Question for those who weigh in daily

lindsayh87
lindsayh87 Posts: 167 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a daily weigher. I don't measure my success totally by the scale but I am hoping to lose 15 more lbs & I'm always curious about my daily fluctuations so I weigh in every morning. I know I'm not the only one here.

So my question is, how often do you then log your weight on MFP? Every day? Every time you hit a new low? Every time you hit a new high? Or do you average it out & log your new loss when it gets to it that way?

In the past I've logged it every time I saw a new low number. Sometimes I may see that number one morning but then not again for the week though so I feel like I can't actually say that's my weight though. Just wondering what everyone else does :)
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Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I currently weigh every day. Each day, I record it in a spreadsheet. On Thursdays, I record in MFP.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
    I log when I hit a new low for multiple days (2 or 3). I do agree that sometimes a low can be as much of a water weight fluke as suddenly gaining a few lbs overnight. I figure a string of a couple of days at that weight shows that it's a definite trend.
  • RA60172
    RA60172 Posts: 137 Member
    I log every day, even if the number goes up. That way I can see weight fluctuation trends around ovulation or menstruation, or even how I respond to different sodium levels.
  • unckate7
    unckate7 Posts: 22 Member
    I basically just log every time I see a new low number. The way I see it, you can fluctuate up, but you can't really "fluctuate" down. So if I hit a low number, I know that's actually my weight (it's not like you can carry negative water weight or something to pull your weight artificially down.) Whereas, if I'm up a pound or two in the following days, but I know I've been good with my calories, I know that it's probably water weight or general fluctuations.

    Now, if I go two weeks and am consistently 1-2 pounds up from my low weight, I might have to consider that I've gained weight back and may log that. But it's rare that I go that long with a consistent fluctuation up.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    I currently weigh every day. Each day, I record it in a spreadsheet. On Thursdays, I record in MFP.

    Same here, but it's Fridays for me. I love my daily spreadsheet though. It's ever so pretty, with coloured boxes and smiley/frowny faces and everything.
  • thebuz
    thebuz Posts: 221 Member
    unckate7 wrote: »
    I basically just log every time I see a new low number. The way I see it, you can fluctuate up, but you can't really "fluctuate" down. So if I hit a low number, I know that's actually my weight (it's not like you can carry negative water weight or something to pull your weight artificially down.) Whereas, if I'm up a pound or two in the following days, but I know I've been good with my calories, I know that it's probably water weight or general fluctuations.

    Now, if I go two weeks and am consistently 1-2 pounds up from my low weight, I might have to consider that I've gained weight back and may log that. But it's rare that I go that long with a consistent fluctuation up.

    This!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    I weigh and log daily (well I miss a few sometimes)

    I monitor my trend on www.trendweight.com paying attention to longer term trends

    If you have a synched Fitbit (or open a Fitbit account which is free and you don't need a doohickey) and the weights automatically synch over

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    I log my weight in to MFP when I have a new low. I log my daily weight into my Happy Scale app.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I log daily on Happy Scale, log new lows here. I'm not really fussed on what it says here, just my pretty graph and trend on Happy Scale. Do whatever works for you. For me it's just a guide to progress and not an absolute.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member

    unckate7 wrote: »
    I basically just log every time I see a new low number. The way I see it, you can fluctuate up, but you can't really "fluctuate" down. So if I hit a low number, I know that's actually my weight (it's not like you can carry negative water weight or something to pull your weight artificially down.) Whereas, if I'm up a pound or two in the following days, but I know I've been good with my calories, I know that it's probably water weight or general fluctuations.

    Now, if I go two weeks and am consistently 1-2 pounds up from my low weight, I might have to consider that I've gained weight back and may log that. But it's rare that I go that long with a consistent fluctuation up.

    From personal experience, I disagree. I've been on two strong courses of antibiotics back-to-back. My stomach has done some crazy things - including deciding that it was going to let go of everything all at once. After a day of this, I was likely extremely dehydrated and fairly "clean", if you know what I mean, and I weighed in at an amazing weight that was - sadly - very temporary.

    Talk to people who have suffered through the stomach flu. I once lost eight lbs in eight hours.

    Of course, these are extremes, but the point is, you can have fluke down days.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    I weigh and log daily (well I miss a few sometimes)

    I monitor my trend on www.trendweight.com paying attention to longer term trends

    If you have a synched Fitbit (or open a Fitbit account which is free and you don't need a doohickey) and the weights automatically synch over

    This is what I do as well.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    edited February 2016
    Yeah, I've had the flu this week. My weigh in today had me down 2 lbs. My guess is that it would have been 1 lb had I not been sick and that my weight next Thursday will either stay the same or flux up a bit. I consider the low today to be a bit of a fluctuation down due to dehydration and not eating much of anything.
  • 75poundgoal
    75poundgoal Posts: 28 Member
    I find that weighing daily keeps me more focused and on track. If I go a few days without weighing it is usually because I am cheating and I have to call myself out and get back on the scale. I don't worry to much about the fluctuations as long as I am trending down over the weeks.
  • unckate7
    unckate7 Posts: 22 Member
    ManiacalLaugh wrote: »
    unckate7 wrote: »
    I basically just log every time I see a new low number. The way I see it, you can fluctuate up, but you can't really "fluctuate" down. So if I hit a low number, I know that's actually my weight (it's not like you can carry negative water weight or something to pull your weight artificially down.) Whereas, if I'm up a pound or two in the following days, but I know I've been good with my calories, I know that it's probably water weight or general fluctuations.

    Now, if I go two weeks and am consistently 1-2 pounds up from my low weight, I might have to consider that I've gained weight back and may log that. But it's rare that I go that long with a consistent fluctuation up.

