I weigh every day and record every day -- always in the morning. I graph the results with a program on my phone, so I can see the trend over time. Sometimes it goes up .2 or .4, but usually I either stay the same or go down.
I have always been a daily weigher, I loved it because I could see trends and it kept me accountable - however lately I seemed to develop an unhealthy obsession, to the point where I stopped taking supplements and ceased weight training because these things tend to affect my loss in a very minor way. Right now I'm trying not to weigh until the end of the month (something I wouldn't do if I only had a small amount to lose) I'm going to see whether it effects how accountable I am. If all goes well I plan to be a monthly weigher for a large chunk of my weight loss. I see nothing wrong with daily weighing and hope to go back to it, it just isn't right for me at the moment - I think it's all about finding whats right for you.
I'm an obsessed every day weigher too. It can be frustrating. I need to stop weighing every day. The fluctuations make me crazy, but I know they are normal. i need to ground myself from the scales for a week! lol
Oh buddy, I know what you mean. I weigh every day, and the last few weeks (okay, maybe two) I've been bouncing around 163.4-163.8, it was driving me nuts. But I DO like to weigh every day, it strangely gives me peace of mind, and helps me stay on track. Since I saw the scale sat 163 exactly today, I'm going to be EXTRA good. Sometimes, if I see a .8 I just think, eh, whatever, and go about my day. I'll still count calories and exercise and drink water, but my heart really won't be into it that much.
So if you can't handle seeing a different number every day, day-to-day weighing might not be for you. Try weighing weekly, or every 4 days, etc.
I weigh every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, but not for obsessive reasons; more for experimental reasons. I've been very interested in the fluctuations of my weight and noting the difference when I eat salty/sodium foods, etc. I understand it is water weight! -and by weighing several times a day, I have come to see it as water weight & have learned to not stress over it. And THAT helps me with the mental part of the battle of the bulge.
This is my schedule (& I always weigh naked because I'm not interested to see what my clothes weigh, not even my jammies, LOL!)
Upon awakening, I weigh.
Potty. Weigh again ~I have seen a loss as much as TWO pounds immediately after potty! -and this is the number I consider to be my "true weight."~
Weigh after breakfast.
Weigh before bedtime.
I have seen the scale go up/down as much as 4+ pounds. I'm not suggesting that anyone else adhere to my little experiment, but I do think it is worth sharing because it really does help me to not stress. Water weight happens to each & every one of us, all day, every day.
I weigh daily, and I can't say that I really think there's any good reason for it, except that I can't stop.
I've never heard of someone who weight loss follows a perfect downward slope. There are just too many variables. Salty meals or sore knees might make you retain water. Or hormones. A little dehydrated and you might be lower than you should be. Weighing yourself daily isn't a problem, but thinking you can actually use the number you see, I think that can be dangerous. My pattern is to lose about 5 lbs in a couple days, and then bump around near my new low for a couple weeks. I'm not doing anything different, it's just the way it works, and I could mess myself if I thought I could tinker my way into keeping the loss more steady.
I agree with the graphing idea. As long as you're seeing a downward trend, you're good, and the bumps along the way are meaningless.
Weight loss is not linear! I know it's hard to see the fluctuations but you can't be killing yourself over it. Even though we work hard for each .1 lb loss we see, we can't control everything. There are so many daily processes that our body goes through, fluctuations in hormones, digestion, etc, that will affect how much water we retain and fat we lose/ store. Think about it this way. If you were to go to the doctors, and they asked how much you weighed... would you say 172.4?
I noticed you said multiple times that you HAVE to way daily, and I think one of the things a lot of us struggle with is telling ourselves NO when it's good for us. If we're working towards a healthy lifestyle, telling ourselves NO when it comes to food, and doing things we don't always want to do (exercise), then it would only make sense that we need to work on those things in other aspects of our lives as well. If we can't tell ourselves NO and are getting our emotional "fix" from somewhere else (like the scale, instead of food) then what happens when we start to maintain and can't turn to the scale for comfort and confirmation? I'm not saying it's necessarily your case, but definitely something to think about/ consider.
Last edited by FreeSpirit; 05-09-2011 at 12:39 PM.
Thanks everyone!!! I think i'm still going to weigh in everyday, i don't think i could go a whole week without knowing. I won't obsess over it though(at least i hope i won't!). I had a slight setback last night and ate more than i should...and it showed on the scale this morning. It made me sad but it also made me want to do better today. I'm gonna work it to my advantage and not obsess when its a little higher than i want it to be!
I think i'm still going to weigh in everyday, i don't think i could go a whole week without knowing. I won't obsess over it though(at least i hope i won't!). I had a slight setback last night and ate more than i should...and it showed on the scale this morning. It made me sad but it also made me want to do better today. I'm gonna work it to my advantage and not obsess when its a little higher than i want it to be!
