How often do you weigh yourself?
 

Hi there! I'm new here, on day 4 of logging my foods. I have started this plenty of times in the past but I'm really trying to stick with it this time.

I have a question just out of curiosity...how often do you all weigh in? I'm trying to get on the scale only once a week, even once a month if possible. I am the type that is discouraged by tiny fluctuations caused by water weight or one bad day. My goal is to log 30 days straight before I step on the scale again...I want to see a significant change after all my hard work, not a pound or so I might see if I weigh more frequently!

I weigh myself all the time, it might seem crazy to some of you but I refuse to label my obsession with the scale as a problem, it keeps me on track and given how often I get derailed I need the constant reminder.

I weigh at least every morning, but on days I have taken water pills, I weigh several times a day.

A lot of people are really good about weighing once a month or once a week, I am just a little obsessed with it LOL!

Welcome to the forums/FitDay and best of luck! :D

Hello

I weigh myself every morning as well. If I didn't I would fall off track for sure. I have a habit of saying of that little bit of what ever won't make a difference so I need to see that difference on the scale to remind me. If I only weighed myself once a month I would probably have gained 10 pounds!

Andrea

At the moment, every morning. It's not so much that I'm obsessed. It just helps me get focused and ready for the day. Sort of a level-setting routine.

I don't think it is necessarily obsessive to weigh every day, I think it is best to do whatever works for you. Weighing every day just doesn't work for me, it brings about all these negative emotions to the surface. Like if I've been trying really hard to eat healthy and don't lose or gain (even a couple ounces) I tend to think "oh f*&$ this I give up".

They've done studies that show people who lose weight and then are able to maintain it tend to weigh themselves daily. I'm just hoping to be an exception to this !

I wiegh myself every morning first thing. I'm always excited to see if that scale moves. I just always hope for it to move DOWN! :o I think after I wiegh myself, "be good today" and it usually works, this way I think about the scale periodically through the day and I usually will decided whether a food I'm going to eat with either help or hinder my progress.

Also when I get on the scale and it's up that morning, I work really hard that day to make the wieght on the scale go down the next day. So either way I don't look at it as negative.

I weigh myself at least every a.m. too. It does help me a lot. I know that if I find I am avoiding the scale it is because I have been off track and I don't want to see what it has to say. I have been known to hop on at night too.

I weigh myself daily as well. As with the others, it keeps me on track. If I didn'tand if I felt thinner one day I would allow myself a cookie and that might turn into three or four. I remind myself of my weight on a daily basis.

I weigh myself daily but only "record" my weight on Fridays and Mondays. I may not enjoy the number on the scale (enjoying it more though) but it's only a number and weighing daily keeps me on track.

I was in a wieght loss support group recently and they told us to weigh ourselves once a week AND NO MORE. They were very firm about it, because weighing in more often would cause us to focus on the scale and become obsessive about the little day to day fluctuations. Then when we reached our goal weight, we were to start weighing ourselves daily to catch any tiny increases before then became big slides back to where we had come from.

So I guess it's about what works best for YOU. If you need the daily scale reminder to keep your focus on eating and exercising right, then weigh yourself daily. And if you get too distracted by the small day to day ups and downs, then wieght yourself every week or two. Only you know what works best for you.

Yehudit

I hop on there a couple times a week. It depends on the person. For some, weighing daily helps them keep on track. For others, it can trigger self-destructive obsessive thoughts. There's a lot of emotion and self worth/confidence issues tied to the number on the scale or the tag in our jeans. Our society puts a lot of pressure on women to stay thin young and pretty, it's unrealistic but the message is constantly there. I've been trying to arm my daughter against this, and have been for years already, and she's only 6. I make it a point to tell her she's pretty, smart, has fabulouls hair, and she's good girl every day. Even so I've already heard her say "I like being skinny" more than a few times. :(

Those are good points Lizzy. My mom tried very hard to keep me from getting a negative self-image. She threw out our scale when she found out I was weighing myself all the time (at the ripe old age of 11!) But I think where she went wrong was while she never, ever criticized my weight/looks she definitely was hard on herself in front of me growing up. I am trying to take care of my weight issues now, but even if I don't I am going to try very hard not to criticize myself in front of my daughter (who is only 9 months old but it's never to early right??)

