How to weigh yourself when losing weight

Best time to weigh yourself

The exact time at which a person weighs himself is less important than the sequence. To track weight loss or gain, a person should weigh themselves at approximately the same time of day. Weight may fluctuate throughout the day, and a person will get a less accurate measurement of progress if they weigh themselves at different times.

It is best to weigh yourself in the morning, after urinating. Reasons for this include:

• exercise or other physical activity will not affect your weight
• many hours have passed since the last meal
• it can become part of a person's morning routine

The main thing is consistency. If you can’t weigh yourself in the morning, then you should choose a more suitable time of day and stick to it.

Worst time to weigh yourself

While morning weigh-ins may be the best time to measure your weight, there is no bad time to weigh yourself. However, a person should not step on the scale after certain activities that could distort the weight. For example:

• immediately after a large meal
• after drinking a lot of liquid
• after training or physical activity

Women should avoid weighing themselves in the days leading up to their period. In the week leading up to your period, hormones cause weight fluctuations that can affect your weight measurement.

Consistency in weight measurement relates not only to time, but also to many other factors.

For example, some scales are more accurate than others. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), digital scales are more accurate and people should avoid using spring-loaded scales.

Two-year study

But there is another study done a few years ago. The two-year study, which was carried out by researchers at Cornell University, examined participants' best strategies for measuring weight. They studied subjects for two years to find out not just how they tried to lose weight, but also what they did in the weeks and months after losing weight. Statistically, most people regain about 40% of the weight they lost within the first year and 100% within 5 years.

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For the study, researchers randomly assigned 162 participants to two groups. Half of the subjects were asked to weigh themselves daily and record the results. The other half of the participants received no instructions regarding weighing themselves. Participants were then given a goal to lose 1% of their body weight by any means. Once they managed to do this and maintain the achieved weight for 10 days, they received a new goal for a new 1% of weight. This continued until they lost about 10% of their original weight.

According to the scientists, 1/3 of the participants who weighed themselves daily lost at least 5% of their weight over the course of a year, compared to 10% of participants in the control group. Also, those who measured their weight every day were more likely to not gain the weight back.

Subjects who weighed themselves daily and kept track of it on a chart were, in most cases, able to correlate their weight measurements with what they ate during the day. As a result, the researchers concluded that simply by stepping on the scale, it is quite possible to force yourself to eat healthier foods and start exercising.

Use the scale correctly

It is recommended to install the scale on a firm, level surface. Avoid placing the scale on carpet or uneven floors as this will not provide an accurate measurement.

The person should stand with both feet in the center of the scale and remain motionless while weighing.

The scales should be calibrated. This means that the scale should read zero when it is turned on and no one will be standing on it.

To get the most accurate results, it is important to use only one scale. Even if the calibration is inaccurate, by using the same scale over and over again, a person can accurately track changes in their weight. If other scales are used, any changes in measurement may not give a true indication of weight change.

A person should avoid weighing themselves in gyms, health clubs and other fitness centers. While scales can be accurate, there are other variables that are difficult to control, such as time of day, activity level, and clothing choices. Even if a person calibrates the equipment, it may not always be accurate in measuring weight. A 2017 study using scales at 27 pediatric medical clinics found that only 16 of 152 scales were 100% accurate. However, by using the same scale, a person should still be able to track changes in weight over time.

How often should you weigh yourself?

Every day, once a week or more often?
It may be hard to believe, but how often you step on the scale can influence your efforts to change your weight. You need to know this! Question: I am following a weight loss program. How often should you weigh yourself?

As a rule, those who are trying to lose weight, from the point of view of weighing, can be divided into two categories: the first diligently control their weight every day, the second only occasionally step on the scale, anxiously looking at the numbers through their fingers.

At first glance, this may seem like a matter of personal preference, but there are studies showing that the rate of weight loss depends on how often a person steps on the scale.
So which method is more effective? Point one: reason for weighing

From day to day, your weight can be affected by numerous factors, such as the foods you eat the previous day, the amount of fluid you drink, sodium intake, stress and different sleep times, and the number of times you go to the bathroom the night before and the day before. Moreover, weight fluctuations can be quite significant. For example, today the scale arrow shows weight loss, everything seems to be fine, you are happy, HURRAY! And the next day an increase is possible again. If you are the type of person who experiences any such surges acutely, this can ruin your mood, lead to unnecessary stress and even a breakdown.

So is it better to weigh yourself less often, for example once a week? A study of psychological reports has shown that weekly weighing is the most popular method; it is the one chosen by the majority of people losing weight, as it more clearly demonstrates the difference in results, and also eliminates the frustration and ambiguous readings of daily weight fluctuations. [1]

However, checking your weight only once a week will not allow you to take into account factors that can further influence the overall process of losing weight, which will ultimately slow you down on your path to your goal. In addition, long intervals between weighings will not allow you to more accurately regulate your diet, leaving foods that affect weight gain unnoticed.

Did people achieve the expected results when weighing themselves weekly? Certainly! But there were also those who were upset by the small change in weight, many of them despaired and stopped fighting. This is exactly what needs to be avoided.

Advice for beginners and beyond: if you are going to monitor your progress, get ready to step on the scale more than once in a while.

