Question for everyone:
I'm super obsessed with the scale, I tend to weigh myself like.. daily. Which I KNOW is a bad habit since I'm aware that weight tends to fluctuate somewhat even with constant calorie control and exercise, but..
I weighed myself yesterday morning and I was 170.0, which seems pretty reasonable because the day before I was about 170.4. Now it's that TOM for me, so maybe I've been retaining a bit of water weight or something, but... I woke up this morning and weighed myself after I went pee-- and it says I'm 167! I mean, I went to the gym twice yesterday (which I've never done in my life, lol), and walked further than I normally do, and my calories stayed pretty low, but... Isn't that a bit abnormal?? Don't get me wrong, that number makes me hella happy, but--! 3 lbs overnight? Is that number probably gonna bounce back up then? Or is possible that it's my body's sudden reaction to the amount of time I've been spending exercising and at the gym in the last week? (My body is not used to gym time, believe you, me.)
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Like you, I weigh myself every day-- I don't consider that obsessive, but only because I don't really let it change my plan for the day (eat right and exercise!). Sure, sometimes it's discouraging to go up a little, and exciting to go down a little, but I don't think about it much past my daily weigh-in (which keeps me honest and focused).
As for the range, I have seen some pretty wild swings-- as much as 8 lbs in 24 hours! There are lots of reasons-- water, TOM, recently ate, wet hair, and yes, a recent trip to the gym can do it too (or at least for me it seems to)!
Will it stay at 167? Maybe, maybe not. It could be 165, 167, or even back up to 170 tomorrow.
One thing that has really helped me - I put the weights into an Excel spreadsheet, and then use formulas to calculate - weight loss for the last month, weightloss for the last week, average for the last week, etc.
The numbers that I concentrate on are - weight loss for the last month and average weight for the week. They are the most meaningful and least affected by the daily fluctuations.
If you want to continue weighing daily (which is perfectly fine and done by many of us), get used to the ping-pong results. They are normal, and inevitable.
Last edited by CountingDown; 01-12-2008 at 01:01 PM.
Here are my weights over the past two weeks (during which I have eaten about the same number of calories and exercised about the same amount each day):
I also don't find it obsessive to weigh every day. At all. I think it's a good thing, a great thing in fact. I avoided the scale for over 15 years. Sure I knew I was morbidly obese, but had I just stepped on that scale, owned the number, perhaps, not sure, but perhaps it would have snapped me into reality quicker and made me deal with my obesity instead of sticking my head in the sand.
I think weighing every day is a reality check first thing in the morning. Something to keep you aware of what you put in your mouth and it helps to keep me accountable. A good thing indeed.
That being said, the darn thing sure can fluctuate from day to day. I have learned to know that and not let it bother me. If I stay on plan and it goes down then great, if it goes up, all right no big deal. I know eventually the loss WILL show. Creating a calorie deficit WILL result in weight loss - eventually. If I don't stay on plan and it goes up - well there you have it. If I don't stay on plan and it goes down, probably a water issue.
Like Countingdown, I look at the bigger picture. I "count" and record only my Monday weigh -ins. This works well for me. We all must figure what works out the best for each of us.
Stick with your plan. Like glue. Give it some time. And you will lose fat. Good luck.
Actually, weighing daily is good according the National Weight Registery and I have maintained a 200 pound loss by weighing daily - BUT you have to realize your weight fluctuates from day to day. What I do is add up all my morning weights for a week, then divide by 7. That average is my weight for the week. Then I have a realistic view of where I am. If I have Chinese, my weight can be up 2-3 pounds the next day because of water retention. If I get more exercise, it can be down. I don't worry about it unless I up 3 pounds for a week. Then I cut back and get it off before it gets out of hand.
Another daily weigher here. Igoring the scale was one way I got over 200 pounds.
There will be fluctuations. But then one day there will be a new low. I kind of see the new lows as a bit of a breakthrough because soon it will be an average and then there will be a new low.
So you may not see 167 again for a few days, but then you will and then eventually you may see 164, although 167 will be more likely for awhile longer. Scales are not absolutes and they can give an indication of progress but they are not a good way to measure self-worth or accomplishment (self-worth---never!, accomplishment---only in the very long term).
I see people on here who are so frustrated after a "bad" scale day. It is one reading, just one, that needs to be looked at over time and in conjunction with nutrition and movement.
I'm anti weighing daily - FOR ME. Those big fluctuations are more than my pea brain can handle! I never know whether to believe the scale or not, and I drive myself nuts trying to figure out what I did or didn't do to make the difference, when in reality, making that much of a change in 24 hours is beyond my control - it's just my body doing its thing.
I'm a big fan of daily weighing, but I've had so much trouble with unreliable scales (including several that EVERYONE says are perfect ) that I've finally given up. I'm doing Weight Watchers, and I've tossed my scale and will only weigh in weekly. One of my reasons for daily weighing is, if you switch to weighing weekly or monthly, what if you pick the wrong day? (The day you suddenly and inexplicably gain 5 pounds overnight?) Well, if that happens to me, so be it. I know the WW (and doctor's office) scales are accurate.
This past week, I lost 4.2 pounds overnight, then went back up about 3.5 pounds the next day and stayed there, no matter what, for the rest of the week. I got the same weight in the morning, in mid-afternoon, and at night, and again the next morning, and again when I put on at least 2 pounds of clothes. That did it for me. I don't want to give any power to something that unreliable!
Good luck! You know if you follow a sensible plan that eventually you will be healthy, and thinner
"Scale-- you can't be right."