I used to weigh myself everyday. It made my day or it made me feel bad !:mad:

6 weeks ago I bought clothes in a new smaller size and decided to put my scale away and start going by how I looked.

A few days ago I realized all my new clothes were too big and I had dropped another jean size. My goal jean size! I decided to weigh myself thinking I must have lost a lot of weight in the past 6 weeks! :D

I have gained muscle which weighs more than the fat I lost so it takes up less room so I know that is why I lost another size. And that was what I kept telling myself after I saw that I had only lost 4&1/2 more pounds on my scale.

I put that scale away because I am happy about how I look in the mirror and how well my clothes fit. I think I want to lose one more size now so I have a new goal but I'm not going to worry about my weight anymore unless my new jeans start getting tight! :D

I weigh myself daily because of fluid retention...I find it is easier to gauge what causes me to bloat. It also helps me to decide if I have to add a few minutes on the treadmill.

I don't obsess about the fat but like to keep the water under control... otherwise I am really bloated at the end of the day and uncomfortable.

weighing in again on weighing in
 

;) Sorry about the title--I couldn't resist.

What started as an innocent question (How often do you weigh yourself?) is turning into a forum on bigger issues. You just never know where a question might lead!

Vabeachgirl: You're right about muscle taking up less space than the equivalent amount of fat. I still remember when my sister was a member of the HS swim team. Despite hours and hours of heavy daily exercise, her weight at the end of swim season was what it had been at the beginning. Then she tried on her prom dress, which had fit her the previous year. It was now 2 sizes too big! All that swimming had made a real difference.

Bobbienne: As a nurse, I always told my cardiac patients to weigh themselves daily, and to call the MD if they gained more than 2 pounds in 1 day. Retained fluid was the best clue to developing (or worsening) heart failure. Bloat is a different issue than heart failure, but the principle is the same: fluid balance is respnsible for most of the day-to-day weight changes.

Lizzycritter: "Our society puts a lot of pressure on women to stay thin young and pretty." I went throught the same issues with my daughter. I tried to de-emphasize her focus on weight by not having a scale in the house, but she used her allowance to buy a scale she kept in her bedroom. Then, in February, the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue inspired me. We went through the magazine page by page, identifying muscle definition in every swimsuit model. To model swimsuits well, you have to have some curves. It helped shift her attention from weight to nutrition.

[BBobbienne: As a nurse, I always told my cardiac patients to weigh themselves daily, and to call the MD if they gained more than 2 pounds in 1 day. Retained fluid was the best clue to developing (or worsening) heart failure. Bloat is a different issue than heart failure, but the principle is the same: fluid balance is respnsible for most of the day-to-day weight changes.

[/B]

Altough I don't have cardiac issues I had to respond: WOW...1-2 lbs?! I can easily gain 5-7 lbs in water and as much as 10 when I was younger :) I guess it explains my stretch marks LOL

Everyone is different. I don't think it's a terrible thing for someone who has been or is obese or very overweight to become slightly scale obsessed, it's better than eating yourself into an early grave.

I am on a few times a week but I only log my 'official' Friday weigh in. Last week I gained and lost four pounds in a day according to the scales and that's just silly! :rolleyes:

The more I have lost the more I have been measuring too, taking measurements is a real eye opener.

Every morning
 

I hop on the scale every morning, when I'm deliberately watching what I eat in an effort to lose extra weight. When I'm not trying, I never look at the scale - too depressing.

I find it encouraging to see that it MATTERS what I put in my body. I need that continuous feedback or I'll just tell myself , "Oh, it doesn't really matter..."

Every morning for me.
 

