When I talk to people at Iron Fit in San Antonio, Texas, sometimes they question how well they’re workout is helping them with weight loss or praise the workout for helping them shed pounds. Then I find they’ve weighed themselves in the morning and after their workout to make that judgement. You can’t get an adequate read on your progress by weighing yourself every hour. For some, it can be counterproductive weighing every day. So how often should you weigh yourself?
If you get discouraged easily, weighing once a day may not be for you.
Your body goes through a number of changes every day, some are more permanent than others are. For example, if you just drank a ton of water and weighed yourself, you’d probably weigh more than you would if you didn’t. Sometimes, water retention that can occur for a day or two, can make a big difference if you’re hoping to shed that last few pounds. Water retention can cause you to weigh more for a short time and then disappear. It can be quite depressing to see, but isn’t because you’ve done something wrong. The reverse is also true. You can get a false picture if you weigh less after you’ve binged on food the previous day. It’s a negative reinforcement.
Another study countered that belief.
There are a lot of different studies with a lot of different results. Another study involving obese people had just the opposite result. The study lasted two years and showed that weighing more often actually helped the obese lose weight and reinforced new eating habits. It aided them in modifying their eating habits and preventing them from getting out of control.
It all depends on you and your personality.
While you won’t get an accurate picture in the short run, over the long term, no matter how often you weigh yourself, you’ll see the results. If you love tracking your progress, then by all means weigh in frequently, but just remember, your body weight fluctuates throughout the day and changes may not be permanent or show your real progress. Form your conclusions based on the difference in weight over a week’s time. You can use the information to chart your progress and include it in a weight loss diary.
- If you weigh in daily, make sure you do it at the same time every day. Most people find that the first thing in the morning is a good idea, before they eat breakfast.
- You don’t have to judge your progress simply by how much you weigh, use your clothing as your guide. Pick an outfit that’s tight and put it on once a month. If it’s looser the next month, you made progress.
- Sometimes you can lose inches instead of weight. Muscle weighs more per cubic inch than fat weighs. One pound of fat fills a container that’s larger than one pound of muscle. If you’re working out and building muscle, you may not have shed a pound, but lost inches and made progress to a better you.
- Weighing in is still important. It can help you identify plateauing. Plateauing occurs for several reasons, one of those reasons indicates you need to vary your workout. Your body burns fewer calories the longer it does the same workout, since it becomes more efficient at it.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio