Weighing in??
 

I'm trying to start fresh this new year with losing weight. Usually I would weigh myself once a week and get disapointed when I saw no change the first couple of weeks. I know when you first start, your body is still getting used to everything and you may not lose too much weight right off the bat. I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to weigh myself initially but then hold off on weight until maybe 1 month from now and then start doing it regularly? I think this time around I'm going to try to make it more about how I look and feel rather than the number on the scale. . .

everyone is different. I weigh once a week to help stay on plan...but what i also recommend is taking measurement...ie bust, hips, stomach etc) and do that once or twice a month. Sometimes if you are working out...you are gaining muscle...and remember muscle weighs more than fat...so if you are doing a lot of working out...you may be gaining muscle...and hence the reason you may not be loosing wt..but also take a look at your diet..make sure you are not eating too little...if you don't eat enough...your body may stop loosing wt.

just remember...wt gain didn't happen overnight...and wt loss doesn't happen overnight...slow and steady. Some people who first start off don't see wt loss for 3-4 wks...just be patient..if you are following a good wt loss plan and exercising..you will either see it in wt loss or inches...good luck!

This is an extremely debateable topic, but the best answer is whatever works personally for you! I'm an every day weigher. I just have to know. :p I used to see a lot of recommendations against that, but reading the Maintainers threads, it looks like many of the maintainers are/were daily weighers.

Here are two things I have learned about me:

I did weigh monthly, but if weigh day just happened to be a water retention day for me, I'd be very discouraged. Ditto, for not as big of a loss as I wanted - it was easy for me to throw away a month's work in the garbage because the scale lies.

If I'm staying on plan, I look forward to daily weighing. If I am not looking forward to the scale, I stop and take a close look at what I did in the past 24 hours or so. It tends to keep me honest.

I record my weight once a week. I often weigh more than that so I understand the fluctuations, but I KNOW there will be fluctuations. I need to weigh regularly to stay accountable, but as Jennifer said, what works best for you. Some people can't deal with seeing the scale go up and down every day. Others want to see them!

See this thread on why body weight fluctuates.

Because of the crazy fluctuations, I weigh in once a week. Sometimes I lose, sometimes I don't. But I don't let the off weeks frustrate me. I just keep in mind that it gives me a better chance of losing the next week. If once a month or once every other week works for you, then definitely do it. It's just about what makes you feel good and keeps you motivated. Also, like gatorgal said, definitely take measurements of yourself (bust, waist, hips, thighs, arms). I measure myself once a month. The measurements don't usually change as fast as the scale, but when I pull out the tape measure and check, it's pretty amazing to see how many inches have melted away.

Thanks for asking this question--I was thinking about this issue this morning.

For myself, I have decided that once per week is enough. When I weigh myself daily, I find that I dwell on the number, good or bad. Like I have 175 or whatever stamped on my forehead. That's just not very productive for me.

What has helped me in the past is to keep track of my workouts. I keep a calendar with stickers--one star sticker for each day I go to the gym. It's very motivating for me to see the days filled with stars.

I am revamping my lifestyle after a two year period of generally unhealthy eating. I guess I will just have to see what works for me with the scale. Like someone mentioned above, I have seen that people who are successful with weight loss long term seem to weigh themselves daily.