How often do you weigh yourself? And is it really possible
to fluctuate 5 pounds in one day?
This morning I hopped on my scale and saw 246. Yay! I thought to myself--I've been waiting days and days to see something dip below 248.4. Then this evening, after I'd nursed the baby (so I thought the numbers might go down even further--he only nurses once a day now) I weighed again. 251.6.
Whuuuhuuuh?
Am I just driving myself unnecessarily crazy by weighing all the time? How often do you weigh? Do you just wait until your clinic weigh-in?
ETA: and did you know that if you roast celeriac with paprika and garlic salt it tastes like barbecued potato chips? YUM!
I weight myself daily. I do it first thing in the morning after I've used the toilet, with no clothes on. I figure that takes all the variables out of it. I also weigh myself at night but that's more of an idle curiosity thing, because it find it interesting to see how much it changes overnight.
It is normal for your weight to fluctuate throughout the course of the day. People eating normally (as in, not on this kind of diet) typically fluctuate 2-3 pounds, but if you think about how much water you're drinking, 5 isn't a huge stretch.
Also, if you changed anything about your clothes, that will make a surprisingly big difference too. Just out of curiosity I checked one day and if I'm fully dressed in jeans and a light shirt with running shoes, I weigh about 4.5 pounds more than when I'm in my undies.
Yup Wendy nailed it....jeans/shoes...add 4-5 pounds....water weighs around 8 pounds a gallon (heard this on tv the other day) so if you drink a gallon in a day....and haven't lost it all yet...you could be up 4-5 pounds.
I only weigh myself in the morning after using the toliet and completely naked.
At my clinic I weighed at 3pm...did not drink water that day and wore my lightest clothes every time.
Hi, Yes you're driving yourself unnecessarily crazy by weighing all the time. One pound is 3,500 calories and if the math is done (3,500 x 5) it's just not possible you did that in one day based on what you described.
I weigh myself the day of my weighing, knowing my scale is two pounds (consistently) higher than my clinics. Weigh yourself as often as you can handle it. I compare it to a retirement account. My DH cannot handle looking at quarterly statements because if there's a loss he gets really uncomfortable and wants to move our funds. I tell him he needs to either relax and know the funds will level off over time (based on our ages and the type of accounts we allocate our money) or don't look at them! It's the same with the scale, if you can't handle seeing fluctuations then I would recommend staying off it.
But seriously don't beat yourself up...sounds like you're doing wonderful.
I weigh myself every morning naked in my room on my Wii (I don't own a real scale but I have Wii Fit) so it only let's me weigh myself once a day. I love weighing in on Wii Fit because it tracks your BMI and weight loss with graphs and charts - I'm a nerd and very visual so I love graphs and charts! Don't worry about going up in a day. There are tons of reasons why it could have gone up. Just weigh yourself again next morning and you will probably notice it go down again .
Like several others have said, I weigh every morning after using the bathroom, before eating or drinking anything and w/o clothes on. I often check my weight in the evening as well. Yes, it's normal for your weight to fluctuate during the day due to water intake/retention, etc. I'm tracking not only my daily a.m. weigh in, but the supplements I take, changes in the big C, fluctuations before/during/after my period or when I've been sick, and even the effects when I've had some minor carb cheats, etc. It's interesting to see the progression, stalls due to the carb cheats, and plateaus due to the body adjusting itself or hormonal fluctuations. I am very goal oriented, so to do lists and statistical data w/visual representations help keep me motivated.
Just stay on track and you will lose the weight, minor bumps in the road notwithstanding.
Last edited by BBWMuse; 03-31-2012 at 08:35 AM.
Reason: typos
I didn't own a scale for years because it was too depressing, but I just bought one. I am in the beginning of Phase 4, so am still going to the clinic every week, but at some point, that will not be needed, so I figure I'll need to check my weight on my own. But, I still don't want to do it too often. I have enough obsessions to deal with! I think I'll just do the once a week thing, and use my clothes and how I feel as a gauge as well.
Location: Pine Mountain, Georgia & on a little lake in NE Michigan
Posts: 1,179
S/C/G: 291/171.4/175
Height: 5'6"
I have been on IP for 11 weeks. I never weighed at home, only my weekly weigh in. But, I am having some concerns about not losing fat with my loss, but muscle. My clinic does not have the devices that measure fat %, muscle mass, etc. After reading here on the forum about that information and learning there are reasonably priced scales that calculate that, I purchased one and this morning was my first time using it. My weight is quite a bit different from the clinic, but I'm not going to worry over that. I am going to daily graph my other stats. I will see the weight as it displays, which is about 3 times in the course of the calculations. I know some days it might be up, but like BBWMuse says, "Just stay on track and you will lose the weight."
I've heard too many people on the forum become traumatized over the daily scale fluctuations. You can become scale addicted, I think.
This morning I hopped on my scale and saw 246. Yay! I thought to myself--I've been waiting days and days to see something dip below 248.4. Then this evening, after I'd nursed the baby (so I thought the numbers might go down even further--he only nurses once a day now) I weighed again. 251.6.
Whuuuhuuuh?
Am I just driving myself unnecessarily crazy by weighing all the time? How often do you weigh? Do you just wait until your clinic weigh-in?
ETA: and did you know that if you roast celeriac with paprika and garlic salt it tastes like barbecued potato chips? YUM!
