PROPER WAY OF WEIGHING YOURSELF

simply_bubbz
simply_bubbz Posts: 245 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
okay so first off I would like to mention: I know it's bad but I know my sodium is quite high b/c I season a lot of foods and some things I eat in recipes contain sodium. I am aware that sodium causes water retention as well. Because of all this when I get on the scale I never know what is my correct weight. It fluctuates which can be because of different things but because of the sodium I assume I'm going to have a lot of water weight. How do I know which scale reading is accurate? I tend to log my weight every Monday morning after I pee. Are there any tips on what I can do the day before to make sure I get an accurate reading? Should I invest in a body fat scale to monitor more accurately? are those pretty accurate? I drink only water and I try to get a gallon in a day but don't always succeed. ALL ANSWERS WELCOMED PLEASE!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If you're drinking enough water the sodium shouldn't be an issue.

    Maybe a trend weight app might help?
  • simply_bubbz
    simply_bubbz Posts: 245 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    If you're drinking enough water the sodium shouldn't be an issue.

    Maybe a trend weight app might help?

    what app do you recommend? and enough water as in how much would you say? a gallon sufficient?

  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I like weighing daily then averaging out the weights. Some people have a hard time with it because you can randomly gain a pound in a day, but if you stay focused on the average it gives you a good idea what your weight really is. There are apps and websites like Trendweight that do the math and give you a nice graph when using this method.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    Really doesn't matter if you have water weight. If you were retaining water every day, the scale would simply reflect...your weight, each day. I mean, unless you were retaining MORE every day, which of course is illogical as you are not a water balloon at a hose. :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    simply_bubbz wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    If you're drinking enough water the sodium shouldn't be an issue.

    Maybe a trend weight app might help?

    what app do you recommend? and enough water as in how much would you say? a gallon sufficient?

    I use libra

    Is your pee pale yellow? If so you're hydrated enough.
  • Stella3838
    Stella3838 Posts: 439 Member
    I use Happy Scale and I'm so glad I started looking at the trends. The daily fluctuations were maddening.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited March 2017
    my personal recommendation:

    Weigh once weekly first thing in the morning, preferably after using the bathroom, 24-48 hours after exercise, not the morning of your period OR having a high-sodium meal OR drinking alcohol. Then track trends over a 4-6 week period.

    edit: P.S. I guess as long as you keep up the high sodium indefinitely you won't be seeing too many fluctuations. ;)
  • perkymommy
    perkymommy Posts: 1,642 Member
    simply_bubbz wrote: »
    okay so first off I would like to mention: I know it's bad but I know my sodium is quite high b/c I season a lot of foods and some things I eat in recipes contain sodium. I am aware that sodium causes water retention as well. Because of all this when I get on the scale I never know what is my correct weight. It fluctuates which can be because of different things but because of the sodium I assume I'm going to have a lot of water weight. How do I know which scale reading is accurate? I tend to log my weight every Monday morning after I pee. Are there any tips on what I can do the day before to make sure I get an accurate reading? Should I invest in a body fat scale to monitor more accurately? are those pretty accurate? I drink only water and I try to get a gallon in a day but don't always succeed. ALL ANSWERS WELCOMED PLEASE!

    The happy scale app is a really good one! You can log your weight in daily or however you want and see the fluctuations.
  • simply_bubbz
    simply_bubbz Posts: 245 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    my personal recommendation:

    Weigh once weekly first thing in the morning, preferably after using the bathroom, 24-48 hours after exercise, not the morning of your period OR having a high-sodium meal OR drinking alcohol. Then track trends over a 4-6 week period.

    edit: P.S. I guess as long as you keep up the high sodium indefinitely you won't be seeing too many fluctuations. ;)

    As long as I keep the high sodium I will be seeing fluctuations? Is that what you were advising?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    simply_bubbz wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    my personal recommendation:

    Weigh once weekly first thing in the morning, preferably after using the bathroom, 24-48 hours after exercise, not the morning of your period OR having a high-sodium meal OR drinking alcohol. Then track trends over a 4-6 week period.

    edit: P.S. I guess as long as you keep up the high sodium indefinitely you won't be seeing too many fluctuations. ;)

    As long as I keep the high sodium I will be seeing fluctuations? Is that what you were advising?

    I was just saying if your sodium remains high atleast that's a constant factor and shouldn't impact your weigh ins.

    if for some reason you switched to much lower sodium and drank a bunch of water, then yes you might see a fluctuation on the scale by losing water weight.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    simply_bubbz wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    my personal recommendation:

    Weigh once weekly first thing in the morning, preferably after using the bathroom, 24-48 hours after exercise, not the morning of your period OR having a high-sodium meal OR drinking alcohol. Then track trends over a 4-6 week period.

    edit: P.S. I guess as long as you keep up the high sodium indefinitely you won't be seeing too many fluctuations. ;)

    As long as I keep the high sodium I will be seeing fluctuations? Is that what you were advising?

    Sodium is only one factor in fluctuations. Hormones/TOM and exercise are two other big ones.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,260 Member
    Sorry @rainbowbow but much as I generally agree with you the most accurate method involves aggregating the trend of multiple daily observations as opposed to looking for the elusive perfectly timed single canonical observation.

    +1 for trendweight. Weighgrapher, happy scale, Libra also work.

