The usual answer I hear to this question is that should weigh in no more than once a week. When I first started researching this topic, I thought it would be a simple answer based on what most people in public tell me is the right interval. I knew starting out with this topic what my answer would be, but there is also some interesting research on the topic worth discussing.
My answer to this topic, should be unsurprising. Know thyself! You need to respect the science, but also respect your psychology when deciding how often to weigh in.
What the science says
Many studies on weight loss and self-weighing highlighted that weight loss is greater for those who weigh in at least weekly. A systematic review of 12 studies found that weighing in regularly (anywhere from daily to weekly) resulted in BMI reduction of 1-3 points over several months compared with those who did not weigh in regularly.
A 2021 study of 10,000 participants highlighted that the number of kilos lost increased with the frequency of weigh-ins each week. Weekly weigh-ins correlated with greater weight loss, but daily weigh-ins resulted in an even greater level of weight loss. This finding was strongest in the overweight and obese category of people. The study also found that breaks in self-weighing resulted with weight gain.
Why would weighing daily work for you?
I can speak of my own experience as a daily weigher. I found it to be a clear reminder of the journey I was on. I weighed in, each morning (after using the toilet, and wearing the same weight clothing) and I started the day reminded of my health journey. With an understanding that weight may fluctuate during the week because of a variety of reasons (eating more, bowel movement cycles, bloating, menstrual cycle), you can look at the pattern through the week and not fuss too much on small weight changes day to day. Ultimately, you’re looking at daily patterns that add up to the result at the end of the week. Daily weigh-ins also showed me that there were small shifts happening, and if my 7th day weigh-in was elevated the trend was still good, and that higher weigh in may be due to a big meal still in my body, but wasn’t necessarily a failure for the whole week. Of course if that increased every day I would need to pay attention to it, but I had all this data from every day and I could connect that better to my choices each day. I felt in touch with body, and I felt connected to how my body felt after certain types of meals and how that related to the scale.
If you happen to have small losses on your daily weigh ins, this can be motivational.
Some people think daily weigh-ins may lead to an unhealthy obsession with weight. But it is really about your mindset when weighing. It’s just data. Try to separate that from emotions. I would also argue that a certain level of obsession is required to get ourselves out of our unhealthy habits. Where daily weigh-ins get a bad rep is due to obsessive weigh-ins seen with anorexia. It’s important to see these as very different scenarios. Anorexia nervosa weigh-ins do not bring with them the understanding of the body’s natural weight rhythms, or that weigh-ins and the number of the scale need not have emotions such as guilt or shame attached to them. The goal is health.
Why should you weigh in weekly?
You may choose to weigh in weekly if you may attach too much value to every day’s weigh-in. This may also be an opportunity to work on this issue and reflect on it as just a reminder moment and to understand the natural weight cycles of your body. If this is not something you can yet overcome and weighing in daily causes anxiety or demotivates you then weighing in weekly may be for you. Try to have other reminders daily though to keep you on track.
Know thyself
The key as always is to know yourself. Given weighing in daily may statistically result in the most weight loss, you could try this first for a few weeks or a month while keeping track of your emotions and evaluating the pros and cons for it’s sustainability. Or right now you may know that you have patterns of anxiety around weighing and you will stick to weekly weigh ins for now. This is an opportunity to evaluate for yourself some of your emotions related to this activity, and try to dismantle any unhelpful beliefs or emotions you may have. Ask yourself why you feel the way you do about weighing in and how you may flip the script to have a positive mindset about stepping on the scale.
How to weigh in
Weigh at the same time each day. Weigh wearing similarly weighted clothing each day (or no clothing at all). Your bowel movements also matter. Understand that urine and faeces in your gut may account for weight gain if you are not at the same stage in your bowel timeline.
It’s not all about the scale
Not losing weight, but seeing a change in your body. Try to remember that fat loss is the goal, not just weight loss.
Progress over perfection.