Point two: direct weighing

By recording your daily weighing results over time, you will notice that your weight is not static. He fluctuates constantly. On the other hand, there are situations when weight remains unchanged for some time. But if you look at the weekly and monthly averages, you can see the general trend of whether you're moving in the right direction. This is certainly more clearly visible with several weigh-ins per week than with just one.

But does the frequency of weighing affect the result? Yes, there are studies showing numerous cases where weighing yourself daily helped people lose weight more effectively than those who weighed themselves less frequently. For example, a study published in PLOS One looked at the relationship between frequency of weighing and weight loss over time. [2]

Over a long period of time, researchers have looked at whether there is a connection between how often people weigh themselves and their weighing results. They found that those who weighed themselves daily lost significantly more total weight (compared to groups with weighing intervals of 1-6 days, 7-29 days, and more than 30 days). That is, people with longer intervals between weigh-ins lost extra pounds much more slowly and in smaller quantities.

The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published the results of the study, which looked at symptoms of depression, body condition, changes in behavior, eating and hunger in people who weighed themselves every day and those who weighed themselves less often. The results showed that those who weighed themselves more often lost more weight, but no significant differences in psychological well-being were found. [3]

People who monitored their weight daily showed better food restraint, were less sensitive to hunger, and had increased vitality. [4] Other studies also confirm these findings. [5-8]

Do you still not believe? Let's look at a group losing weight under the supervision of professionals. The National Weight Control Registry tracks thousands of people who have lost more than 30 pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year. More than 44 percent of respondents said they weigh themselves at least once a day. Also, 79 percent of respondents measure their weight at least once a week. [8]

Put it all together and you'll see that weighing yourself every day is an integral part of many people's long-term weight loss success.

Verdict

Can daily weighing show unexpected results? Definitely. Often times, people will see weight gain on a certain day and will severely cut back on their diet or make other similar drastic decisions. But with the right approach and nuance, a daily weighing habit can be a useful tool. Just remember, the number itself doesn't mean that much. Look at the trend over time.

So now you should weigh yourself every day without exception? Not certainly in that way. Although there are positive results in studies of daily weighings, it is not always necessary and not everyone needs to do it that often. Among the main reasons, people have blind faith in the readings of scales.

The fact is that weighing is only one of many components of progress. Physical activity, appearance, body size, energy, fat percentage - all these indicators are also important, but they cannot be measured as easily as weight. There is an opinion that for people who are not sufficiently enlightened in the field of fitness, scale readings are too important and scale readings can greatly demoralize them.

If you feel the strength not to react to jumps in the scale readings when weighing yourself every day, this will be healthy and useful for you, you will achieve success faster - this is proven by statistical science. If you react sharply to slowdowns and even to the periodic deviation of the scale needle in a direction that is unnecessary for you, then it would be wiser to weigh yourself 2-3 times a week or even less often.

But you should understand that sometimes the weight stays the same for several days or even weeks, but at the same time important changes occur in the constitution of the body and in strength indicators. If this is the case, it is important not to get depressed, continue to exercise and eat a healthy diet. Make sport an integral part of your life and the numbers on the scale will sooner or later show the expected result!

Notes

1. Heckerman, C. L., Brownell, K. D. & Westlake, R. J. (1978). Self and external monitoring of weight. Psychological Reports, 43(2), 375-378.
2. Helander, E. E., Vuorinen, A. L., Wansink, B. & Korhonen, I. K. J. (2014). Are Breaks in Daily Self-Weighing Associated with Weight Gain? PLOS One, 9(11): e113164. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0113164.
3. Steinberg, D. M., Tate, D. F., Bennett, G. G., Ennett, S., Samuel-Hodge, C., & Ward, D. S. (2014). Daily self-weighing and adverse psychological outcomes. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 461), 24-29.
4. O'Neil, P. M. & Brown, J. D. (2005). Weighing the evidence: benefits of regular weight monitoring for weight control. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 37(6), 319-322.
5. Jeffery, R. W., Bjornson-Benson, W. M., Rosenthal, B. S., Lindquist, R. A., Kurth, C. L. & Johnson, S. L. (1984). Correlates of weight loss and its maintenance over two years of follow-up among middle-aged men. Preventive Medicine, 13(2), 155-168.
6. Jeffery, R. W. & French, S. A. (1997). Preventing weight gain in adults: Designed, methods and one year results from the Pound of Prevention Study. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 21, 457-464.
7. Klem, M. L., wing, R. R., McGuire, M. T., Seagle, H. M. & Hill, J. O. (1997). A descriptive study of individuals successful at long-term maintenance and substantial weight loss. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 66(6), 239-246.
8. Butyrn, M. L., Phelan, S., Hill, J. O. & Wing, R. R. (2007). Consistent self-monitoring of weight: A key component of successful weight loss maintenance. Journal of Obesity, 15(12), 3091-3096.

Other Factors to Maintain Consistency

When measuring weight, a person wants to know his own weight, without the weight of his clothes. Therefore, to accurately measure weight, a person must stand on the scale naked. If this is not possible, the person must be consistent. For example, wearing the same shoes every time you weigh yourself. It is important to note that a person will weigh more after eating and less after exercise due to water loss through sweating. This factor is another reason why the best time to weigh yourself is in the morning, before a person eats or exercises.