Like most of the rest who have responded, I find it helps keep me in check. If I weigh once a week, I tell myself that I can "catch up" after a couple days of overeating by eating less. Better to be consistant with the diet than to play games like that.

I *just* bought a scale on Sunday that's supposed to be accurate to 0.1lbs. I've been hoping on it every morning, always at the same time too, and I immediately noticed the fluctuations that I can probably attribute to water retention or something along those lines.

I'm trying to not place too much importance on it but this Wednesday I weighed in at 173.0 lbs. Awesome! That's officially -3.5lbs from when I started. But yesterdeay and today I got 173.1 and 173.2 respectively. Ouch. I really want to go at a -0.1 rate not +0.1!

So I think I won't worry too much about it and chalk it down to body fluctuations. I'm considering taking my recording official only on one day a week and that will be the day that matters.

However, I am really glad that I got a scale! I had no idea I had gained so much! I gained 65 lbs in four years and just had no idea what the number would be like. I underestimated by 10lbs.

Additionally, since starting to use FitDay (a month ago), my boyfriend suggested that I go by how I look (that's how he does it), but it's really hard to notice a -3.5 lbs change on a 176.5 body. I don't regret buying it because I got to see my progress -3.5 lbs (woohoo!) that otherwise I wouldn't have known was there and would probably get discouraged.

Now I want to pick up the pace by including daily exercise and I'm excited to see the numbers on my scale decrease!

I think it's ok to weigh yourself whenever (daily, monthly) but I think it matters whether or not you are incorporating any weight training into your new lifestyle. As the old saying goes "muscle weighs more than fat", and if you are working out you will be gaining muscle (hopefully as you lose the fat) and so body measurements will be more important and a better way to tell if all your hard work is paying off.

Good luck!!!!

PS-I weigh myself every day...lol!!!:p

Why the scale lies
 

I just came across this article yesterday. It may be repeat information for a lot of folks on FD, but kind of a nice quick read that puts things into perspective all the same. The article discusses why otherwise rational people let the scale rule their day and why (and I quote) "its a springy, beady-eyed lying menace".

Why the Scale Lies (by Renee Cloe)

Weigh-In's
 

How often do you weigh and chart your weight and why?

I personally, weigh myself everyday...most days this is motivating. Some days it is not.

Jacqueline, it is all I can do to only weight once a week (sometimes I do take an extra peek if I'm feeling "light") on Saturday mornings. I like to be pretty sure I'm going to see a loss, though even then once in a while I stay the same or even up a bit, then it goes right back down (fluid retention, I guess?).

It is really up to you, though. If you like once a day, go for it. Just make sure that you can deal with the occasional uptick of the scale (especially being female).

Regards,
Michael

I have chosen Friday as weigh-in/record day. I will stand on the scale whenever I feel like it, or if I see the scale, but some lovely person in my household stuck it in the far corner of the coldest room, so I have to really go out of my way to find it.

I can't avoid the scale every morning, but I only record on Mondays and Fridays (so it's "official"). I do have big fluctuations every day. My weight goal graph looks like a roller coaster, but the trend is in the right direction!

I really try to stick to only getting on the scale once a week. There was a short period where I was looking every day and I found it frustrating because of the fluctuations. They weren't motivating to me but at times caused me minor concern.

Everyone is different, though, and whatever works for you is best. It's certainly possible that looking at it every day could reveal something that you find important when you look back on what you've done.

I used to weight myself almost every day but I found that too discouraging whenever I'd gain weight (which is guaranteed to happen).

Now I try to weight myself about once a week, and it's a lot easier to stay motivated (because I almost never gain weight over a week). I don't "schedule" my weigh-ins though. I may weigh-in on Tues. one week, then Mon. the next.

women are different from men. If I weighed once a week, there'd be a big gain every month or so, and that would annoy me. As it is, there's still the weight gain, but by weighing daily I can see it coming - and going!

