Weight trends and Weighing every day
13ecca4
Posts: 201 Member
I’ve noticed on a few post people talking about weight trends. Would anyone be able to explain what exactly this is? It’s probably what it says on the tin but I’m a little confused!
From what I’ve read people weigh themselves daily and use an app like Happy scales to log it?
I always though weighing yourself every day. What’s the reason behind doing it daily?
Thanks for any advice.
From what I’ve read people weigh themselves daily and use an app like Happy scales to log it?
I always though weighing yourself every day. What’s the reason behind doing it daily?
Thanks for any advice.
0
Replies
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It helps to better understand your fluctuations. Weigh fluctuates constantly from a myriad of things that are both within and outside our control.
Trendweight is a moving average, usually from the last 7 days.
For example if I was to only weigh on a Tuesday my weigh ins would be as follows:
29th Jan 231.4
5th Feb 236.6
However, because I weigh daily, I am not freaking out about what looks like 5.2lb gain, because I know on the 4th Feb I was 232.6lb (a gain, but a small one following holiday). I can attribute the massive rise overnight to a sodium-laden pizza I had on the 4th.
In the past I didn't really understand fluctuations and if I'd seen that 5.2lb gain after eating in a deficit most days with the occasional maintenance day I would have just rage quit thinking that I might as well just stay fat because clearly it wasn't working.15 -
Thank you @tinkerbellang83! Most helpful2
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I weigh every day and use Happy Scale. I can handle the slight twinge of disappointment when the scale goes up instead of down in the morning, but I think I’d have a lot of trouble handling the disappointment after one week of doing everything right and waiting to weigh in. But there’s every bit as big of a chance for it to go up instead of down on some weeks NOT because I’m gaining fat but because of other factors (menstrual cycle, sodium, exercise patterns, etc).4
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Weighing every day has given me insight into what gains/losses I can ignore (a 3lb gain the day after overeating isn't 'real', and neither is a 5lb loss two days after my period ends) and which ones indicate a genuine change (I can pretty much only compare from one ovulation week to another).
Weighing weekly, I wouldn't be able to see those trends. Or predict my period quite so accurately as it turns out I can
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Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
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Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
@Dilvish you are very incorrect about daily weighers. Please see the above comments on how tracking your daily trends can be very helpful for many people. It is the only way I can accurately gauge my weight and able to make small changes in my intake without tracking my food. It has been a game changer for me.
By the way I was not in any hurry to lose weight, I lost at 0.5lb per week, and I only gain it back on purpose (bulk cycles). I have been very successful at managing my weight over time.15 -
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
i lost 120 pounds 2-3 years ago and weighed daily. maintained for 3 years and weighed daily. actively losing again and have lost 10 pounds and weigh daily.
ive always only logged my weight once a week.
your logic is flawed.
now, if you are new to this and obsess over the number daily, it might not be the right thing for you to do. but for those who have the experience and intelligence to know that fluctuations are normal and nothing to worry about, its just not a big deal. even back when i first started i didnt freak out over a gain on a random day during the week. too many variables, especially for women to be overly concerned about it. my weight varies by up to 5 pounds on any given day, at any point of the day. its normal.
there are many people who do better only weighing a couple of times a month or once a month. But that is based on individuals and how they react to normal fluctuations on the scale.8 -
Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
I think it's actually the opposite, I weighed weekly when I didn't really understand weight loss and expected it to come off overnight. Now that I weigh daily I am not freaked out when my weight swings up from hormones/alcohol/sodium/intense workouts and I've not been in any major rush to lose the weight, just taking it slow and steady.
How can experts agree it's less accurate? What is likely to be more accurate, a trending figure taken from more data points or one data point with no context?9 -
Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
I weigh daily and I haven't been trying to lose weight for 6 months. This doesn't hold water.
I would recommend using the same scale (because consumer scales can be off) in the same condition (usually first thing after waking before eating), and recording in a trending app. I use Libra (for android). This way I can see if there is an actual trend in rising weight, or if it's just a bloated day or two. I only log my weight online one day a week, and report both actual and trend.5 -
@DilvishEven experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
Utter nonsense and I very much doubt "experts" say what you interpret them as saying.
Why would weighing weekly be more consistent? Why couldn't the first weigh in be an unusually low day and the second weigh in be an unusually high day? Or vice versa....
PS - Been maintaining over five years and watching my weight trend is my primary method for staying in my goal weight range.12 -
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
Does that mean I didn't lose 230lb over the course of two and a half years?
