How often should I weigh myself to see progress?

georgesmith3
georgesmith3 Posts: 1 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I was just wondering how often I should weigh myself to see how much weight I'm actually losing any help would be good :)

Replies

  • Old_Cat_Lady
    Old_Cat_Lady Posts: 1,193 Member
    edited July 2017
    Daily https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2016/01/03/weight-loss-scales-daily/77584478/
    The bathroom scale is not your enemy.
  • princeofmind
    princeofmind Posts: 95 Member
    Well that depends. You can weigh daily and log it to take the average over time, you can weigh weekly which will show bigger differences that weighing daily but can have the downside of seeing gains as your weight naturally fluctuates because of such things as water weight and undigested food, and less often such as every 2 weeks which will show much higher differences but can also be discouraging to some as they wont have the possitive reenforcement as often.
    So really its up to you to decide what works best for you.
    Personally I weigh myself daily and make sure to remember that any gains I have are most likely water and food digesting.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    defmut3 wrote: »
    I weigh myself about 3 times a day. I find it interesting.

    I weigh myself a lot during the day too. But I only write down my first morning weigh in to track progress.
  • cbihatt
    cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
    I don't like to weigh daily, but I know a lot of people here do it and recommend it. Personally, I go with anywhere between 1 and 3 times a week. Sometimes I may go longer than a week, but only if I have a reason (like expected vacay gain or no access to my scale). Do whatever works and is comfortable for you. It doesn't really matter.
  • x_stephisaur_x
    x_stephisaur_x Posts: 149 Member
    It depends what motivates you really. I like to weigh at least once a day. I like to see my weight patterns and if I've had a blowout, I can bring it back on track. Some people, however, prefer to weigh weekly as they obsess too much over any tiny little change in the scales.
    X
  • MysticGoalie
    MysticGoalie Posts: 328 Member
    Weighing daily, not focusing on the daily number but on the trend.
    gamerbabe14 wrote: »
    defmut3 wrote: »
    I weigh myself about 3 times a day. I find it interesting.

    I weigh myself a lot during the day too. But I only write down my first morning weigh in to track progress.

    If not already doing, when desired it's possible to get a wifi scale like the under armour scale, a Fitbit Aria, or Withings (nokia) scale and connect with the myfitnesspal account.

    This way when weighing, the weigh is automatically added to the account, no needing to put in the weight manually in the account.

    Makes everything a bit easier. B)
  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
    I weigh every day. My dietician says weekly weighing is a better indicator of actual trends. So we compromised. I still weigh myself every day (and night, I'm a bit obsessive), but I only log in my weight loss once a week. It has been freeing for me. If my weight goes up during the week I don't get upset like I used to, as I know it doesn't get registered until my Monday weigh-in. I have consistently been losing on a weekly basis, so it is much more accurate portrayal of my weight loss without as much stress. Hope this helps.
  • Ohjeezitskim
    Ohjeezitskim Posts: 129 Member
    I try to stick to once a week. Once in the morning on a Friday.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,584 Member
    Daily. It helps me understand the typical range of my daily fluctuations, and that understanding takes all the angst and drama out of the situation.

    (Weight will fluctuate because of different amounts of food/drink still being processed through the digestive system, and because of water-weight differences caused by eating more carbs or salt than usual (even if it's a perfectly healthy amount), muscle repair from injury or a challenging new workout, time of month for women, and more.)

    You might also enjoy a weight trending app. These take your weigh-ins and use statistical techniques to smooth out the fluctuations, and estimate your long-term weight trend if you stay on a similar course (in a much smarter way than MFP's "in 5 weeks" projection). Some examples are Happy Scale (for Apple), Libra (for Android, and Trendweight.