I weigh in the mornings and evenings and yes, it fluctuates. Even if not much is happening on the scale, I can tell a difference in the way my clothes fit so I don't let the scale get me down.
Question, I saw that you breast feed. Did you check with your doc before you started dieting? It's been many years for me but I was told not to diet while nursing because toxins that are released while dieting can contaminate the milk. Just mentioning this to be helpful and hope you won't be upset that I did.
It is my 12th week on the IP protocol. I was an obsessive weigher- like every time I went to the bathroom at home, which with the amount of water I drink is quite often. I found it interesting and realize if I weighed myself that often while gaining weight I may not be in this predicament, but anyway, I had my daughter hide my scale. I must say it drove me a bit crazy at first, but I feel relaxed about it now, it makes WIs much more exciting...and it may just be a coincidence, but my last two WIs have been fantastic.
All in all it is a personal choice, but I think keeping stress levels low is key and being a single mom of 18 year old triplets is stressful enough without having the scale stress me out.
ETA: and did you know that if you roast celeriac with paprika and garlic salt it tastes like barbecued potato chips? YUM![/QUOTE]
Do you slice them thin like potatoe chips? This sounds yummy! Cleriac is one thing I havne't tried yet.
I weigh in every morning naked after going to the bathroom. I know it's not the right thing to do but can't seem to help myself. Actually managed to skip this morning! It's worse when you are on a 9.99 and waiting to see that lower weight bracket.
i absolutely refuse to weigh myself any more than once a week and i have to walk to the hospital where my dr's clinic is to do it. if he didn't insist on weekly check-ins bec of my diet, i wouldn't even weigh in that often - i'd leave it at every 2wks or even once a month.
weighing is pointless.
first off, you (and others) will see the results so weighing is irrelevent. if you know for a fact you're smaller bec you're getting back into clothes or your bra doesn't fit any more or whatever, why would you let a higher number on the scale ruin that triumph?
secondly, if you have committed yourself to a healthier lifestyle, then you have committed yourself - the scale shouldn't be the dealbreaker as to whether or not you're going to continue. i know so many ppl who i know for a FACT were getting trimmer and slimmer, but bec they weighed in heavier on the scale, they quit going to the gym or they quit their diet or whatever. basically, they used the scale as an excuse to backslide.
i would be perfectly happy weighing 230lbs the rest of my life as long as it came with a 28" waist and 18% bodyfat!
I weigh in the mornings and evenings and yes, it fluctuates. Even if not much is happening on the scale, I can tell a difference in the way my clothes fit so I don't let the scale get me down.
Question, I saw that you breast feed. Did you check with your doc before you started dieting? It's been many years for me but I was told not to diet while nursing because toxins that are released while dieting can contaminate the milk. Just mentioning this to be helpful and hope you won't be upset that I did.
I'm not bothered at all that you brought up the bf! I am thankful to be part of a caring comnunity here! My coach and supervising doctor had no problems with it neither did my pediatrician. That said, I am in the process of weaning the wee tike. I think he will sleep better once he is weaned, which will benefit my family in many way: we'll all sleep better, sleep promotes weight loss, he'll be less grumpy, I'll be less grumpy...and so on!
I appreciate everyone's comments about the scale. I think I need to put it away because I'm doing all I can do to follow the plan. Weighing obsessively is not going to make the pounds fall off any faster. I saw about seven pounds come off each week for tbe first two weeks, so looking at the scale was super encouraging. Things seem a bit slower now, so I need to be trusting and patient. As others have written, I spent a lot of time getting into this predicament...it's going to take time to get out of it. It's time to just delight myself in the Lord, get busy with other stuff, be faithful to the plan, and be at peace.
i absolutely refuse to weigh myself any more than once a week and i have to walk to the hospital where my dr's clinic is to do it. if he didn't insist on weekly check-ins bec of my diet, i wouldn't even weigh in that often - i'd leave it at every 2wks or even once a month.
weighing is pointless.
first off, you (and others) will see the results so weighing is irrelevent. if you know for a fact you're smaller bec you're getting back into clothes or your bra doesn't fit any more or whatever, why would you let a higher number on the scale ruin that triumph?
secondly, if you have committed yourself to a healthier lifestyle, then you have committed yourself - the scale shouldn't be the dealbreaker as to whether or not you're going to continue. i know so many ppl who i know for a FACT were getting trimmer and slimmer, but bec they weighed in heavier on the scale, they quit going to the gym or they quit their diet or whatever. basically, they used the scale as an excuse to backslide.
i would be perfectly happy weighing 230lbs the rest of my life as long as it came with a 28" waist and 18% bodyfat!
LOL at your last sentence! That is the point, huh?!
ETA: and did you know that if you roast celeriac with paprika and garlic salt it tastes like barbecued potato chips? YUM!
Do you slice them thin like potatoe chips? This sounds yummy! Cleriac is one thing I havne't tried yet.
I weigh in every morning naked after going to the bathroom. I know it's not the right thing to do but can't seem to help myself. Actually managed to skip this morning! It's worse when you are on a 9.99 and waiting to see that lower weight bracket.[/QUOTE
I cut the thing in half, then peeled it, then sliced it the long way pretty thin. Then I put it in a baggie with some whole mushrooms and a teaspoon of olive oil and shook it up. Next it went on some foil, got sprinkled with paprika and garlic powder, and roasted ar 425 for awhile. (Forgot to check the time.)
How often do you weigh yourself? And is it really possible
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