Or are you arguing that weighing daily means that going from a completely sedentary person who lived on convenience food to someone who makes all her own meals and likes to hike 18 miles isn't a lifestyle change, it's just a diet?
Or are you saying that I haven't maintained weight for the last six months?
I'm confused...7 -
I have gone from weekly weighing to daily with a trending app to what I do now, which is weigh at irregular intervals and not using a trending app.
Each of these methods have their pros and cons and which one is right for you depends on the way you think about the weight loss process. When I weighed weekly, I experienced that thing where my weigh in day happened on an outlier high day an I vwas very disappointed. I switched to daily weighing and came to understand and even predict the ups and downs of my weight.
The trending app actually had a negative effect on my attitude. It allowed me to see when I would reach goal weight based on my progress to date and it bothered me to see how long it would take to get to goal.
Now my goal is simply to eat within my calorie budget on average. I do weigh myself, but I don't weigh when I know my weight is likely to be higher based on past experience. I continue to see new lows at irregular intervals and I am losing at an expected rate. If that changes I will make adjustments. I'll get to goal when I get there.5 -
lthames0810 wrote: »I have gone from weekly weighing to daily with a trending app to what I do now, which is weigh at irregular intervals and not using a trending app....
The trending app actually had a negative effect on my attitude. It allowed me to see when I would reach goal weight based on my progress to date and it bothered me to see how long it would take to get to goal.....
I give that prediction as much weight as MFP's "you'd weigh _____ in five weeks" prediction. It's just a straight numbers prediction.2 -
Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
I’m fascinated. Where do you find this kind of drivel so consistently? Is there a special part of the Internet?
What experts?
Using a tape measure introduces about 16 more levels of variability. Who thinks that’s a better idea?
How is doing some less often more consistent?
And what now? That’s like a flying leap over a flaming ravine of bad logic. One false sentence followed by an entirely unrelated sentence does not make a cohesive argument.
In my experience, apples aren’t for vegetarians. A good roof keeps your house dry in a rainstorm.
See how that doesn’t make sense?11 -
He weighs weekly, doctors hate him! Of course consumer scales aren't nuclear equipment, but what they can't provide in poinpoint accuracy they can provide in context and trends over time (provided you feed it new batteries once in a while). There are a dozen other things than the scale that would throw off any scrutiny of weight, and they'd affect every other investigation too because they are of the body and not the method.
I can shave inches off in seconds with a tape measure, depends how tight I pull and how squishy I am that day.
Weighing daily has nothing to do with accuracy and everything to do with keeping an even keel with emotional reactions to tracking the goal we have set ourselves and which is a good marker of our progress. Whether or not you think people SHOULD have that component to their process is irrelevant.6 -
Weighing yourself daily is only beneficial to cardiac patients, people monitoring blood pressure or people with diabetes and some athletes like wrestling. Weight can flectuate due to carb intake, hormones, exercise, certain medication...lots of stuff so it’s not accurate for a newb trying to lose weight, it benefits you not. Even if someone wants to look at trends it’s not accurate, too many variables. What it will do is discourage you, that’s 100% true. Measure yourself monthly, weigh in once a week, in morning to get more accurate results, but really the tape measurement isn’t going to lie.20
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Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
Please cite these "experts."
"Accuracy" means that a measurement is as close as possible to that quantity's true value. A scale tells you what you weigh at the moment you step on it, including normal daily weight fluctuations. Those fluctuations do not mean that scale measurements are inaccurate, since "accuracy" and "consistency" are not the same thing.
Your experience is not a study and is not necessarily true for others. If *you* weighed every day because *you* were in a hurry to lose weight and then gained it all back, that's one thing. It doesn't mean that it's true for "people" in general. Many of us here weigh daily and lost weight because how fast you lose weight and whether or not you maintain that loss has nothing at all to do with how often you weigh yourself.7 -
Weighing yourself daily is only beneficial to cardiac patients, people monitoring blood pressure or people with diabetes and some athletes like wrestling. Weight can flectuate due to carb intake, hormones, exercise, certain medication...lots of stuff so it’s not accurate for a newb trying to lose weight, it benefits you not. Even if someone wants to look at trends it’s not accurate, too many variables. What it will do is discourage you, that’s 100% true. Measure yourself monthly, weigh in once a week, in morning to get more accurate results, but really the tape measurement isn’t going to lie.
