Do You Weigh Everyday?
December 2, 2008
Since I’m giving the scale, oh I mean platform, away I thought it was the perfect week to ask part of Jodi’s question…
Do you weigh yourself everyday?
This question fascinates me as I’m been on both sides of the discussion. I do believe in weighing everyday but I don’t actually do it anymore. I truly think it depends on where you are in your own personal journey. To read my history with the scale click here for my Scale Habits post.
In short, I haven’t weighed myself in a few weeks! Lately, I’m really trying to find my way without the scale. Ask me after the holidays if I succeeded! :~P
Right now I’m more interested in if YOU weigh yourself every day and why you do or don’t.
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On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:18 am Sheila | Live Well 360° said:
Hi Roni,
Great topic, as it is one that stirs up many opinions! I personally swing both ways as well. Sometimes I do weigh every day, sometimes I don’t. When I am traveling, and/or really busy I don’t. But when I am in the mood to track my trends, I do. I used to do it as an obsessive thing, but these days, it’s more of an interest in knowing what happens to my body when I eat different foods, do different things, etc.
I have never felt like weighing one time a week is accurate, as our weight tends to fluctuate so much. For example, I could eat something with lots of sodium the night before weighing, and then step on the scale the next morning for my weekly weigh-in, and be “up” a pound. If I didn’t know about trends, then, in the past, this could have really thrown my whole/day off.
If I track, then I see the trend going in the downward direction consistently over time if I am trying to lose fat, or the trend sticks right around one number, if I am maintaining. I know that a lot of people think of the scale as a bad thing, but I see it as merely a tool. As long as you use it as tool of measurement to make sure that you are consistent toward reaching your goal, then I don’t see anything wrong with weighing everyday (at the same time of day, keeping the variables consistent as well). It just goes back to one’s relationship with their body and getting to that comfortable place where a number doesn’t make or break the day.
So that was my long winded response. :-) Take care.
Sheila
http://www.livewell360.com
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:24 am Jill said:
I weigh myself every other day usually, and then one “official” weigh in a week. It’s funny how I don’t really care too much what the scale is throughout the week, but the night before the “official” weigh in I get a little nervous. I also tend to not weigh myself after a bad day (food wise) because that can be discouraging and result in overeating for many days as opposed to one.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:33 am suzane said:
I weigh myself daily just to keep myself accountable and yes it’s fascinating somedays just how your body works!!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:35 am Janice said:
I do. It keeps me on track.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:35 am Charlie Hills said:
No question: every day. Does this work for everybody? ‘Course not. The rationale, of course, is that day to day weight fluctuations are generally meaningless and don’t always paint the big picture. Worse, a small uptick might send you off on an unplanned Cheez-It bender.
That’s rarely, if ever, been a problem for me. Not to sound snooty, but I’m a bit above that. Granted, I’m not saying that a mysterious 3-pound overnight gain has never bothered me. But it’s not a reason to fall off the wagon.
For me, I need the data. (And anyone who’s seen my book or blog has seen what I do with eighteen years of near-daily weigh-ins.) I couldn’t weigh in at all last week. It was really hard! I needs my Platform!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:46 am Debbie said:
Nope, not every day…only the days I feel like I’ve done well or I feel “skinny” ….(now that’s a laugh). I’m like what you are doing right now…avoid the scale if you don’t want to see what is there. Get on the scale if you think there is good news. Take today for instance. It is my weigh in day at Weight Watchers…Tues. mornings, 9:00am sharp. I KNOW it ain’t good news, so I have not even gone into the room where the scales live. I don’t even ask the weigher-in lady what it was after I weigh. I don’t even look at my book after the meeting is over. I wait until next week or later in this week when I feel like I’ve made some progress (i.e. left all that dressing behind until next year).
Thanks for the great posts. Also, THANK YOU for the POM coupon! I’ve tried it and probably won’t buy it again….cost vs taste.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:47 am crazylady said:
I do. I just can’t resist… sometime it’s twice a day - morning and evening. I do however make a very conscious effort to treat it just as a number and not make too big a deal out of it. It’s a way of monitoring my progress otherwise how would I know genuine how I’m doing. I find it actually helps when I feel bloated or whatever and then see a gain on the scales because I know there’s a reason for it and it will pass. Long term I do want to get away from the scales but not until I have things under control.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:48 am Patty said:
When I was actively trying to lose weight (lost 20# last winter) I did weigh myself every day, sometimes more than once. I truly was scale obsessed. But I would only record in my journal a weekly weigh in, and I also took monthly measurements. I really think the measurements were so helpful because they provided a visual for me, inches I could SEE. I’d strongly reccommend measurements also because sometimes you’ll see changes in inches more so than pounds.
