Quick Question of the Day: How Often Should I Weigh Myself?
Q: How often should I weigh myself?
A:
Well, I actually have two different answers to this common question, since it depends on the type of person you are.
I say, go ahead and weigh yourself once a day, that is if you do it in a sane manner. If you choose this method, you need to understand that weight fluctuates depending on your hydration level, how much you eat the day before, whether or not you are PMSing, and how active you were the day before.
For example, if you ate really crappy and are about to start your period, your weight is naturally going to be a little higher than usual.
So if your weight goes up 2 pounds one day, down 3 the next, you’re still staying in your range. However, if suddenly your weight sky-rockets up 5 to 8 pounds one week, you’ll know you need to either cut back on those extra sweet treats at night or up your workouts a bit.
So, if you can understand the causes of the ups and downs, you are a candidate to be one who hops on that scale daily.
For those of you who will drive yourself nuts seeing that darn number fluctuating so much, weigh yourself once a week instead. Your weight should stay around the same number, give or take a pound. If it’s not, then you know you need to crack down on the problem.
So take some time to figure out what kind of person you are, and weigh yourself accordingly. Don’t drive yourself nuts over it though; it’s just a number and a scale is never something to be afraid of.
I once went through a phase where I was petrified of the scale, and refused to weigh myself, and I hopped on one day a month later to find I had gone up a whopping 10 POUNDS! Therefore, stick to daily or weekly weigh-ins so the number will never creep up on you as it did me.
One more thing: no matter what method you choose, I recommend hopping on the scale at the same time each day, preferably right upon waking before you eat breakfast. And weigh yourself in the nude, because after all, that’s your truest weight.
