Should you weigh yourself everyday?
USMGRAD2014
Posts: 8 Member
Hey everyone! I'm really struggling to eat properly but not be hungry at the same time. I'm becoming borderline obsessed with what the scale says. Currently, I'm taking Phentermine in order to give me a jump start on my weight loss. Honestly I need help in what to eat and things like that. I do attend fitness kickboxing 2-3 times a week. Now, to the question, should I weight myself everyday and keep track of exactly what my weight is? Do you weigh yourselves everyday?
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Replies
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A lot of people will tell you not to weigh yourself everyday. Personally, I think it just depends on your personality. A lot of factor effect what the scale will say (sodium, TOM, sleep, water, carbs, etc) so you will see artificially low or high numbers on a given day throughout the week. If you are someone who can weigh daily without getting discouraged or becoming obsessed then really it's fine. I weigh everyday and track it on a spreadsheet with other key factors to see the correlation. But if you do find yourself being ruled by the scale, pick a day (or even 2) a week and weigh in then. It's truly about how you feel the most motivated and sane
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I weight myself daily, but I don't beat myself up when the numbers don't go down(sometimes its spikes up) after eating well + exercising. I average them out weekly on Monday. As long as it's trending downwards or maintaining, I'm happy, lol.3
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I weigh myself every morning, put the number into the Garmin app. I don't track my foods or calories at this point, so the number on the sale is useful to spot trends and act on them before they get out of hand. It only takes a moment. Plus, looking at the trend can be motivating.
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I weight every morning (same conditions).. this is not to punish my self or be OCD or allow the scale to dictate sucess or failure... I use the scale simply as a tool. It helps me keep a weight trend going through weight loss and maintenance. Daily fluctuations are gonna show them selves on the scale in one form or another and being female that adds to the mix..4
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It depends on you. I weigh myself every day but fluctuations don't bother me. If you think you'll be upset at fluctuations it might not be a good idea. But then again, weighing every day and learning more about your body and its fluctuations (and using a weight trend app) could be helpful for you.5
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I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.3 -
It depends a lot on how you are motivated and your approach to goal setting. I just started weighing myself once a week as opposed to daily. For me, it's better as I would become very de-motivated on those inevitable days when I would gain weight from day to day. When I stepped on the scale this morning and showed a loss of 3.2 pounds since last Monday, it made me very happy inside :-)2
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I think you should weigh yourself as often as is right for you. I weigh myself every day.
I think it may be more important that you understand that kickstarting is not a good thing when it comes to weight loss. In fact, it's what leads to binges. Phentermine reduces your appetite, but you shouldn't need to reduce your appetite, because eating properly includes not undereating. How many calories are you eating? Are you getting in appropriate amounts of fat, protein, fiber? Fruit and vegs? Are you eating meals you like, and are they balanced and varied? Do you get enough sleep? All this will impact your hunger and satiety. When this is taken care of, you will physically be fine, and if there still is some feeling of hunger, you just have to suck it up.3 -
I like to for the data.
I have an app that shows me the trend and does the math to make sure that my deficit is where it should be.
The number isn't a big deal to me, though. I care more about my measurements, my improvements in my fitness, things like that. I only set my goal in 5 pound increments because I'm not sure where I want to end up, I want feeling healthy, fit, and proud to be the end goal, not a number.
My friend weighs every 10 days because she gets obsessed about the fluctuations and ends up restricting too much. It doesn't work for her.
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Ditto previous comments.
I used to weigh myself everyday but I became too obsessed with the number. Now I weigh myself once a week in the morning of one of my rest days. It's allowed me to focus more on the journey. But everyone is different so do what you feel is the best for you.1 -
Having daily weight data is super helpful since body weight measurement is a noisy measurement. HOWEVER, if you are "obsessed" with the number on the scale, I would think you are setting yourself up for failure. I'd probably suggest once a month, if that, since you are worried about it.
