Weighing youself - questions

[megstoo]

I'm a lurker but on a weight loss goal.  I track my food, and do bootcamp workouts 5 days a week.  I'm netting about 1300 calories which is fine - I'm not hungry, thirsty etc.

What time of day do you weigh yourself?
How Often (once a week, daily etc)
Clothed or unclothed?

I know as the day goes on the scale will have more weight on it due to eating / drinking etc so I'm trying to get the best representation of the true number.  I only weigh in once a week.  I'm 3 weeks in to a hardcore fitness/tracking my eating and I don't think I've lost any weight.  2 weeks ago my doc weighed me since I had an appointment and the scale said 1 thing (a BAD 207) in the afternoon - this morning the scale showed a scary 203 number and last night it showed 205 (I was curious).  I should look at how clothes fit as well but it's hard when you see the scale not budging.  

I know the reality shows like biggest loser or extreme weight loss make all of us look bad (well me), since they show the females dropping a lot of weight in 1 week and it's so hard not to compare myself.  
Please don't judge me on the number on the scale - that's why I'm here is to lose weight.  Maybe this is just a vent but any words of wisdom?  I'm not giving up but it's hard not to get discouraged.  

ETA:  My BMI number shows me as "obese" which makes this all that much harder.  

[sparksfly]

What time of day do you weigh yourself?-After work and I use the same scale at the gym.
How Often (once a week, daily etc)-Every few days. BUT I use my Tuesday weigh in as my official weigh in for MFP.
Clothed or unclothed?-Clothed.

[clseale]

Don't worry about the number (you're only talking a few pounds), worry about the pattern. Just pick a time of day (for me, this is right after I wake up), and weigh yourself at the same time (on the same scale, because that will cause a difference as well), every time. This will give you the most accurate results to allow you to see if the scale is moving in the right direction.

When I'm weighing myself regularly, I usually do it every morning. This helps me see the variations, and not give it much thought if it's up one day. EX: I am almost always a couple of pounds up, the day after a long run. If I only weighed myself once a week, I might think that I had somehow gained a pound of two that week, but because I weighed myself the day before (and I know I'm not gaining 2 pounds overnight), I know that it's just water weight.

[emuni04]

I weigh myself in the mornings. I try not to weigh myself every day, because a number of factors can make that number fluctuate. I have heard that weighing once/week at the same time can point towards your overall weight loss/gain trends (I don't know if this is true, but I read it somewhere).

[bostonmichelle]

I weigh myself every Wednesday morning. I weigh myself after I get up and am still in pajamas. I try not to do every day as it becomes a fixation and even though I know most is water weight its hard mentally to see it going up and down constantly.

[spunkypenguin]

I weigh myself in the morning on Saturday and Sunday after I've had coffee and gone to the bathroom. I just wear my pjs..tank top and shorts. I use whichever number I like better there can be as much as a 2lb difference between the 2 days.


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[Susie]

I do it most mornings, just for point of information. I'm not that bothered by minor flux; I know that I weigh heavy the day after monster workouts and races (swollen muscles) and the week before my period, and those are not cause for concern. I only record it every few days, I'm not exact about it. I do always weigh myself right before getting in the shower.

I also weigh myself at other times of the day, e.g., after long hot workouts, because it helps me know how good of a job I've done replacing hydration. If I'm not heavier in the afternoon after a long workout, I need to get myself a giant drink stat.

[ebeth]

I'd actually 'ignore' the numer from the doctor's office because it wasn't on your usual scale. it may well be the more accurate number but it's not the number you've been tracking and thus tells you nothing about your progress. also, it's not like we're talking 20 lbs here.

just pick a time and weigh yourself at the same time every day on the same scale. you can do it more than once per week if you want, but only record the measurement on one day. I choose saturday.

I do weigh myself multiple times per day in the summer but this is mostly to assess hydration because that is all you are really measuring in such a short timeframe. this is particualry useful when trying to rehydrate after a prolonged period of outdoor exercise.

[finallykrisb]

I weigh myself first thing in the morning, unclothed. I weigh a couple of times a week when I'm trying to lose weight. I also ignore any weigh ins not done on my home scale. There are too many variables.

[emilyinchile]

I weigh myself really rarely because I don't own a scale, and as a result the time of day and clothing I'm wearing when I do weigh myself is totally random, since I usually take advantage of a scale at someone's house or in a hotel gym or something like that. If I were going to do it regularly though, I'd do it first thing in the morning, no clothes, and only focus on the trends shown by my scale vs. if I weighed lower or higher or another scale.

