Weigh ins? How often?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-07-2003
Weigh ins? How often?
14
Tue, 12-05-2006 - 8:23am

I am finding that I cannot go to the gym without weighing myself. I love to see it go down and am fearful that it will rise, etc. I also don't care if I am on my period or not - still gotta hop on that scale. Ironic seeing as I used to have a fear of the scale - I weigh myself to avoid getting that fear again. It's also handy for motivation.

So two questions, how often should one weigh themselves and does anyone know how much weight women typically gain during their periods?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-04-2003
Wed, 12-06-2006 - 1:23pm

Welcome Ag75!! And great job on losing those sizes!!


Monetsf, this is a great question and I think one everyone's struggled with. It seems as soon as you read one article about not weighing yourself but once a week, someone else tells you it's okay to weigh every day, and then another saying to throw out your scale all together.


Now I weigh myself every few days or whenever I'm curious. I think the frequency that you weigh yourself isn't necessarily indicative of obsessive behaviour, but your reaction to those numbers on the scale may be.


So if you weigh yourself one day and you are 140, and the next day you weigh yourself and you are 142 and you immediately jump on your treadmill and run for an hour then you might be a bit obsessive, but if you simply react by watching your snacking that is probably a more healthy reaction.


I used to assume that if people weighed themselves every day they must be totally obsessed with their weight, but I've realized that everyone has to find what works for them, sometimes that's every day, sometimes that's once a month!


iVillage Member
Registered: 01-16-2005
Thu, 12-07-2006 - 9:28am

I have an "official" weigh in day on Mondays. On that day I will also measure my body fat %. However, I will step on the scale several other times throughout the week.


It keeps me motivated. If I haven't lost weight on a couple of days I will push myself harder at the gym. If I gain a half a pound, I'll look at my diet from the previous day...did I eat more than I should have? Did I just have to much salt or not enough water? For me it helps to keep my focused and on track when I weigh myself more.


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
Fri, 12-08-2006 - 1:21am

I don't like to weigh myself more than once a week. Part of the reason I don't like to weigh myself every day is because I grew up with a mother who weighed herself every morning and every night (she still does). She will still say to me, "Oh, yesterday I weighed 139 and today I weigh 142!" She gets all upset, when in fact her weight has been within the same 5 pounds since I was a child (and I'm now 35!). I think it's wonderful that she is 62 years old and still weighs within 5 pounds of what she did in her 20s! I believe that in weighing herself so frequently, she is seeing fluctuations in water weight and chastising herself for these fluctuations, when in fact they are out of her control.


Anyway, I don't want to be

Avatar for lovmy2kids
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Fri, 12-08-2006 - 3:03pm

Applause and cheers to Island girl.....


First, before I comment on this statement I have to confess- I am a recovering scale addict.

 

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