I weigh every day (well, not lately, since my scale is packed away somewhere from moving last weekend), and sometimes multiple times a day. However, I have heard/read somewhere that the best way to track your success is to record your weight every day and then take an average for the week (or month or 10 days or however long of a time frame you want to compare for yourself). That way, fluctuations are taken into account, and the highs are balanced by the lows (and hopefully, you have more lows than highs!)
I like that idea. Weigh everyday and then just take the average of the numbers. Hmm.. might have to give that a try. I do hate stepping on the scale only to see it say I am weighing in more then the day before. No more worrying. Yeah.
I started out weighing myself every day. I hit my first plateau at 222 and at that point got so frustrated with seeing the same number every day that I stopped weighing myself daily. I'm weighing in daily again now, though, because at the moment I need that inspiration/kick in the pants to stay motivated. BUT, I only change my ticker according to what the scale says on Saturdays. That's my "official" weigh in day. A little silly, I know, but it helps me to keep the daily fluctuations in perspective, because they're not "official" weights.
In spirit I'm a weigh every day girl, although in practice I don't because I weigh in at the gym and sometimes I can't, either because I don't go to the gym that day or because someone is having a consultation in the room where the scales are.
I tend to record each low weight and not bother too much about any fluctuations up UNLESS they last for more than a week. In terms of my "official" weight, I tend to go with my weight on Wednesday and either Saturday or Sunday. I always go to the gym first thing in the morning, and weigh before working out, with gym kit on (I worked out that my actual weight is probably 2 - 3lb less than my "official" weight because of clothes and trainers, but I can't be bothered taking them off and adjusting all my historic figures so I leave it as it is.
Anyway, I'm rambling, but I like to track things going up and down. I don't stress about it too much unless there's absolutely no sign of downward movement over a prolonged period, and I use seeing the fluctuations I see on a regular basis to justify gains to myself on days when I might otherwise be feeling down about it.
Once a month or so I do an "official, official" weight on the scales that give you a print out. I like looking back at the little slips from a few months ago as a real reminder of how far I've come - even if what it says is a pound or two off my actual weight, it's still usually a fair amount down on the last one.
I weigh every day (well, not lately, since my scale is packed away somewhere from moving last weekend), and sometimes multiple times a day. However, I have heard/read somewhere that the best way to track your success is to record your weight every day and then take an average for the week (or month or 10 days or however long of a time frame you want to compare for yourself). That way, fluctuations are taken into account, and the highs are balanced by the lows (and hopefully, you have more lows than highs!)
This is what I have started doing. I'm obsessive about getting on the scale as well. I actually got rid of it for a few years because I was always bummed out by not reaching a lower number every time I stepped on it. All that did was allow the pounds to sneak on unnoticed!! I bought a new scale, record it each morning and calculating an average every Friday. This works well for me. Good luck!!
I also weigh every. I always have (since I started this process) and likely always will. I use it to stay on track and have learned to expect normal fluctuations. I feel lucky that I can use it in this way without the obsession factor. And I do understand the need for some people to stay away from the scale because of this. People really just have to do what ever works best for them, and it looks like we all have a pretty good sense of just what that is.
I started out not weighing in at all. I didn't weigh in for the first three and a half months. At the time, I was pretty fragile and working to build appropriate habits, to exercise daily, to eat clean and healthy meals, and to tell myself the truth about the calories I was ingesting. I did not want to have a bad week and have that distract me from my goal and derail my progress. And I had plenty of other evidence of weight loss, from new clothes fitting, to feeling healthier, to the way I responded to exercise.
Of course, that couldn't work forever, and eventually I decided that I was emotionally ready to face regular weigh-ins without going insane. I built up skills over those first three and a half months that help me focus, and now the scale is a tool. Sometimes I weigh everyday - sometimes just twice a week - but I don't stop weighing myself because it helps me make better choices everyday - and even when I work hard for it, each pound lost, each decade that passes feels like some weird miracle. Sometimes I get on the scale everyday to convince and remind myself of my progress; sometimes I hop on there to rally the defenses to say no to a second beer.
But I think Beverly is exactly right: you find what works for you, or find a way to make it work for you. The variations are all so interesting.
I am all for weighing every day, though I don't usually just out of laziness, as I tend to focus more on calories as a measure of my success. Just thought it was interesting, CNN had the following article on daily weigh-ins:
Hello ... My name is Stacye and I'm a scale-o-holic! I went for YEARS never weighing myself but now I do it everyday ... sometimes as much as 5-6 times (but I only log my weight on Saturday)! A week or so ago I thought it best if I had my hubby put our scales up so that I couldn't see them ... talk about withdrawals! Yikes, I had them bad!! Come weigh day tho I was pretty excited to see a loss of 4 lbs! Altho seeing this drop all at once did feel good, for me ... actually seeing the numbers (as well as the NSV) on a daily basis are what helps to keep me motivated!
Funny... I suddenly have the urge to weigh - BRB!!