    Single weekly observations for most people are probably best taken on Friday morning before any weekend outings. But, less observations = less complete picture.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Sorry @rainbowbow but much as I generally agree with you the most accurate method involves aggregating the trend of multiple daily observations as opposed to looking for the elusive perfectly timed single canonical observation.

    +1 for trendweight. Weighgrapher, happy scale, Libra also work.

    Single weekly observations for most people are probably best taken on Friday morning before any weekend outings. But, less observations = less complete picture.

    Oh, i don't disagree that this is the most accurate method. Unfortunately for myself and many others (and why it's not part of my *personal* recommendation) is that daily weighing causes serious emotional distress. If OP can handle daily weigh ins, more power to her! I personally can't, have had disordered eating in the past, have very heavy emotional ties to my weight, prefer to see significant downward changes, etc. and that is the only reason i prefer to do it this way.
  • Hoshiko
    Hoshiko Posts: 179 Member
    I'm the same way, I eat a lot of sodium and work out a lot so my weight can fluctuate a lot over the course of a day or a week. I started using Libra and tracking everyday, and now I just focus on the trend. It has taken a lot of the pressure off, because if I see the scale go up a lot on one day I don't freak out. Plus, I'm a numbers person so I like to see the graph.

    My friend is the opposite, and daily weigh-ins drive her crazy because she's always looking for a lower number. For her, daily weigh-ins lead to fixating and unhealthy behaviors.

    I think the one thing we both have in common is that regardless of what the scale shows we are trying to focus on maintaining a set of behaviors. Seeing a lower weight gives you a little boost in motivation, but the trick is to try to get that same boost from staying on track and making healthy choices. Takes some of the pressure off because you know that eventually you'll get there anyway. We're both just trying to use the scale as a tool to make sure our programs are still working, and not for daily reinforcement.
  • Tryin2BeNew
    Tryin2BeNew Posts: 31 Member
    We have 2 scales.
    I've stepped on each 3 times within a few minutes and I received 4-5 different numbers!

    All I know is first week counting CICO on MFP ever & each day I'm under my goal.. I've never eaten so few calories in a weeks time in my life & the scale is bouncing around like I do on the elliptical!
  • Scarlet9904
    Scarlet9904 Posts: 32 Member
    in some ways what matters more then whats on the scale is the inches thats where you really find out if your losing
  • simply_bubbz
    simply_bubbz Posts: 245 Member
    Hoshiko wrote: »
    I'm the same way, I eat a lot of sodium and work out a lot so my weight can fluctuate a lot over the course of a day or a week. I started using Libra and tracking everyday, and now I just focus on the trend. It has taken a lot of the pressure off, because if I see the scale go up a lot on one day I don't freak out. Plus, I'm a numbers person so I like to see the graph.

    My friend is the opposite, and daily weigh-ins drive her crazy because she's always looking for a lower number. For her, daily weigh-ins lead to fixating and unhealthy behaviors.

    I think the one thing we both have in common is that regardless of what the scale shows we are trying to focus on maintaining a set of behaviors. Seeing a lower weight gives you a little boost in motivation, but the trick is to try to get that same boost from staying on track and making healthy choices. Takes some of the pressure off because you know that eventually you'll get there anyway. We're both just trying to use the scale as a tool to make sure our programs are still working, and not for daily reinforcement.

    I love this! You hit it right on the nose!
  • simply_bubbz
    simply_bubbz Posts: 245 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Sorry @rainbowbow but much as I generally agree with you the most accurate method involves aggregating the trend of multiple daily observations as opposed to looking for the elusive perfectly timed single canonical observation.

    +1 for trendweight. Weighgrapher, happy scale, Libra also work.

    Single weekly observations for most people are probably best taken on Friday morning before any weekend outings. But, less observations = less complete picture.

    That makes sense. I never thought of weighing in on Fridays due to what can happen on the weekend lol I think I'm going to switch it up now thank you!
  • simply_bubbz
    simply_bubbz Posts: 245 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    simply_bubbz wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    my personal recommendation:

    Weigh once weekly first thing in the morning, preferably after using the bathroom, 24-48 hours after exercise, not the morning of your period OR having a high-sodium meal OR drinking alcohol. Then track trends over a 4-6 week period.

    edit: P.S. I guess as long as you keep up the high sodium indefinitely you won't be seeing too many fluctuations. ;)

    As long as I keep the high sodium I will be seeing fluctuations? Is that what you were advising?

    I was just saying if your sodium remains high atleast that's a constant factor and shouldn't impact your weigh ins.

    if for some reason you switched to much lower sodium and drank a bunch of water, then yes you might see a fluctuation on the scale by losing water weight.

    You are right I think about it being a constant factor..
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    Tweaking your sodium just before weigh-in is playing a game with the scale, like a boxer trying to make his weight.

    Try just being aware of how it's shifting, if you eat pickles on Sunday just expect some extra water on Monday.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    simply_bubbz wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    my personal recommendation:

    Weigh once weekly first thing in the morning, preferably after using the bathroom, 24-48 hours after exercise, not the morning of your period OR having a high-sodium meal OR drinking alcohol. Then track trends over a 4-6 week period.

    edit: P.S. I guess as long as you keep up the high sodium indefinitely you won't be seeing too many fluctuations. ;)

    As long as I keep the high sodium I will be seeing fluctuations? Is that what you were advising?

    You will ALWAYS have fluctuations. Log your weight and track the TREND. Don't worry about each day.
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