Thank you
 

Thank you all for your perspective. I agree men and women are different...at least before the change :)

I am currently experimenting...the fluctuations daily are motivating as long as they are in the right direction. I am trying to see of physcologically the once a week is different....I am concerned that if an upward trend starts that I may not catch it...but I am also convinced that with muscle toning, etc. that the numbers are not always the full story especially if one is following are real calorie deficit plan...and hence want to try to focus on how I feel, the general direction and how my clothes fit...not just the numbers. Wish me luck.

My New Years resolution was to put away my scale for four months till my birthday. Then I said OK I'll just weigh in once a week. I lasted maybe four days and gained two pounds. I weigh myself every day. I do not always record the weight just like I do not always track. But for me, awareness (read compulsion) helps.

I have to accept the fact that I need guidelines and measurements.

But I think it's great if you can put away the scale or only weigh once a week. I wish I could. I wish you the best with it.

Really, I think a lot of this boils down to how well you stick to your plan.

I KNOW I've stuck to my plan like a pit-bull to a mailman's pants.

And yes, I have the OCCAISIONAL day once a month or so that my calorie intake equals or surpasses my calorie burn so I'm not "perfect" (and that's OK) but my average weekly burn far suprasses my intake.

My point is, if you have a good plan, and track everything in FitDay, you really needn't ever worry about the scale.

And again, yes, I have seen weeks when the scale refused to more or even went up a pound. One meal out, with the extra sodium and crap and I know I can retail a couple pounds of "fluid". Generally, the next day it's gone.

So have confidence in your plan and free your mind of worry!

Regards,
Michael

I started on my personal quest 99 days ago and began by weighing in on Mondays, viewing it as the starting point of my week. I kept it that way up till mid-December and since then I have been weighing daily but still recording officially on Mondays. My trend is pretty consistent with daily fluctuations up and down.

I have emigrated from my former country, Obeseastan and I am now residing just over the border in Overweightsburg. Way in the distance I can see the skyline of Healthyville on the horizon but I am not sure of the route to take to get there. However, in the meantime I am pretty happy with where I’m at and how I’m living.

My best to all the residents of FitDay Nation. Stay vigilant, focused and disciplined and keep on keepin’ on!

-------------------
October 4 ----252
November 1 ----231
December 7 ----216
January 3 ----211
January 10 ----205
-------------------

This got me laughing, thank you :D :D

And good job on the weight loss. :)

Bathroom Scales
 

Is there anyone else like me that does not weight themselves,? I find if i do and theres no loss i get disheartened , I would much rather go by how my clothes are fitting.::D

When I started this adventure, I didn't weigh myself for the first 3 months, since I knew I emotionally couldn't deal with it. Instead, as per the suggestion of many fine FitDay folks, I used a measuring tape to track my losses - and, like you, how my clothes fit. Whatever works!

Right now I am not weighing myself or even measuring. I use my jeans that don't-quite-fit and know I am losing because they fit better each time I try them on. I will eventually weigh myself, though.

That's one of the reasons I love FitDay. As long as I weigh and log my food, I can judge how I am doing regardless of water weight or what have you. The scale can really play mind games with a person!!

For me, it's not really about the number anyway. I weigh more than what I look, and it's always been that way (even when I was thin), so I don't have a final number in mind. I have an idea of the range but I am not obsessed with weighing 117.5, if ya know what I mean!

I seldom weigh myself. I was driving myself nuts with the scale. I run 3-4 times a week, lift heavy 2-3 times a week and I am doing PLP every day. I have lost inches and lowered my body fat % so I know I am losing fat even if I am not losing pounds. I do measure but not that often. I mainly go by how my clothes fit now. :)

I also eat late at night and drink coffee for breakfast! :p

RENOAK, I am the opposite, I look like I weigh more than I do. :(

I don't weigh myself often, infact I've been meaning to buy a scale. :rolleyes: I think it's important to use the same scale every time, because different scales are
(un)calibrated differently. Although the one at the doctor's office is usually correct, unfortunately! I only weigh myself if I'm 100% certain that I've lost a couple pounds recently.

How your clothes fit is a better way to track progress, I think.