I will always weigh, because 90% of the time it will stop me in my tracks. If you feel too fragile, give yourself a few days of drinking plenty of water and sweating out some of that water weight before assessing.

I weigh first thing no matter what, although I will admit to some trepidation if the previous day's food means the number's likely to be higher than yesterday. I find it suits me though - the knowledge of the likely effect on the scales, when I know there isn't time to work it off (or poo it out), helps me to resist things I really shouldn't be eating. I also find it interesting keeping track of the fluctuations, so now I know, for example, how much the scales will be up after eating chips, and knowing that and seeing it happen every time makes me feel like I've a better understanding of what my body's doing and how it reacts to different things.

No. I always wait 2-3 days til I dont feel bloated anymore

It's interesting to see all the responses here. It seems as if most people weigh in. In Ann Fletcher's Thin for LIfe, I remember reading that one of the most pervasive behaviors among longterm maintainers is frequently weighing in.

I am one who doesn't like to weigh. In fact, I didn't even weigh myself when I first started my plan because I knew the number would discourage me (I'm easily discouraged). However, when I reached the size I wanted to be, I had to start weighing myself to determine how many calories I could eat for my stats (weight being one of them). Now, my schedule is that I weigh in on the Tuesday after my menstrual cycle and then the Tuesday after that---so twice a month. So, today was my first weigh-in of the month. I knew I was going to see a gain because my eating habits have been lax lately. I've been picking a lot--a bite here, a nibble there, and it's almost impossible to accurately count all of that. And I was right: I am up three pounds from a month ago (still within the weight range I've deemed "acceptable," but a little too close to my red-line weight for comfort).

However, you know what? I am glad I weighed in. Today, as much as I wanted to nibble something when I opened the fridge, that number I saw on the scale popped into my mind and it stopped me in my tracks. So, as much as I despise weighing myself, I do think it may be useful in keeping me on track.

Yes, I still weigh in. A few months ago we went on a long weekend, and I cheated. When I came home, I weighed in. It was mostly water weight, but I like to know where I'm at.

I do. It holds me accountable, and it also gives me information on how my body works. I went to Alaska for a week--the entire week was filled with cheating. When I got back, I was eleven pounds heavier than where I started! Of course, less then 10 days later, I was back where I started, and losing again; I think I spent most of the week peeing all the water out.

Also, sometimes the damage isn't nearly as bad as I expect it to be--this lets me know that one cheat-y day, taken by itself, isn't enough to derail me. This gives me a lot of motivation not to go, "well, I cheated, so everything's ruined and I might as well eat everything in sight!" It makes single cheat days feel on-plan, which makes what I'm doing feel less like a long slog, and more like living.

Most importantly, I don't call it "cheating" anymore, because that would set up the guilt/hopelessness/binge cycle.

Instead I consider it "damage control." I remember that I can't gain more than the food weighs, so I get on the scale immediately and consider the weight I see as "worst case scenario," and sort of a "starting fresh" point (rather than deciding to binge the rest of the day and start fresh the next day).

More importantly I think (and the "secret" to my unprecedented success "this time") is deciding that "not gaining" is the most important goal, even more important than losing weight - because losing weight means nothing if you can't keep it off (and I never could because I did see not losing as no worse or not much worse than gaining).

We're really taught to see weight loss that way, and I think it's why so few people succeed at weight loss, despite so many people trying. Gaining a lot is seen as no worse (or at least not much worse) than gaining a little or even staying the same - which means that when we see that we've not lost or have gained a bit, we feel that the situation is hopeless and we might as well binge and start fresh at some point in the future (tomorrow, next Monday, next month...).

But when I realize that I can't really have gained what the scale says I have (immediately after eating) it helps me stop the "traditional" response to a mistake (which is eating MORE and starting fresh later).

And I remind myself that "not gaining" is the most important thing - so even if I see a little gain (or what looks like it could be a gain on the scale even when I know it probably isn't a "real" gain) I remind myself that "not gaining more" is just as important as losing - so I don't let myself be tempted to binge because I've "blown it." I remind myself there is no blowing it, there's just moving on - and do I want to move forward or backwards (and even standing still is better than moving backwards).

Just refusing to give up hope, keeps me focused and so I choose to look at the scale results in a way that fuels hope not hopelessness.

Now I love weighing myself (sometimes as much as six times a day) and every time it feels amazing, because I know what to expect - and more often than not I get to celebrate "staying the same" and "not gaining" because I compare it not only to the previous weigh-in, but to the weigh-in the day previously and the week previously. I make myself see the big picture.

I dont like to because I get discouraged. I had an off plan weekend also. I'll let a couple days go by before I bite the bullet.

I weigh daily anyway and never skip, unless I actually forget. That keeps me accountable to correcting immediately and staying inside my weight window. No slips, no slides, just soldiering on and fixing the issue.

For me, avoiding the scale is a sure route to denial and weight gain. For regular weighers, I think it's especially important to keep stepping on the scale after indulgent days.

F.

If you feel that seeing that seeing the number the scale displays has the power to bring you down, I'd say just skip it for a week. You already know you've been eating "not so great" and once you're done with studying, you'll be ready to get back on track. There's no point in adding the extra pressure.

NOPE!
i dont even torture myself with that anymore.

ill wait after a week of eating right and working out 2 weigh in again.

The secret to my successful regaining after losing lots of weight is my scale avoidance. Works like a charm every time.

I'm trying to habituate myself to almost daily weighing, but I kind of dread it, even when the numbers are going down.

This is me too. I normally weigh in once a week, and if I had a day of big eating right before my weigh in, I'll skip it until the next weekend. I get discouraged seeing a huge gain (or even a small one) and that makes me just say "well screw it, I already gained weight, might as well eat like crap and then start again tomorrow" - Stupid, I know... but that's how I work.

When I overeat I do weigh the next day. It never fails to help me get right back on track.