On a side note, why do you care about a number? It is truly meaningless. I'd rather weigh more, have plenty of muscle mass and look good, than to target a number where I may not look good or be healthy. Weight is a great example of a meaningless metric.1 -
It's a personal preference. I prefer to weigh every day and track that weight so that I can see trends over time. Other people are bothered by seeing the daily fluctuations. Do what works for you.2
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As others have said, it depends on whether or not you can handle the fact that weight loss is not a linear process and that it's perfectly normal to fluctuate by as much as a few pounds from day to day. Some people freak out and can't handle seeing even a tenth of a pound uptick, so for those types it's better to weigh weekly (or even less often).
I weigh daily under the same conditions (immediately upon getting out of bed, naked, after going to bathroom and before eating/drinking anything). My wi-fi scale posts the reading to my Trendweight account, which graphs a long term trend analysis. I find numbers/data interesting, so I like the daily weigh-ins. If I have an upward swing, it's interesting to try to correlate it with what's going on in my life (high sodium intake for a day, change in my workout routine, the occasional pig-out day, etc.).3 -
As everyone else has said, you just have to do what's right for you.
If you do weigh yourself daily, make sure it's under the same conditions every day (same time, after going to the bathroom, naked, etc.) like others have stated, and try to use a tracker to see overall trends.
I currently weigh myself every day, but am considering switching to once a week since my weight loss is starting to slow down (as I expected- weight loss is not linear). When I get closer to my goal weight and a healthy weight range, I plan on only weighing myself once per month. Normal fluctuations can really throw you for a loop, and mess with your head.2 -
Depends on the person. I'm an every day person because I like data and trend lines. I have a friend who never gets on a scale and uses other means of tracking progress.1
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yes,I use happy scale& my rate of loss has helped me figure out my TDEE for maintenance 1
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I weigh myself once a week1
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I weigh daily on my Fitbit Aria scale and it syncs directly to Fitbit and also to this app. I love how the numbers fluctuate and I like to see the fluctuations to know where I am at in my monthly cycle, etc. It also helps me understand which foods will bump up my numbers with water weight so I know to steer clear of them. For example...popcorn. A while back I ate some popcorn. It was within my calorie goal for the day and I didn't think much of it. The next day I was up almost 4 pounds, lol. Of course after about 3-4 days that weight dropped off, plus an additional pound or so. I know now that I should avoid popcorn if I don't want the scale to jump up.
I was also able to tell when I was ovulating based on the unexplained water weight about two weeks ago (I gained weight and bloat up during ovulation). I am very careful with my sodium and carb intake, so to see the scale jump up and hold for a day or two, I knew it had to be my cycle. Sure enough, It dropped off after a few days and I lost an additional pound or so.
You have to do what works best for you. If you freak out and obsess over any little increase in your numbers, maybe daily isn't good for you. If you can take those numbers and use them like a piece of data, weigh daily and watch for the overall downward trend 2 -
NorthCascades wrote: »I weigh myself every morning, put the number into the Garmin app. I don't track my foods or calories at this point, so the number on the sale is useful to spot trends and act on them before they get out of hand. It only takes a moment. Plus, looking at the trend can be motivating.
Ditto, weigh myself daily...take a moving average to smooth the random fluctuations (but represent them in error bars) and monitor the overall trend to see if things need adjustment. Sometimes when things go off-trend I know why, like a recent bump off my trendline was because I had a week at work where I was too busy and my activity level dropped considerably so my weight dropped lower than expected. After that I resumed activity and actually added and changed up my rountine which caused my weight to go back up and then stay up in a "plateau" which is also to be expected.
But if I wasn't tracking regularly I wouldn't know that I am losing weight overall at a steady 1.2 pounds per week....to me its data that is useful. With a trend like this I can say that by November 10th I will be 163 pounds (+/- 2 pounds for any given day) and if I am above that and don't know why then I might need to adjust my calories or activity or adjust my goal. That said I don't have that emotional connection to my scale weight it so its hard to know what that is like.
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Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
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USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Have you tried weighing and logging everything you put in a your mouth on this site? I have PCOS which can make things challenging, but the best and easiest thing that I did was to weigh and log everything. If you haven't tried that, try it for at least a month. See what results you get with that. You said you were eating better, but you sometimes need to weigh out and log everything to truly get your calories in down.
