 217, and at my current 209 I'm still down 8 pounds from my start point. Giving up is only going to make me go up on the scale, so I write down all the things in my life that I could be in control of that could have bumped my scale up. And then I eliminate them as much as I can for the next few days. So it's like a scientific experiment really :)
  • newblue95
    newblue95 Posts: 53 Member
    I weigh every day too and log it into a spreadsheet. I just started so after two weeks I'm going to graph it and see if it's going down. I never had success weighing weekly, it was disheartening
  • fraserkr
    fraserkr Posts: 110 Member
    per facebook.com/LibraWM/info?tab=page_info : "Libra is an Android application which allows you to track your daily body changes weight over a period of time, following the "trend line" methodology brilliantly described by John Walker in his online book: The Hacker’s Diet."

    TRENDWEIGHT and WEIGHTGRAPHER both provide your weight trend (as recommended by the author of The Hacker's Diet) . Your data can be accessed in a browser.

    https://trendweight.com/help/
    http://www.weightgrapher.com/about

    I prefer TRENDWEIGHT's output but both sites work fine. I have an ARIA scale, so my weight data syncs automatically.
  • Guy04
    Guy04 Posts: 20 Member
    I weigh myself every morning and I've lost some weight every day. I think I'm not getting fluctuations because I don't eat foods that retain water(bread and pasta) and I make sure I eat lots of fiber.
  • arachnofobia7
    arachnofobia7 Posts: 50 Member
    I weigh daily for sake of curiosity. Through the process I've learned how different ratios of carbs/fats/proteins influence my weight. Actually it's no longer frustrating seeing those extra pounds. It's either the case of ''carb binge'' the day before or the coming period. I can easily drop that water weight by adjusting carb intake. It took me some time of self experimenting but in long term it helps a lot to be able to tweak around the macros in order to see the required number on the scale and don't become paranoid over 2 pounds ''weight gain''.Every month I note the lowest dip shown on the scale and this is what I work around. I even weigh before and after workout - seeing one pound less on the scale after one hour of running is very rewarding but at the same time it shows the impact of water weight on the scale numbers.
    I'm not a ''low carber'', quite the opposite - i love pasta, grains and potatoes and i tend to eat too much of them, thus for me going easy on carbs means not overeating rather then going low carb in long term. Carbs are known for their high water retention properties hence switching off carbs for a few days can help dealing with that pesky extra two pounds gained over night.
  • fraserkr
    fraserkr Posts: 110 Member
    you might like to read this recent related forum thread also: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10208203/proof-that-weighing-daily-is-confusing-unless-you-look-at-the-big-picture-spreadsheet#latest
  • fraserkr
    fraserkr Posts: 110 Member
    arachnofobia7 wrote: »
    I weigh daily for sake of curiosity. Through the process I've learned how different ratios of carbs/fats/proteins influence my weight. Actually it's no longer frustrating seeing those extra pounds. It's either the case of ''carb binge'' the day before or the coming period. I can easily drop that water weight by adjusting carb intake. It took me some time of self experimenting but in long term it helps a lot to be able to tweak around the macros in order to see the required number on the scale and don't become paranoid over 2 pounds ''weight gain''.Every month I note the lowest dip shown on the scale and this is what I work around. I even weigh before and after workout - seeing one pound less on the scale after one hour of running is very rewarding but at the same time it shows the impact of water weight on the scale numbers.
    I'm not a ''low carber'', quite the opposite - i love pasta, grains and potatoes and i tend to eat too much of them, thus for me going easy on carbs means not overeating rather then going low carb in long term. Carbs are known for their high water retention properties hence switching off carbs for a few days can help dealing with that pesky extra two pounds gained over night.

    Hi @arachnofobia7, what macronutrient ratios have you found to work best for you? I keep experimenting with different ratios and have yet to decide what to settle upon. I do know that more than 20% of protein seems difficult for me to consume on a daily basis.
  • arachnofobia7
    arachnofobia7 Posts: 50 Member
    Hi there @fraserkr, I can't really give you any specific numbers. I focus on calories and since my daily allowance is in region of 1400 I go by ''the less calories the better'' rule. My problem partially was in portion control so in order to get the volume I eat lots of veggies, I can go days with no meat to save on calories, instead I get my proteins from dairy - be it yoghurt, kefir, buttermilk, curd cheese. Occasionally I'd have some beans/lentils. As I've mentioned, carbs for me proved to be the real game changer so if I want to see progress on the scale I lower them as much as I can. In this context I'm not consistent in terms of macronutrient ratio. Doing so would set limits to what I eat (been there, done that, not sustainable in long term) therefore I rather watch the calories and adjust the macros as I go along with huge stress on carbs. BTW where is that 20% protein intake coming from ?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    Patttience wrote: »
    Well i hope you don't quit next time you hit a plateau. Plateaus, i've discovered are par for the course.


    yup. its not uncommon for me not to log a loss for two weeks at a time. weight loss is not a game for quitters.....

    shoot, just recently i had 3 weeks of no loss. no biggie. i was doing everything i should - food, exercise, general habits.... my body just decided to hold steady for a bit.
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    Patttience wrote: »
    Well i hope you don't quit next time you hit a plateau. Plateaus, i've discovered are par for the course.


    yup. its not uncommon for me not to log a loss for two weeks at a time. weight loss is not a game for quitters.....

    shoot, just recently i had 3 weeks of no loss. no biggie. i was doing everything i should - food, exercise, general habits.... my body just decided to hold steady for a bit.

    I think I'm being a lot more realistic this time round. I did great last time. Lost two and a half stone then put back on a stone during the down time. This approach should keep me on the straight and narrow.

    It's very interesting to see how different methods work for different people
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    they don't bother me...I understand them...I know what causes them...they are completely natural...and my scale is not the be all and end all. people obsess way to much about some arbitrary number that is made up of numerous things besides body fat.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I like weighing every day and the fluctuations provide instant feedback regarding the previous day's food choices and activities. I use Libra and love the smoothing and trend analysis.
  • boogiewookie
    boogiewookie Posts: 206 Member
    I weigh myself daily. the fluctuations motivate me :-) if I get on the scale in the morning and its the same or more than the day before I just push myself harder to see the number drop..
  • robynmoosehead
    robynmoosehead Posts: 66 Member
    Calliope610 wrote: »
    I like weighing every day and the fluctuations provide instant feedback regarding the previous day's food choices and activities. I use Libra and love the smoothing and trend analysis.

    I never even thought about that aspect of it! Would be very interesting to see how a high/low carb day shows itself on the scale the next day. Same goes in relation to whether or not I had a glass of wine or the amount of water I drank.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,300 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I've also heard libra recommended
    I use trendweight.com (need a fitbit/withings scale or set up a free fitbit.com account and link it to MFP) automatically updates from MFP weights and the info is just there when you need it
    Great graphs
    And, of course, www.weightgrapher.com which allows for manual input (plus automatic scale and fitbit integration)
  • Jmgkamp
    Jmgkamp Posts: 278 Member
    I weigh every day. I used to get really moody when my weight stayed the sane or went up. Now, 5 months in, I'm more interested in the number than I am bothered by any movement. I was at my lowest weight 2 days ago. Now, over the past 2 days, I "gained" almost 2 pounds. I know that I didn't gain two real pounds. I ate within my calorie limits, but the food had more sodium. I've got some water in there...

    I will weigh frequently for the rest of my life so I never have to lose this much again.
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