Aa
Up and Down
Just curious.... I noticed that my weight varies by around 3-4 pounds during the day... does anyone experience/notice this for themselves too?
What happened to me when I was weighing daily is that if I lost, I figured I had a little "wiggle room" to eat more. If I gained, I was unhappy and started thinking "I've already blown it, may as well have that extra bite here, or that cookie".
It wasn't until I started weighing once a week that I understood that weight loss is a long term, life long journey, and daily weighing was hindering my progress. It is certainly not the same for everyone. For the most part, I weigh once a week. If I do see several pounds creeping up, I tighten up what I'm doing, because there is always a reason (laziness, complancency now that I've reached my goal weight, etc).
I personally don't like to foster a scale obsession, always letting the number I see dictate my day. I follow the same plan, all the time. I may loosen up some weeks, and if I see an upward trend, I deal with it. If I don't great!
Whatever you do, just don't stop weighing periodically, whether you choose daily or weekly weigh ins. Be sure you don't let small gains become big gains. Keep track. You'll get there.
It wasn't until I started weighing once a week that I understood that weight loss is a long term, life long journey, and daily weighing was hindering my progress. It is certainly not the same for everyone. For the most part, I weigh once a week. If I do see several pounds creeping up, I tighten up what I'm doing, because there is always a reason (laziness, complancency now that I've reached my goal weight, etc).
I personally don't like to foster a scale obsession, always letting the number I see dictate my day. I follow the same plan, all the time. I may loosen up some weeks, and if I see an upward trend, I deal with it. If I don't great!
Whatever you do, just don't stop weighing periodically, whether you choose daily or weekly weigh ins. Be sure you don't let small gains become big gains. Keep track. You'll get there.
Actually, seeing this I decided to weigh myself at the same time (first thing in the morning) with the same clothes (next to none). It appears that the variance is much less.
Regards,
Phil
Regards,
Phil
Yes, it is quite normal to have that variance throughout the day. May I respectfully suggest that you pick a specific time to weigh each day and to weigh in the same clothes as it will provide you with a fairly accurate portrayal of your weight.
While it is a personal choice, and many people struggle as to how often to weigh themselves, there is some information that supports weighing daily. Here is the information:
A number of studies have suggested that people lose weight more successfully when they use self-monitoring. The study suggested that patients keep a food diary, but emphasized that it must be truthful, with the recognition that there will be setbacks. Although there has been some controversy over whether people trying to lose weight should weigh themselves every day and there is not a lot of research on the subject, one review looked at more than 3,000 subjects enrolled in two diet studies and found that frequent weighing was associated with more weight loss (Ann. Behav. Med. 2005;30:210-6).
Over the past two years, I chose to weigh daily as it quickly reflected the times I stumbled. This allowed me to be responsible and react quickly to get back on track. We all stumble, it is part of the process of learning better practices. The trick is to not beat yourself up over it, learn how to cope better, make a plan of action to help thwart the same downfall the next time, and get back on track asap.
Water weight fluctuations happen even when weighing at the same time. So, you should not get too upset if you see up to a 2 lb this fluctuation, even when weighing at the same time of day. It is normal and each person knows if they've made a choice to validate the weight gain or not. If the weight gain is validated, address it quickly so you don't back-slide. If the weight gain is not validated, then dismiss it as water fluctuation or building muscle mass and watch the next few days for your weight to level out.
If you are one that is not able to adopt that way of thinking or the scale becomes an obsession, then perhaps weighing once a week is more appropriate. In the end, it is what works best for you in your weight loss journey and transition to a healthier lifestyle.
Hope this helps ...
Supportive hugs to all ...
Ranae
While it is a personal choice, and many people struggle as to how often to weigh themselves, there is some information that supports weighing daily. Here is the information:
A number of studies have suggested that people lose weight more successfully when they use self-monitoring. The study suggested that patients keep a food diary, but emphasized that it must be truthful, with the recognition that there will be setbacks. Although there has been some controversy over whether people trying to lose weight should weigh themselves every day and there is not a lot of research on the subject, one review looked at more than 3,000 subjects enrolled in two diet studies and found that frequent weighing was associated with more weight loss (Ann. Behav. Med. 2005;30:210-6).
Over the past two years, I chose to weigh daily as it quickly reflected the times I stumbled. This allowed me to be responsible and react quickly to get back on track. We all stumble, it is part of the process of learning better practices. The trick is to not beat yourself up over it, learn how to cope better, make a plan of action to help thwart the same downfall the next time, and get back on track asap.
Water weight fluctuations happen even when weighing at the same time. So, you should not get too upset if you see up to a 2 lb this fluctuation, even when weighing at the same time of day. It is normal and each person knows if they've made a choice to validate the weight gain or not. If the weight gain is validated, address it quickly so you don't back-slide. If the weight gain is not validated, then dismiss it as water fluctuation or building muscle mass and watch the next few days for your weight to level out.
If you are one that is not able to adopt that way of thinking or the scale becomes an obsession, then perhaps weighing once a week is more appropriate. In the end, it is what works best for you in your weight loss journey and transition to a healthier lifestyle.
Hope this helps ...
Supportive hugs to all ...
Ranae
Its very common. That's why you should not weigh yourself often. Look for the trend week to week, rather than day to day.
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