How is NOT accurate? Your weight is a range. If you weigh yourself, accurate is whatever the scale says. Why it says that today and what it's likely to do tomorrow are the insights gained from more data points.8 -
Weighing yourself daily is only beneficial to cardiac patients, people monitoring blood pressure or people with diabetes and some athletes like wrestling. Weight can flectuate due to carb intake, hormones, exercise, certain medication...lots of stuff so it’s not accurate for a newb trying to lose weight, it benefits you not. Even if someone wants to look at trends it’s not accurate, too many variables. What it will do is discourage you, that’s 100% true. Measure yourself monthly, weigh in once a week, in morning to get more accurate results, but really the tape measurement isn’t going to lie.
How is it not discouraging if I’m ignoring the fact that my weight fluctuates so I’m only going to weigh weekly. The first week I happen to be at the low side of my range (that I don’t know is a range because I’m not weighing daily) and the next time I’m at the high side? Now I think I gained weight when I could very easily be trending down.
And my tape measure can give me 7 different numbers in the same session depending on how tight I pull, whether I move the tape a millimeter up or down, if it’s not exactly as parallel to the ground as the last time...which number isn’t the lie?
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Duck_Puddle wrote: »Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
I’m fascinated. Where do you find this kind of drivel so consistently? Is there a special part of the Internet?
What experts?
Using a tape measure introduces about 16 more levels of variability. Who thinks that’s a better idea?
How is doing some less often more consistent?
And what now? That’s like a flying leap over a flaming ravine of bad logic. One false sentence followed by an entirely unrelated sentence does not make a cohesive argument.
In my experience, apples aren’t for vegetarians. A good roof keeps your house dry in a rainstorm.
Please explain 16 variables aside from pregnancy that can change body mass so much so that tape-measuring is so inaccurate to measure success? Body mass doesn’t change over night like water weight, your arms thighs aren’t changing unless you lose the fat.7 -
Please explain 16 variables aside from pregnancy that can change body mass so much so that tape-measuring is so inaccurate to measure success? Body mass doesn’t change over night like water weight, your arms thighs aren’t changing unless you lose the fat.
Wow. So many logic fails in two sentences. Where do I even start?
Tape measuring measures volume, not mass. You know how you measure mass? By weighing.
Please explain how it is possible to store several pounds of water without any change in volume? I would like to use this trick to store another hundred books without buying a new bookcase.
My thigh measurement changes depending on whether I have the tape measure a few millimetres above or below where I had it last time, how level I managed to get it at the back, how tight I pulled it; and, oh yes, whether I'm retaining water or not.11 -
Duck_Puddle wrote: »Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
I’m fascinated. Where do you find this kind of drivel so consistently? Is there a special part of the Internet?
What experts?
Using a tape measure introduces about 16 more levels of variability. Who thinks that’s a better idea?
How is doing some less often more consistent?
And what now? That’s like a flying leap over a flaming ravine of bad logic. One false sentence followed by an entirely unrelated sentence does not make a cohesive argument.
In my experience, apples aren’t for vegetarians. A good roof keeps your house dry in a rainstorm.
Please explain 16 variables aside from pregnancy that can change body mass so much so that tape-measuring is so inaccurate to measure success? Body mass doesn’t change over night like water weight, your arms thighs aren’t changing unless you lose the fat.
Please see my post right above this.
I can pull the tape tighter or not
I can have the tape positioned just slightly higher/lower/different angle (which can lead to wildly different measurements).
I can get a number of different measurements for the exact same body part at the same time if I just measure it a few times.
And you know how that water weight gets you all bloated and your jeans are uncomfortably tight? What do you think is happening to your measurements to make that happen?
Measuring is fine. It should be part of an Arsenal of metrics used to measure progress.
It is absolutely not any more accurate than weighing.
6 -
Weighing yourself daily is only beneficial to cardiac patients, people monitoring blood pressure or people with diabetes and some athletes like wrestling. Weight can flectuate due to carb intake, hormones, exercise, certain medication...lots of stuff so it’s not accurate for a newb trying to lose weight, it benefits you not. Even if someone wants to look at trends it’s not accurate, too many variables. What it will do is discourage you, that’s 100% true. Measure yourself monthly, weigh in once a week, in morning to get more accurate results, but really the tape measurement isn’t going to lie.
Wow, I'm really glad that there's someone (you!) who knows what's good for absolutely all of us!
I wonder what to do about my deluded perception that daily weight was a fine and useful tool in a multi-piece toolset (that included a trend app), as I lost around 50 pounds, and have stayed at a healthy weight for nearly 3 years since?