Now that I’m maintaining I weigh much less often, maybe weekly, and I tend to go more by the fit of my clothes.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:48 am Christine said:
For awhile I was weighing everyday–I wanted to take the focus off the scale when I went to WW meetings–and it worked! Now I weigh every couple of days and definitely the morning of my WW weigh in. For me, weighing frequently has taken away the fear of the number, and given me an understanding of how much my weight fluctuates!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 am Robin said:
This is such a good question. I am at the very beginning of my weight loss journey, but have been working at it for quite some time :( It has been such a slow process for me.
I tell myself often that I’m not going to weigh myself every day. What happens is that I think that I have had a good couple of days but when I step on the scale, I am either up a little bit or I haven’t gone down at all. This leads me to think, “Why bother” and then I eat more than I should. I think that if I could just think positively and think that I am losing weight without stepping on the scale, I might actually lose more weight. I hope that makes sense to someone but me :)
The thing that stops me is my fear of what the scale will say after some time away from it. What if I go a couple of weeks, or even a week, and I think that I have done well and the number is up? That would be extremely discouraging for me.
I’ll be reading what other people have to say about this!! Thanks for posting this!!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:03 am Jennscookin said:
I usually weigh in everyday, but only log the days I lose or on Fridays if it stays the same. My problem is that when I stop weighing in on a regular basis, I get more frustrated. By the time I finally dare to step on the scale I find that I am up several pounds and then get even more frustrated with myself and give up. So, I am really trying to stay committed to weekly weigh-ins. It works for me, but I think that each person should find what works best for them personally. If I remind myself that it is only the main Friday weigh-in that counts for the week, I do much better.
The daily weigh-ins just help me stay accountable.
Jenn
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:04 am Beth said:
I started going back to WW meetings and do one “official” weigh every week there but I do hop on my scale everyday (and sometimes more than once a day to see how different foods and drinks affect me). I like to see how my official weigh is probably going to go…up or down….and be prepared for it. Obviously something is going right….I’m 0.2 from goal now!!! This week is my week, I can feel it!! But yes, I do weigh myself daily unless I’m out of town and don’t have my scale.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:08 am Amber said:
I do when I’m on track because it keeps me going. When I’ve had a few off-plan, giving into old habits days, I find myself just letting it go - more out of fear than anything else.
I do find that weighing every day is generally encouraging. I’m only 7 months into this journey, and I am so afraid that one morning I’m going to wake up and the scale will say 209 again. For me, it encouragement that I can actually do it and eating snacks or something extra cheesy and gooey in moderation won’t kill the progress I’ve made. Plus, it’s nice to start the day seeing numbers I haven’t seen since I first got married almost 9 years ago. ;)
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 am Brandi said:
I try and weight myself on the same day at the same time every week. Sometimes I go 2 weeks or 3 weeks depending on how I’m feeling. This is mostly because scales and numbers got me into some trouble awhile back and my life started revolving around that stupid little number. Now I know that I only do it to record progress, because I do need the feedback. But I don’t let myself do it if I know its going to affect my entire day. I feel more free because I know the number doesn’t affect who I am, it only reflects my body’s reaction to the things I do with it. I think its very important to have a way to record progress, but sometimes its more important to listen to your body and feel the differences when you eat right and exercise.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:25 am Krista said:
Great contest!
I used to be a scale-a-holic! I would get on that damn thing 3-4 times a day! No joke. What an obsession. We moved to a new house last year and there is no bathroom on the main floor. That means the scale is no longer in my face when ever I walk down the hall. Now I only get on Wednesday mornings. I’m happy to have kicked that bad hbit! One at a time, tight?!
Anyways, check out my post! http://www.kristaskravings.blogspot.com
Thanks, Roni!!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:37 am Lori said:
I’m sad to say, I weigh everyday. It must be an obsession! I try not to let the number sway my decisions through out the day and I try and be rational about “why” the scale has gone up or down. It amazes me how much body weight can change in one day. I still don’t always understand the gain/loss as it can be drastic. I try and account for salt intake and fiber, but my irrational mind doesn’t always want to accept it. Maybe once I figure that out, I can stop the weighing. I know it’s just a number and it should be about how I feel, but that would be too rational. LOL
Thanks again for all you do. Your efforts truly DO encourage and change peoples lives.
