When trying to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, one of the most important tools is tracking your progress on the scale. However, there is debate over whether it is better to weigh yourself every day or just once per week. There are benefits and downsides to both approaches. Here is an in-depth look at the pros and cons so you can decide which strategy may work best for you.
weighing yourself daily
Weighing yourself daily, meaning every morning when you wake up, has some potential advantages:
You can identify fluctuations
If you only weigh weekly, you may seem to suddenly gain or lose a few pounds from one week to the next. But with daily weigh-ins, you’ll notice smaller fluctuations. This allows you to identify patterns and causes. For example, you may see your weight go up after a high-sodium meal or down after a vigorous workout. Daily weighing provides more data points so you can better understand the minor ups and downs.
You can catch small gains before they become big
By weighing daily, you can identify subtle gains of a pound or two. This gives you the chance to modify your diet or exercise before those extra couple of pounds become 5 or 10 pounds. It’s much easier to lose 2 pounds than 5.
It improves accountability
Stepping on the scale each morning can keep you focused on your goals. The number provides instant feedback on your behaviors. Seeing the number creep up even slightly after a weekend of overindulging may motivate you to be more disciplined during the week. The accountability of a daily weigh-in can help ingrain your weight loss habits.
It allows you to identify patterns and causes
The more data you have, the easier it is to spot cause-and-effect relationships. For instance, you may notice that your weight rises after eating at a certain restaurant or when you skip your morning workout. The pattern can help you identify triggers for weight gain so you can avoid them.
It can provide a sense of control
When trying to lose weight, it’s easy to feel like you aren’t making progress quickly enough. Seeing the daily fluctuations in the scale can provide a sense of control. Even if the overall trend downward is slow, you can still see the small impacts of your healthy choices.
Potential Downsides to Daily Weigh-Ins
However, there are some possible downsides to consider with daily weigh-ins as well:
It can become obsessive
Stepping on the scale daily may lead to obsessively checking your weight multiple times per day. This excessive focus on your weight isn’t healthy mentally. It can also take away from listening to your body’s other cues, like energy levels and hunger signals.
It can be discouraging
Your weight will naturally fluctuate from day to day. Seeing it go up, even temporarily, can be frustrating when you want it to consistently trend down. This may negatively impact your motivation and discipline if you don’t have the proper mindset.
It may lead to extreme behaviors
In some cases, a small increase on the scale may lead people to engage in extreme dieting. They may severely restrict calories or engage in other unhealthy behaviors, which can be dangerous.
Water weight impacts readings
Your weight is affected by hydration status. Weighing daily means water weight fluctuations may make it seem like you have lost or gained actual body fat when that is not the case.
Bowel movements impact readings
Bowel movements play a role in your weight. Weighing right after using the bathroom means you may be several pounds lighter than the day before even if no true fat loss has occurred.
It focuses on the wrong things
While your weight is one metric, it does not provide the whole picture of your health and fitness. Daily weigh-ins reinforce the idea that weight is the most vital sign. But factors like body fat percentage, measurements, energy levels, and how your clothes fit offer valuable data as well.
Weighing yourself weekly
Weighing yourself just once per week, such as every Monday morning, may balance out some of the pros and cons of daily weighing:
It smooths out normal fluctuations
When you only weigh weekly, you avoid getting fixated on the small, normal ups and downs in your weight. Instead, you just see the overall trajectory.
You focus less on the number
Only weighing weekly may help you detach a bit from the number on the scale. You’re less likely to obsess and have emotional reactions to daily changes in weight.
It may be less discouraging
Seeing the longer-term weekly trend instead of daily blips may feel more encouraging. You can better see the progress as the weeks go by.
It reinforces discipline
Weighing weekly requires more patience and discipline. Even if you have slip ups during the week, you have to wait until your weigh-in day to assess the impact. This encourages consistency with your habits.
It focuses you on other metrics
Only weighing weekly means you will likely pay more attention to other indicators of progress. You may focus more on how your clothes fit, your body fat percentage, your energy, and other holistic health markers.
Potential Downsides to Weekly Weigh-Ins
However, weekly weigh-ins also come with some drawbacks:
You may miss short-term fluctuations
By only weighing weekly, you won’t observe the short-term impacts of different factors on your weight. You may miss out on helpful data points.
You have less accountability
When you only weigh weekly, it can be easier to stray from your healthy habits during the week. Without the daily measurement, you lose some accountability.
It may delay modifying behaviors
Only seeing your weight go up once a week means you won’t be alerted to problematic habits until your next weigh-in. This delays your ability to course correct.
You could miss gradual gains
If your weight creeps up slowly, a weekly weigh-in might not show the gain for several weeks. This prevents early intervention before the extra pounds pile on.
Water weight impacts readings
Just like with daily weigh-ins, hydration status can make your weekly readings higher or lower than your true weight. But because weekly weigh-ins are less frequent, the impact of water weight fluctuations is greater.
Tips for Weighing Yourself
Whether you opt to weigh daily or weekly, make sure you use proper technique:
- Weigh at the same time of day – Weight fluctuates throughout the day so choose a consistent time, like first thing in the morning after using the bathroom.
- Weigh in the same conditions – Weigh yourself unclothed for consistency. Also control for variables like empty bladder, before eating, and after similar activities.
- Use the same scale – Different scales may give different readings so stick to one scale.
- Calibrate scale – Make sure your scale is calibrated properly for accuracy.
- Record the data – Tracking your weight over time provides helpful context for interpreting the number.
- Smooth data – Consider looking at the trend line rather than individual points to gauge progress.
- Don’t overreact – Don’t dwell on or react strongly to individual readings as weight naturally fluctuates.
Other Progress Metrics
While the scale provides helpful data, remember that it’s not the only metric that matters:
- Body measurements – Track measurements of your waist, hips, chest, thighs, etc to gauge fat loss.
- Body fat percentage – Can be measured via calipers, smart scales, or other devices.
- Clothing fit – How loose your clothes feel can indicate changes.
- Before/after photos – Visual progress as you lose fat.
- Energy levels – Losing fat and gaining fitness should improve energy.
Conclusion
There are reasonable arguments on both sides of whether to weigh yourself daily vs weekly. Here are some key takeaways on deciding which may be best for you:
- If accountability and data are most important, daily may help you stay focused.
- If avoiding obsession and negativity are priorities, weekly is likely better.
- Consistency with timing and circumstances improves accuracy of readings.
- Consider both the number on the scale along with other progress indicators.
- Allowing time between weigh-ins helps smooth out normal fluctuations.
- Not attaching emotions to each data point is key for motivation.
- Tracking weight over time provides insights into causes of changes.
- Use weigh-ins as feedback to adapt behaviors and stay on track.
- Focus on the overall trend rather than individual readings.
In the end, choose the weigh-in frequency that keeps you motivated while not becoming counterproductive. Be consistent with timing and protocol for most useful data. Consider both the scale and other metrics to gauge your progress. Stay focused on your goals and don’t get discouraged by normal fluctuations.