So my first weigh in day in a while is coming up and I'm nervous. I haven't weighed in a while due to TOM and a few really off days, but for the most part I've done really well and I can definitely tell a difference. I just know how much the number on the scale can bring me down, even if I am feeling better...

So, what do you guys do the day before weigh in? Do you eat really light? Do you work out or make a point NOT to work out? I've been lifting weights pretty regular and doing a lot of resistance training, but I believe I've heard that might cause a gain on the scale, and I definitely don't want that before weigh in!

This weigh in is super important to me because I'm hoping it will reflect a twenty pound overall loss...big for someone like me who has never managed to stick with a plan or lose more than 10....

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks girls.

I don't do anything differently. I try to look at it as a day on a record that's going to keep going. It's the trend I'm looking for, not so much the number.

That's not to say I don't stress about it! But I definitely don't do anything different. The plan is the plan regardless of when I'm weighing.

I'm more cautious about my sodium intake the 2 days before weigh-in.

I'm a daily weigh-er, so I don't do anything out of the ordinary before weigh-ins. If I were you, I wouldn't change my schedule. You need a plan to see results in the long term without messing with that plan for immediate gratification on the scale. Even if the drop isn't as big as you hoped for, just keep plugging away. Eventually (heck, maybe even next weigh-in!) you'll see the drop. Everytime I maintain or show a teeny loss even though I've been on plan, I try to remember that sometimes all the good things going on in my body are not necessarily reflected on the scale. It's frustrating, but it's true. Focus on how good you feel.

Good luck!

I weigh in once a month (even less than that when I was starting out) so that I won't see fluctuations, but even so I tend to drink a lot of water the day before a weigh in.

This!

I weigh every day too, but I would say dont worry about it. The downward trend is what you are looking for... even if you only lost one pound thats one pound gone right!?

Try not to put too much pressure on yourself! Its just one weigh in. The way I look at it, a weigh in is just a snapshot of your journey. You only need to worry about the big picture, not all the snapshots. There will be good snapshots and bad ones too, but in the end, they don't matter individually.

I also watch my sodium intake a day or two beforehand. Nor rigourously or anything, but I keep it in mind. And I try to drink a little extra water, although I'm usually pretty good with water throughout the week (excpet for the past week..oops!)

I prepare from one WI to another by staying OP every day. You are only cheating yourself if you do soemthing special the day before because then the number at your WI is really not accurate.

I weigh daily, but I can handle the normal variations in weight. If your greatest measure of success is the scale, you need to go over your materials again and put your focus on the permanent daily lifestyle changes to diet and exercise that will let you maintain once you reach your goal.

I don't really do anything differently. The day before.

I weigh in every Sunday morning right when I get up after going to the restroom (sorry for TMI) and before eating breakfast. I wear the same pair of shorts and sports bra. I do it alone in my own apartment, so the only pressure is myself. I don't really worry about it all week except for curiosity and hoping to see a good number, but I do get pretty anxious before I step on the scale. It's such an awesome feeling to see a nice loss, and it's a bummer if there's no change or a gain.

This wasn't my best week. I didn't slip up too bad, but I didn't record my meals. I still ate like I have been, but for some reason, I felt like I was losing some self control by not planning my meals for the day. We'll see if it reflects on the scale.

daily weigher too! I chart the downward trend. It keeps me sane. A splurge sure does show up the next day though.

I eat asparagus the night before weigh in, if I can. It's a natural diuretic.
I also eat a lighter breakfast and take my meds and vitamins with all the water I drink with them AFTER weight in.
I have an official weigh in outfit as well, wear the same thing each and every time.

Sometimes I do a few things. I try to avoid salt the day before as others have mentioned. I sometimes take some fiber the night before, just that nasty orangey stuff you mix with water. (I have it from my failed attempt at Atkins, and I figure I might as well use it up. More fiber is good, right?). Anyway, that helps to ensure I will well...you know before the weigh-in. If I have had my period the previous week I may take some Midol to help get rid of the water weight. And I drink a lot of water in the morning because water itself can be a diuretic if you drink enough of it (my official weigh-ins are at 5:30 pm-). I don't go crazy with the extra water, I basically stop consuming everything by 1:00 on weigh-in days, so any water I would have had in the afternoon I just move to the morning.

Now, I totally get what people are saying about how it's cheating and it's about how you act on a daily basis, etc. But I think there are times when you HAVE been on your best behavior and it's been hard, so you just need to see the scale move to keep motivated. In your case, you are looking to see that big 20 pound loss, and that's a big deal! I think as long as you stick with the healthy tips others have shared, things you should be doing most of the time anyway (drinking more water, avoiding too much salt, and even taking a little extra fiber) it's not bad.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

I am a daily weighed now, but I try not to do anything different than my plan - my weight loss needs to reflect reality, not a diuretic or starving myself the night before. Since I am in this for life I just have absolutely no interest in what amounts to tampering with my results short term. Everything I do, I try to do with the longer term in mind.

Sorry I am not much help!