To weigh or not to weigh ......everyday!

Day 4 begins..... I have been weighing myself everyday and obviously the weight is fluctuating minimally with no weight loss yet. Of course it is early days yet. I do know that experts have contradictory opinions, some advicing weighing once every 2 weeks and otherwise suggesting that people weigh themselves daily. While I try to determine what is right for me, I would appreciate hearing from you. Do you weigh yourself daily and what impact does it have on your weight loss goals.
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Replies

  • xxxTiaxxx
    xxxTiaxxx Posts: 310 Member
    When I was crazy on losing I would weigh myself everyday. Sometimes up to 4 times to get an idea on how I was going after everything but this time around I haven't. I want to feel like I'm losing first before I start weighing. Atm I feel weight shifting but I'm putting off actually jumping on the scale.

    I do like weighing myself and hate it at the same time. When you see the numbers drop you get real excited. But when you see a slight change upwards or nothing at all you can't help but think "what have I done wrong? What am I doing?" And sometimes you're not doing anything wrong at all. It's just your body.

    I have found I strive harder when I weigh though.
  • louann_jude
    louann_jude Posts: 307 Member
    I weigh in daily. I do it so I can see the fluctuations and make little tweaks as I need them. It also helps me control my binges better. Not saying it doesn't happen from time to time. I only record my weight once a week usually on a Sunday.

  • llbrixon
    llbrixon Posts: 964 Member
    I use to weigh daily prior to getting dressed each morning...since November 2015. Recently I hid the scale so now I weigh once a week. I loved the fluctuations of the weight. I am maintaining my weight now and I do not want the stress of seeing the weight fluctuations each morning.
  • MissTattoo
    MissTattoo Posts: 1,203 Member
    I weigh daily to note trends, but I only show MFP the weekly number. I turn off my newsfeed setting during the week so people aren't being spammed by my weigh ins and then turn it on on Friday to announce that weigh in.
  • SonaliDeuskar
    SonaliDeuskar Posts: 14 Member
    Oh that's a good idea. Maybe I will weigh myself everyday but enter in the data to MFP only once a week!
  • MsArriabella
    MsArriabella Posts: 469 Member
    I track it daily to keep me more accountable to myself. In the past when I weighed weekly if it happened to fall on a heavy day I would get really discouraged. It's really personal preference.
  • Scorpio8402
    Scorpio8402 Posts: 554 Member
    I'm attempting to only weigh myself weekly.
  • Somebody_Loved
    Somebody_Loved Posts: 498 Member
    I weigh every morning. When I used to weigh in once a week, I placed so much emphasis on that one day that it would really discourage me if it didn't go down. Now it's part of my daily routine and the fluctuations don't get to me. So long as the overall trend is going the direction I want it to, that's all that matters.

    And agree with @MissTattoo - if you decide to weigh daily, disable the setting in your newsfeed except for the day you want it to show. Took me a bit to figure that out.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It's up to you...it doesn't really matter...ultimately you want to look at the trend over time, not the actual numbers themselves.
  • SassyMommasaurus
    SassyMommasaurus Posts: 380 Member
    I weigh in every morning and put it in a excel document (idea i got from someone on here, can't remember who) to track the fluctuation and see what factors may be causing big fluctuations. So far, I notice that I can have up to a 5-7 pound flux twice a month. Once during ovulation, once right before that TOM.
  • Sarahb29
    Sarahb29 Posts: 952 Member
    I weigh daily every morning and I love it. My TOM has always been ALL over the place, so weighing every day gives me advanced notice when it's about to show up. I know if I wake up and gain 3 - 5lbs it's either starting that day or very soon, and of course after it's over the 5lbs disappears. Other than that it's a nice indicator of how food is impacting my body and how well I'm progressing overall.
  • LINIA
    LINIA Posts: 1,159 Member
    Glad you posted, I have always been able to lose the weight....but maintaining "never" ....so my DH as well as successful friends have advised " you need to weigh everyday" .....that gives you the information you need about what you body is doing.
    One friend's advice is to weigh every morning and every night, he said it guides his intake for that day.

