Article about weighing yourself everyday

[bgh74]

I just saw this article on CNN about weighing yourself everyday helps keep the weight that you have lost off vs gaining it back.

I'm sure we all knew this to some extent, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/diet.....ap/index.html

[ebatch20]

Good Article.

I weight myself daily - I don't know why.. it just became habit in the morning.

[txitalian]

I think daily weigh-ins are a double edge sword. On one hand, if you are seeing daily changes, it's great for motivation. On the other hand, if you remain idle or the scale is higher, it can screw up your day.


Jason

[bgh74]

It is more of a psychological thing after a person has lost a lot of weight in order to maintain it... if you weigh yourself in the morning and see maybe you are a pound or two heavier than yesterday, that you might decide to take the stairs instead of the elevator, or maybe not have that donut for breakfast.

A person doesn't really notice a pound or two here and there from a physical standpoint, so it is easier to eat that donut, but if you know you are actually heavier from one day to the next, it makes it easier to NOT eat that donut.

[AileanMacRaith]

I think it's good to weigh youself daily because you can look at the trend of your weight. The weight itself is not so important. If you weigh on a weekly basis, you are susceptible to waterweight having an influence, whereas if you weigh yourself daily, you can average it out over the last few days and remove any wee increases that are due to water.

Al

[Chopaholic]

Originally Posted by AileanMacRaith

I think it's good to weigh youself daily because you can look at the trend of your weight. The weight itself is not so important. If you weigh on a weekly basis, you are susceptible to waterweight having an influence, whereas if you weigh yourself daily, you can average it out over the last few days and remove any wee increases that are due to water.

Al

Agreed.

Just like my Tanita BF monitor scale... yes, I know it's not accurate. However, it shows trends, and that's what I'm watching.

[TarSeal]

I weigh every morning and night. I'm seeing a pound or 2 come off every couple of weeks but it sneaks up on ya in .1 lb increments.

[jsbrook]

Really? I think it's pretty stupid and a waste of my time. I don't even have a scale here. I weigh myself every couple weeks when I'm visiting family or friends who have a scale.

[TarSeal]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Really? I think it's pretty stupid and a waste of my time. I don't even have a scale here. I weigh myself every couple weeks when I'm visiting family or friends who have a scale.

Yeah, but you don't have a weight problem!

[CASD]

Ditto

[Chameleon]

Originally Posted by Travis

Yeah, but you don't have a weight problem!

how do you KNOW that he didn't have one (weight problem) before? and that's what that study was citing... that people who HAD lost weight should weigh themselves daily

and I STRONGLY disagree with them about weighing yourself daily, ESPECIALLY if you do any good amount of weight training... if you condition yourself to only be happy when you see the weight stay the same or go down, you'd only be depressed if you saw the weight start to go up, even if you know it's probably muscle gains... weight means almost NOTHING and I don't think people should be so focused on how much they weigh, they should focus instead on how they LOOK, their body fat % and how fit they are... these are all much better indicators of health and fitness

[TarSeal]

Originally Posted by Chameleon

how do you KNOW that he didn't have one (weight problem) before? and that's what that study was citing... that people who HAD lost weight should weigh themselves daily

and I STRONGLY disagree with them about weighing yourself daily, ESPECIALLY if you do any good amount of weight training... if you condition yourself to only be happy when you see the weight stay the same or go down, you'd only be depressed if you saw the weight start to go up, even if you know it's probably muscle gains... weight means almost NOTHING and I don't think people should be so focused on how much they weigh, they should focus instead on how they LOOK, their body fat % and how fit they are... these are all much better indicators of health and fitness

I'm talking about right now. For people like me who can eat a donut and gain a pound. I think js is low teens at most bf% wise (from his posts.) At that point you're pretty lean and mean with a great metabolism. Daily weight fluctuations are not gonna snowball quite like they can on someone in the earlier phases. For those of us still up in the 20's and 30's and above one slip can easily add a few pounds. The scale just says "hey wassup?" and you go, "yeah, I need to watch it." Now for those who get upset over a few pounds fluctuation on a daily basis I'd say don't weigh yourself if it is going to upset you. I'm just saying it is a good tool for those of us who can and will gain fat VERY easily on a daily basis. As for me, I've lost 15 lbs. on the scale, but I think I'm gaining muscle fast so I'm not concerned that the weight is slowly coming off and fluctuating.

[dano]

Originally Posted by Chameleon

how do you KNOW that he didn't have one (weight problem) before? and that's what that study was citing... that people who HAD lost weight should weigh themselves daily

and I STRONGLY disagree with them about weighing yourself daily, ESPECIALLY if you do any good amount of weight training... if you condition yourself to only be happy when you see the weight stay the same or go down, you'd only be depressed if you saw the weight start to go up, even if you know it's probably muscle gains... weight means almost NOTHING and I don't think people should be so focused on how much they weigh, they should focus instead on how they LOOK, their body fat % and how fit they are... these are all much better indicators of health and fitness

If weight is not important why do you include it in your sig. ?

