Your Scale and You
Unlike other plans that recommend weighing in weekly or less often, we advise you to weigh yourself daily. "Daily?" you ask. Yes! Studies show that people who weigh themselves daily are more successful at long-term weight loss than those who weigh themselves weekly. Experts speculate that frequent weigh-ins remind you of your goals and help keep you motivated. At the Duke Diet & Fitness Center (DFC), we feel that an essential part of this daily weighing strategy is tracking your weight on a graph. A graph helps you to see the big picture: Rather than focusing on one day's number, you're looking at trends over several days, weeks, or months. There's nothing more motivating than seeing that line move downward over time! We also like graphs because they can help you to become accustomed to the fact that the number on the scale does fluctuate each day. The line won't always move downward, and that's okay. Weight normally varies from day to day, based on factors like how much water your body is retaining, among others. We find that seeing these normal fluctuations on a graph keeps our clients at the DFC from getting discouraged by them — they look past the little ups and downs and focus on the larger trends. Another advantage to graphing with daily weigh-ins is that it helps you self-monitor more effectively. If you see your weight beginning to trend in the wrong direction, you can take steps to nip that trend in the bud. Of course, weighing in daily isn't right for everyone. If you've ever had an eating disorder like anorexia or bulimia or if you find it extremely upsetting to get on the scale, you should talk to your doctor or mental health–care provider. Otherwise, give it a try and see how it works for you! If daily weighing is a good strategy for you, we encourage you to keep it up — even after you meet your weight goals. Research has shown that people who've lost weight and continue to weigh themselves regularly afterward are better able to keep the weight off. So plan to make your friendship with your scale a lifelong one. Doing so will greatly increase your chances of both short-term and lifelong success.
How Often Should I Get On The Scale
It depends who you listen to. Although many respected experts on weight loss such as Weight Watchers do not recommend daily weighing, researchers at the University of Minnesota studied 1,800 people who were dieting and found the people who weighed themselves daily lost more weight over a two year period than the people who only weighed themselves once a week.
But, on the other hand, the biggest reason for not weighing daily is that it can lead to an unhealthy obsession with the scale and ultimately lead to eating disorders. So although for some people it may be beneficial to weigh themselves daily while trying to lose weight, anyone who has had an eating disorder shouldn't weigh themselves daily. To help you decide if weighing yourself daily while dieting here's some pros and cons of daily weigh-in:
Pros
Can help a person stay motivated.
Can be a daily reminder to stay on the diet and stay focused with losing weight.
Can quickly show you when you are getting off your diet (several days in a row of weight gain are a tip-off and a sign to be more vigilant in with your eating and exercise plan).
Makes you more accountable to yourself
Cons:
Could lead to scale obsession and ultimately an eating disorder in some people.
Daily weighing can lead to discouragement because of fluctuations in weight that can occur on a daily basis from water retention, especially for women when their menstrual period nears.
Weight can also fluctuate during the time of day so if a person gets on the scale in the morning one day and then in the afternoon the next day, he or she may see a "false" weight gain. It's one of the reasons many experts recommend weighing yourself weekly, and also tracking your progress by noting how your clothes are starting to feel looser and by using a tape measure to take your measurements. It's hard to see progress on a daily basis. A weight loss of about two pounds a week is considered healthy but unless you have a scale that shows your weight in tenths of a pound, you won't see that progress showing up on a daily basis. Only you can decide how often to weigh yourself will work best for you. If you need a regular reminder of the goals you are striving for, you may want to weigh yourself daily. If you think you will get frustrated and give up if you see a day where your weight does not go down or where it temporarily rises, you should probably weigh yourself once a week, twice at the most.
Keep a diary for triggers that hinder weight loss
Keeping a food diary can be a huge asset in successful weight loss. Devote some time each day to record what you have eaten and how much, your hunger level prior to eating, and any feelings or emotions present at the time. A food diary can provide a large amount of self-awareness. It can identify emotions and behaviors that trigger overeating, foster greater awareness of portion sizes, and help you discover your personal food triggers. Study any patterns that emerge from your food diary and identify where you may be able to make more healthful changes. A food diary provides an added benefit of keeping you focused on and committed to your goals. Start keeping a food diary today.
Try to remember that "losing 15 pounds in two weeks" is nothing to celebrate. It is important to realize that the more quickly weight is lost, the more likely the loss is coming from water and muscle, not fat. Since muscle tissue is critical in keeping our metabolism elevated, losing it actually leads to a decrease in the amount of calories we can each day without gaining weight. Fat loss is best achieved when weight is lost slowly. Strive for a weight loss of no more than 1-2 pounds per week. One pound of weight is equivalent to 3500 calories. By making small changes like eliminating 250 calories a day from food and expending 250 calories a day from exercise, you can lose one pound (of mostly fat) per week