How Often Should I Weigh Myself?

A common mistake that people make when dieting is the daily or “spot” weight check. This, however, leads to a lot of confusion and frustration. Why did I seemingly gain 5lbs? Why am I not losing weight? All of these frustrating questions can occur with too frequent weight checks. On the other hand, some people entirely avoid the scale and never weigh themselves. This too is a mistake. It directly leads to silent weight gain.

You should weigh yourself once per week and at the same time of day each week. Why? You can fluctuate in weight quite a bit over the course of a single day. For instance, I personally fluctuate up to 5lbs each day. This weight fluctuation is due to the weight of the products in and out of your body. The majority of the fluctuation is fluid balance. You should weigh yourself each week regardless of whether you are dieting or simply maintaining your weight. This prevents silent weight gain, particularly after you have worked so hard to lose all that weight. We recommend that you pick one day a week (i.e. Sunday) and weigh yourself at the same time of day. Our weights are at a minimum first thing in the morning before we eat or drink, so it is recommended that you weigh yourself upon awakening (i.e. Sunday morning).

What if I am not losing weight? If you are not losing weight then you need to take a hard look at your diet and exercise routines. If you find that you are not losing weight, but are doing a lot of resistance exercises, you may be gaining muscle mass and decreasing fat. We recommend that you purchase a fat caliper to monitor your body fat percentage so that you can track the actual amount of fat on your body. It may very well be that you are actually losing fat. The scale is unable to differentiate fat from muscle.

Alternatively, you may not be losing weight at all. Why? You need to take a hard look at your diet and analyze it closely. You must, more than anyone else, track your daily calories. Learn more about tracking your calories.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. We want to help you succeed.

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How Often Should I Weigh Myself