For most of us, monitoring our weight can be frustrating, scary, or just annoying. While most of us check our weight because we want to lose weight, some of us are actually trying to keep weight steady or gain weight. Here we will discuss why you may want to lose, gain, or maintain your weight, and how often you should check under different situations.
In general, there is no need to check your weight more than once per day. Your weight fluctuates a lot in a day. A small bottle of water may raise your weight by 1 lb, while an intense workout may cause so much sweat loss that you appear 3 lbs lighter. Once you normalize your weight by replacing lost fluids, or using the restroom, your weight may differ greatly. The stress of this drastically fluctuating number may make you confused or misled, and checking too much every day can lead to hyper-focusing on your weight and disordered patterns of eating.
Instead, Try to be consistent. Ideally, check weight in the morning, after using the restroom, and before eating for best results.
As always, these are very general guidelines. Your specific condition or combination of conditions may require a different monitoring schedule. Talk to your doctor about what is best for you. Your care team will help you with your nutrition needs and questions along the way.