    From personal experience, I disagree. I've been on two strong courses of antibiotics back-to-back. My stomach has done some crazy things - including deciding that it was going to let go of everything all at once. After a day of this, I was likely extremely dehydrated and fairly "clean", if you know what I mean, and I weighed in at an amazing weight that was - sadly - very temporary.

    Talk to people who have suffered through the stomach flu. I once lost eight lbs in eight hours.

    Of course, these are extremes, but the point is, you can have fluke down days.

    I mean, that's an extreme case and I don't think anyone is logging their weight after throwing up for a day, and I doubt that's what this question was asking. But...it's still an accurate portrayal of your weight at that moment. If you've been losing weight and are at 140, and then food poisoning hits and the next day you weigh 137 because you're dehydrated, that 137 is not an inaccurate number. It's basically your weight minus any extra water weight you have. Yeah, when you're hydrated again it will probably go up some, but you're always carrying some water weight.

    I probably wouldn't log my weight after being sick, but I don't think that's the same thing as fluctuating up a pound or two because of fluctuations.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    I weigh daily cause at this point it's just habit. I only update MFP when there's a loss. That way it doesn't go overestimating my caloric burn
  • joseph9
    joseph9 Posts: 328 Member
    I log weekly on MFP, but track daily in a google sheet (and Beeminder).
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited February 2016
    unckate7 wrote: »
    I basically just log every time I see a new low number. The way I see it, you can fluctuate up, but you can't really "fluctuate" down. So if I hit a low number, I know that's actually my weight (it's not like you can carry negative water weight or something to pull your weight artificially down.) Whereas, if I'm up a pound or two in the following days, but I know I've been good with my calories, I know that it's probably water weight or general fluctuations.

    Now, if I go two weeks and am consistently 1-2 pounds up from my low weight, I might have to consider that I've gained weight back and may log that. But it's rare that I go that long with a consistent fluctuation up.

    You can totally fluctuate "down," that is, you can lose more water than is good for you. There have been two times after a night of heavy drinking when I weighed in much, much lower than anything I had before. After a day of rehydrating, I was back to something more normal. I hadn't lost "extra" water weight. I had lost water weight that I actually probably needed for ideal health and wellbeing.

    People who have a gastro-intestinal illness probably experience the same thing.
  • chimaerandi
    chimaerandi Posts: 153 Member
    edited February 2016
    I weigh daily by tenths of a pound into Libra, and on MFP whenever the whole pound changes, up or down. (so like, not 138.6 to 138.1, but when it becomes 137.8 I log it on MFP as 137)
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
    ManiacalLaugh wrote: »
    I log when I hit a new low for multiple days (2 or 3). I do agree that sometimes a low can be as much of a water weight fluke as suddenly gaining a few lbs overnight. I figure a string of a couple of days at that weight shows that it's a definite trend.

    Me too. Has worked for me for months.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    I log it pretty much anytime it changes. Up or down. I personally like to see the change and record it so I can look back and see what could have caused that fluctation.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    I bobble up and down... when I've maintained the same weight for 3 or more days in a row, I'll log it in MFP.

    I think you've got to look at it the same way the say to look at stock market fluctuations they'll be high days and they'll be low days, but it's the overall trend that counts.

    I only log my morning weigh-ins, since it's the most consistent conditions, but once in a while I jump on the scale in the evening just to get a sense of how much I fluctuate during the course of the day. (It kind helps me not to freak out on the high days and just work the plan)
  • MsKendaleH
    MsKendaleH Posts: 1 Member
    I weigh every day as well. I like to see the fluctuation myself. I don't always record the weight though. I normally will though if the weight has drop by pounds and not just ounces.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I weigh daily and record it on Libra. I only log my MFP weight when I hit a new low.
  • ttkk15
    ttkk15 Posts: 2 Member
    I weight daily and log in a spreadsheet but only log MFP every Friday morning
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    I log daily on Happy Scale, log new lows here. I'm not really fussed on what it says here, just my pretty graph and trend on Happy Scale. Do whatever works for you. For me it's just a guide to progress and not an absolute.

    This is exactly what I do.
  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
    I log every day into MFP because that's my actual weight. Plus, seeing the fluctuations and whoosh's in the graph historically help me to understand impacts based on my eating/activity that I wouldn't see if I only logged new lows. My own issue (very minor) is that MFP considers each weight drop in generating news feed items, even if it's the same drop due to a down and up and down cycle over 3 days.
  • mandi_manson
    mandi_manson Posts: 40 Member
    I weigh multiple times a day. If I don't hit a new low by pounds or ounces I enter my low number for the week in for the day and take a picture of myself. Then when I hit my new low I do the same. The most I've stalled between losing weight was 4 or 5 days. I never went drastically up just by a pound or two. It is important for me to have pictures in there to see the loss if possible. I try to take the worst pictures of my body to inspire me to keep pushing. Since I am only thirty pounds down now when I lose the other 100 I will be able to compare the pictures so I have even more motivation to maintain my weight.
  • jim4004
    jim4004 Posts: 4 Member
    I weigh daily and only track drops. I think this is frustrating when I weigh in and then gain 2 or 3 pounds for a week or so. I weigh myself when I wake in the morning. I've heard that our weight is lowest in the morning because we are losing water through breathing, drying skin, and sweat as we sleep. Although I know it's an artificially lower weight, it's just a point in the weight swing that I can plot.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I Record in Happy Scale app. It's great at showing trends & fluctuations. I log each new low in MFP. If you want to learn about fluctuations you should log daily somewhere.
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    I log on MFP when I hit a new low. I log daily on Happy Scale

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