Weight loss is a tricky beast at times. Some individuals can see fairly rapid results while it may take others up to a few weeks (or even a whole month!) to see results during their transformation challenge.
Now, keep in mind that for the “average” individual “seeing results” means a smaller number on the bathroom scale. And, make no mistake, tracking your bodyweight is one of the key ways to assess whether your diet and exercise program is having its intended effect.
However…
The bathroom scale is NOT the only metric by which you should judge your progress, success or failure.
It is ONE metric that you can use, but it by no means is the only metric.
We suggest using a combination of factors to assess progress during a weight loss, muscle gain, or body recomposition phase, including such things as:
- Body weight
- Tape measure
- Progress photos
- Log book (are your weights reps increasing, staying the same, or decreasing?)
This multi-faceted approach gives greater clarity and granularity as to the quality and progress that you are making.
With that being said, you still might wonder how often should you weigh yourself to assess your progress -- daily, weekly, monthly, hourly, etc.
Let’s discuss…
Daily Weigh-In
Daily weigh-ins are by far the most commonly practiced method of checking body weight. It’s pretty simple -- wake up, use the bathroom, step on the scale. Doing so is easy, takes little time, and gives a quick update on where you are.
That being said, it’s important to keep in mind that your bodyweight will fluctuate from one day to the next…it’ll even fluctuate during the same day as well.
In everyday life, this means that from one day to the next your bodyweight could fluctuate as much as an entire pound (or three!), depending on a variety of factors, including how much sleep you had, how much water you drank, stress levels, and what you had to eat during the day.
Does this fluctuation in weight reflect actual fat gain?
No.
It is almost always the result of fluctuations in water retention (aka water weight).
Now, if you’re someone who understands this and realizes that bodyweight can change daily, then daily weigh-ins can work for you. Just keep in mind that when doing daily weigh-ins that you want to be looking at the weekly average and keeping track of the trend.
However, if even slight fluctuations in weight from one day to the next (say 0.5 pounds) negatively affect your mood and/or cause you to lose motivation for eating right and training hard, then you may want to consider one of the other options on this list.
The number on the bathroom scale is just ONE metric by which to assess the progress of your transformation challenge, but it by no means is the only metric by which to judge progress. Furthermore, the number on the scale is never a measure of self-worth. Too many people become dejected because they haven’t hit some “magical” number that they thought they should be on the bathroom scale.
This is why we say tracking bodyweight is just one metric to gauge progress. The bathroom scale cannot tell you how much muscle you’re building, how much fat you’re losing, how much water weight you’re dropping, etc. It simply reports a number without much context or insight into the components of that number (muscle, fat, water, etc.).
Keep this in mind regardless of how often you weigh yourself.
With that being said, let’s move onto the next type of weigh-in…
Weekly Weigh-In
Weighing yourself weekly entails only measuring yourself one time per week. Ideally, this would be done on the same day at the same time (e.g. first thing on Tuesday morning after using the bathroom before consuming any fluids or food).
This method allows you to track your weight without being so focused on tracking it everyday.
Weekly weigh-ins can be beneficial for those who are easily stressed out by minor fluctuations in weight that come with daily weigh-ins.
At the same time, if you know that you’re only weighing yourself one day per week, you may try to “cheat” the system by purposefully altering your diet the day/night before so that you’re lighter (e.g. using intermittent fasting, going low/no-carb, etc.).
Again, these tactics will help you weigh less on the scale, but is it an accurate representation of what your actual body weight is?
It will also take a bit longer to get a grasp for your rate of weight loss/gain since you’re only tracking your body weight once a week.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing though since fitness is a journey. A week or two of extra time getting a fix on your body weight fluctuations is nothing compared to the months, years, and decades ahead of you during your lifetime of living fit & healthy.
Occasion Weigh-Ins
Some individuals only weigh themselves when the spirit moves them, such as their yearly health assessment or doctor appointment. Typically, these individuals track their health and fitness using other means -- photographs, how their clothes fit, tape measurements, etc.
Never Weighing
Lastly, there are those individuals who never really track their body weight or willingly weigh themselves. Sure, they’ll have the occasional weigh-in at a doctor’s office or something, but by and large, they aren’t concerned with tracking their body weight with any regularity.
And, there’s really nothing inherently “wrong” with this approach.
Remember, we said that body weight is just one metric by which to assess health or progress during a transformation challenge…but it’s not the only one.
Find the tracking method(s) that work for you and work them until they don’t work anymore. This may mean the way that you’re currently tracking progress will be different 6 months or a year from now. The key thing to remember is to adapt as your desires, goals, and life circumstances change and evolve. With that mindset, you’ll be able to continue getting results, improving health, and living your best life ever, no matter what happens!
d large, they aren’t concerned with tracking their body weight with any regularity.
And, there’s really nothing inherently “wrong” with this approach.
Remember, we said that body weight is just one metric by which to assess health or progress during a transformation challenge…but it’s not the only one.
Find the tracking method(s) that work for you and work them until they don’t work anymore. This may mean the way that you’re currently tracking progress will be different 6 months or a year from now. The key thing to remember is to adapt as your desires, goals, and life circumstances change and evolve. With that mindset, you’ll be able to continue getting results, improving health, and living your best life ever, no matter what happens!
