Weighing yourself daily?

[KateFitbit]

There are times I weigh myself every day, especially when I’m following a food plan and working out and anxious to see any progress. It’s a great motivator to keep going.  

Then there are times when I just don’t pay attention (hide) from the scale. Usually, it’s after a weekend of indulging on pizza, wine, and dessert, because I know I’m not going to like what I see and I don’t want to get discouraged. Then it takes several days to get into the habit of weighing myself again. 

I’m thinking of committing to weighing myself daily, good or bad, and just go with it. Any thoughts on the topic? 

[JenHarness]

Hi! 

I just suscribed today but I'm on a diet since the 14th of July (and have a Fitbit Blaze since the 24th). I stopped weighting myself daily. It was driving me crazy because even if I'm on the blue zone everyday and doing workout, I was taking and not losing (only like 100 gr or 200 but still terrible for me). I read somewhere that the water in the body could affects the numbers on the scale, is that true? 

My official "scale day" is tomorrow so I hope it will be good. 

[Baltoscott]

Hi @JenHarness.  Congrats on your new fitbit.  Yes, water in your body definitely part of your weight and it can change a lot hour to hour and day to day. See @Daves_Not_Here's point above about "blips."

I think the time to weigh yourself is right after you wake up, without clothes, after using the bathroom, and before eating anything. (The smallest amount of temporary stuff -- water, partially digested food, etc -- at that time of day).   Whether you do it daily or weekly, you want to aim for the same time of day so the conditions are as close to the same as the last time you weighed yourself as possible.  

Whether it goes well or not tomorrow, remember that it is just one step in the rest of your life.  

[JenHarness]

Thanks for the advice! I didn't know that the time was playing a role. I need to remember that! 

I only lost -100 gr since Wednesday so... I'm kinda disappointed. 

[emili]

I am a weigh every day unless there isn't a scale to weigh me on. And I actually can weigh myself at night and know what I will be in the morning because I have been doing this for years and have a pretty good idea based on food and water what will happen. I gain a pound every weekend and I lose the pound by Tuesday- mostly salt. I have days where I make "deals" with myself before stepping on because I know I may have a little meltdown moment - but then I remember the good time I had which resulted in this moment and I shrug it off and pay super close attention to logging, water and activity to ensure nothing stays longer than a day or two. I think it depends on what's important to you that should drive the decision to weigh or not. I rather work harder for one pound than two, so I pay attention...

[pallain]

I weigh myself every day because it helps me get out of bed hoping for excitement again and again. Since may 23 I have lost 24 lbs and I've really increased my walking/running by double. I try for 20k steps. I have been on a roll so its definitely exciting.

[Dominique]

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@Baltoscott wrote:

I'm in the "weigh daily" camp.  

I've linked my wi-fi scale to Trendweight which calculates a daily number that reflects a weighted average of the last 20 days or so.

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Like @Baltoscott, I’m a weigh everyday guy and I also use TrendWeight. With a smartscale (Fitbit Aria), it’s just so easy, only takes 15 seconds every morning. I find it makes me more accountable, just like my Fitbit tracker with steps and calories expended.

Btw, technically speaking, what TrendWeight does is a bit more complex than a weighted average: it calculates an "exponentionally smoothed moving average". More about it in this older thread.

TrendWeight in itself is a good reason for weighing daily: the more data points it has (especially if evenly paced), the more relevant its trend curve will be.

[KateFitbit]

@Dominique - Thanks for the tip about TrendWeight, I signed up. 

I just read an old feature suggestion requesting an alarm on the Aria that goes off in the morning and won't stop until you stand on the scale. While I didn't vote for it, the idea did make me smile. 

[Sherwat]

So I have started to weigh myself daily.  I weigh myself when I first get up in the morning and then when I get home from work.  The difference is usually 3-5 pounds which makes sense.

Now my question is, does anyone know if the app has the ability to note time of day in the log?  I can start keeping track in a spreadsheet but it would be nice if the app did it.

Thanks.

[Dominique]

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@Sherwat wrote:

Now my question is, does anyone know if the app has the ability to note time of day in the log?  I can start keeping track in a spreadsheet but it would be nice if the app did it..

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If you mean Fitbit, yes, the time of day appears in the measurement history:

 If you mean TrendWeight, no, the time stamp is not preserved:

 I’m not sure what happens (when TrendWeight pulls the data from Fitbit) if you log multiple weigh-ins during the course of the same day. I’d assume it would pick up a single value, but I don’t know if it takes the newest measurement, or if it calculates an average. Anyway, I personally think it makes sense to weigh only once a day, first thing in the morning. There are just too many things that can impact your weight during or at the end of the day.

[Baltoscott]

Yeah, I don't see that there is much point from a fitness management point of view in weighing more than once/day.  Of course, it is only human to be curious about how much you sweated out after five or six hours and 100 miles on a bike, but I digress ... 🙂

According to the advanced settings tab on TrendWeight it uses the first weight reading of each day and ignores subsequent weigh-ins for the day.  It defaults to starting the day at midnight when you set up an account, but the daily start time can be changed by the user. The TrendWeight FAQ gives this process for how to get it to use a weight measurement other than the first one of the day.

What happens if I weigh myself multiple times in one day?

