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Dieting & exercise

Do you weigh yourself every day?

(121 Posts)
JennyNotFromTheBlock Wed 02-Sept-20 06:14:49

The other day I saw an article devoted to how weighing yourself everyday can help you with weight loss and so on- here it is . Do you really believe that? It also says that weighing every day helps to "increase awareness of your weight and weight-related behaviors" but what about it increasing your anxiety? Have any of you felt it or is it just me being nervous about weighing myself every day? As a result I gave up doing it that often and now I walk up to my scales once a week. Am I the only one being scared of the scales?

Kate1949 Wed 02-Sept-20 13:04:54

I weigh myself every day. If I go up a pound or two, then I cut back and get that pound or two off. I am not really overweight and find this method works for me. I read somewhere recently that this is being recommend by some health professionals, although I can't remember where I read it.

janeainsworth Wed 02-Sept-20 13:01:18

I would have thought that overall, the idea of healthy eating > healthy weight was actually a good one to communicate to a grandchild, milliemabel, since being a healthy weight doesn’t always mean losing weight. It means being the optimum weight for your height, bone structure etc. Thinner isn’t always better and some people might weigh themselves to make sure they’re not under-weight.
But obviously it depends on the grandchild.
An over-anxious 11 year-old who is already worried about her appearance & conforming to societal expectations is a different matter from a tubby 7-year old who stuffs his face at every opportunity.

fluff Wed 02-Sept-20 13:00:31

Yes, I do, but as weight fluctuates daily I add all the weights for a week then divide by seven, once you have this average weight you can see each week if you are genuinely gaining or losing, it doesn’t cause me any anxiety, but we’re not all the same,I feel that you should do what you’re comfortable with.

biba70 Wed 02-Sept-20 12:55:55

why would anyone want to do that? Certainly do not.

soldiersailor Wed 02-Sept-20 12:54:23

I'm as skinny as a rake, always have been, aged 74, fairly active and find it far easier the lose weight than to put it on. I don't take any unnecessary exercise. Diabetic to boot, inherited from my mother and grandmother. I weigh myself about twice a year. If I remember.

Milliemabel Wed 02-Sept-20 12:47:32

Weighing yourself everyday can lead to obsessive behaviours around calorie intake/weight management etc.
This could then potentially trigger an Eating Disorder.
I think it's worth considering the impact an innocent daily weigh in can have on an impressionable grandchild.
I appreciate this is only my opinion but for both young, old, male and female, there is a very fine line between healthy monitoring and slipping over into dangerous territory.
My scales were thrown out in 1992 and I have never weighed myself since.

MawB2 Wed 02-Sept-20 12:47:31

Yes I do weigh myself every morning and depending on what I see I sometimes stand on one leg, hold my breath and steady myself on the towel rail.
Easiest way I know to lose half a stonegrin

annep1 Wed 02-Sept-20 12:38:57

I weigh myself almost every day. I have a bmi of 22.5 and I don't want to put on weight. For health reasons and also because I look and feel good at this weight. If I put on a pound or two I cut back until I lose it again.

allium Wed 02-Sept-20 12:36:42

I've done this daily since my 20s (now in my 70s), just keeps an eye on things and very simple if up one day, just cut down a bit for a day or two, seems to work quite well.

M0nica Wed 02-Sept-20 12:35:33

EileenVannin it is because ones weight varies from today for all kinds of reasons, not just water retention, that daily weighing is so good. You soon realise what your normal range of weight is, treat the occasional ludicrous weight, up or down, with the casualness it deserves and, providing you stay within your weight comfort zone, can then wander offer and enjoy your food, without constant guilt feelings.

A morning weigh-in becomes as casual an action as your morning shower.

Seajaye Wed 02-Sept-20 12:31:09

I do believe it is true that regular weight checking is generally beneficial but I think that is because people who do so are generally interested in their health. Once a month is usually enough for me. It's ust regularly enough to remedy an extra weight gain before it becomes a significant problem. I can usually tell if I have put on a few pounds by the waistbands on my clothes. Any weight I have put on, post menopause, has arrived on my torso rather than elsewhere.

DanniRae Wed 02-Sept-20 12:30:21

I haven't weighed myself for years - if my clothes are tight I know to cut back!

