Some of us weigh monthly, some weekly, some not at all, and some of us daily. I've seen a lot of "newbies" here that have gone through a bit of a panic bordering on giving up because of the kinds of fluctuations that daily weighers can see (and even weekly weighers, too).

I thought I'd share the strange journey "riding the scale" that I had this week, in hopes that it might give comfort to others who have a similar experience:

Monday- 283
Tuesday- 287
Wednesday- 290 (the last time I saw this number was June 25th)
Thursday- 288
Friday- 287
Saturday- 284
Sunday- 283

Now, this was my TOM week, sure, but I have never seen such a dramatic "tide" before, and I can certainly see how I might have been freaking out a bit by Friday if I hadn't had the experience to know that this was going to pass (whether I believed it or not).

So, the moral: the next time you get on the scale and you feel like fainting- don't worry. Just keep on keeping on and it will sort itself out.

Always a good reminder, Jen! I do the daily thing (or near daily) and I have similar fluctuations in the scale.

I am a daily person too but average the numbers for the week. At the moment I am stuck at 201 and have been for three weeks! So frustrating.

Thanks for sharing -- I think you're right that so many people want to give up when they see the scale go up. I always knew a little something about water weight, but I have learned so much about how and why these fluctuations occur since I've been here and it has really helped me relax about my weigh-ins!

Thanks for sharing!

I am guilty of being devastated by a flucuation in the scale. You gotta have nerves of steel and a strong understanding of fluctuation to be a daily scale watcher. lol...

I weigh about every 10 - 14 days. Although I'm tempted to do it much more. But I really want to discipline myself to just once a month. I have asked my husband to hide our scale from me until the 10th of every month. Unfortunately he forgets to do it...

My SO is a committed "non-weigher". I think she probably weighs herself about 2 times a month (or less). It drives me crazy, I just couldn't do it! But then, I weigh all of the time and that drives her crazy, so I guess we're even.

To be honest, I don't even know why I weigh. I really do believe that I am lifestyle oriented- not weight oriented- in the changes I'm making. At least, I tell myself that I am. Maybe weighing is a sign that I'm lying to myself a bit on that score. However, I do know that if I don't weigh, I go crazy wondering what the number was until the next time I do. So, even though it may look on the outside that I'm obscessing about my weight when I do get on the scale every day, on the inside I actually spend less time thinking about it then when I don't weigh.

In a way, the moment I am about to get on the scale is also the moment when I evaluate how I performed the day before. It's a chance for me to really look at the choices I've made, what I ate, what I chose not to eat, what exercise I achieved. It's a moment to "clear out" the old day and start fresh on the new one. I could probably teach myself to do that without the moment on the scale, but then I wouldn't know the number- and a math professor's daughter has to know her numbers!

What I have managed (I think) to do is learn that the fluctuations are normal, that they make a semi-chaotic pattern that, while not exactly predictable, is at least somewhat understandable after you've watched it for a while. The day with the 5lb "mystery gain" could have happened on my weigh-in day no matter how often I weigh- it could have added 5lbs to a weekly total and made a week look like a 3lb gain instead of a 2lb loss, it could have happened on a monthly weigh-in and made a month's 10lb loss look like only 5, or a 5lb loss dissappear. No matter how frequently or infrequently we weigh, we have to keep in mind that the number might not be a true reflection of the changes we've made.

Wow did I need to hear this! I'm a chronic daily weigh-er, and when the scale jumps up (like today) I feel like a failure. This has reminded me that I'm not! Maybe I should listen to DH and hide the scale for a while....

Wow did I need to hear this! I'm a chronic daily weigh-er, and when the scale jumps up (like today) I feel like a failure. This has reminded me that I'm not! Maybe I should listen to DH and hide the scale for a while....

Honestly.. now I really don't need to get on the scale at all. And probably wouldn't except that I know I need to to be real about what happens long term. I have to kill the denial demon.

So I weigh daily... a jump in either direction doesn't make me feel different. I know if its up and I've been on plan it isn't anything to fret over.. but if I haven't stayed on plan I know it is probably exactly what the consequences should be.

I do get excited the first time I see a low number. I can't help it. I enjoy it knowing that I will probably go up a little before I can come back down and pass it! Then I kiss it goodbye..

Today I kissed 198 goodbye. I haven't seen her it quite awhile! Goodbye 198! Gotto make room because I know 194 wants to say hello!

For four years I have religiously weighed myself every Sunday, first thing in the morning. I did this even when I wasn't actively making the effort to lose, to be sure I wasn't getting too far out of bounds. Daily weighing would make me crazy but I'm afraid once a month would allow too much time for a gain to blossom.....

Like Jen, I want to focus on behaviors, though I definitely pay attention to the scale. I have learned not to let the fluctuations bother me, now that I know some of the causes.

heh. I love seeing a new number too! I can't wait to say hello to 195... 100 pounds gone!

Even though officially I'm down to 197, last night the scale said 201. I will be happy when I never see 200s again. Ever. That's gonna take a bit more I think on my scale. And I'm 10 pounds more at the gym (clothes, shoes and later in the day) and I will be thrilled when I'm in onederland there (plus, that's the digial scale, where onederland may be more dramatic!)
-- but that will still be a while...

I'm another daily weigher. Once I learned how the scales worked (up, down, down, up, up, down, down and up, etc) I've enjoyed tracking it each day. Here's a graph showing my weight loss over a four month period. Lots of swoops, up and down.

half graph.jpg

I went years without really knowing what I weighed, so now I feel the key to success for ME, is knowing exactly what I weigh, all the time.

I noticed this when I dipped below 300. I got to celebrate the first time I got on the scale and it said 299. Then, of course, the bounces happen and there were a couple of days when I saw the 300's again. BUT... finally... I got to that point where I realized that that was over- the bounces were taking me up to only 299 or 298, and I wouldn't see 300 ever again, and I got to celebrate a 2nd time!

Lol, maybe it's cheating, but I'll take all of the celebration I can get.

I weigh 2 or 3 times a week now, and I used to weigh weekly. Sometimes I weigh at night just to see what the fluctuations are. It does seem that every time I see a lower number on the scale that I will fluctuate back up a lb. or two and then go back down. But, once this happens, I usuallly never see the higher number again. I have learned gradually (and it was hard for me) that a fluctuation is normal and that it usually doesn't cause me too much concern.