    Thinking ultimately, you'll decide what is best for you, for now weighing daily (skipping the off day infrequently) is for me.

    Good Luck
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    I like to weigh myself every day. I know that in the past I have obsessed over the numbers but now I simply like being able to see how different foods or changes in exercise effect my weight. I track it every day but only enable it to show up on my news feed once or twice a week.
  • AmandaOmega
    AmandaOmega Posts: 70 Member
    I weigh myself every single day and I keep a record of it in a spreadsheet with a graph. Most people say not to, but I like to be able to recognize when there is an upwards trend and address it then instead of waiting a week. It's worked out reallyw ell for me.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    It takes all of a minute to step on the scale and enter the number. If it was an hours long process that involved lots of pain and sweat, that would be a good reason not to do it often, but, really, that's not the case.

    If you're just starting out, it's probably a good idea to start working on good habits.

    People who have lost a lot of weight and kept it off weigh themselves at least once a week, on average. Lots of studies have shown this. When the weight starts creeping back up, they do something about it, it's how they avoid gaining it all back. If you're in this for the long haul and to succeed, it seems like a very good idea to have and use the tools you need to accomplish that.
  • HorrorGeekLiz
    HorrorGeekLiz Posts: 195 Member
    I weigh in daily. I do it so I can see the fluctuations and make little tweaks as I need them. It also helps me control my binges better. Not saying it doesn't happen from time to time. I only record my weight once a week usually on a Sunday.

    This is what I do as well.
  • ggeise14
    ggeise14 Posts: 387 Member
    I also weigh daily and record that # number the exercise notes. I log it in MFP once a week (Thursdays).
  • Beav73
    Beav73 Posts: 280 Member
    I would only weigh once per week..I always weigh on Wednesday
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    I weigh every Monday but this is because I would get upset with the different day to day loss or gain. Whatever makes you feel comfortable is the answer.
  • purplemoonpie
    purplemoonpie Posts: 25 Member
    I used to weigh myself obsessively during weight loss...I'm talking like 2 times a day...I would get SO frustrated and discouraged by the changing numbers. My scale died and I kept forgetting to get a new one....about two months later I finally bought one and was shocked at the weight I had lost....so for me, it's best to measure my progress by what old clothes are starting to fit again
  • SonaliDeuskar
    SonaliDeuskar Posts: 14 Member
    So wonderful to hear from real people rather than hundreds to studies all of which have a different theory. I have decided to use an app called Happy Scale to track my weight on a daily basis and then post it to MFP on a weekly basis. Hopefully that will keep me motivated enough to stay on track with my weight loss journey.
  • Yourebeautiful2day
    Yourebeautiful2day Posts: 56 Member
    I weigh myself daily because it helps me stay on track. As long as I don't go up past my 3 lb allowance I know I'm doing ok. If I hit the 3 lb allowance I adjust my intake and get in some more exercise to keep myself from getting out of control. I chose 3 lbs because that's what I retain in water weight during "feminine week."
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,138 Member
    I weigh daily. First thing in the morning after using the restroom and before eating or drinking anything. I use a trend app to even out the fluctuations. I like weighting daily. I never dread weigh ins. It is just part of my routine like brushing your teeth. As long as my trend is going down then I'm happy. I just log my weight into mfp when it is a new low weight. I used Happy Scale when I started and then I switched from an iphone to a samsung so I got Libra. I like happy scale better.
  • michelleepotter
    michelleepotter Posts: 800 Member
    edited July 2016
    I weigh daily and enter it on MFP as a separate measurement called "Daily Weight." Every Monday I do an average of the last 7 days, and enter the average as my official weight for the week. I prefer this because it doesn't let one bad day throw off my weight for the whole week. I can look at one chart and see my daily fluctuations, and another chart to see my overall trend.
  • AussiePeach
    AussiePeach Posts: 49 Member
    When I stop weighing regularly, I tend to gain weight because I become slack in my eating. So I'm weighing everyday during this process
  • neohdiver
    neohdiver Posts: 738 Member
    I weigh daily and but only enter each new low. Fluctuations don't bother me at all. When I stop weighing is when I know I'm heading for trouble.
  • jahillegas_51
    jahillegas_51 Posts: 143 Member
    This truly is a question of personal preference. From a scientific standpoint in a data collection standpoint the more data points the more accurate and precise the data will be obviously this would mean when yourself every day at the same time. Typically for most people that means first thing in the morning after using the restroom. However if you over eat the night before or something like that it may have an adverse effect on your mental condition during the fat loss journey. For me personally if this happens I typically will not stand on the scale for 24 to 48 hours to allow my body to digest the food and to get back on the horse. This is ultimately your decision though.