Nonnie Wed 02-Sept-20 12:26:07

MawB2 Wed 02-Sep-20 11:08:26. I stand corrected but would point out that there has been some recent research with the same result.

schnackie Wed 02-Sept-20 12:24:06

I'm with the "I weigh everyday" crowd. I'm just 4'11" (down from 5' sad in my youth) so a few pounds can make a big difference. I started doing it when I was in nurses training - no connection to the activity - and it's just a habit. Helps to keep me on the straight and narrow.

lizzypopbottle Wed 02-Sept-20 12:15:49

I practise calorie restriction by doing 5:2 fasting. When I first started, several years ago, I weighed myself twice a week, first thing after a fasting day. This was to check my progress. My weight is now pretty stable and I get weighed occasionally, just to check. I find a more reassuring check is my waist measurement. If it's below 30" I'm happy. It's actually 28" and I'm 5'6" tall. Ideally, your waist should be less than half your height. Even so, I only measure now and then. Even at my most obsessed, when I filled in a table of stats using my WW all-singing-all-dancing scales, I still only did it twice a week. I rarely get on them nowadays.

ElaineRI55 Wed 02-Sept-20 12:14:01

I think there is some evidence that weighing ourselves every day helps us to get into the right frame of mind to lose weight. I weigh myself every day at the same time and do see fluctuations but can see if I am on a downward trend.
I've also just got a step counter watch which I find makes me think about doing a bit more and going out for a walk if it is very low.
For me, it is being generally aware of what I eat, what I weigh and how many steps I have done that keep me motivated to lose weight.
My husband had a triple bypass, osteo and rheumatoid arthritis and now has an aneurysm. A few years ago, he managed to get from 19 stone down to about 12 stone. I don't think he would be here now or would be in a wheelchair if he hadn't lost that weight, so it can be vital for some folk to lose weight.
Overall, I think we should each find something to help us keep track that's comfortable for us and not get obsessed with exact calorie intake or having to do 10,000 steps - then getting down when we don't hit the target.
Good luck everyone who's trying to keep your weight down.

Patticake123 Wed 02-Sept-20 12:03:42

I lost just over two stones and managed to maintain that loss for a year, however, I’m beginning to recognise it is creeping back on and this posting today is a wake up call that I need to start weighing myself regularly again. With such a high percentage of the population either overweight or obese and also far too many people with type 2 diabetes, if a daily weigh in helps people to curb their appetite, then it is a good idea.

Cs783 Wed 02-Sept-20 12:03:18

I’m currently on enforced break from routine daily weigh-in. We’ve moved recently and I carefully did NOT note which box the scales are in. I’d noticed that if my weight had dropped one morning I overcompensated that day (ooh yes another serving, thank you ).
It will be interesting to see if I’ve actually self-regulated better without the scales. And if you hear a wail you’ll know I haven’t!

Keeper1 Wed 02-Sept-20 11:55:50

I wish I had weighed myself at all then I wouldn’t be at least a stone too heavy

Happyme Wed 02-Sept-20 11:51:50

Weigh myself most days, don't think I obsess over it though I have been guilty of this in the past. Nowadays I aim to keep within a weight range of 5lb ( don't do metric blush) rather than set a specific target weight. Works for me, when I reach upper end of range I cut back for a day or two, if I drop below lower end I indulge myself more. Weight can fluctuate by several pounds each day so weighing myself daily helps identify upward trend more rapidly and any gain can be remedied painlessly. Now where are the biscuits grin

Annaram1 Wed 02-Sept-20 11:48:18

I weigh myself every day and record it in my diary. If I put on even a pound I cut back. I do like my biscuits and chocolate so its fairly easy to cut back. If I left it to once a week I might put on 7 lbs which is more difficult to lose than 1 lb. Forget about water making you a bit heavy. So long as you stay fit and healthy a bit of water is unimportant. I have lost 7 pounds slowly over lockdown.

Barmeyoldbat Wed 02-Sept-20 11:45:34

Beat me to it Glorybee

Glorybee Wed 02-Sept-20 11:26:11

Gwenisgreat1

No, better things to do with my time!

It takes less than 10 seconds! ?

MawB2 Wed 02-Sept-20 11:08:26

Nonnie

The OP is referring to recent research which shows that weighing daily is more effective than weighing weekly.

It all depends upon your attitude to your weight, do you control it, does it control you, do you care?

Some of us have conditions which mean we have to be careful about what we eat, some don't. Some have health issues which mean they need to lose weight, some don't. Each of us has a choice whether to weight or not.

2017 is not all that recent Nonnie !

Tangerine Wed 02-Sept-20 11:06:37

I wouldn't say I weigh myself every day but I certainly keep a check on my weight. I'd say I weigh myself about three times a week. This is enough to keep an eye on things without getting obsessed.