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Is it a good idea to weigh yourself every day?
Replies
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tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »Some people can't cope with the natural daily fluctuations and a natural gain fluctuation sends some people into a tizzy and they spend the day severely undereating or overexercising, some others may just give up. They've yet to understand that its the long term trend that is important not the daily ups and downs.
This is completely me and my mindset.
So once a week for me. I don't want to become a slave to the scale. 5 -
I really don't understand the mindset of weighing less often because of fluctuations. There are still fluctuations in a weekly weigh in, you just have less data/information. If you happen to weigh on a low weight (dehydrated for example) day this week and then next week you weigh after a salty day (so more hydrated and maybe even retaining water) you'll think you gained weight. If you weighed every day you'd know the trend is what you expect... or you'd know it isn't what you expect and that's real and you need to change something.10
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Same reasoning for me too ... If a daily fluctuation freaks someone out, I can't imagine them not being extra freaked out by a weekly weigh-in being higher. (and unless they have a significant amount to lose, that IS going to happen some of the time).6
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It works for me because it is part of my routine. But also because I don't get hung up on the # and understand my body's month long trends. (Which I understand from having many data points from daily weighing.)
On the other hand, if I get off routine slightly it does not derail me. I don't take the scale when I go out of town, for example. And if for some odd reason my morning routine is interrupted then I don't get on the scale. Like if I wake up with a headache and down some Advil with a glass of water, then I won't bother to get on the scale AFTER drinking water.
With many data points, one can see a picture form. For daily weighins, you really need 2-3 months or more to see that pattern. But if you're weighin in weekly, doing so for 2-3 months should show you a similar outline. Just without as much detail to know you're likely to be up on day x of your cycle and down on day y.1 -
The main problem, perhaps, comes to those who are new to the process and have unrealistic expectations, and give up after 1 or 2 'bad' weighins. But that can happen easily no matter how often one weighs in.4
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I generally weigh every day. Do I take a few days off every now and again? Sure! But generally I'm of the mindset that you can't manage what you don't measure. So I weigh every day (for the most part), log it, and keep track of the average so I can manage my trends.4
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I like to weigh once, sometimes twice a week, i find that daily is too often to deal with flutuations!!!2
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mburgess458 wrote: »I really don't understand the mindset of weighing less often because of fluctuations. There are still fluctuations in a weekly weigh in, you just have less data/information. If you happen to weigh on a low weight (dehydrated for example) day this week and then next week you weigh after a salty day (so more hydrated and maybe even retaining water) you'll think you gained weight. If you weighed every day you'd know the trend is what you expect... or you'd know it isn't what you expect and that's real and you need to change something.
I don't weigh weekly BECAUSE of fluctuations - did anyone say they do that?
No I wouldn't think I gained weight if one reading was up a bit and one was down a bit and not sure how you know what all weekly weighers would think?
I would accept it as fluctuations within a range - unless the trend was continued rise.
I can still see the trend is what I expect on weekly and I don't need more data or information than that
Do what works for you, no objection to that.
Objection is to inability to understand anyone doing differently and tone of telling us what we should think and do.
*edited by a MFP volunteer moderator4 -
paperpudding wrote: »mburgess458 wrote: »I really don't understand the mindset of weighing less often because of fluctuations. There are still fluctuations in a weekly weigh in, you just have less data/information. If you happen to weigh on a low weight (dehydrated for example) day this week and then next week you weigh after a salty day (so more hydrated and maybe even retaining water) you'll think you gained weight. If you weighed every day you'd know the trend is what you expect... or you'd know it isn't what you expect and that's real and you need to change something.
I don't weigh weekly BECAUSE of fluctuations - did anyone say they do that?
No I wouldn't think I gained weight if one reading was up a bit and one was down a bit and not sure how you know what all weekly weighers would think?
Maybe you don't. But I have seen plenty of people say they can't handle the fluctuations and weight weekly because of that. So it is one of the strategies being used by people regarding weigh-ins.
My weigh-in strategy is my own, for all sorts of reasons. More data is better, I believe, especially having chosen a slow rate of loss: easier to spot the trend. And also interesting to see how my body reacts to what I eat, to my exercise etc. But some people don't need or want that data, that's fine.
One other reason for me is purely psychological: weighing daily keeps my head in the game. Any time I stopped weighing myself, I gained weight. My boyfriend weighs weekly or oven less, but has very few weight issues, so it works for him.2 -
I weigh myself everyday cause I don't count calories, I use the scale, the mirror and body measurements to track my progress. It works well.1
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paperpudding wrote: »mburgess458 wrote: »I really don't understand the mindset of weighing less often because of fluctuations. There are still fluctuations in a weekly weigh in, you just have less data/information. If you happen to weigh on a low weight (dehydrated for example) day this week and then next week you weigh after a salty day (so more hydrated and maybe even retaining water) you'll think you gained weight. If you weighed every day you'd know the trend is what you expect... or you'd know it isn't what you expect and that's real and you need to change something.