Just a suggestion 2 -
USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Unless you are morbidly obese to the point where your life is at risk day to day due to your weight not sure surgery is something you should even consider. I'm guessing that if you take kickboxing classes that you are not in that state.
I don't know much about phentermine, I assume its an appetite suppressant as that is what pretty much all diet pills are (exception would be the kind that make your body not digest fats as well). One thing I will say about that is that there is no such thing as "kickstarting" weight loss. If you can't lose weight without an appetite suppressant you aren't going to just to lose weight when you come off of it. If you learn habits with the aid of an appetite suppressant you will then require that appetite suppressant which is not going to be sustainable. Even if you reach your goal on that suppressent when you eventually come off of it (which you will have to at some point) you will likely put the weight back on because you didn't learn the habits neccessary to maintain your lower weight while not on appetite suppressants.
You need to learn to lose weight without the aid of appetite suppressants if you are to be able to maintain your weight when you hit your goal. Taking appetite suppressants now honestly is just going to delay you from learning the habits you will actually need to attain your goal. I know its frustrating but shortcuts are just going to end up hurting you in the end.4 -
USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Are you tracking your intake on MFP?0 -
Aaron_K123 wrote: »USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Unless you are morbidly obese to the point where your life is at risk day to day due to your weight not sure surgery is something you should even consider. I'm guessing that if you take kickboxing classes that you are not in that state.
I don't know much about phentermine, I assume its an appetite suppressant as that is what pretty much all diet pills are (exception would be the kind that make your body not digest fats as well). One thing I will say about that is that there is no such thing as "kickstarting" weight loss. If you can't lose weight without an appetite suppressant you aren't going to just to lose weight when you come off of it. If you learn habits with the aid of an appetite suppressant you will then require that appetite suppressant which is not going to be sustainable. Even if you reach your goal on that suppressent when you eventually come off of it (which you will have to at some point) you will likely put the weight back on because you didn't learn the habits neccessary to maintain your lower weight while not on appetite suppressants.
You need to learn to lose weight without the aid of appetite suppressants if you are to be able to maintain your weight when you hit your goal. Taking appetite suppressants now honestly is just going to delay you from learning the habits you will actually need to attain your goal. I know its frustrating but shortcuts are just going to end up hurting you in the end.
^^^This
My mom got the gastric bypass done because of some major medical issues that had to be addressed right away. It has not been an easy road for sure. You literally can not have caffeine, carbonated beverages, sugar, white bread/rice/pasta. She must chew her food to death and is not allowed to drink liquid within 30 minutes of eating. She has been dealing with absorption issues and is always deficient in some thing (iron, calcium, etc) despite taking all necessary vitamins. You still have to eat right and put in work even after the surgery and if you don't learn better habits, you will gain the weight back. Unless you have major medical issues, I recommend starting with this site. Log your food here. Weigh everything! Do this consistently without stopping and I guarantee you'll have results. This pill you are on may cause some initial weight loss, but if you don't change your habits now, you will gain it back as soon as you stop taking it.4 -
I weigh myself daily, but only update MFP progress on a Monday.1
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Aaron_K123 wrote: »USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Unless you are morbidly obese to the point where your life is at risk day to day due to your weight not sure surgery is something you should even consider. I'm guessing that if you take kickboxing classes that you are not in that state.
I don't know much about phentermine, I assume its an appetite suppressant as that is what pretty much all diet pills are (exception would be the kind that make your body not digest fats as well). One thing I will say about that is that there is no such thing as "kickstarting" weight loss. If you can't lose weight without an appetite suppressant you aren't going to just to lose weight when you come off of it. If you learn habits with the aid of an appetite suppressant you will then require that appetite suppressant which is not going to be sustainable. Even if you reach your goal on that suppressent when you eventually come off of it (which you will have to at some point) you will likely put the weight back on because you didn't learn the habits neccessary to maintain your lower weight while not on appetite suppressants.