I hope I don't have to become a cardiac patient in compensation, because that's going to be tougher now, what with my BP and cholesterol so much healthier and all.
<eye roll>9 -
I’ve noticed on a few post people talking about weight trends. Would anyone be able to explain what exactly this is? It’s probably what it says on the tin but I’m a little confused!
From what I’ve read people weigh themselves daily and use an app like Happy scales to log it?
I always though weighing yourself every day. What’s the reason behind doing it daily?
Thanks for any advice.
Whether you weigh daily, a couple times per week, or weekly, or monthly, the trend is what you want to look at. Weighing in more often just gives you more data points. At this point, I only weigh in once per week...sometimes twice.
The blue is the individual weigh ins...as you can see, the fluctuate up and down quite a bit. The red is the overall trend and the trend is what is important.
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I’m absolutely amazed at the human ability to take what is a very useful and simple statistical trend and turn it into such nonsense.
I have like 800 weigh ins over a major first cut and two bulk and cuts and tracking my 7 day moving average has been instrumental in dialing in my calorie needs and progress10 -
Weighing yourself daily is only beneficial to cardiac patients, people monitoring blood pressure or people with diabetes and some athletes like wrestling. Weight can flectuate due to carb intake, hormones, exercise, certain medication...lots of stuff so it’s not accurate for a newb trying to lose weight, it benefits you not. Even if someone wants to look at trends it’s not accurate, too many variables. What it will do is discourage you, that’s 100% true. Measure yourself monthly, weigh in once a week, in morning to get more accurate results, but really the tape measurement isn’t going to lie.
Sure it can. Water weight can bloat a waist measurement, not having the tape measure in the exact same spot, etc. Plus it can take 6-8 weeks to notice a difference. Sometimes longer; it took over 6 months to lose an inch each on my waist and hips despite dropping over 20lbs. (Got great legs, arms and shoulders, though.)3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I’ve noticed on a few post people talking about weight trends. Would anyone be able to explain what exactly this is? It’s probably what it says on the tin but I’m a little confused!
From what I’ve read people weigh themselves daily and use an app like Happy scales to log it?
I always though weighing yourself every day. What’s the reason behind doing it daily?
Thanks for any advice.
Whether you weigh daily, a couple times per week, or weekly, or monthly, the trend is what you want to look at. Weighing in more often just gives you more data points. At this point, I only weigh in once per week...sometimes twice.
The blue is the individual weigh ins...as you can see, the fluctuate up and down quite a bit. The red is the overall trend and the trend is what is important.
What app is this? Looks way better than libra0 -
Even experts agree that weighing yourself daily is not accurate. For the best accuracy, use a tape measure instead, not a scale.
Once a week at the same time of day on the same scale will give you a more consistent result.
Also realize that most "consumer" scales can be off by as much as 2-5 lbs!
In my experience people who weigh themselves daily are usually in a hurry to lose weight and will almost always gain it all back. Sustained weight loss takes a lot of time and effort and is a lifestyle change, not a diet!
Actually, that's not true at all. Recent studies have come out that show that daily weighing is actually helpful in losses and maintaining those losses.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I’ve noticed on a few post people talking about weight trends. Would anyone be able to explain what exactly this is? It’s probably what it says on the tin but I’m a little confused!
From what I’ve read people weigh themselves daily and use an app like Happy scales to log it?
I always though weighing yourself every day. What’s the reason behind doing it daily?
Thanks for any advice.
Whether you weigh daily, a couple times per week, or weekly, or monthly, the trend is what you want to look at. Weighing in more often just gives you more data points. At this point, I only weigh in once per week...sometimes twice.
The blue is the individual weigh ins...as you can see, the fluctuate up and down quite a bit. The red is the overall trend and the trend is what is important.
What app is this? Looks way better than libra
No idea, it's just a stock picture from the internet.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »I’ve noticed on a few post people talking about weight trends. Would anyone be able to explain what exactly this is? It’s probably what it says on the tin but I’m a little confused!
From what I’ve read people weigh themselves daily and use an app like Happy scales to log it?
I always though weighing yourself every day. What’s the reason behind doing it daily?
Thanks for any advice.
Whether you weigh daily, a couple times per week, or weekly, or monthly, the trend is what you want to look at. Weighing in more often just gives you more data points. At this point, I only weigh in once per week...sometimes twice.
The blue is the individual weigh ins...as you can see, the fluctuate up and down quite a bit. The red is the overall trend and the trend is what is important.
What app is this? Looks way better than libra
No idea, it's just a stock picture from the internet.
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