I also want to thank you for the Pom Coupons. I haven’t used them yet, but I will! :-)
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:39 am Tara from Portland said:
I weigh every day if I am at home. I used to only do once a week and found that my results are better now that i weigh daily. I think this holds me more accountable. After doing it for a month or so I know where my fluctuations come from and they dont send me spiraling to get a few cookies or anything. I have lost more now that i weigh daily opposed to once a week.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 12:19 pm KT said:
I struggle with this one. Sometimes I weigh myself everyday, but that can get frustrating and I find that I get too hung up on it. I try to only weigh myself the day of my WW weigh-in so I know what to expect, but I’ll admit that sometimes I cheat. I guess I’m just coming to grips with the fact that I only have so much control over that number and as long as I’m doing the things I need to be, it shouldn’t matter.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 12:47 pm LeeAnn said:
Wow, it is great to hear what other people have to say about this. I normally weigh myself every thursday, but there are times when I NEED to weigh myself. After big meals or lack of exercising, I weigh myself to see the damage. This seems to keep me on track.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm Tanya said:
I’ve never weighed myself everyday - I think how much can you really lose in 1 day?! And accounting for the fact that it’s not true weightloss. Of course, this is just for me. I think everyone has to do their own thing. The most I’ve ever weighed myself is once per week. To be honest, when I gain weight I don’t want to know and I don’t weigh. When I’m losing I can never do it fast enough and I don’t want to know cuz the scale never moves down enough!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm Azad said:
I used to religiously but not so much anymore. Now it’s once or twice a week. I think it’s definitely helpful. I would much rather weigh myself every day then do the alternative - throw it in the closet which and let it collect dust which is what I used to do when I would pretend that I was not gaining weight.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm Shannon F. said:
I do weigh every day but right now I am definitely driven by the numbers. I don’t worry about it if I don’t such as I didn’t weigh all weekend but did when we got home. For me it’s seeing how my body reacts throughout the week.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 1:14 pm Anna said:
i weigh weekly at WW and usually once in between on my home scale. oh, and i hop on the home scale right before going to WW so i know the “difference” between the two. i like my home scale better; its 4lbs lower than the WW one. LOL
On December 2nd, 2008 at 1:42 pm Melissa M. said:
I admit it. I weigh every day. Like others, I feel like it helps keep me accountable to myself. I will say it’s been interesting to see how certain foods definitely affect the scale. For example, if I eat a canned soup, I know the scale will be up the next day even if I stay within my Points target. So from that I’ve learned not to eat canned soup, popcorn, etc. within a couple of days of my WW weigh in. ;-)
On December 2nd, 2008 at 1:49 pm Tiffany said:
Hi Roni - I have been meaning to read your blog forever (I came over from Newlywed Girl). I weigh myself everyday with an offical weigh in every Monday morning. I have to see the number so there is no way I could deal with the scale you are advertising!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 2:00 pm Shannon said:
I weigh every couple days because I have no patience but I weigh “officially” for tracking purposes once per week on same day.
