From November to a week ago, I was a weekly weigher. I was quite positive that it was the best way to go. I figured I'd be frustrated and confused by the daily fluctuations. I wanted to see big numbers, like a whole pound lost.
Well I hit a plateau, and for four weeks in a row, I didn't see any change at all. It was frustrating. So I started to weigh everyday to refine my efforts.
It has definitely changed the whole experience. Before, I'd find myself getting a bit lax right after weigh ins and then eating really clean a day or two before weigh ins to get a good number. Now I see the results of every day's worth of eating and exercising. I'm finding it fascinating, and I'll definitely be sticking with daily weigh ins.
I'm a numbers freak, and slightly obsessive, so I made a chart that's taped by my scale. It has a column for the date, and then three more columns for morning, afternoon, and right before bed. Yes, I am weighing 3 times/day. This is more for my own interest to observe the patterns of my fluctuations throughout the day. For example, my weight right before bed has been exactly 1.1lbs or 1.2lbs more than it will be the next morning every single day. It's also neat to see how different foods and exercise effect me. I clearly retain water after exercise and after eating salty foods. I know that seems obvious, but it's neat to see the actual numbers for proof.
Anyways, I know there have been several threads on daily vs weekly weigh ins. I'll definitely be sticking with daily (I'll get bored with 3 times a day soon, I'm sure, lol). Plus, I think it's a great habit for maintaining. The scale doesn't lie, and when I get to maintenance, I'd like to catch a weight gain when it's .5lbs instead of 2lbs.
I'm on my second attempt at Weight Watchers right now. The first time, April - Aug. '08, I did the same thing that you are doing now! It really was a "scientific" thing for me. I found the daily fluctuations fascinating.
This time around I'm just doing the weekly thing -- no reason in particular. But I understand what you're doing. Cool idea about the chart!
I weigh myself every other day, sometimes more than once in a day. I like to weigh myself, eat dinner, and then weigh myself again to see the difference. My sister doesn't understand it at all. I haven't yet seen the scale as The Enemy, and I hope I never do. It's interesting how much a body fluctuates weightwise in a day. I'm not organized about it or scientific-minded enough to research the details, though. All I know is that the numbers don't stay the same.
When I did Weight Watchers, I loved the weekly weigh in, because I like bigger numbers. This time around, no WW - just me, I've weighed myself more frequently, but am only keeping track of the weekly number. I can't remember who it was in what thread, but I remember reading on here recently, "water is heavy! food is heavy!" in regards to weighing every day or after a meal, which is completely true. But I like to weigh in anyway. My interest in this may fall off in a little while and I'll only do the weekly checks, but for now I like seeing a slightly smaller number in the mornings, and taking note of how the day's activities and/or food intake can change the number at night.
I weigh myself daily too. The pitfalls I see is if I binge, I can gain as much 3-4 lbs in a day. And that is demoralizing. The other pitfall is encouraging myself to get dehydrated on purpose to see a "loss." I have found that drinking alcohol is a miracle weight loss solution.
But in the end, I don't think how often I weigh myself matters. It's really a downward trend I'm looking for. It seems that you are fine with seeing slight gains and plateaus, so it doesn't sound like you are discouraged by daily weighing.
Now I weigh daily to keep myself on track and monitor my progress, but only "count" my weekly WW weigh in.
This is me too. I weigh in the mornings just after I've peed (sorry if tmi) and if I forget to do this, which doesn't happen often, I just don't weigh that day. Although I have been known to hop on the scale after dinner or right before bed just out of morbid curiosity, lol but I don't let it get to me.
I weigh several times a day as well. It totally keeps me more accountable and the fluctuations throughout the day don't freak me out because I know I'll typically be x amount of pounds heavier at night.
I weigh in the mornings just after I've peed (sorry if tmi) and if I forget to do this, which doesn't happen often, I just don't weigh that day. Although I have been known to hop on the scale after dinner or right before bed just out of morbid curiosity, lol but I don't let it get to me.
That is me exactly!! Forgot in the morning? Too bad, I don't record it.
This didn't work for me, unfortunately. I do understand the science project aspect & the self-knowledge one gains & the tangible proof that actions do have consequences.
But for me, weighing three times a day (and sometimes more, on a scale hidden away in a filing room at work) was one of the symptoms of my having crossed over to an eating disorder & a sign of how often I was thinking about my weight & about food consumption.
Which is why, this time, when I decided to lose weight safely, I decided to make it a no-pressure thing & limited myself to weighing once a week, and if I can't weigh on that day because I'm out of town on a business or pleasure trip, or visiting family, I tell myself it's okay & I don't get on the scale again for another week.
Your mileage may vary, but for me, slacking off is less of a problem than becoming obsessive -- it's just how I'm wired -- so I cannot let myself do this. And believe me, I am tempted. Particularly after what I think is a high-consumption day. Like, I want to see, the way one stares at a wreck on the side of the road. But I also know there's nothing to gain but pain & self-recrimination. Best to wait & see how it evens itself out by the designated weigh-in day on Friday.
This is me too. I weigh in the mornings just after I've peed (sorry if tmi) and if I forget to do this, which doesn't happen often, I just don't weigh that day. Although I have been known to hop on the scale after dinner or right before bed just out of morbid curiosity, lol but I don't let it get to me.
This is totally me, exactly! I also have a little pocket calendar with my scale where I write it all down; I only really count Fridays as my weigh in.
I am a daily weigher and love it! I chart my weightloss online with some fabulous free software and it lets me know exactly how many calories I am in deficit or excess each day, with an adjusted trend line, so I can see past the numbers daily to the overall pattern shift and make changes before I gain too much. I encourage all charters to check it out:
This is interesting. I just read an article in the past few days about weekly versus daily weighing. People who have successfully lost and kept off the weight weighed weekly while losing and weigh daily while in maintenance.
I weigh in daily; I always have. Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm going to continue that. I need to stay totally on top of any and all weight fluctuations. I don't want my weight to be a surprise at any time...especially not when I'm trying to find that perfect maintenance calorie intake amount.
Weighing daily...changed my whole perspective
