When you’re trying to lose weight, weighing yourself regularly can be stressful. Daily weigh-ins show major up-and-down movements that leave you confused, and you have three different Excel spreadsheets to average your progress over time. We’ve all been there. But what are you supposed to do?
As a trainer and nutritionist, I stress to my clients that there are other ways besides a scale to track their weight loss progress. In fact, I believe some of them are much better than weighing yourself, and others help fill out a fuller picture. Here’s everything you need to know about different ways to track your progress — and how to avoid obsessing too much over any of them.
What are the downsides to only weighing yourself?
Weighing yourself can be an easy way to track the progress of fitness and weight loss goals. However, it doesn’t always present a clear picture. For example, if you’re losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, the number on the scale might show a disappointing lack of progress that doesn’t reflect reality. Even the American Heart Association says that weighing yourself can lead to anxiety and isn’t the only measure of your progress.
Additionally, weighing yourself can make you focus too much on the short term. If you’re doing a crash diet, your weight goes down quickly and makes you feel good about yourself — but it’s likely to rebound quickly, too. Focusing only on the scale can make you shortsighted. Longer-term metrics, on the scale of months, might help you step back and see the bigger picture.
How else can you measure progress?
There are a lot of ways to measure your fitness progress other than just using your weight. A simple way to track progress is to measure your body, especially in areas that hold a lot of fat, like your waist and hips. You can get a low-resolution version of this measurement just by paying attention to how your clothes fit, but if you want a more definite way to track your progress, measure the circumference of your body.
An even simpler method is to compare how you look in pictures taken on a weekly or monthly basis. This works best over scales of a month or more; you probably won’t see much difference for time frames under two weeks. However, it can help you see that you’re moving in the right direction.
Keeping track of how you feel will give you the clearest picture of your overall body fitness in ways other measurements, even weighing yourself, can’t. On the other hand, it’s difficult to quantify. You should be able to tell what foods, diets, and exercise routines make you feel light and energized versus which ones make you feel sluggish, but it’s harder to tell how your progress is really going on long-time scales if this is your only method of measurement.
The highest level of accuracy is measuring your body fat percentage, which is the percentage of your body weight that’s fat compared to muscles, bones, and organs. After all, a 250-pound man could be overweight, or he could be a bodybuilder with high amounts of muscle, and the BMI can’t tell the difference. Body fat measurement can. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to accurately measure at home.
When does the number on the scale really matter?
With all of that said, there are some times when weighing yourself is the best measurement. If you’re competing in a sport, for example, keeping yourself to a certain weight might matter. This is especially important in sports like boxing, where your weight defines the class you compete in.
Another reason weighing yourself might matter is if you need to lose weight for health reasons. If your doctor has recommended weight loss, or if you just feel like you need to lose weight for your health, the number on the scale may be a good measure to take into account. It’s still best to weigh yourself only once a week, which makes it easier to see your progress unrelated to small fluctuations, such as water weight.
Finally, you might also like to weigh yourself regularly if you enjoy it! If you’re the type of person who likes to keep detailed logs of your exercise, calculate macros, and graph your weight over time, knock yourself out. Make sure it isn’t affecting your mental health or making you anxious, but if you’re doing it because you’re the kind of person who enjoys logging and organizing everything, there’s absolutely no reason not to.
How often should you weigh yourself while maintaining?
For most people, weighing daily isn’t necessary. This applies to when you are losing weight, but it is especially true when you are just trying to maintain a healthy weight. The reason daily weigh-ins are usually unhelpful is because your weight can fluctuate a lot. Drinking more water one day, exercising more one day than another, or even your bowel movements can change the number on the scale, creating the illusion of weight change that’s actually due to more temporary measures.
A better period is once a week, or even once every two weeks, if you’re just maintaining weight. Once a month might be too long; major changes can happen within that time without you realizing it. You can be flexible with what works for you; any time period between a week and a month should work just fine.
How to have a healthy mindset around progress
Every few weeks or months, you should ask yourself how your progress is affecting your emotional and mental health. Are you enjoying the process? Or is it making you stressed and anxious? If you find that measuring your progress is making you anxious or worried, it might be a good time to step back and take a break from monitoring.
You can also try various stress reduction practices, like mindfulness, to see if they help you. If you experience very high anxiety levels, struggle with your body image, or have any kind of eating disorder, you might also want to try seeing a therapist or other professional. They can offer personal and relevant advice to help you along your journey.
Frequently asked questions
Is your true weight morning or night?
There is no one magical “true weight.” However, fluctuations in your weight are introduced throughout the day and largely smooth out overnight as your body digests and processes the previous day’s food, so you’ll get a more consistent, accurate measurement in the morning.
Is it true you gain weight before losing it?
This can happen in some circumstances, such as when you start a new exercise routine. It’s possible for the muscle gains to outpace the weight lost in the first few days. However, this doesn’t always happen.
Can weight fluctuate by 10 pounds in a day?
According to the Mayo Clinic, “For people within a healthy weight range, the average fluctuation is a window of about 5 to 6 pounds per day (2 to 3 pounds in either direction).” Fluctuating by 10 pounds in a day is unusual except for people who are overweight.