TrendWeight will only use one weigh-in per day. Currently, the first weigh-in of the day is used. This is usually most appropriate if your habit is to step on the scale first thing in the morning after you wake up. There may be an option to configure this behavior in a future update. If your first weigh-in of the day is incorrect for some reason and you don't want TrendWeight to use that data, you can log into the FitBit or Nokia website and edit or delete that incorrect data point and TrendWeight will use the corrected data.

[Sherwat]

My weight log with fitbit doesn't have the time of day - only date.  

[Daves_Not_Here]

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@KateFitbit wrote:

@Dominique - Thanks for the tip about TrendWeight, I signed up. 

I just read an old feature suggestion requesting an alarm on the Aria that goes off in the morning and won't stop until you stand on the scale. While I didn't vote for it, the idea did make me smile. 

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What a crack-up!  Reminds me of the Clocky, The Runaway Alarm Clock.  It has wheels so it can jump off the bedside table and run around the room.  You have to get up and chase it down to turn the flippin thing off.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clocky

[Dominique]

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@Sherwat wrote:

My weight log with fitbit doesn't have the time of day - only date.  

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@Sherwat: do you log your weigh-ins manually? If so, that could be the explanation. I’m using a Fitbit Aria smartscale, and I believe this is what puts the time of day.

[candygurl002]

Believe it or not, I weigh myself daily.  You're right!  It can become a motivator and I just got off of winning my Weekend Warrior with lots of enthusiasm.  I also log my food on My Fitness Pal (MFP).  You must do what's best for you.  This is what works for me. 

[GraceX660]

I weigh daily whether I have had a bad weekend or not. I find it useful that after a couple of months you get to see your own weigh differences that occur naturally throughout the month plus if you have eaten well and drank plenty the difference it can make even over two or three days.

I also measure myself though as I find, especially when completing more time in the gym, I reduce in inches rather than pounds.

[Baltoscott]

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@GraceX660 wrote:

 ...

I also measure myself though as I find, especially when completing more time in the gym, I reduce in inches rather than pounds.

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Good idea @GraceX660.  I have also started to do a weekly "gut" check (tape measure around my waist).  For guys, at least, it is a better measure of fat change than weight alone as that is where fat tends to show the most on men.

[Tenighir]

I have been weighing myself daily for over four months. There are some days where I am discouraged, especially when my weight seems to soar up. What I have discovered is just how much water weight can cause the scale to fluxuate. Even a strenuous workout can cause some temporary water retention while the muscles recover and rebuild. Weighing daily helps me keep a better perspective.

[morethanmilk]

Hello and happy Thursday!

I have been trying to weigh myself daily to motivate myself to stay on track. I have been trying to meet my step goals while returning from maternity leave so I'm not quite there but I'm still doing way better than not trying lol

I've also been logging my meals, water, sleep and weight on here. I'm hoping it will keep me accountable and show me what works for me. 

I'm used to hiding from the scale when I've had a row of "cheat days" but I'm trying to just log everything even if it's good or bad. I've noticed that I'm more likely to get on track after a cheat meal and not let it turn into a cheat day. 

[dififcult]

If weighing yourself is what keeps you motivated, you should stick to it!

I know personally, I only weigh myself once in every two weeks, so I can see the bigger picture of how my eating habits are affecting my weight, rather than wondering if I weigh an extra pound the next day because I didn't exercise enough, or anything to do with water content in my body. Plus, part of a lifestyle change is realizing that you ARE going to eat pizza and wine, etc, and that's how you're going to live a happy life. Personally, weighing myself every day would discourage me from indulging once in a while, and I wouldn't be happy if I tried to punish myself by weighing myself every day. 

[Jeff2017]

Weighing  yourself  everyday is not a bad thing as long as you don't let it effect you. The scale is just another tool just the the fitbits. The important part is changing your eating habits to being healthier. We older peeps dont have that metabolism we once had when we were younger. You remember those times you could eat a whole large pizza yourself and not gain an ounce. Well if you have a weekend of bad eating just start over and put it in the past. We all know what got us to this point was LONG term bad eating habits. The mistake we make is and this is my example is I have gained the weight ( 50lbs) since I got out of the Army in 1991. That's 26 years of slow weight gain. We all would like for it to miraculously fall off overnight, but that will not happen. I know what really helps me is to make myself track my food intake and know how much I am eating. For me I eat healthier and better when I write it down. I am not just FREE RANGE grazing. 😉 My problem with that is I will last about a month then fall off the wagon and the wagon never stops to pick me up. Habits I need to stop doing. For me also it is not about my weight, but my cholesterol has been high since 2009 when i started checking it. Recent was 249 and BAD was 179 and GOOD was 49. I do not want to take the statin drugs so I best change what I eat. Now I can weigh myself several times a day really and the one thing I did notice is you can fluctuate up to 5lbs in a day. If your busy and not drinking enough water. I NEVER depend in the body fat % you just cannot believe what it reads. IF you wish to know body fat then Bodpod or Dexascan yourself. Dexascan will give you detailed facts on your bodyfat and where it is on your body. Just check youtube for them and you will see many people having them done.

If you want to weigh daily go for it just dont freak out. I have made my OFFICIAL day is the 1st of every month. You can always delete any weigh in anyways.