The scale is starting to scare me again. A while back I wrote this – full of bravado and confidence. I wish I was there again. I think my eating has gotten worse, while my training is improving. At present, I am trying to get back into the healthy eating mode after visits by my parents and inlaws and the big return to work (which has caused my night time stress eating to increase). As a result, I haven’t weighed myself for most of the week – remembering how pleasant it was not to weigh myself during my vacation. So, this has led me to rethink the question of, should I weigh myself every day or once a week?
Lets review the arguments and facts – shall we?
- Programs like WW discourage you from weighing yourself everyday – finding that it was discouraging to folks (weight fluctuations)
- If you see a weight loss you may be tempted to celebrate/overeat – not see a weight loss – overeat/binge.
- If you have an eating disorder weighing yourself everyday is not the way to go. Individuals tend to fixate on the numbers.
- “…A group of doctors who studied obese and overweight adults who were trying to lose weight as well as overweight adults who were trying to prevent weight gain found that those who weighed themselves more often lost more weight and prevented more weight gain over two years than those who weighed themselves less frequently. Contrary to the advice given in many popular weight loss regimens, this study suggests that at least some people can benefit from the accountability brought on by daily weigh-ins. Potential advantages of daily weighing include recognition of slow patterns of weight gain that may not be immediately apparent and the chance to modify lifestyle habits before the total weight gain becomes extreme and difficult to control” (Source)
- Weighing yourself everyday allows you to learn about your body – how it reacts to certain foods, weight fluctuations throughout the week/month.
- Weighing yourself everyday allows you to see weight loss trends and provide an early incentive to change – before the week or month is up.
- And as my husband says (over and over), “it [your weight] is the truth…if you don’t know it you are just lying to yourself”
In the end, I still am torn – however, am leaning towards going back to weighing myself everyday.
What do you think – should you weigh yourself everyday or every week?
45 before 35 
I weigh myself daily. I’ve found that I can gain weight pretty easily and quickly, so I like to stay on top of things by stepping on the scale every morning. I don’t obsess about the number or anything, but if I notice that there’s an upward trend or a plateau, I try to adjust my eating accordingly. I also e-mail myself my weight periodically so that I can track how much I weigh over time (e-mail is easier for me to keep track of than paper). Here’s a post I wrote on this topic: http://mostlyfitmom.wordpress.com/2010/08/01/weigh-to-go/ The research I found also supported weighing in daily.
Sounds like it’s been an unusual and busy couple of weeks! I’m sure once you settle back into a routine, your eating will get better. 🙂
Don’t get discouraged – we all have those ups and downs. I know you know this but…. the main thing is to STAY ON THE WAGON!
I prefer to weigh myself every morning before breakfast. Gives me a good picture of where I’m at in relation to the healthy choices I did or did not make the day before. Keeps me on track – most of the time. 😉
Yes, staying on wagon it is – I just need something to tie me down:)
Thought I’d also let you know that I gave you an award on my blog. Here’s the link: http://mostlyfitmom.wordpress.com/2010/09/04/cherry-on-top/
Enjoy your long weekend!
You are the sweetest – Thanks again. It means a lot.
Because I’m only going to lose a relatively small amount of weight (maybe 10 lbs or so) I only weigh myself once a month. I get frustrated really easily and weighing in any more often would lead me to get discouraged and possibly cheat/binge/give up.
I think it really matters what works for YOU. If weighing every morning helps keep you on track then go for it! If any slight fluctuation/gain would get you discouraged, weekly weigh-ins might be better. The great thing about the whole healthy living thing is that there are no hard and fast rules. It’s all about what works for you and makes you feel your best. 🙂
i weigh myself a couple times a week, but it’s not a big deal for me. it just lets me know where i’m at (like you said – learning about your body.) i think Danielle is right: you gotta do what works for you, that’s the important thing. good luck on your journey 🙂