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Travis

Yeah, but you don't have a weight problem!

Well, this is true, but I would still agree with Chameleon. You know when you are losing fat and improving body composition without the scale. There are much more reliable indicators. Daily weigh-ins are just so innacurate and the fluctuations really have little to do with fat gain or fat loss and much to do with water retention and the amount of glycogen the body is holdign. When I actively sought and got down into the single digits, I did weigh myself once a week. I think this can be a good benchmark and a reliable indicator of progress for a seasoned lifter who is probably not adding much muscle while they are losing fat.

[bfl_redhead]

I would sooner have bamboo shoots under my finger nails each morning than be weighed!!

My bodyfat has been dropping the last 3 months, from almost 30 percent to under 20 percent, but my weight has gone up. If I counted on that scale to go down and saw it going up, my day would be shot.

Also, if you add in the female component, there are times in the month when the weight will go up all on it's own accord! Of course, it goes down again, but that's not the point.

I guess it's like all things: if it works for you, go for it, but if not, use another methodology until you find something that suits you!

[sassypants]

personally, I weigh myself everyday, take my measurements everyday, track my weights lifted and cardio levels everyday, track my caloric and macro intakes everyday... hey, I am an analyst by trade so what did you expect?

It boils down to perspective. I think for me having all the various amounts of data is what I like. I enjoy analyzing something various ways, pick it apart, play with it, try to improve on it or put my spin on it,... having all of that data is useful... to ME. A number means nothing until YOU apply a meaning to it... thus transforming the data into information. IMPO, the number on the scale means nothing if you don't consider it in the big picture with other factors. If you want to be able to calculate LBM and BF, then you need to know how much you weigh. Seeing my daily weight fluctuations helps me to know what is normal for me. If I see an enormous fluctuation, then I want to look at my other numbers and ask why. Usually the answer is somewhere.

If you are the type of person who after seeing the number on the scale allows it to dictate your mood for the day, then perhaps it is best that you only weigh once a week. Mental setbacks can be hard to overcome. If you are the type of person who after seeing the number on the scale can put the number into prospective with the overall picture, I say go for it.

Remember... this is no different than developing your own personal exercise and eating regimine. You must do what works for you. If weighing yourself daily works for you... kudos. If not, kudos.

Just my 2 cents...

[featherz]

I'd go nuts weighing myself every day. I weigh once a week - if it's up or down a pound no biggie, but on average I've been the exact same weight for a year. And yes, I was formerly overweight.

[NEdge]

Originally Posted by Chameleon

h
and I STRONGLY disagree with them about weighing yourself daily,

and I STRONGLY Agree with weighting yourself daily, for almost the same reasons - you realize that without eating differently the scale can change by 2 lb or more.

If you only do it weekly, you might think you have gained a pound that week, when really you lost a pound.

By taking a 7day average, I can get my weight much more accurately and see if I'm really loosing or gaining in 1-2 weeks instead of 3 months to get decent statistics.

Of course if you take the scale literally, then you are going to get into trouble, and probably should just use the mirror instead.

Obviously it is a presonal preference - I tried not weighing myself for a while and using photos + tape measure + calipers, and the results were very bad - even on a bulk! Perhaps my routine just isn't stable enough - travelling for work, changing cardio and meals etc.. I find the scale to be by far the most accurate indicator of my body composition changes.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by NEdge

and I STRONGLY Agree with weighting yourself daily, for almost the same reasons - you realize that without eating differently the scale can change by 2 lb or more.

If you only do it weekly, you might think you have gained a pound that week, when really you lost a pound.

By taking a 7day average, I can get my weight much more accurately and see if I'm really loosing or gaining in 1-2 weeks instead of 3 months to get decent statistics.

Of course if you take the scale literally, then you are going to get into trouble, and probably should just use the mirror instead.

Obviously it is a presonal preference - I tried not weighing myself for a while and using photos + tape measure + calipers, and the results were very bad - even on a bulk! Perhaps my routine just isn't stable enough - travelling for work, changing cardio and meals etc.. I find the scale to be by far the most accurate indicator of my body composition changes.

It's just a waste of energy. Weighing weekly's ok, but it's really not necessary either. You can readily tell when you're losing fat over the course of weeks without a scale at all.

[bigdog9801]

I think a weekly weigh in would be a better idea than a daily, your weight can fluctuate pretty easily in a day or two, and also the time of day and what clothes you wear will change things as well. Even if just by a pound or two but if your trying to loose or gain weight you shouldnt really be going for more than a couple pounds a week anyway.

Anyway I think a much better measurement of what type of shape your in is how your clothes fit, even if you only loose (or gain if bulking) 10 lbs in 2 or 3 months your clothes are going to feel and look much different on you which I think is a better measuring stick of your progress than your weight