How often should I weigh myself??

sarahsmith0325
sarahsmith0325 Posts: 14 Member
edited November 22 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I am trying to gain weight, (about 20 lbs or so)
How often should I be stepping on the scale??

Thanks!

Replies

  • Unknown
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  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    Lots of prior threads on this topic.

    I weigh myself naked everyday after using the toilet. I record the weight in Excel and closely monitor it, even doing a correlation w/daily cals consumed.

    However, some people can't bear to weigh him/herself every day. Some do it once a week or once a month. Some never weigh themselves at all, prefering to use the fit of their clothes as a proxy.

    Do what works best for you.
  • aligazali3497
    aligazali3497 Posts: 23 Member
    In my opinion is a week is the sweet spot.
    You won’t be constantly checking daily and some small inaccuracies such as waste that’s still in body or water weight even after sleep etc.
    Also it gives you a general idea and you should be going either up a couple of lbs or going down (depends what you’re trying to do)
    A month is too long, if you’re having a mistake in your diet it would be way too long to figure it out while a week you relatively will be able to tell (if weight goes down 2 weeks in a row while trying to gain is a hint for example).

    Just my opinion
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I weigh myself pretty often during a bulk (I would say almost everyday) and track it with my trend weight app. This has been the most successful for me to sort through the fluctuations... and I find I don't freak out as much with a really high or low weigh in like I used to (and I am less likely to unnecessarily adjust my caloric intake as a result. You may find you don't like that, so really, it's up to you and what you are comfortable with.h
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    personal preference. In my journey, I have run the gambit from multiple times daily to not weighing at all. I have had success with both extremes.
    If you can handle disappointing news at times (because weight loss or gain is not always predictable and far from linear) weigh yourself often.
  • kimberlyharrison2004
    kimberlyharrison2004 Posts: 1 Member
    edited October 2017
    I weigh myself naked every week on Monday's.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I weigh daily when gaining (currently bulking) and trend it to see what fluctuations are doing. How often you weigh will be a personal choice. If you decide to weigh each morning/daily try using a weight trending app, big help especially for us ladies and dealing with monthly cycles and day to day fluctuations.
  • Johns_Dope_AF
    Johns_Dope_AF Posts: 460 Member
    I do it daily, I eat the same macros regardless but I like to see if Im going in the right direction.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    NoLimitAsLimit wrote: »
    Anywhere from 1-3 times. Weighing yourself daily is unnecessary and could potentially be problematic. As you're bulking be sure to eat at a slight surplus rather than going all out everyday. You want lean mass more than you want fat gains.

    For some people it is very helpful (especially if you are using a trend app). Do what works for you
  • Unknown
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  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    edited October 2017
    ^^^^^^Strongly agree. I wholeheartedly am in the "everyday, at the same time, on the same scale" method. Simply use each days weight as a data point for the "big picture". I like to use a week as the "measure of time" (for lots of things).

    I know that some people freak out over the scale numbers and do not have a healthy relationship with the scale. This can help them get over that.......

    For the OP, she is trying to gain weight so there might not be an issue (not assuming anything here). I like charts and graphs so I would TOTALLY DIG seeing the individual data points and the nice (for her) upward slope.....
  • Unknown
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    edited October 2017
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  • LiftHeavyThings27105
    LiftHeavyThings27105 Posts: 2,086 Member
    ^^^^^^^^^ What he said!
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    edited October 2017
    It's dependant on how much it means to your goals or how well you have a handle on your diet in relation to your activity.

    Personally in the past year or two, I weigh every two-three months or so because even on my dirtiest bulk I've only averaged just over a pound a week when all is said and done. When I'm cutting weight for a meet, I'm generally in the once a week category.

    Some people are scared of fat or bulks for what ever reason and therefore their bulk ends quickly and othera are okay with fluctuations or whatnot.

    Once a week is not unreasonable if you're trying to gain 20lb over a course of 9-10 months.
  • Lean59man
    Lean59man Posts: 714 Member
    Once a week is right for me.
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    Right after you wake up and pee. Daily. Log the weight into fitness pal, so you can analyze trends over 6 months periods, and make tweaks to the diet. You really need to see the long trend to determine if you sliimming and at what rate. Otherwise you all obscure with weight bounces up down during periods etc. you never know without tracking.
  • WilmaValley
    WilmaValley Posts: 1,092 Member
    You need to find the balance between weighing and not being overly obsessed with the scale. Experiment for awhile and find what fits for you.
  • CJ_Holmes
    CJ_Holmes Posts: 759 Member
    I like to weigh daily and use a trend app- I use “Happy Scale” and I think Libra is similar? I fluctuate +/- 5 pounds and so weekly would not give me an accurate picture. Daily weighing and seeing how it jumps around makes me less bothered by any number- it’s the trend that I’m watching for.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    rfrenkel77 wrote: »
    Right after you wake up and pee. Daily. Log the weight into fitness pal, so you can analyze trends over 6 months periods, and make tweaks to the diet. You really need to see the long trend to determine if you sliimming and at what rate. Otherwise you all obscure with weight bounces up down during periods etc. you never know without tracking.
    She is trying gain not lose weight.

    Weight fluctuations are absolutely normal and weighing daily, weekly, or monthly isn't a absolute necessity for progress. It's a choice.

  • mtabor80
    mtabor80 Posts: 20 Member
    When trying to lose weight, i strip to underwear and weigh myself every morning as a habit. My scale downloads results to Fitbit app and you look at results over a period of time. I don't care about the daily result. That kind of tells me cause and effect of what I do. Every time I hit a new low, I snap a picture. As much as losing weight is a nice number to track, I look st how the weight affects the looks of my body which will help you with eating and exercise choices. At some point, the scale will stop giving you great news, but the pictures don't have to.
  • mtabor80
    mtabor80 Posts: 20 Member
    Gaining weight same deal, the pictures will tell you where the weight is going. I'd still weigh myself daily. The deal here, is there is a limit of how much muscle you can really gain in a short period of time. So if you're gaining weight fast, you may be putting on more fat than you may want. So watch your weight, watch and listen to your body and keep the habits going. You'll find it easy to tweak things in your diet and routine that will ultimately help you reach your goals.
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