Fitness Fridays: Scales

I hadn’t weighed myself in a while so I took out my scale the other day to do so and with that came the birth of this post. So what is really the best time to weigh yourself? According to various online sources  it’s the first thing in the morning; at least I have been getting that right I always weigh myself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Any other time that I have weighed myself outside of this time was to check if my weight fluctuated during the day and it did. I always marvel at the female body we are the only ones who can go to bed with a 30 inch waistline and wake up with a 34 inch waist line the next morning thanks to time of the month bloating issues. That being said both males and females experience weight fluctuations during the day.

Image source

Like I mentioned above first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is the best time to weigh yourself. Weekly and monthly weigh ins are preferable over daily weigh ins. It is also recommended to be consistent with this, that is weigh yourself at the same time on the same day of the week for example weigh ins every Monday at 7am or every first day of the month at 8am using the same scales. Daily weigh ins are discouraged because this may lead to disappointment which leads to frustration and binge eating which takes you right back to square one. However some people argue that daily weigh ins especially for overly obese people may be more accurate and beneficial than weekly or monthly weigh ins. To each his own I guess, I prefer monthly weigh ins. Do not forget to record your weight for each weigh in so as to be able to make an accurate comparison.

 

My weighing scale I have had it for years

Plateaus are normal even if you are exercising regularly and eating healthy. You weight may be at a plateau (standstill) but you are still losing body fat by exercising and eating healthy. Don’t let the numbers fool you. You may not see a drastic change on the scales but your clothes are getting looser people are commenting on how much slimmer you look…so keep calm and workout. Buy good quality scales apparently cheaper scales are less accurate than their more expensive counterparts so do your research and get the right scale. Do not place your scale on a carpet it will give you an inaccurate reading mine does so I always place it on bare uncovered floor. Ladies avoid weighing yourself at the time of the month (menstruation) you will be several pounds over your usual weight due to increased water retention. Your hormones are already raging you don’t want the tears flowing as well due to being “overweight” even with all the exercising and eating right you have been doing.

Disclaimer: the information in this post was derived from various online sources and personal experience. I am not a fitness expert or nutritionist so please feel free to contact your trainer, nutritionist or doctor for any weight loss and weighing advice.

How often do you weigh yourself?