Consistency is key when it comes to exercise, diet, and weighing yourself. If you are trying to lose weight, how you weigh and measure your body is really important. So, let’s talk about how to weigh yourself.
It does not matter what tools you use to measure your body. You can use a fancy scale or just a standard scale and measuring tape. Sure, certain scales may be more accurate, but that doesn’t really matter. In fact, I tell my clients to ignore the numbers altogether and solely focus on if those numbers are going up or down. The main thing you should be tracking is change.
However, it is important that you use the same scale or body fat tracking method every time you measure yourself for a more accurate comparison.
You also need to consider when you are weighing yourself. The time of day you choose to weigh yourself does not actually matter. However, you do need to take your measurements at the same time everyday or every week. You do not want to compare you morning weight to your after dinner weight. These numbers will be very different. And it is normal for those numbers to be different. Your bodyweight increases throughout the day; so don’t be alarmed by this. Most people like weighing themselves in the morning because that is when most are at their lightest weight. If you want to see a smaller number on the scale it may be best for your mental health to weigh yourself in the AM.
The next question you may have is, what do I wear to weigh myself? My answer: as little as possible. You are weighing yourself, not your clothes.
Now the big question… how often should you weigh yourself? My advice for this varies person to person. If you are actively trying to lose weight, it is beneficial to weigh yourself once a week or even everyday. You will have a better idea of your average weight when you weigh yourself more often. However, weighing yourself this often can be stressful and disappointing for some because there is not much change day-to-day. Weigh yourself once a month if you want to see a bigger change in the scale every time you weigh yourself. Like with everything we have talked about today, just be consistent with your weigh in schedule.
Please keep in mind that although bodyweight, body fat and stomach measurements are good to track, those numbers should not control you life. If your weight is down one week and then up the next, do not get discouraged. There are a lot of reasons why your weight may fluctuate. Just keep doing your thing. Try to be accurate in your measurements. And don’t stress.