Totally off subject, I keep seeing these posts saying thanks for POM coupons - is there a link to POM coupons?? I like POM!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 2:06 pm Rachel said:
Looks like I’m in the minority here, I weigh once a week- every Monday morning. I truly believe that’s one of the reasons I’ve been successful. I used to weigh every day and I was constantly focused on the wrong thing- the number-and I let it affect my eating. I decided I didn’t want to be put through that emotional rollercoaster anymore and have stuck with once a week the whole time I’ve been on weight watchers. Now I focus on just eating healthy and I love to be surprised and have no idea how much I’ve lost at my weigh in. It’s kinda fun that way! Plus, if most people are only supposed to be losing 2 pounds a week, how much is it going to change in one day anyway? I don’t use it as a way to “keep on track” throughout the week because having control over your eating and eating healthy is more important than the actual number to me. Obviously if I wasn’t losing weight then I would know my eating isn’t where it should be, so I just use the scale as guide to know I’m losing!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm EmmaElizabeth said:
I’ve weighed myself everyday since I got my scale last Tuesday. It’s not because omg i’m sooo obsessed with weighing myself everyday, but because I have a new scale and weeee it’s fun and exciting to have something new!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm Christie said:
I do not weigh every day. For the longest, I didn’t have a scale. Then my mother-in-law cleaned out her garage and found 2 scales so she gave us one. It’s not digital and it’s pretty unreliable so I don’t really use it. We have at work in health services so if I feel like I need to know, I will go there when I’m at work. I would say that it’s been at least a month since I checked. I have never been one who weighs every day. I would rather weigh every week if I am trying to lose and maybe once a month if I am trying to maintain.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 2:47 pm Paige said:
I weigh myself every day, but I count it as “official” every other day. For the official weigh-in, I write the number down in my running log. Weighing on a daily basis keeps me focused, accountable, and motivated.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 2:56 pm Rachel said:
I do weigh myself every day and I write the number in my food journal but it is more out of curiosity for how the body’s weight fluctuates every day than an obcessive thing. It has allowed me to see trends in my weight and really has taught me a lot about my own body.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 3:09 pm Bonnie said:
At the beginning and middle of my 68 week weight loss journey, I never got on my home scale. I only weighed in at my weekly WW meeting. Towards the end though, I have usually weighed about once or twice a week on my home scale…I’m not even sure why, but perhaps because weight loss is so slow towards the end so I just wanted to know…or perhaps try to rush it a bit. This is my first week of maintenance and I have not weighed at home, but I did weigh at Curves last night and weighed the same as my goal weight that I weighed at WW last Wednesday night. And that’s after Thanksgiving and a 3 point increase in my daily points that my WW Leader gave me. So I feel good about that.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm Amy said:
Hey~
yes I weigh myself everyday. i don’t let it shake me too much- it just gives me an idea of how i’m maintaining. as long as it’s within a certain range, I’m happy.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 3:57 pm Nicole said:
I weigh myself at home most days, then officially at my WW meeting on Saturday mornings.
If I am lower than the day before that motivates me to “keep it up.” And if I am higher it motivates me to be honest with myself about being on plan.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 4:06 pm workout mommy said:
Currently I don’t, because it ruins my day.
When I am eating right and staying on track, then I will because it helps to hold me accountable.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 4:29 pm Kris said:
THIS IS SWEET!!!!!!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 4:36 pm Becca said:
Def no. Chances are, my weight wouldn’t have gone done noticeably in the past 24 hours, so there really is no need to let the weigh bring me down everyday.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 4:42 pm Annette said:
for awhile, I only weighed once a week…………then I started going overboard and weighing in several times a day. I am now back to trying to just weigh once a week but I have peeked after a day of not so good eating to see what damage a day did.
I could very easily become obsessed. Hubby said he would hide it and bring it out only on my weigh in day if I ever feel I need the help ;)
On December 2nd, 2008 at 4:59 pm Pubsgal said:
I weigh daily: one time, first thing in the morning. But I only log it once a week. I think it’s working for me because I’ve found myself adjusting if I don’t lose or post a gain…or if the number starts trending up over the week. I think it’s also helpful that I’m tracking lots of other health-related things (foods, exercise, blood glucose levels), so I’m not so focused only on the scale number. (I also think I’m doing this daily as sort of a counter-reaction to not stepping on it all during my gaining years.)
On December 2nd, 2008 at 5:00 pm Dori said:
I DITTO SHEILA~
Great topic, as it is one that stirs up many opinions! I personally swing both ways as well. Sometimes I do weigh every day, sometimes I don’t. When I am traveling, and/or really busy I don’t. But when I am in the mood to track my trends, I do. I used to do it as an obsessive thing, but these days, it’s more of an interest in knowing what happens to my body when I eat different foods, do different things, etc.
I have never felt like weighing one time a week is accurate, as our weight tends to fluctuate so much. For example, I could eat something with lots of sodium the night before weighing, and then step on the scale the next morning for my weekly weigh-in, and be “up” a pound. If I didn’t know about trends, then, in the past, this could have really thrown my whole/day off.
If I track, then I see the trend going in the downward direction consistently over time if I am trying to lose fat, or the trend sticks right around one number, if I am maintaining. I know that a lot of people think of the scale as a bad thing, but I see it as merely a tool. As long as you use it as tool of measurement to make sure that you are consistent toward reaching your goal, then I don’t see anything wrong with weighing everyday (at the same time of day, keeping the variables consistent as well). It just goes back to one’s relationship with their body and getting to that comfortable place where a number doesn’t make or break the day.
