How Often Should I Weigh Myself? Find Out What is Right For You

Posted: Nov 20, 2009 | Comments: 0 | Views: 31 | Bookmark and Share

If you have ever been on a diet then it is likely that this question has gone through your head.  The answer really depends on you and what is right for you.  This article will help you determine how often is good for you based on how the scale makes you feel.

First of all it is important to keep in mind that daily changes in your weight are not the same as fat loss or fat gain.  Your body weight can fluctuate as much as 2 to 4 pounds a day based on your body's water retention that comes from eating a big meal, consuming excess salt or other body needs.

Because your weight can fluctuate so drastically in a 24 hour period, weighing-in on a daily basis can put you on a rollercoaster of emotions.  For instance, you can have a very successful day of eating and exercising and then excitedly step on the scale the next morning to get that reward of seeing a lower number yet have the scale show no progress, or (yikes!) a slight weight gain.

This is enough for many people to abandon their plan saying, "this diet isn't working" when in reality all you were seeing was a temporary fluctuation in water retention and if you stuck with your plan you very well may have noticed a drop the next day.  Still, this is an emotional rollercoaster than many dieter don't need.

Another option would be the weekly weigh-in.  This is an amount of time that usually shows a more accurate reading of your weight.  Yet because the average person will only lose 1 to 2 pounds per week you can still be disappointed if your daily weigh-in day corresponded with a day your body choose to retain fluids.

Okay, so you might see that you are prone to getting emotionally caught up in the scale so when you consider how often to weigh in you might want to consider putting a lock on your scale and only stepping on it once over 2 weeks or once every 4 weeks.  This is a length of time when you will see changes appear and those changes will be less influenced by the natural daily weight fluctuations.

Of course waiting for 2 to 4 weeks to pass does require patience but if you are prone to being emotionally involved in what the scale is telling you, then I do suggest you practice patience and weigh-in less frequently.

How often should I weigh myself?  It really comes down to your emotional involvement with the number on the scale.  If you can accept that your body weight will naturally fluctuate on a daily basis, sometimes up and sometimes down, then feel free to weigh daily but if you cannot handle the emotions then practice patience and weigh-in in less frequent intervals.

(ArticlesBase SC #1483738)

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