Do you need to weigh yourself regularly for any reason? If not, I'd hide the scale and just focus on doing what you know will get you results - working out and eating well. It seems like so many people get down about the number they see, but if you don't see a number then you get to go by stuff like how you feel better or how much you've improved in your workouts, and those are a lot more positive in my mind.

[ddi741]

What time of day do you weigh yourself?  I am a WW member so I get 'officially' weighed in on Tuesday evenings.  At home I try not to weigh myself often although I'll usually check myself Monday evening just to see how I am (My Home scale is .5lbs diff then WW so I can get a pretty good idea of how I'm going to do)
How Often (once a week, daily etc)  I try to do it only once a week but it's more like a couple. 
Clothed or unclothed?  I have a specific weigh in outfit I wear, a light tank and running shorts.  I change into it at WW before I get weighed in.

[bullygirl979]

I weigh myself about once a week. You get a more accurate idea if you weigh yourself with the same "conditions" each time. For me, that means first thing in the morning, after I've peed, before I've had anything to eat/drink and buck naked.

Given all that, your weight can still fluctuate a bit.

Have you thought about other ways to measure your success as well? I have a fabric tape measure and I take measurements of my waist, hips, chest, legs and arms. This is me a more accurate representation of what my body is doing.

And don't get discouraged. My body usually takes a few weeks of the initial shock before it will show any progress!

[ladyk]

Take your measurements and progress pictures. Trust me, you won't regret it. You don't have to share them with anyone but they are a good way to keep up with your changes. My cousin spent from January until 2 weeks ago getting ready for a fitness competition. She posted one side by side where she had "only" lost 5 pounds but the visual difference was amazing.

As for weighing, I weigh myself every morning, after going to the bathroom, in my skivvies. I also weigh myself before and after Crossfit because our Box doesn't have AC and I am trying to make sure I'm staying hydrated enough. There have been days when I've lost 6 pounds from before Crossfit to after so it keeps me aware of my hydration.

I don't focus so much on the number because it can fluctuate every day. I am more concerned with the trend.

[boiler717]

I WI daily. I have huge fluctuations from day to day, and WI weekly may cause me to miss the trend. I don't freak out over being up day to day, though.

[jordylee]

I weigh myself on Mondays and Fridays. The Monday weigh-ins help me to keep it under control over the weekend, and the Friday weigh-in is just for good measure.

I weigh myself first thing in the morning (naked) - after using the restroom, before eating/drinking anything. I do it this way because I feel like it is the best way to be consistent. I don't see as much random fluctuation at that time compared to mid-day.

[suzyp]

I weigh myself every morning, naked after I pee. However, my "official" weigh in is every Friday b/c my weight fluctuates from day to day.

[thom]

I just want you to know that we would never judge you negatively based on that number on the scale. I think here we're all understanding that everyone is at a different spot in their H&F journey, and the goal is to offer support, advice, etc no matter what that spot is.

It sounds like you've got some healthy habits, good exercise routine, and I've got no doubt you'll see progress long-term if you can stay consistent. Glad you posted!

ETA: in answer to your actual question, I don't own a scale. I weigh very sporadically. I'm not actively trying to lose weight, so I find this helps me focus on training hard without worrying about what "that number" is.

[Deleted]

I rarely weigh myself. Even then, it's only out of interest, and I don't track my weight. I go by how my clothes fit. If they fit, I don't care what the number is.

When I do weigh myself though, I do it naked, in the morning after I have been to the loo.

[oreos]

Aug 20, 2014 10:26:57 GMT -5 clseale said:

Don't worry about the number (you're only talking a few pounds), worry about the pattern. Just pick a time of day (for me, this is right after I wake up), and weigh yourself at the same time (on the same scale, because that will cause a difference as well), every time. This will give you the most accurate results to allow you to see if the scale is moving in the right direction.

When I'm weighing myself regularly, I usually do it every morning. This helps me see the variations, and not give it much thought if it's up one day. EX: I am almost always a couple of pounds up, the day after a long run. If I only weighed myself once a week, I might think that I had somehow gained a pound of two that week, but because I weighed myself the day before (and I know I'm not gaining 2 pounds overnight), I know that it's just water weight.

This is exactly what I do. My chart of daily weigh-ins zig zags up and down on a day by day basis, but I look at the multi-month chart for an actual idea of the trend in my weight.

[shauni27]

I need to start weighing myself again, I'm just scared to see the current number.

But when I was weighing myself regularly, I would get ass naked and weigh myself first thing in the morning on Fridays.

[fluffycookie]

First thing in the morning. I turn the shower on and get undressed and weigh myself while the shower is warming up. I normally weigh myself every morning, but I've decided to try and bring it down to 1-2x a week.