So that was my long winded response. :-) Take care.
Sheila
On December 2nd, 2008 at 5:14 pm Brandie said:
I weigh daily first thing in the morning. Then do one official weigh in at Weight Watchers. It works for me to see the scale daily and realize it is just a number. I like to know how food affects my body. I try to keep a log of what I eat and how full it keeps me.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 5:22 pm Lourdes said:
While I gained I only got weighed during doctor visits. So now, I weigh every day with one day of the week being the official day. I may not be losing but I want my eyes WIDE OPEN to the process now.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 5:26 pm Lisa said:
Almost every day - first thing in the morning. Basically to watch what’s happening. I only officially log it once a week. But it helps to see if I’ve been doing okay or not during the week.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 5:46 pm Arlene said:
Well, I waffle. Sometimes I weigh myself every day (usually when I’ve done really well OP the day before and want to see the results of that hard work on the scale). But I use the weekly WW WI, on Monday, as my official weight.
Once I hit my goal, I plan to weigh daily because I once weighed 169 … and started avoiding the scale when I ate “badly.” The longer I avoided the scale because I didn’t want to know just how badly I was doing, the more weight I regained. I put 70 pounds back on while I was avoiding the scale …
So this time, I’ll be weighing daily at first to maintain. I’ll probably taper off to 2 or 3 times a week eventually.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 6:05 pm Laura Brandon said:
i used to weigh myself every day, then one day i forgot and just decided, eh i’ll just start weighing every week. i think both ways are good. but for me weighing every week is good because i think it shows more overall progress. if i weigh every day, i get all freaked out if the scale doesn’t drop every day.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm Biz said:
I stopped weighing myself every day in September - now only once a month. I lost 10 pounds in September, 5 pounds in October, and 0 pounds in November. But I didn’t work out nearly as much as I should have - but I consider maintaining a success! Hope to lose 5 by January 1st then the last 25 to 30 by summer. Fingers crossed! I just need to give up my wine!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm KK (Running Through Life) said:
I weigh myself every morning and also sometimes at night. It does keep me on track and I also get to see how certain foods affect my body (ie: foods with more salt).
On December 2nd, 2008 at 7:11 pm Giyen said:
My MD has advised me to weigh myself every day. She says that she read a study that discussed habits of people who managed long-term weight loss, here is what I remember:
(1) Weighing yourself daily helps people to immediately intercept when their weight fluctuates outside a normal range.
(2) Keep a food journal.
(3) Join a weight loss support group.
(4) Exercise.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 7:51 pm emi said:
I weigh daily, but I take the # with a grain of salt. If I’m 132 one day, and 135 the next, I don’t freak out - I obviously didn’t overeat by 10,5000 calories the day before and gain 3 pounds of fat. However, if I go 132/133/134/133/134/134/134/135/135 or something, I am actually gaining weight & I try to cut back a little.
Ideally, I think I wouldn’t ever weigh myself & I’d just go by clothing fit, but I’m not ready to do that yet.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm melissa said:
When I am in active weight loss mode, YES, every day. I’ve gone years without weighing, as well. I KNOW when I’ve gained weight–I don’t need a scale. I was pretty low (for me, upper 120s) about a month ago but am definitely about 5 lbs up but I am not going to step on a scale. Right now (holidays, birthday) I know it would depress me instead of motivate me. That’s the question I really ask myself before I weigh…..”How is the number going to change how I feel?” I don’t want to feel bad (or worse). I will definitely weigh if I feel light on a particular day or if I am restarting “loss” mode…and always on January 1st just because!
Also, my scale is not easily accessible. I don’t want my teenage girls on it all the time-all 3 have healthy weight attitudes and I don’t want to mess that up!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pm Sabrina said:
I used to weigh myself daily, I feel it helped me maintain focus and to not get so “freaked” out. After the holidays I’m hoping to regain such focus and included in that will be the daily weigh in’s. Some day I plan to go by how my clothes fit :) but for now I’m a more “what I see is what I get” kinda gal!!! I need the focus, need the “red and black” to show me!!!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:58 pm Courtney said:
I weigh in everyday - except, of course, when I no I had a bad day the day before. I’m such a wimp. But, I do do it for accountability. It just makes me feel better - at least for now, this is where I am!
