Opinions Needed Please

Hi. I have been dieting for about a week now. When I 1st weighed myself I was 240, then a day later I brought the scale out into the kitchen and I was then 250. So then I step on the scale this morning and I'm 245. I'm like yeah right. So I go to Wal-Mart and buy a digital scale, get it home and it reads 254. So I started my weight log OVER again starting tonight. So with that said, I need opinions on a couple things.

1. When would be the best time of day to weigh myself? In the morning, before food goes in or at night with all the food in my belly still?

2. How often should I check my weight? Weekly? Bi-weekly? Monthly?

I'm not really sure what I want to do, because checking it weekly I know would make me get my hopes up just to see that I'm still that same weight as last week. Then doing it monthly I think would make it worse because I afraid I'll step on it and either have no change or even worse I've GAINED! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading.

Katie

Hi Katie,

First of all, good luck in your new journey!

I personally weigh myself every single day, first thing in the morning.  I log it in CC every day so that I can have a good handle on my true progress (I use the "trend line" - and have learned not to say that I have hit a target until my trend reaches that target).

On the other hand, you have to be prepared for daily fluctuations.  I think it is a personal decision - I found it to be quite encouraging to see progress within days of kicking off my weight-loss journey, but it sucks when you are on a plateau for a few weeks (like I am now!).

Also, for the exact reason you gave, I would always use the same scale for consistency.  A pound lost is a pound lost - but if you switch scales you won't know your true progress.  So kudos for getting your own scale!

Hope this helps!  Best of luck.

i like weighing myself when i wake up, i beleive this is your true weight because there is not really any water or food weighing you down (which can be 2-5 lbs!)

i like checking every week or so, this way if i gained a couple i can decide if i should take it easy on the snacks or not lol

I tend not to weigh daily in winter; too cold in the bathroom! But when I do weigh, it's first thing after using the toilet, in the am, stark naked. And definitely follow the "trend line" on CC as kb suggested. It's a much more honest evaluation of your progress. Daily fluctuations mean nothing in the long run. I see real progress on a monthly basis; I might lose 3 lbs in one week, none, none, 2 another, and have 5 for the month, which is steady and reasonable. If I went week by week, I'd be crazy for half the month!! :)

I don't think it matters when you weigh, as long as it's always at the same time and under the same conditions.  A lot of people prefer first thing in the morning.

If you weigh every day, be prepared for possibly drastic fluctuations.  My weight can vary by 3 or more pounds a day, and even when I'm losing weight overall, it zig-zags up and down.  So I'll "lose" a pound, then "gain" two the next day, then "lose" two and a half pounds, then "gain" half a pound, and so on and so on. 

Like everyone else has said, look at the "trend" line as you go.  Otherwise, the roller coaster will be for your emotions as well as your weight!

My weight can flucuate like 9lbs in a day. (seriously)  There are so many things that can happen to your body throughout the day- sodium, water retention, water loss, a good BM.  I like to do what kb said and weigh daily, log it and watch the trend line.

You can also take measurements if you are curious about progress, however I would porbably only do this like once a month.

Weigh yourself first thing in the morning. After you use the restroom and before you eat or drink. Then only weigh yourself every 2 weeks or even once a month. Don't focus so much on the scale. Go by how you feel, how your clothes fit. Don't fall for the crap that says every person of a certain height and body type should weigh the same. We are all different. Fat loss and weight loss are two different things. Focus on fat loss and weight loss will come.

The difference you see on the scale in one day is not fat loss.

And reconsider "dieting" diets don't work. You might loose weight initially but if it is not something you can stick with for the rest of your life why bother. It is a vicious cycle and most people who go on a "diet" end up gaining it all back plus some only to start all over again and again totally wreaking havoc on their metabolism. Instead look into clean/balanced eating. Strength training, cardio and HIIT.

Although several have indicated this already, I cannot stress enough the level of variation that you will see in day to day weight.  What you see below is based on an maintenance plan after some pretty significant weight loss.

For the cart, calories in, exercise, scale, weigh time etc. are very consistent over the time-line shown.  Some of the daily ups and down are dramatic.  

A single high sodium meal can easily add two, three, or even more pounds to your weight day to day. 

I agree with several above that your best strategy is probably to weigh first thing each morning in order to establish a strong trend line.  This will help you to see your real progress more easily.

Also, the important thing about your scale is that it be consistent.  To check it, you might want to weigh yourself and then turn it off (usually you just wait a few seconds and this happens automatically).  Then weigh you self again.  Try this several times.  You should get the same number each time to within about .2 pounds or so.  If the variation is much more than that, you do not have a good scale.  If this happens, try replacing the battery and test it again. If it still fails the test, I would get another one.

Before getting a good scale, I had a scale that would not even come close to passing the test.  It would vary by up to three pounds + or - if you just kept weighing yourself.  That's a variation of six pounds.  Not too useful for keeping yourself motivated.

Last piece of advice.  Unless you are doing something extreme, it is impossible to gain or loose any significant amount of "real" weight over a short period of time.  These apparent changes are almost always due to water gain or loss, and whatever is in your colon.  In order to gain a pound in a day, you would need to eat an extra 3,300 or so calories in a day beyond the 2,500 or so that you need to maintain your current weight.  Its hard to eat 5,800 calories in a day.