You need to learn to lose weight without the aid of appetite suppressants if you are to be able to maintain your weight when you hit your goal. Taking appetite suppressants now honestly is just going to delay you from learning the habits you will actually need to attain your goal. I know its frustrating but shortcuts are just going to end up hurting you in the end.
I was getting desperate to lose weight and getting very discouraged about not doing so after a month of going to kickboxing. So I went to my dr to voice my concerns and she recommended that I go on Phentermine for just a couple months. My problem was never reall over eating. I was going most of the day without eating. My dr then did tests to make sure I would be ok to take the medicine and I'm being watched while on it. I see her twice a month while I'm taking this medicine and will be monitored after coming off it. I'm terrified of gaining the weight back, but after being on it only a week, I have lost 10 pounds. I am in the "danger zone" for my weight. I'm 5'4 and weigh 244 pounds (just weighed today at kickboxing). I'm logging all my food on here and have not had any soda, sugar or "white food". I'm here because I really need help and I'm so focused on what the scale says that i might become obsessed with it. I used to be healthy, until I had ovarian cancer (at 17) and was very sick and bed ridden. I gained weight and went from a size 12 to a 22 and currently in a 20. I really hate and am embarrassed that I've sought out a pill to help but the plan is to teach me HOW to eat while I'm taking this and hopefully after getting 40 pounds gone, I'll be taken off the medicine and will be on my own.
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USMGRAD2014 wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Unless you are morbidly obese to the point where your life is at risk day to day due to your weight not sure surgery is something you should even consider. I'm guessing that if you take kickboxing classes that you are not in that state.
I don't know much about phentermine, I assume its an appetite suppressant as that is what pretty much all diet pills are (exception would be the kind that make your body not digest fats as well). One thing I will say about that is that there is no such thing as "kickstarting" weight loss. If you can't lose weight without an appetite suppressant you aren't going to just to lose weight when you come off of it. If you learn habits with the aid of an appetite suppressant you will then require that appetite suppressant which is not going to be sustainable. Even if you reach your goal on that suppressent when you eventually come off of it (which you will have to at some point) you will likely put the weight back on because you didn't learn the habits neccessary to maintain your lower weight while not on appetite suppressants.
You need to learn to lose weight without the aid of appetite suppressants if you are to be able to maintain your weight when you hit your goal. Taking appetite suppressants now honestly is just going to delay you from learning the habits you will actually need to attain your goal. I know its frustrating but shortcuts are just going to end up hurting you in the end.
I was getting desperate to lose weight and getting very discouraged about not doing so after a month of going to kickboxing. So I went to my dr to voice my concerns and she recommended that I go on Phentermine for just a couple months. My problem was never reall over eating. I was going most of the day without eating. My dr then did tests to make sure I would be ok to take the medicine and I'm being watched while on it. I see her twice a month while I'm taking this medicine and will be monitored after coming off it. I'm terrified of gaining the weight back, but after being on it only a week, I have lost 10 pounds. I am in the "danger zone" for my weight. I'm 5'4 and weigh 244 pounds (just weighed today at kickboxing). I'm logging all my food on here and have not had any soda, sugar or "white food". I'm here because I really need help and I'm so focused on what the scale says that i might become obsessed with it. I used to be healthy, until I had ovarian cancer (at 17) and was very sick and bed ridden. I gained weight and went from a size 12 to a 22 and currently in a 20. I really hate and am embarrassed that I've sought out a pill to help but the plan is to teach me HOW to eat while I'm taking this and hopefully after getting 40 pounds gone, I'll be taken off the medicine and will be on my own.
I didn't learn any good habits when I took Phentermine as my appetite was artificially suppressed from being on an amphetamine-like drug.
Has your doctor referred you to a registered dietitian? It's not necessary to give up white food in order to lose weight. In fact, studies show potatoes are the number one satiating food. A good dietitian who can dispel weight loss myths would be more beneficial to you than Phentermine.3 -
I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Here's my favorite thread about Phentermine:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10329901/phentermine/p1
I have seen a lot of posts on and off about this and other weight loss drugs. I can vouch that they absolutely work. I have lost a lot weight using Phentermine on and off throughout about a 10 year span.