    From there I take the seven daily weighins and average them to a weekly number and compare that number week to week.

    I think weighing yourself once a week is to an accurate of a data point to see where the results are headed.

    Why do you have pointed out this can be a big controversy among the gorillas which is what makes fitness so interesting. This is because at the same time fitness is a science that can be backed up with empirical data yet is also an artform as because each person is so different and and there are many ways to achieve the same results through different routes. Fitness really boils down to seeing what works best for you and is it achieving the results you want. You can always try both approaches and see which one works best for you.
  • beskytter
    beskytter Posts: 87 Member
    Only weekly and don't get discouraged if gain. Remember you shock your metabolism to ignite by eating small meals throughout the day and meeting your macro and caloric goals Weekly. Yes I said weekly. If you go over one day fix it the next and remember if you incorporate weight training, which you should, muscle burns calories and weighs more than fat. Slow and steady wins the race.
  • CaffeinatedConfectionist
    CaffeinatedConfectionist Posts: 1,046 Member
    edited July 2016
    Like some others have said, I weigh daily. I do this because I get a better idea of how my eating, especially sodium and alcohol, affect my weight, as well as how hormonal changes impact it on a day-to-day basis. Knowing how much water I tend to retain from these things, as well as from muscle recovery after a strenuous workout, helps keep me from getting discouraged if I see the scale go up when I've been maintaining a deficit - I can step back and remind myself "hey, the scale went up 5lb because you had a heavy lifting day and also ate a bunch of Chinese food," or something similar.

    But it really is personal preference. If you find that you get caught up on the scale weight and it is negatively impacting your mood and emotional state, you might want to regulate how often you weight yourself, because if you only weigh once a week you're more likely to see an overall drop than you would if you weight every day, because of the daily weight fluctuations I mentioned earlier. But you also have to keep in mind that weight loss is not linear - you can be doing every single thing exactly right for days or weeks, and the scale may still not move. It will, eventually, but if you get too stuck on that number, seeing the scale hold steady might make you want to give up, even when you're making good progress.

    I'd encourage you to consider taking measurements with a measuring tape every two weeks or so, and also taking progressive pictures once a month or so - it's good to have a variety of metrics to gauge your progress by, so that you are less likely to feel defined by one number.

    ETA: even though I weigh in every day, I only update my weight in MFP once a week or so, again because daily fluctuations are so common.
  • lindarpolk
    lindarpolk Posts: 70 Member
    Most people say once a week, but when I did that I found myself thinking, "I can eat this and enjoy it now, then work out hard later." I would think, "I have __ days until I weigh in. I can work it all off by then. Of course, that hard workout never happened and I didn't lose much weight. I also was too impatient to wait until my weigh-in day. Weighing every day keeps me more accountable, so I make better choices every day. I know there will be many days when I have a loss instead of a gain, and I'm ok with that. There will always be ups and downs in weight loss. Seeing little losses often is more encouraging and motivating to me because losing inches takes a lot longer to see progress. Not everybody feels the same way. Do what every you feel comfortable with and whatever works for you.