    My advice: Try to get over the idea that we have as "true weight". We don't. But we do have a trend over a longer span (days to weeks) of time: Up, down, or steady.
  • raeleigh26
    raeleigh26 Posts: 15 Member
    I weigh myself once a week... same day and time and then keep off the scale the rest of the week.
  • gwayby
    gwayby Posts: 42 Member
    Seconding Happy Scale. I log my daily weight there to track fluctuations, but I only update my weight in MFP once a week.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,140 Member
    edited July 2017
    It's up to you really, a lot of people prefer daily because they can get to understand the fluctuations that might have discouraged them previously, but at the same time some people can't disconnect psychologically from the number on the scale and will get stressed by seeing it go up and down.

    In terms of data, the more that you have the more likely you are getting an accurate picture of what is going on and get a true trend.

    If you fall into the latter category and you're going to be stressed out, there are other methods of measuring progress - the fit of your clothes, taking measurements and using progress photos.
  • sheepingly
    sheepingly Posts: 237 Member
    I weigh myself weekly but sometimes when I'm first starting my getting fit "kick" (as i've quit and restarted many times over) I'll check daily. Daily incremental loss even if its a few ounces a day is progress and progress keeps me motivated. If its daily, I try to remember to weigh myself in the morning pre-meal at the same time-ish as to not skew the results.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    raeleigh26 wrote: »
    I weigh myself once a week... same day and time and then keep off the scale the rest of the week.

    same, and then i use happy scale to track trends over time.

    If i weigh more than this I just feel bogged down day to day.
  • YOLO145
    YOLO145 Posts: 98 Member
    I have a fancy scale that uses bluetooth so I weigh daily to capture the overall trend, but I only sync when I've lost weight. Mind games :p
  • wavesleah
    wavesleah Posts: 16 Member
    5th every month. As I was jumping on the scales almost 4/5 times a week. Literally Driving my crazy. And obsessing-never good
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I weigh daily and keep track of the trend with Trendweight.
  • sedj241
    sedj241 Posts: 36 Member
    I step on the scale everyday and sometimes twice. When I was cutting weight, I used it as a reference of what foods I should and should not be eating, if the scale went up then that food came off the grocery list. :D
  • lcbridgewater
    lcbridgewater Posts: 3 Member
    edited July 2017
    I weigh myself every couple of wks along with my body fat and bmi
  • Iheartrunning36
    Iheartrunning36 Posts: 73 Member
    Every week or two
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Does anyone use a weight trending app and only weigh once a week? Does one weigh in a week give enough data points?
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Does anyone use a weight trending app and only weigh once a week? Does one weigh in a week give enough data points?

    i do and yes. but i've been maintaining for over 6 years more or less so it's plenty for me to make sure i'm not gaining or losing or fine tuning any bulk/cut cycles.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Does anyone use a weight trending app and only weigh once a week? Does one weigh in a week give enough data points?

    i do and yes. but i've been maintaining for over 6 years more or less so it's plenty for me to make sure i'm not gaining or losing or fine tuning any bulk/cut cycles.

    Thanks.

    I weigh myself everyday or every 2nd, only because i use Trendweight. I would much prefer not to feel "forced" to weigh just to appease a weight trending app.
  • allenpriest
    allenpriest Posts: 1,102 Member
    edited July 2017
    If you weigh every five candidate you won't have time to eat and will for sure lose weight.






    It's tongue in cheek people don't freak out.
  • darrenstanley14
    darrenstanley14 Posts: 8 Member
    Hi , I would definitely recommend weighing yourself daily.

    Here's my reasons:

    Scale weight will fluctuate day to day, and throughout each day. You can expect to lose 1-2% body weight overnight through the moisture lost when breathing. Here are other things that cause fluctuations in weight:

    Water & glycogen, due to a change in carb intake.
    Water, due to the stall-whoosh effect.
    Water, due to hydration status.
    Water, due to a change in salt intake.
    Water, due to stress or the menstrual cycle.
    Bowel content, because some foods have a higher ‘gut residue’ (they stay in the gut for longer).

    So I can only advise weigh yourself daily then take the average at the end of the week then measures your averages week to week. But on the other hand don't get too caught up on scale weight it's not always linear. Enjoy the process :smile:
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