I don't weigh weekly BECAUSE of fluctuations - did anyone say they do that?
No I wouldn't think I gained weight if one reading was up a bit and one was down a bit and not sure how you know what all weekly weighers would think?
I would accept it as fluctuations within a range - unless the trend was continued rise.
I can still see the trend is what I expect on weekly and I don't need more data or information than that
Do what works for you, no objection to that.
Objection is to inability to understand anyone doing differently and tone of telling us what we should think and do.
Re. the bold - from the OP apparently the nameless experts do say that....
"They say you should only weigh yourself one a week or even less, and on the same day, first thing in the morning, naked. Reason being, from what I gather, is that weight fluctuates wildly day to day depending on the food you eat, how much water you're retaining, how bloated you are, if you're on your period, etc."
I do agree that people should do what suits them, but understanding and accepting seeing daily fluctuations is no more smug than weighing weekly and accepting weekly fluctuations. That you don't want more data points to plot and/or understand your trend doesn't make people that prefer more data points smug.
*edited by a MFP volunteer moderator4 -
More data = more better. The issue is not the data but the interpretation and reaction.
Know yourself, if you jump to conclusions and over react measure weekly. Also the scale is great for knowing mass but calipers and tape is really the truth about your fitness looks and strength and endurance is the truth on fitness development.
Spot on sir!
I weigh myself every day, and have done this for 3 years in a row now.
In the beginning it was stressfull, but over time you learn to interpretate the numbers the right way, together with the other measurements, also, you learn more about your body.
I came to learn that i hold a lot of water weight when eating carbs during the day, and even though i could be at a deficit calorie intake of 500, i can gain weight the next day.
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Posters,
Lets get this thread back on the topic at hand and move past any slights that might have been given.
Thanks,
4legs
MFP volunteer moderator2 -
I do it most days but I can cope with the fluctuations and if I gain a little one day I understand that it doesn't really mean anything. I just like to have the data I guess.3
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This is totally a YMMV kind of thing, IMO. I weigh myself every day so I can log my daily weight in Libra, which calculates my 10-day trending average. That trending average is what's meaningful to me, not the day-by-day numbers.4
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I'll reword the question "are there benefits to weighing yourself daily?" The answer is yes. More data points mean a more accurate/precise trend line and quicker ability to spot the trend and changes in it. That's just simple statistics.
Are there downsides to weighing daily? Yes, if you can't handle the fluctuations mentally, you might get discouraged more easily. So either you weigh less frequently or you learn to give less importance to a single data point.12 -
I weigh myself everyday cause I don't count calories, I use the scale, the mirror and body measurements to track my progress. It works well.
Calorie counting isn't for tracking your progress. It's for measuring whether you're consuming an appropriate amount of food.
That's like saying
I balance my checkbook everyday cause I don't budget my money, I use balancing the checkbook and looking at the stuff I've bought to track my progress.3 -
I meant that I go by feel and I adjust my diet according to what I see in the mirror, how much I weigh and the different body measurements.
Calorie counting for me is too bothersome, what do you do if you eat out and there is no nutrition label or nothing?0 -
I weigh everyday because of the data. It's kinda like taxes. You KNOW you're going to pay them out of every paycheck. I'd like to know every time money is being taken out of my paycheck. When it pertains to the scale, the flucuations help me to figure out where I may have retained weight. Was it the pizza? Or lack of sleep? More data is good.
Now if one CANNOT mentally handle the weight fluctuation, then maybe once a week works for them. But IMO, if one can't deal with the fluctuations, what happens if in a week they weigh 2lbs more instead of a few ounces a day and readjust to it if the trend keeps going up?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I weigh every day, BUT I graph the previous 7 day running average. That way, a one day fluctuation doesn't show as a huge spike on the graph.2
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I meant that I go by feel and I adjust my diet according to what I see in the mirror, how much I weigh and the different body measurements.
Calorie counting for me is too bothersome, what do you do if you eat out and there is no nutrition label or nothing?
Eating out frequently didn’t work for me, for just that reason. I needed some control of my intake in order to eat a reasonable amount of calories. As a formerly obese person, going by feel is what got me in trouble originally.
When I do eat out I try to have a good idea of the calories of something similar, and assume that restaurants put tons of oil and butter in their food unless proven otherwise.2 -
To be fair I know people who do this. Just buy stuff and check their bank account online when they feel like it’s getting low. It’s not optimal.lynn_glenmont wrote: »I weigh myself everyday cause I don't count calories, I use the scale, the mirror and body measurements to track my progress. It works well.