BUT...
The weight doesn't stay off. And those side effects? They are real.
You could take Phentermine and lose the weight, but you might end up like me. I'm 30 years old, slightly over weight, and have moderate tricuspid valve regurgitation. As in, I might need open heart surgery because my heart was damaged by Phentermine. To be clear, I never took it for more than a few months at a time, was monitored by a doctor, and did everything "right".
My lifespan has likely been shortened to lose a few pounds. Weight I could have lost on my own with a little bit of gumption. It wasn't worth it.
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Ok, now to answer your question about weighing everyday - I did for most of the past 500-plus days. That helped me get used to normal fluctuations like gaining water weight at ovulation, premenstrually, after eating Chinese food, and after starting to work out again after a break. Now I'm off a program where I had committed to weighing every day and plan to just weigh myself after ovulation and after my period. I'm also within 20-25 pounds of my goal weight.0
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USMGRAD2014 wrote: »Aaron_K123 wrote: »USMGRAD2014 wrote: »
Let me add that I had been going to kickboxing, and trying to eat better and wasn't losing any weight. It was very disappointing. I have no thyroid problems or anything so as a last ditch effort, my dr put me on it just as a jump start with weight loss. If this doesn't work, the next option will be weight loss surgery and that's the LAST thing I want.I like having daily data points. I compare each day's reading to the prior day and to the same day of the prior week. It works for me, but I don't let any single day swing bother me.
You said you are taking Phentermine. I'm not a fan of pills to assist weight loss, but that is another thread.
Unless you are morbidly obese to the point where your life is at risk day to day due to your weight not sure surgery is something you should even consider. I'm guessing that if you take kickboxing classes that you are not in that state.
I don't know much about phentermine, I assume its an appetite suppressant as that is what pretty much all diet pills are (exception would be the kind that make your body not digest fats as well). One thing I will say about that is that there is no such thing as "kickstarting" weight loss. If you can't lose weight without an appetite suppressant you aren't going to just to lose weight when you come off of it. If you learn habits with the aid of an appetite suppressant you will then require that appetite suppressant which is not going to be sustainable. Even if you reach your goal on that suppressent when you eventually come off of it (which you will have to at some point) you will likely put the weight back on because you didn't learn the habits neccessary to maintain your lower weight while not on appetite suppressants.
You need to learn to lose weight without the aid of appetite suppressants if you are to be able to maintain your weight when you hit your goal. Taking appetite suppressants now honestly is just going to delay you from learning the habits you will actually need to attain your goal. I know its frustrating but shortcuts are just going to end up hurting you in the end.
I was getting desperate to lose weight and getting very discouraged about not doing so after a month of going to kickboxing. So I went to my dr to voice my concerns and she recommended that I go on Phentermine for just a couple months. My problem was never reall over eating. I was going most of the day without eating. My dr then did tests to make sure I would be ok to take the medicine and I'm being watched while on it. I see her twice a month while I'm taking this medicine and will be monitored after coming off it. I'm terrified of gaining the weight back, but after being on it only a week, I have lost 10 pounds. I am in the "danger zone" for my weight. I'm 5'4 and weigh 244 pounds (just weighed today at kickboxing). I'm logging all my food on here and have not had any soda, sugar or "white food". I'm here because I really need help and I'm so focused on what the scale says that i might become obsessed with it. I used to be healthy, until I had ovarian cancer (at 17) and was very sick and bed ridden. I gained weight and went from a size 12 to a 22 and currently in a 20. I really hate and am embarrassed that I've sought out a pill to help but the plan is to teach me HOW to eat while I'm taking this and hopefully after getting 40 pounds gone, I'll be taken off the medicine and will be on my own.
I get what your plan is but HOW specifically do you think you are going to learn how to control your appetite while you are on a drug that artificially supresses your appetite? While you are on that drug you will have a greatly reduced appetite to be pitting your will against. To learn how to control your appetite your appetite kind of has to be there.
Picture coming off the drug and your appetite comes roaring back. What about your experience on the drug will have prepared you to deal with that?3
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