how often should I weigh myself

I joined this website last week and am just learning how to use it!  I have been weighing myself everyday and wondered if this was a good thing to do or just once a week?  Any thoughts?

Hello! and a big welcome to Calorie Count

I've been doing this 'diet' and using this website for almost 4 weeks....

I don't know if it's the correct thing to do, but I have been weighing myself every day- when I first get up in a morning and go into the bathroom- I will just pop onto the scales...I would NOT describe myself as being obsessed with the scales... I guess I do it because I like the reassurance that my weight loss is still going in the right direction (I have lost 5lbs so far and although I know it's TOTALLY stupid- I'm worried that I'll wake up one morning and find I've put it all back on again!)

Another reason, is I'm still trying to understand my body- for example I've discovered the week before my time of the month- my weight loss almost stops- in fact I might put on a pound or two, however, I found the week before this one is my best week to lose weight- so my plan is to be really good this week of the month (stick really strictly to my calorie limit) and maximise my weight loss and then relax a bit during the week before my time of the month and when it is my time of the month- when my weight loss is much slower and it's more difficult to lose weight.

Very good luck with your weight loss, all the best

Jenny XX

thank you.....

I weigh every day - it's not obsession - just habit. I log the weight on cc, and look at the trend line. I'm pretty used to the fluctuations that happen.

My rule of thumb is you should be as calm about a 2-lb gain as a 2-lb loss. The scale jumping up a couple pounds could be from having too much sodium or retaining water after a vigorous workout session, and the scale will go back down after a couple days. A couple pounds down could be that you drank a ton of water yesterday (and peed a gallon), but it might come back the next day.

If weighing every day makes you unhappy, because you hate seeing the fluctuations - getting your hopes up or dashed - weigh once a week. You just need to find what works for you.

This article sums up my feelings about it.

i wouldn't weigh my self day to day. that would be torture. you could start beating yourself up and slip into old habits. i weigh my self every monday. of course i started my self, weighing everyday but it will start to upset you. your weight fluctuates day to day. good luck with that though, if it doesn't get to you, do what you want i guess :) heh

I weigh every day minus weekends.

I usually weigh myself every day at the same time in the morning and look at the trendline on CC.  It's the trendline, not the actual weight that day, that is the most important to me.  I then take a weekly average and my measurements once a week to see how my BMI is changing as well as my size. AND I keep a workout log, so I can see improvements there as well.  Okay, yes, I'm a chart junkie, but that way, if any one area is lacking in progress, I can see the progress in the others, and there is plenty of motivation to keep going.  You can get a nice measurement/BMI log as an Excel template from Microsoft.

Welcome to calorie count, and best wishes on your weight loss!  I've used this system since 2/1/09 and have lost 36 lbs.  I used to weigh myself twice a week, in the morning, but then would get annoyed when I wouldn't see a weight loss between readings (usually because I had hit a temporary plateau).  After I had lost about 20-25 lbs I started to weigh myself daily once I got comfortable with the idea that from day to day my weight can bounce around up or down by 1-2 lbs. and so I should not freak out! LOL  In general I've found I'm losing 2.25 to 2.50 pounds a week looking at past months, so I shouldn't get excited, nor should you about what you weigh on any given day (IMHO).

I weigh every day basically out of habit.  I am maintaining so it isn't really necessary at this point, but when i was losing it was very helpful to see the numbers daily. If they were going down say 2 lbs a week vx 0 lbs I could really go back and analyze the why. for example, there was a week I gained 2 lbs. When I re-analyzed I realized I was underestimating the calories in alot of my food that week. Also, there is actual research on this...check out this article:

Good luck and welcome to cc!

 http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/weighing 111605/home.html

I used to weigh everyday, but it got pretty frustrating and I would forget and blah blah blah...for me, it's much more motivating to go once a week. Usually, I take a "sneak peek" on Thursday night, and then weigh again after emptying my bladder on Friday morning for my weekly weigh in.

This is effective for me. :)

xo ari

I weigh myself every morning and every evening before I go to bed. This keeps me 100% accountable to my nutritional plan.

Find what works best for you!

Good luck!

I started using CC while I was at school so I weighed [and recorded it] myself every week when I was at the gym (after my karate class there).  Now that I am at home I weigh myself pretty much every time I'm in the bathroom (after I use the toilet) just out of sheer curiousity.  I am completely comfortable seeing the fluctuations of the day-to-day and even the hour-to-hour...I'm actually facinated by them.  Yes, I AM WEIRD. lol  Anyhow, I still only record the weight every week, same day as when at school, except it's in the morning wearing my pjs instead of the evening in my gym clothes.

Do what you feel comfortable with.  Any way is correct as long as it works for you.

Good luck with your weight loss journey!