Should you update your weight no matter what?

afrsilver
afrsilver Posts: 37 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
I joined a couple of weeks ago and within the first 10 days I lost 6 lbs, but it's been 2 weeks since then and I haven't lost anything. Should I still log when I weigh myself or just leave it? Also if you gain anything back like a pound or 2 would you log that or just work your way back down? I feel like these are dumb questions but I'm a stickler for doing things right.

Replies

  • Ngazey1985
    Ngazey1985 Posts: 8 Member
    I always log mine every week so that you can look back on the graph and sometimes you can find a pattern emerging xxxx
  • hookandy
    hookandy Posts: 278 Member
    I log every time I jump on the scales, gives me a pretty graph. Then every 10lbs or so I will reset my goals to drop my calories (The two are not linked in MFP)

  • harrisc12
    harrisc12 Posts: 3 Member
    When I was losing, I liked to log my weight everyday no matter what. Although to avoid obsessing about the scale you have to go in with the realization that weight loss isn't necessarily linear and will fluctuate. It was kind of neat to look back at the graph, looks like a stock chart, small ups and downs, but the general direction is down.

    Also knowing I was weighing myself every morning gave me a little more motivation to not cheat on myself.
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    edited January 2017
    I log every time I weigh, which is usually every 2-3 days (sometimes daily). MFP syncs with my FitBit account (though I now use a Garmin tracker, my Fitbit account still exists), which then syncs with TrendWeight. It is nice sometimes when I feel like I'm not making progress to be able to look at that and see whether I'm really stalled, gaining, or losing.

    ETA: In order to have the most accurate data, I log everything that is relevant. Not just every scale reading, but also every bite of food.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    I log my new weight every time the scale changes in either direction.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I log no my weight no matter what every week. I find it useful to have a record of that information.
    It is up to you.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    I don't like seeing the weight fluctuate up and down -- so I only log weight when it goes down, and because I'm within 10-15 pounds of my final weight, I don't weigh very often. If my weight goes up, I reduce my calories and weigh myself again in a week. But that's just me. Whatever motivates you to keep going is the right answer for you.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    afrsilver wrote: »
    I joined a couple of weeks ago and within the first 10 days I lost 6 lbs, but it's been 2 weeks since then and I haven't lost anything. Should I still log when I weigh myself or just leave it? Also if you gain anything back like a pound or 2 would you log that or just work your way back down? I feel like these are dumb questions but I'm a stickler for doing things right.

    Yes...data points let you track trends over time. Weight loss isn't a linear process, it's important to observe overall trends over time.
  • bkbirge
    bkbirge Posts: 107 Member
    I log every day or every few days, usually skip weekends because I don't get up as early and I like to log the exact same time.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    There is no right way. Whichever method makes you feel the most at peace wtih what is going on is the one to go with.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I log whatever the scale days on Monday morning - down, up or the same. You can do whatever works for you however.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    I log daily because then it's just habit and I don't have to dwell on the number (which goes up and down - but has a general downward trend). Like one of the other posters, I have a FitBit account which picks up the weight from here and sends it to TrendWeight so that I can see my overall progress more clearly.
  • kermax39
    kermax39 Posts: 149 Member
    I only log when I lose weight never when I gain a pound or two.....unless its a big gain and I know the reason for it..like a holiday, xmas etc.
  • cruisin99
    cruisin99 Posts: 31 Member
    I do it daily as i like to see a downward trend overall, a couple days of bad choices and i see the weight going back on.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    I only update mine every 5 pounds. That way when i panic thinking im not losing i look back and realize iv been losing 5 pounds every 20-25 days consistently since i started. Makes me feel beter im super impatient XD
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I weighed daily for a couple of years, and have now changed to every 2nd or 3rd day. I have to keep it somewhat regular as i use Trendweight, and weighing once a week or less doesn't give it enough info.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I just log in MFP when something changes dramatically. For a while I was weighing every day and charting in Excel. This is how I learned I gain water weight at ovulation as well as premenstrually.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    I only log my weight loss in mfp simply because I don't want to annoy my friends on my newsfeed when I lose the same lb over and over:). And I don't take it off my newsfeed because I do like "atta girls" once in awhile:).

    I do log it in happy scales pretty much daily though.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I weigh daily and log in Happy Scale to track the trend and fluctuations. I log each new low in MFP. That way when MFP says "You've lost x lbs since last weigh in" it's a TRUE loss towards my ultimate goal and not a fluctuation.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    hookandy wrote: »
    I log every time I jump on the scales, gives me a pretty graph. Then every 10lbs or so I will reset my goals to drop my calories (The two are not linked in MFP)

    I've noticed this, and also when you do change your weight in the goals, it resets you macro levels so I have to remember to go in and up my protein.
  • afrsilver
    afrsilver Posts: 37 Member
    Thanks everyone I was really curious about this, I think I'll start logging my weight every week I usually weigh myself everyday or every other day but logging my weight every day seems a bit too much and I will probably forget
  • afrsilver
    afrsilver Posts: 37 Member
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    I log every time I weigh, which is usually every 2-3 days (sometimes daily). MFP syncs with my FitBit account (though I now use a Garmin tracker, my Fitbit account still exists), which then syncs with TrendWeight. It is nice sometimes when I feel like I'm not making progress to be able to look at that and see whether I'm really stalled, gaining, or losing.

    ETA: In order to have the most accurate data, I log everything that is relevant. Not just every scale reading, but also every bite of food.

    I've been thinking about getting a fitbit for a while everyone tells me it's extremely useful when trying to lose weight, maybe I'll stop putting it off and just get one
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i log every week. no matter whether the scale is up or down.


    that would be how you identify TRENDS.
  • afrsilver
    afrsilver Posts: 37 Member
    JaydedMiss wrote: »
    I only update mine every 5 pounds. That way when i panic thinking im not losing i look back and realize iv been losing 5 pounds every 20-25 days consistently since i started. Makes me feel beter im super impatient XD

    I was doing the same, I only updated when I had lost at least 5 lbs because 1-4 seems like such a little bit, I'm also extremely impatient, I want fast progress which I had to learn isn't really possible
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    To the poster who said he's going to get a Fitbit, while I am certainly not going to dissuade you given that I love mine, note that you do not need a device in order to use the free fitbit.com account and connect it to trendweight.com.

    I have my daily morning weigh ins automatically push from fitbit.com to MFP and trendweight. I have mfp notifications turned off and only turn them on before posting a new low which is infrequent enough is that it is not a big deal.

    To my chagrin there have actually been days that I forgot to weigh myself before eating or drinking something but I mostly do remember
  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Yes, you should log your weight regularly. How often you do it is up to you, but it's important to remember that as your weight decreases, so too will your daily calorie goal. If you don't log a 10 pound loss, for example, MFP will assume that you're 10 pounds heavier and will base your daily calorie goal on the wrong weight. If this happens, you'll likely stall your weight loss (or even reverse it) because you'll be eating more than you should.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited January 2017
    CafeRacer808 wrote: »
    Yes, you should log your weight regularly. How often you do it is up to you, but it's important to remember that as your weight decreases, so too will your daily calorie goal. If you don't log a 10 pound loss, for example, MFP will assume that you're 10 pounds heavier and will base your daily calorie goal on the wrong weight. If this happens, you'll likely stall your weight loss (or even reverse it) because you'll be eating more than you should.

    True, but note that you'd have to have forgotten to update your settings in more than 50 pounds to actually reverse your weight loss. I suspect it's one reason so many people report getting stuck after losing about 50 pounds.
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