So if you wake up one morning and you weigh a pound or two more than the day before ask yourself the following question:  "Did I eat more than normal yesterday?"  If the answer is no think water.  The bad news is that the same thing works in reverse.  If you wake up and you are two pounds lower than the day before, think water.  Those pounds will most likely return in a day or two as you rehydrate. 

In all cases, the long term trend line will tell you what you really need to know.

Sorry for the very long post.  I hope that it is helpful.

Its always been said that it is best to weigh yourself at 1 set time of the day and it doesn't matter what time but stick to that one time as your weight during any day can fluctuate by up to 2 kgs.

Personally I weigh in mornings as its usually your lowest weight of the day.

Weigh yourself less often as otherwise you will get demotivated, I would suggest weekly to fortnightly as the most often but I like fortnightly as that way you see a change whereas weekly may not show you much.  Also remember that if you increase exercise you may go up as muscle weighs more than fat so if you are increasing then you might need to change your exercise to more cardio as opposed to weight training.

Hope this helps

Had my doc explain something the other day about why unhealthy dieting usually results in weight gain quickly afterward. If you are not actually losing just fat but muscle mass also, as soon as you start eating a healthy amount of food the muscle wil start to build up again. Just a small amount of protein weightwise will add almost 10x as much weight gain because our muscles are bodies are really 98% water and to fill out the composition of the muscle requires water too. I am not sure I would call it wter weight gain in the sense of edema  and bloating but that is where a lot of the weight comes from.

I always like to weight myself in the morning after using the bathroom as I feel that will be my lowest weight of the day. Makes me feel realistic but optimistic.

You have to also make sure you are drinking enough water. Just one day of dehydrating yourself can lull you into thinking you have lost weight only find that you gain weight as soon as you are drinking what you should. That is demoralizing. Besides your whole system works  better when well lubed.

Good luck and lots of courage in your efforts:)

weigh yourself first thing in the morning. Most people prefer to weigh in  bi-weekly or even weekly, this helps from getting discouraged when your weight will naturally fluctuate over a day or so (or certain times of the month, ya know?) Knowing this, I'm okay with weighing myself daily- it helps keep me motivated and if it's a pound up (or two) I don't get all bent out of shape. I weigh as much as five pounds heavier at night than in the morning...  I neeeeevvver weigh myself at night.

Good luck to you and all you do!!!

A very wise nutrionist suggested that I never weigh myself--put the scale away.

It is just a number. It can bring you down or cheer you up, but it's best (imho) to dispense with it.

If you keep a log of whatever you eat, you can focus on that. Or you can just put your hand on your tummy and tell if it's bigger, smaller, or the same, or try a pair of too-tight pants and see if you can eventually wear them.

Take your waist and hip measurement, focus on getting your waist smaller.

Suck in that big fat gut (no offense intended)! Walk every day.

But the scale won't tell you if the pants will fit or if you can order that dress.

Belly fat is the most dangerous to have and it's the last place it leaves the body!

Eat more, weigh less--go vegan, it's kinder and most effective.

Original Post by roanokedad:

Although several have indicated this already, I cannot stress enough the level of variation that you will see in day to day weight.  What you see below is based on an maintenance plan after some pretty significant weight loss.

For the cart, calories in, exercise, scale, weigh time etc. are very consistent over the time-line shown.  Some of the daily ups and down are dramatic.  

A single high sodium meal can easily add two, three, or even more pounds to your weight day to day. 

I agree with several above that your best strategy is probably to weigh first thing each morning in order to establish a strong trend line.  This will help you to see your real progress more easily.

Also, the important thing about your scale is that it be consistent.  To check it, you might want to weigh yourself and then turn it off (usually you just wait a few seconds and this happens automatically).  Then weigh you self again.  Try this several times.  You should get the same number each time to within about .2 pounds or so.  If the variation is much more than that, you do not have a good scale.  If this happens, try replacing the battery and test it again. If it still fails the test, I would get another one.

Before getting a good scale, I had a scale that would not even come close to passing the test.  It would vary by up to three pounds + or - if you just kept weighing yourself.  That's a variation of six pounds.  Not too useful for keeping yourself motivated.

Last piece of advice.  Unless you are doing something extreme, it is impossible to gain or loose any significant amount of "real" weight over a short period of time.  These apparent changes are almost always due to water gain or loss, and whatever is in your colon.  In order to gain a pound in a day, you would need to eat an extra 3,300 or so calories in a day beyond the 2,500 or so that you need to maintain your current weight.  Its hard to eat 5,800 calories in a day.

So if you wake up one morning and you weigh a pound or two more than the day before ask yourself the following question:  "Did I eat more than normal yesterday?"  If the answer is no think water.  The bad news is that the same thing works in reverse.  If you wake up and you are two pounds lower than the day before, think water.  Those pounds will most likely return in a day or two as you rehydrate. 

In all cases, the long term trend line will tell you what you really need to know.

Sorry for the very long post.  I hope that it is helpful.

 

 

 

This.  If you want an inspiring story, look for his post on his first 5K in the fitness forum

I weigh 3 times a week in the morning before I work out.  If I weigh the morning after a workout, it's always higher.