Getting on the scale

Hey peeps!

Although my posts on my lifestyle change and weightloss may be irregular, my weighing scheme has been the opposite. However, the questions is : How often should you really be doing it?

I have heard some people say that you should weight yourself merely once a month while others claim that doing it weekly is the best. To be honest, I hop on the scale daily for a couple reasons.

Firstly, I am weighing myself every day to remind myself of the promise I have made to myself. I am only at the beginning of this whole lifestyle change and in a way, it reminds me that each decision I make in life affects also my body: for instance, the amount of sleep I get, what I eat as well as the amount of stress I have. Getting on the scale each day makes me think again buying and eating that whole cake just because I want to. Secondly, I am curious of my progress: I am still trying to figure out the real amount I should be eating and it is interesting to see how the weight starts to drop (I am a statistics junky at the end of the day). I am using My Fitness Pal  but I do not quite trust its advice on my daily need of calories (when I eat the amount it tells me to, I start loosing a lot and very quickly).

Although I get on the scale each and every day, I write the numbers down only once a week (the updates that I give you guys). This is to prevent me from getting too obsessed with the numbers. Honestly speaking, I can see myself stopping with daily weighing in the future and start doing it merely once or twice a week.

No matter whether you step on the scale daily or once a week/month, the basics of weighing yourself should stay the same in order to make it an efficient part of weight-loss:

                    1. Do it at the same time of the day

Your weigh varies throughout the day which is pretty understandable considering that you eat, exercise and so on. Therefore, it is important to get on the scale at the same time of the day.  I have a terrible memory so I have made it my habit to step on the scale every morning after going to toilet. It is also good to remember to do the official weighing on the same day of the week (for instance, I do it on Wednesdays).

                    2. Wear the same amount of clothing

It is pretty self-explanatory why this is recommended. As my clothing choices vary daily (thanks to the weather in the Netherlands), it is handy to weigh myself in the morning before putting on all the clothes.

                    3. Use the same scale

Each scale shows a slightly different number. Sometimes the difference can be minimal but sometimes it can be even kilos (oh the shock I had when I visited my parents and got on their scale)… If you are not able to visit a place with a scale regularly, maybe it is time to invest in a scale of your own.

                    Conclusion

I can understand why some people would think it is bad to get on the scale too often. However, I think the most important thing is to do whatever suits you the best (as long as you do it regularly).

Also, let’s remember that we are more than a number, shall we? I bet I am not the only one recovering from the obsession over the number that the scale shows. I used to determine my spirit of the day based on the numbers but that does not tell the whole truth: do you feel good in your body? Do you feel like you can live a happy life? Do you have a lot of muscles? Losing weight should not be a goal on its own… Do you agree?

How often do you get on the scale?

xoxo,
Hanna