Roni- just got back on Blog to Lose - I’m formerly formeforlife :) THANK YOU for all you do!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 pm Jeni said:
I weigh every day. I like seeing the changes my body goes through and it does help keep me accountable. I do have one “official” weigh-in day though, and I track that to see the larger trend. Like others here, I also don’t think there’s any need to freak out over daily changes. It’s all about the big picture!
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:08 pm ortal said:
I dont do it every day… I go nuts when I do. I normally do a few times a week only ‘counting’ it on my official weigh in day. I do it after Ive had a really good eating day, it makes me feel great about myself.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:22 pm Sandra said:
It depends on how I’m feeling. I had been weighing myself everyday to make sure I was on track but when I got sick I pulled back and now that’s it’s the holidays I have to force myself to do it once a week. The only thing bad about weighing myself every day is that when I see a low number and it’s where I want to be for the next weigh in I kind of give up eating healthy.
On December 2nd, 2008 at 10:24 pm Fitness blogger said:
If you do weigh yourself, every day, write down the weight, and average it over the week, and then record each week, in bold. It is too much of an emotional roller coaster otherwise.
On December 3rd, 2008 at 1:22 am Ginny said:
I weigh myself every morning, and take the number with a giant grain of salt. I think it helps to keep me accountable. Monday morning’s weight is my “official” weigh in.
On December 3rd, 2008 at 1:33 am Kit said:
Hey Roni!
You know, I find that weighing myself every day is nothing but a masochistic exercise. If I do well, I give myself too much freedom. If I do poorly, I rein myself in far too tightly. I’m so naturally competitive that I only do myself harm by weighing daily.
So instead, I try to weigh myself every other day. Tuesday evenings are my WW weigh-in days. Then I weigh myself Thursday, Saturday, and Monday at home. Then I can see how I’m doing without snarling at myself with weight fluctuations. :)
Thanks for the question!
On December 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 am Lisa said:
I weight myself every morning. Twice. Once before and once after my shower. Usually the scale is nicer to me after the shower. :) I record my weight daily so I record the lowest #. Sometimes it can affect my mood for the day if I’m up a pound or 2. Sometimes if I’m down a pound, it helps me work that much harder on my meals and exercise for the day. I guess you can call it some motivation to keep on track. :)
I’ve heard all the pros and cons to weighing every day. I believe it’s helped me maintain a 50-lb weight loss for over 6 years!
On December 3rd, 2008 at 11:21 am tammy said:
Yes, I weigh myself everyday. I have a little calendar in which I write down my weight everyday. I find it helps me visually see which way I’m headed and helps me stay on track (most of the time). It also helps me feel organized and in control of at least this part of my life!
On December 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 am Petunia said:
This is a GREAT Q.O.T.W. Roni!!!
Here is my scale story — when I lost nearly 30lbs at WW last year (I have since gained 10-15 back that I am re-working on) I never owned a scale — always just did the once a week official WW weigh-in. It was always a surprise! Sometimes good, sometimes disappointing.
((Quick WW side note: There are two scales at my WW meeting. I’ve noticed lots of times that people wait to go on to a particular scale!!! They feel that one is their “good” scale, or they don’t trust the other scale — how funny right?))
Now I have a scale at home (The Weight Watchers Portable Precision Electronic Scale). And I don’t weigh in every day, but instead I set “biggest loser” type weigh ins for myself. I have a mini-goal for each weigh in (usually once or twice a week) and I don’t make it too hard or unrealistic. I just say, I want to weigh under “x” on
However, even in ONE morning I’ve noticed the weight fluctuates. For example, if I go back to sleep for an hour I weigh less, if I go to the bathroom (naturally) I weigh less. So I have to go on about 3 or 4 times to get the “real” weight.
On December 3rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm Krista S. said:
I’ve had a very unhealthy relationship with the scale most of my life, sometimes jumping on it several times a day. This is part of an ED that I am finally getting control over but the scale is still a huge trigger. I now weigh myself once every 2 weeks (I sometimes cheat on that and weigh once a week, I’m working on it) and when I feel like the numbers are not going to send me into a death sprial of treating my body horribly (binging, purging, emotionally beating myself up), I will probably go to a once a week weigh routine. My scale lives in my closet now as I cannot resist the urge to jump on it if I can see it. I put it under my bed for awhile, but I could still see it upon exiting the shower or using the potty and I would grab it and hop on and let the numbers rule my head for however long it took to see the number I thought it should say. My goal now is yes, to lose pounds, but the bigger goal is to get healthy and strong.
