Weighing vs not weighing

beth0277 · January 2016

I know there is a point where weighing yourself too much can become unhealthy. I'm wondering if anyone has lost weight successfully while NOT weighing at all? I find myself getting discouraged at the slow losses which leads me to binge. I'm wondering if making a goal to not getting on the scale until, say June 1st, would help? FWIW, I only weigh once every other day or so now. I just don't know if this maybe isn't a good idea since I won't be able to tell if my weight stalls or I need to change something up. Any advice?

HutchA12 · January 2016

Weighing yourself is only bad if it's negatively impacting your life. You can setup weigh days to spread it out or not do it at all. Just remember weghtloss isn't linear. It's not going to drop by perfectly as you go. Hydration, food eaten, shark week all effect weight and cause fluctuations. Be sure to weigh in at about the same time of day and conditions then average out the #s. Otherwise don't weigh but maybe try monthly progress pics or body measurements.

callsitlikeiseeit · January 2016

do what works for you.

weight once a day, week, month, not at all.

plenty of other ways to measure success (measurements, clothing fit, fitness achievements, etc) other than the relative pull of gravity on your body

personally i weigh once a week, though in all reality, its about twice a month when i log it.

kabigelow · January 2016

I do once a month and its been so much more satisfying then when I was doing once a week. You always see a big change (if you're doing it right)

Lounmoun · January 2016

Slow loss is still loss. What are your expectations? Are they realistic and reasonable?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

June is a long time. Why not try weighing once a month or find other ways to also measure your progress?

I have gone without weighing myself for a long time in the past. I didn't really lose or gain weight in that time so I guess you could say it wasn't helpful for consistent weight loss. However, I was also not tracking calories at that time period.
I log my food daily now. I weigh myself once a week. I take body measurements once a month. I try on my test pair of jeans once a month. It is all information but I don't get obsessive.

kami3006 · January 2016

I weighed once a month just to make sure my calories were adjusted as I lost. I took measurements weekly.

mlboyer100 · January 2016

Who said weighing yourself too often Is bad? I know this is a big topic for debate. It all depends on how you view the daily fluctuations. For me, I weigh daily, always have and always will. I have learned how my body reacts to different foods (pizza, deserts, high carbs) by weighing every morning. I know that 3 pieces of pizza will put on 1-2 pounds! However, I also know that if I eat within my calories and macros the days after, it will disappear in 1-2 days!! That way I don't panic at the slight increase in weight. I know my body. Now, if I eat pizza 2-3 days in a row, I also know, it will take a week or more to get rid of it AFTER I clean up my act! To me, knowledge is powerful. I don't want to step on the scale in 1-2-3 or 4 weeks and see a 5 pound gain and not know how it got there. I can easily correct daily fluctuations within 24 hours, but month long surprises would definitely derail me!

lorrpb · January 2016

Measure yourself and take pics as other ways to monitor progress. Also track your fitness progress. That way when one number is low, others will be more successful!

Yi5hedr3 · January 2016

Weigh yourself EVERY day, first thing in the morning after voiding. Record it in a notebook. This is the only way you know whether to eat more, or less. Best to use a scale that measures Body Fat too. Record this also.

beth0277 · January 2016

mlboyer100 wrote: »

Who said weighing yourself too often Is bad? I know this is a big topic for debate. It all depends on how you view the daily fluctuations. For me, I weigh daily, always have and always will. I have learned how my body reacts to different foods (pizza, deserts, high carbs) by weighing every morning. I know that 3 pieces of pizza will put on 1-2 pounds! However, I also know that if I eat within my calories and macros the days after, it will disappear in 1-2 days!! That way I don't panic at the slight increase in weight. I know my body. Now, if I eat pizza 2-3 days in a row, I also know, it will take a week or more to get rid of it AFTER I clean up my act! To me, knowledge is powerful. I don't want to step on the scale in 1-2-3 or 4 weeks and see a 5 pound gain and not know how it got there. I can easily correct daily fluctuations within 24 hours, but month long surprises would definitely derail me!

I meant when you cross into multiple times/day territory or you feel that you have an obsession with it.

Getty59 · January 2016

I weigh myself first thing in the morning and last thing before bed I like to see the trends that my body goes through like not fully hydrated or fully hydrated to much sodium or sodium in check and so on. I see small drops but I like to know.

HutchA12 · January 2016

beth0277 wrote: »

mlboyer100 wrote: »

Who said weighing yourself too often Is bad? I know this is a big topic for debate. It all depends on how you view the daily fluctuations. For me, I weigh daily, always have and always will. I have learned how my body reacts to different foods (pizza, deserts, high carbs) by weighing every morning. I know that 3 pieces of pizza will put on 1-2 pounds! However, I also know that if I eat within my calories and macros the days after, it will disappear in 1-2 days!! That way I don't panic at the slight increase in weight. I know my body. Now, if I eat pizza 2-3 days in a row, I also know, it will take a week or more to get rid of it AFTER I clean up my act! To me, knowledge is powerful. I don't want to step on the scale in 1-2-3 or 4 weeks and see a 5 pound gain and not know how it got there. I can easily correct daily fluctuations within 24 hours, but month long surprises would definitely derail me!

I meant when you cross into multiple times/day territory or you feel that you have an obsession with it.

Multiple times a day can be good to track... daily fluctuations. It's all just data, don't tie it to emotions. It's only bad if it's negatively affecting everyday life.

Asher_Ethan · January 2016

Find what works for you. I found that weighing once a week was good for me. But I really enjoy data and graphing so I started weighing every day, but then that got discouraging. So now I'm weighing myself every 2 weeks.

reachingunder120 · January 2016

I felt like I was getting obsessed with it a while back so I started only weighing myself once a week. I think it doesn't really matter how little or how much you weigh yourself because everyone is different and what works for you may not work for someone else. Weighing myself once a month would be too little for me but once a day would be too often for me personally

bobshouse · January 2016

The scales can rule my life so I weigh on first of every month and put the scales away until needed. I have tried variations but this works for me.

taylorfriedchicken · January 2016

This time around, I am choosing to never weigh myself. I used to be a slave to the scale (literally, weighing myself after going #2) and would get discouraged if I only saw -0.2. While I am definitely intrigued to see if I lost any weight, I am more focused on eating right, working out and overall just feeling good. What motivates me is getting into a certain dress and maybe I'll try it on in 4 months, maybe not. Not using the scale makes me feel like I'm just living a healthy & manageable lifestyle and if I lose weight, great! But it definitely does not feel like a diet because I don't have a scale to report to every week (or day).

Weighing vs not weighing

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