Calorie counting isn't for tracking your progress. It's for measuring whether you're consuming an appropriate amount of food.
That's like saying
I balance my checkbook everyday cause I don't budget my money, I use balancing the checkbook and looking at the stuff I've bought to track my progress.
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It seems to me that it’s more productive to concentrate on the input (nutrition, exercise) and track that on a daily basis. If you do that the weight loss will come and, for that reason, I weigh myself less frequently. That works for me.3
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I weigh everyday because of the data. It's kinda like taxes. You KNOW you're going to pay them out of every paycheck. I'd like to know every time money is being taken out of my paycheck. When it pertains to the scale, the flucuations help me to figure out where I may have retained weight. Was it the pizza? Or lack of sleep? More data is good.
Now if one CANNOT mentally handle the weight fluctuation, then maybe once a week works for them. But IMO, if one can't deal with the fluctuations, what happens if in a week they weigh 2lbs more instead of a few ounces a day and readjust to it if the trend keeps going up?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I dont think weekly weighing is just for people who cant handle daily fluctuations - that isnt why I do it.
Maybe I am just lazy - and I just do the amount of weighing that is neccesary to keep on track - just like I do the amount of measuring that is neccesary to keep on track, rather than being as scrupulous about it as some people are.
I wouldnt re adjust anything on a few oz a day anyway or even on 2lb a week - I would adjust if scale hadnt gone down at all (when I was losing) after probably a few weeks
(that never happened, I lost consistently although not exactly the same amount, every month)
Now that I am in maitenance, I would adjust my intake if I crept out of my allowable range - again, that hasnt happened in 6 years, Ive always been somewhere within my 3 kg range
So I will keep weighing weekly - not because daily weighing freaks me out - but just because that is enough for me to stay on track and because I'm not interested in minutiae of data, just the overall picture.
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I weigh every day, just as an accountability factor. Sometimes I notice salt played a factor or my weight training day. I know it's going to fluctuate, but it keeps me on track.
Funny is I care more about fitness and health, but weight is the byproduct.4 -
I meant that I go by feel and I adjust my diet according to what I see in the mirror, how much I weigh and the different body measurements.
Calorie counting for me is too bothersome, what do you do if you eat out and there is no nutrition label or nothing?
I'm not saying anyone has to count calories. I'm just saying don't mischaracterize it as a way to track your progress, when it's a way to check whether you're adhering to calorie goals. It's about the inputs, not the outcome.
When I go to a restaurant or eat something that doesn't have a nutrition label, I use the skills that weighing and logging when I can have given me in estimating amounts and deconstructing a meal to make my best guess. It's not an all or nothing project.
But if you don't want to do it, and you've found a method that works for you, that's great.4 -
I weigh everyday because of the data. It's kinda like taxes. You KNOW you're going to pay them out of every paycheck. I'd like to know every time money is being taken out of my paycheck. When it pertains to the scale, the flucuations help me to figure out where I may have retained weight. Was it the pizza? Or lack of sleep? More data is good.
Now if one CANNOT mentally handle the weight fluctuation, then maybe once a week works for them. But IMO, if one can't deal with the fluctuations, what happens if in a week they weigh 2lbs more instead of a few ounces a day and readjust to it if the trend keeps going up?
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Daily fluctuations aren't generally about calories. They're about water weight and food/waste weight. I would view someone who tried to make daily calorie adjustments based on daily weigh-ins showing 'a few ounces a day's as not handling fluctuations well.2 -
I think weighing daily can be helpful, actually. If I weigh myself everyday, then I can see which foods are more likely to make me gain weight, and which workouts are more effective when trying to lose weight. Though, I've found that usually the weight gain tends to kick in around 2 days after you eat a lot, so that's good to keep in mind, that all the food you eat will only affect your weight a couple days after you eat it.2
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I do it, but you have to have the ability to not let the number define your mood. I keep it in a stats app so I can monitor my trends.1
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What works for me is the following.
I weigh myself every day in the morning when I wake up.
Then, average the last 7 days each Friday (arbitrary decision, just chose Friday as the cut-off).
And then use that average to compare one week with the next and see my progress.
I think that doing it this way gives me the best of both worlds. Daily weigh ins can help me correlate what I eat and do with what it personally does to my body, and weekly average comparisons show me how I progress in my goals without the noise of daily fluctuations.
I use a simple spreadsheet for this. Since I am morbidly obese and I'm currently trying to lose weight, I tend to track my progress as a body mass percentage, rather than an absolute weekly weight goal. What I'm looking for is to shed around 7.5‰ of my body mass each week, if I can.6
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