On December 3rd, 2008 at 3:41 pm JavaChick said:
I do most days, but am not obsessive about it. I step on the scale first thing in the morning when I remember to; some weeks that might be every day, some weeks it’s not. I do find that the more frequent weigh-ins help to keep me on track and it can help if I have an “official” weigh-in that’s higher than I expected/wanted. If I know I’ve had lower weigh-ins ealier in the week, I can see it as a fluctuation and nothing to get upset about. Most of the time anyway. ;)
On December 3rd, 2008 at 4:01 pm April said:
I weigh once a week for my “official” weight of the week, usually Friday or Saturday mornings. Some weeks I “peek” and do another weigh in on Tuesday or Wednesday morning. I find that once a week weighing on the same day, same time with the same conditions helps me get a more accurate view of the week and my progress.
On December 3rd, 2008 at 4:12 pm Amanda said:
I wasn’t going to chime in but seeing how I’m in the minority here, thought I’d offer an opinion. I think weighing in everyday when I was losing weight really helped me stay in focus. Now that I’ve been maintaining a few years now, I weigh myself once per MONTH. On the doctor’s scale at the gym. That way I keep tabs on my weight but don’t freak over the fluctuations that can be as much as 3-4 lbs some days.
On December 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 pm Jennifer said:
Oh-I actually forgot to answer the question. No, I do not weigh myself everyday when I am actively trying to lose weight. It totally frustrates me. So I just track my workouts and food intake and maybe after 6 weeks I’ll weigh myself. It really seems to work.
If I’m in a slump, I try to weigh myself more ofter to motivate me to start excercising and food tracking again
On December 4th, 2008 at 12:23 am Michele said:
Yes, twice a day and I don’t make any apologies for it. I weigh in the morning and before bed. I do not consider myself obsessed. I am in my first year of maintaining and need to be kept accountable. I write down my morning weight every day to keep track of the ups and downs. It really helps me. I also go to meetings 2-3 times a month and weigh in each time.
On December 4th, 2008 at 1:04 pm Sue said:
I do weigh in every day–strangely, it takes the “emotion” out of my fitness journey–if I “feel” fat some days, I can see that numbers haven’t changed and its just a feeling.
For a long time, I avoided the scale as it seemed to be what most people recommended, but I guess I have a scientific mind and I’d like to have a relatively objective number to go on. That said, I cut myself quite a bit of slack on the scale front–within 5 pounds either way of my maintenance weight is good enough for me. Any less or more, and I begin to make some changes to diet and exercise.
I think that the scale is a tool–we can use it responsibly or use it to justify unhealthy/obsessive behaviour. I try to make it only part of my toolbox!
On December 4th, 2008 at 4:15 pm Petunia said:
Follow up to my comment and others I’m in weight loss mode, so I’m *not* checking daily, but once I hit goal / maintenance I *do* plan on weighing everyday. I think of lot of people at that stage have testified that it works.
On December 4th, 2008 at 4:27 pm Joy said:
The scale scares me because that number can be so intimidating! I believe it is all in how your clothes fit, how you eat and activity. Positive attitude is key!
Although I tend to get in that wave of journaling for a few days then oops hubby wants to go out for drinks then “forget” to add that to my journal.. it is a spiral. ::sigh:: :)
On December 4th, 2008 at 7:57 pm Girl Healthy said:
Yes, I’m a daily weigher. I’ve learned so much about how my body responds to different foods just by weighing every day. It’s merely a measurement tool.
On December 6th, 2008 at 12:27 pm Svanhvit said:
Hi, Roni,
this is such a good subject. I am quite a slave to the scale and I realize that. There are times that I even get on the silly things a couple of times during one day.
It´s one of my baby steps to get away from that. I am finally in a place where I want an all over change and schale victories are only a part of that. For 10 days now, the scale hasn´t gone down much, but the inches are flying off.
So, to answer your question, I tend to weigh myself almost daily, but I am working my way away from that, because I don´t want a number to decide how I feel.
I am getting so much positive feedback “you look fresh, happy, healthy….” right now, and this is how I want to feel!!
Big hugs from cold Iceland,
Svanhvit