How often do you check your weight?

Hey guys!

I am asking this because I am not really sure. I check mine once a day in the morning before a shower. But, how often do you need to check it?

W.

There seem to be 2 schools of thought--daily, and just watch the "trend line" (the green line with your weight log), or weekly. I like daily b/c it keeps me aware of natural fluctuations and the trend line reminds me it is not about the number on the scale on any given day.

Hope this helps.

It does.

Thank you mk

W.

I currently check my weight in the morning daily. It is the first thing I do after I go potty. I have a tendency to freak out just a little when it goes up and down suddenly, so I suggest just doing it weekly. E verywhere that I read says to do it weekly too. I just can't resist though steping on that scale in the morning. Also it is helpful to get a scale that reads body fat % and water %. I have an excellent one by Taylor and wasn't too pricey. It is helpful when I see a big jump from one day to the next to know if it is body water or body fat.

I think the best way to go about it is once a week while you're trying to actively lose (because you'll be better able to see/monitor progress than if you did it every day) and every day while you're maintaining (because then you'll be able to keep track of daily flunctuations and make adjustments quickly if you go up/down too much).

I check mine every Friday morning right after waking up and peeing. I like to do it on Fridays as opposed to Mondays because I always have a bit more to eat on the weekend, and that weight discourages me. Friday's weight is a truer reflection of my week.

i weigh myself at least once a day.  i sure wish i could break that nasty habit, but i just can't help it.  i normally weigh in the morning and at night, but sometimes i don't weigh myself at night anymore.  that was a huge step for me!!!

now i need to conquer the daily habit...  :(

once a week should be fine.  we'll see if i ever get there, though.

I check my weight at least once a day. I always check in the morning and sometimes before I go to bed. I try not to freak over the fluctuations though. However, I only log my weight on CC once a week.

I check my weight every morning because its when your weight is suppose to be the most accurate my doctor says than I log in any difference in my weight before I leave to run my errands for the day!

<3's Jes

I typically check my weight once a week because sometimes when I weight myself and it is not exactly a weight I like... it sort of ruins my day - so I just go by the way I look in my clothes that day and how my make up looks, which typically is better for my mind anyways. I will weigh myself the morning after a relatively light on salt dinner, because then I will know I am not retaining water! ha ha! 

I weigh myself once a week to avoid freaking out over daily fluctuations. It also helps that I never bought a scale for myself, so in order to weigh myself, i have to drive to my boyfriends, that way the scale's not there tempting me every morning.

Weighting yourself daily provides more data points, so trends are easier to see. That being said, if you freak out/get depressed over every slight increase it might be best to do it less frequently.

Keep in mind that weight fluctuates by 2-4 pounds because of water retention.

UD

i used to weigh daily.  now i weigh twice a week - monday morning and friday morning.  i get to see how my weekend habits impact my weight, as well as how capable i am of recovering during the week (or perhaps getting worse). 

i've been doing this for about 4 months or so, and it's an interesting trend.

I also weigh daily.  I weigh daily first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom, write it down on a calendar next to my scale and log it here. 

I do the weight daily, but I look at the day last week to really track my progress... because...

On Monday-Thursday, at work I walk 3 miles, work out after or before work, and I eat well.  My weight drops.

On the weekend, I usually end up drinking some beers and pizza or wings when I'm watching football games.  My weight will go up a lot. Like sometimes as much as 7 lbs.   But then by Monday or Tuesday it's back to under where it was, so I look to see if I'm under the last week's day.

So, I'd say weigh in daily, but pick a day and count that as your weekly marker.  If you only weighed yourself weekly, say Thursday... you could on Wednesday night decide to drink a ton of water and then the next day it looks like you've gained when you haven't. 

I randomly weigh whenever I feel like it, but I only offically "weigh-in" every two months.

I weigh 348,102,835,617,348 times a day!

Original Post by umneydurak:

Weighting yourself daily provides more data points, so trends are easier to see. That being said, if you freak out/get depressed over every slight increase it might be best to do it less frequently.

Keep in mind that weight fluctuates by 2-4 pounds because of water retention.

UD

There was a scientific study recently that showed that the more frequently people check their weight, the more likely they are to succeed at losing weight and keeping it off.

I wish I could find the study, but I do distinctly remember reading about it...

I try to check mine every day, but my scale is A) not accurate; and B) in my roommate's bathroom.

I used to check it several times a day.  I found it motivating.  But in the last two months it's become so much harder to lose weight and seeing the number ruins my mood and motivation.  So I haven't checked in a while.  I'll check it again once I start fitting into my smaller pants because then I'll know for sure it went down.

The scale can be a great motivator or it can enable an ED.  I have moved mine to the closet for now:)

i weigh every day, before lunch (or before i run, if it's a running day).  daily fluctuations don't bother me, because i understand what causes them.  and it keeps me accountable; when i avoid the scale, it's usually because i don't like what i know i'm going to see.

Look this is a marathon not a sprint so the weighing your self every day thing makes absolutely no sense to me.  Are you really going to do that for the rest of your life to make sure that you are maintaining??  I think the chances of that are slim to none, and if some one tells me that they have done it for a whole year than great but come back to me in five years and tell me how that worked out.  

I believe strongly in weighing your self every six weeks.  This way you can account for the ups and down that you have in a day and week and get a true barometer of what you are doing over time.  I would hate to be a slave to the number on the scale (even though we all are on some level) and weighing everyday feels to me like a situation where you are setting your self up to fail.  I just think that we need to keep it simple and in doing so make something work for the long haul not just because you are dieting right now.

Lets make it clear i said it makes no sense to me so that is not an attack on what you do yourself.  For me it just makes no sense to weight every day or even every week.   

Original Post by coatesuwyo:

Look this is a marathon not a sprint so the weighing your self every day thing makes absolutely no sense to me.  Are you really going to do that for the rest of your life to make sure that you are maintaining??  I think the chances of that are slim to none, and if some one tells me that they have done it for a whole year than great but come back to me in five years and tell me how that worked out.   

I have pretty much been thin all my life.... and I have weighed myself almost every single day of my life.  Yes - I probably will continue to do that for the rest of my life.  It is part of my daily routine.... and I say certainly part of why I stayed thin all my life.  If I see the scale creeping up, it is time to do something before I have to get new clothing because my clothes no longer fit.  Obviously - there are normal ups and downs, but you know when you've got too many ups and not enough downs, it's time to react.  I rather not wait around 6 weeks and then notice that my jeans don't fit me anymore.

This is just me, and I know everyone has their own opinions and strategies.  This works for ME.