On weighing myself daily...

I get a daily email from the Duke Diet team. They are pretty good, but I saw this article which suggests that a daily weigh in is actually a good thing... here's the article (I can't make the link work):

Your Scale and You

Unlike other plans that recommend weighing in weekly or less often, we advise you to weigh yourself daily.

"Daily?" you ask. Yes! Studies show that people who weigh themselves daily are more successful at long-term weight loss than those who weigh themselves weekly. Experts speculate that frequent weigh-ins remind you of your goals and help keep you motivated. At the Duke Diet & Fitness Center (DFC), we feel that an essential part of this daily weighing strategy is tracking your weight on a graph. A graph helps you to see the big picture: Rather than focusing on one day's number, you're looking at trends over several days, weeks, or months. There's nothing more motivating than seeing that line move downward over time!

We also like graphs because they can help you to become accustomed to the fact that the number on the scale does fluctuate each day. The line won't always move downward, and that's okay. Weight normally varies from day to day, based on factors like how much water your body is retaining, among others. We find that seeing these normal fluctuations on a graph keeps our clients at the DFC from getting discouraged by them — they look past the little ups and downs and focus on the larger trends.

Another advantage to graphing with daily weigh-ins is that it helps you self-monitor more effectively. If you see your weight beginning to trend in the wrong direction, you can take steps to nip that trend in the bud.

Of course, weighing in daily isn't right for everyone. If you've ever had an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia or if you find it extremely upsetting to get on the scale, you should talk to your doctor or mental health–care provider. Otherwise, give it a try and see how it works for you!

If daily weighing is a good strategy for you, we encourage you to keep it up — even after you meet your weight goals. Research has shown that people who've lost weight and continue to weigh themselves regularly afterward are better able to keep the weight off. So plan to make your friendship with your scale a lifelong one. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of both short-term and lifelong success.

I have read similar reports from other studies that show weighing daily is a good thing and those that do are more likely to keep the weight off as they will spot trends and notice increases sooner and can adjust accordingly.

That means though not freaking out (and posting here in all caps) because you are up 2 lbs in a day because at that stage you have lost the weight already and should know it's not fat but just daily fluctuations.

I weight myself when I wake up after going to the bathroom, after my morning workout and sometimes before bed. But I don't freak out and just use it as a tool only.

I weigh myself every morning and it gives me great encouragement to keep up my healthy diet and exercise... that way I can SEE the progress every single day instead of having to wait for a whole week - besides, what if the weekly weigh-in fell on a 'bad' day when I was retaining extra fluid? I'd feel like I'd failed for the whole week instead of just one day! (btdt before I had my own scale... I was so convinced that I must be losing weight hand over fist that I walked to the grocery store to use their scale midweek and I was devastated to see that my weight was HIGHER than it had been the time before. I almost tossed my whole diet in the trash that day! But instead I bought my own scale so I could weigh myself more consistently and get a more useful result...) 

I'm in complete agreement with this article, and weigh myself in the morning. It gives me encouragement, and lets me know about my normal fluctuations. Here's a perfect example of why I don't just weigh once a week:

My official weigh-in day is Thursday (I have a spreadsheet created by someone on CC that tracks weekly weights). Last week, for some wonderful reason, I weighed in at 148 - I knew this was low compared to earlier in the week, and sure enough, my weight over the weekend and following week went as high as 150.4, I think. Yesterday, on my weigh in day, I weighed 148.4.

So, if I only weighed on Thursdays, my only explanation would be that I gained half a pound. But because I know what Friday-Wednesday were, I know that the 148 was a low day, 150 was a high day, I was 149 for most of the week, and now I'm setting back towards 148 -- today's weigh in (yay!). Maybe next week I'll be in the 147's (which would be a complete  20 pounds lost). Maybe not. But at least I can see what I'm doing on average.

I'm so glad that you posted this! I have been weighing myself every 2 days and kept thinking "I know I shouldn't" because I have always been told not to. But the scale has been going down every time and I feel so good seeing it. I decided that it's okay to weigh in as often as I want just so I can determine what foods/exercises are working well and what aren't. If I hadn't been doing this, I might not even know that I had lost any weight at all.

Thanks for shareing the article....I to have alway's weighed myself (since dieting) every day usually a couple times a day......I don't want to only go by one day because it could be a higher day then normal.

I religioulsy weigh myself daily.  Every morning after I've gotten up.  I've done this for almost a year and it has kept me on track.  It lets me know if i've gained a little or lost a little and then I know what extra I may have to do that day if I've gone a little over.  I will continue to weigh in everyday after I reach my goal because for the same reason I may have to do a little more exercising or adjust my calories if I see the scale move up a little and breathe easy if it's staying the same and maintaining :)  I love my scale!

I weigh in every day, but I haven't been logging it here as often.  But I know "yesterday's" weight every day, so I know what to expect each day.  It really helps me get to know my body and its "moods".

i actually don't agree with this article for myself. However if it works for you stick with it!
i find that if i weigh myself it makes me crazy. If i way myself weekly, the numbers always less and thats a huge boost :)

I weigh in every morning after I go to the bathroom ... the scale is actually in the bathroom...

I find its a huge motivator for me to see ... if im maintaining or if i have in fact lost weight.... from there I get my sneakers on ... my ipod and turn on the treadmill

yep all this at 5am.. the only time I have to actually walk...

sometimes i wake up w/ no energy to walk.. but once i set foot on that scale off I go because I will not let myself fail... right now its all on me

I was called ocd.... i didnt think so but I shall share this article with them...

Good post- It's refreshing to get some facts without hunting for them.

thanks 

I fully endorse weighing every day, and recording it on graph sheets or an excell spreadsheet. I've been doing it for a year and a half with a scale of .2 increments.  It's very helpful for identifying and modifying helpful and unhelpful behavior, because you can see the negative or positive results immediately when you eat too much, don't exercise enough, etc. 

I track on a daily, weekly, and monthly level.  It  helps you see both the forrest AND all the trees.

I have to weigh daily, sometimes twice a day, to monitor my fluid retention and adjust my medication.  This is to keep me out of congestive heart failure.  Since my weight can fluctuate by up to 10 pounds, I only look at the green trend line on my weight chart.  It's the only way I can see progress over time.  If that green line levels out, I know I've hit a mini plateau and need to do something about it.  My real weight line looks like the rocky mountains with all the peaks and valleys.  I never know how much I actually weigh.

Personally....weighing daily does not work for me. Just the way my brain works. It's all about knowing yourself. For me, if I weigh daily and the scale is down one day, I figure....I could have this cookie or this whatever....my weight was down! And if it is up I figure....screw it.....my weight is up....this isn't working, I am going to eat what I want.

When I weigh weekly it causes me to be EVER cautious of my eating and my workouts for fear that the weekly weigh in will be ugly! It has not failed me yet. I hadn't lost one single ounce weighing daily and since stopping 8 weeks ago...I have lost 8 pounds and am 149, first time  below 150 in YEARS!!!!

But everyone has to find what works for them!!!!

weighing daily for me was a source of depression, and I have felt tons better after I have stopped weighing in completely. My scale is put away under my bed, for an undetermined amount of time. If I want to measure, i'll use measuring tape.

YEAH measuring tape! I have also lost 11 inches and 1 full size!!!

I weigh almost daily @ least 5 to 6 days a week, right before I get on the treadmil.