I constantly get asked my opinion of whether people should weigh themselves daily, weekly, monthly or yearly...
The answer should always be that people should jump on the scales whenever they are happy to, and want to. There is no such thing as an average dieter or a perfect amount of times to weigh yourself.
My advice generally would be...
Don't ever allow the scales to dictate whether you have a good day or a bad day. I have seen a lot of people get weighed and then either spend the day gloriously happy because of the result or really depressed because of the result.
The reality is that a set of scales is merely one measure of how well you are doing with your health. It is not the answer to everything and actually how you FEEL is more important than whether you have gained a pound or reduced a pound.
But people do tend to live on their last result when doing a diet. My advice would always be to choose a diet that works for you, stick to it if you are happy to and then the weight will come off. If you are taking in less calories than you burn then ultimately you have to shrink so don't allow a set of scales from Argos to decide what mood you are going to be in.
In terms of the best time of the day to weigh then it's the same answer, it doesn't actually matter. I would always say try and do it at the same time each time (you do weigh less in the morning than in the evening!) but please don't wake up in the morning and immediately head for the scales...
And don't weigh yourself, then have a wee, then weigh again to see the result, and don't go out for an evening meal and dive on them the minute you get in to see how bad the damage is!
To lose a pound of fat you have to burn 3500 calories, to gain a pound of fat you have to overeat by 3500 calories...the maths are basic but true!
So what I am saying is that getting on the scales is great, keeping an eye on your health is great but people either hiding the scales (which is always a sign of denial), or weighing multiple times a day (which is obsessive) should step back, relax and look at all the other factors too.
I won't recommend an amount of times but when on a diet, a couple of times a week at the same time seems reasonable. Remember, being slim is all about finding moderation and this is no different!
Once you are slim there are all sorts of different studies out there. I read that you are twice as likely to remain slim if you weigh daily which I thought was interesting.
I now weigh once every week or so, but I will never let the result dictate how I feel! It is merely telling me a figure...and I know if I have been out and about and eating more than usual it will go up by a pound, and if I have been busy and playing a lot of sport then it will fall by a pound or two...but the less you worry about the result on the scales the easier life becomes.
I have been there and done the scales thing. I spent years hiding and then finding the scales, then weighing when I woke up, after a number one, after a number two, after a cup of coffee, after a meal, before bed etc etc. I was a slave to the scales and it is a very tiring way to live your life...if you wake up and your first thought is either food or weight related then it is time to change! Time to use the scales for what they are and just treat them like a tool.
I can remember standing on the scales and my heart falling through my backside when I used to look at the result. I would get back on and see if it has misread and I would then beat myself up at how terrible I was at dieting...I spent 20 years as a professional dieter and yet I never got slim! When I started to like myself a bit more and actually worked on the WHY? and not the mechanics of dieting then the results started to happen.
Remember that the scales are the same as your fuel gauge in your car in that they just tell you a result. You wouldn't be in a mood when you saw the result on there, so treat the scales as merely a roadsign on the way to slimdom.
Have a great weekend
Mike ;-)
