Why I Weigh Everyday, and Maybe You Should Too

but first, a little background on how I came to weigh everyday…

My relationship with weighing myself dates back to my first attempt at losing weight. I was just 16 years old. In the beginning, I enjoyed my everyday weigh-in.

Weighing daily can be brutal because of weight fluctuations, but I don’t remember that getting to me back then. Maybe my weight just didn’t fluctuate that much, or perhaps I blocked it from my memory. I really don’t know.

After I lost 40 pounds, I switched to only weighing when I felt like it. I wasn’t against weighing daily or anything, but it added one more thing to my already rushed mornings. Once or twice a week though, I’d weigh in just to make sure I hadn’t gained 10 pounds since the last time I’d checked. Consistently stepping on the scale helped me keep my weight off for several years. That is up until I fell in love, started a real job, and I quit weighing myself altogether.

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My Weight Watchers Years

In adulthood, I kicked off my decade-long attempt at weight loss with the Weight Watchers Program. On this program, it was typical to weigh in once per week. I’m unsure what they practice now, but when I was in the program that’s what they encouraged. Weighing only once each week was a change for me, but I decided to do as the program advised and went along with it.

I came to enjoy weighing myself weekly. For one, it was convenient for this non-morning person who was always in a rush. It was also really nice to know that I wouldn’t be held accountable for my occasional overindulgent actions until weigh day.

Unfortunately, I developed an unhealthy habit where I would binge the day of a weigh in. Then try to play catch up and make up for it the rest of the week. My calories were anything but steady, my cravings were wild, and I was pretty darn hungry most the time. But, I was on a diet – I just figured this is how I was supposed to feel (it’s not) and trudged forth in misery.

Noom made me weigh everyday

After almost a decade on WW, I switched to Noom. When I joined the program last year, they encouraged a daily weigh-in. This made me EXTREMELY uncomfortable as I’d grown quite fond of that weekly weigh-in. I didn’t want to, but again, I was determined to follow the program as advised. So I weighed everyday, and to my surprise, it changed everything.

At first, it was really hard to step on the scale every morning. Apparently, I had become one of those people whose emotions and feelings of self worth were tied to a silly number. When the number went up, I’d feel like a failure. Then when it went down, I’d be on top of the world and have an extra pep in my step. A good day or a bad one was decided first thing in the morning based solely on the scale. It feels like so long ago now, but I remember as clear as day having my worth defined by the scale. It’s a terrible way to live.

It continued to be hard to consistently get on the scale, but managed to do it because of a gentle nudge from a friend. She kept telling me that the number is simply interesting and useful data to have, nothing more. “Have fun with it!” she said.

Come again? How could anyone find the painful morning ritual of weighing in and agonizing over the number fun? I didn’t know.

But I trust my friends, especially when they have been wildly successful in an area I’m trying to improve in, so I kept on steppin’ on the scale day in and day out. Then a crazy thing started happening! My feelings of wretched failure and over-the-top joy faded a little bit with each weigh in.

It happened so gradually I didn’t even realize it was happening.

Until one day when I stepped on the scale and felt absolutely nothing about the number that popped up. Oddly enough, that was the day I reached my all-time lowest weight: 146.2 pounds. I dreamed of the day I would weigh less than 150 since I was a teenager, yet there I was at 146 and totally indifferent. That’s when I realized the scale no longer had any power over me.

Now I’m living in a place where, not only do I have food freedom, but I also have scale freedom. I’ve achieved total and utter freedom solely because of calorie counting and daily weigh-ins. It sounds backwards, but that’s the truth. No more food labels, guilt, shame, or scale sorrow all because I started to track and weigh. Funny isn’t it? I weigh everyday, and I encourage you to as well. Here’s why:

Note to the reader: the mindset shift involving the scale can be a tough one to make, especially as a chronic dieter. Some of us may never fully be capable of it due to mental health issues, body dysmorphia, or disordered eating. But for many of us it is possible, and I know this simply from my own experience. You can use the scale to your advantage, but only you know what you are capable of handling. So please make an informed decision based off what is right for you.

Here are the top 3 reasons I think you should weigh yourself on a daily basis

1. Daily accountability

I’m not attached to the scale in an unhealthy way, but I’ll admit I do miss weighing in everyday when I’m traveling. Stepping on the scale each morning keeps me focused on my goals. When I see the number go up a tad, even when I know I’ve been doing everything right, it’s merely a great reminder to keep going strong. It motivates me to not let up or be lax with my healthy habits.

Likewise, when I step on the scale and my weight hasn’t changed, it simply confirms I’m on the right track. I acknowledge the information and keep doing what I do day after day. When my weight drops, again, it’s further reassurance that my hard work and dedication pays off. Regardless of what the scale reads, I feel empowered to keep going.

Because I’m going to let you in on a little secret: the scale is stupid. It can’t tell you anything besides your weight at a particular moment in time. Think about this – a scale can’t consider what time you ate dinner, if you had too much salt, if you are stressed, or anything else that could affect your weight day to day. It simply shows you a number.

That thing doesn’t know how your clothes are fitting or how toned you are or how good you feel. It doesn’t even have a clue what you look like. The one thing it knows is the force of gravity exerted on an object…you being that object. So, if it happens to spike one day, just walk away and think nothing of it. You know better because you are smarter than it. You know lots of things, and it doesn’t.

2. Data Collection

The main reason I weigh everyday is simply to collect data. My friend was right…it actually is fun to witness how my body reacts to certain foods. It helps me learn about what my body needs rather than assume this or that based on diet culture ideals or the opinions and experiences of others.

For example, I’ve observed that when I go out to eat, despite the inherent higher sodium intake, I hardly ever retain salt because my weight graph doesn’t spike in the least. That’s interesting, isn’t it? Especially because everyone is always talking about the salt spike from eating out.

It’s probably because I am super liberal with the salt shaker at home on a regular basis, so the sodium content of the meal out isn’t that far off from what I’m used to. Does this terrify you to learn this about my salt intake? Me too now that I mention it… might need to do something about that.

I’ve also learned that when my muscles are SORE from a workout, I will observe a pretty substantial spike in scale weight. Not only that, but it’ll take a few days for my body, and my weight, to recover back to status quo.

When I share weight graphs that do this…

And tell you that my calorie intake was consistently within my weight loss range, it’s hard to wrap your head around it, isn’t it? I find this information fascinating! I have learned through daily weigh-ins, diligent observation, and self-reflection how certain foods, workouts, biological factors, hydration levels, stressors – you-name-it! – directly affect the number on the scale.

After a year of collecting and studying this information, I’m no longer completely baffled by the weight fluctuation insanity.

Rather, I feel empowered. I love that I am able to use it to gain knowledge, and I have the power to control how I react to it.

Being cool, calm, and collected will serve you and your weight loss goals much more efficiently and enjoyably than having an emotional attachment to the number ever will. Stepping on that scale DAILY is like taking one little baby step toward scale freedom each morning.

It’s a chance to habitually process, sort, and separate your emotions from your weight. This conscious and deliberate daily practice of disconnecting your worth from the number might also help you take back the power the scale has over you.

3. It tells the full story

This is by far the most important reason to weigh yourself daily. Let’s look back at that roller coaster of a weight graph, and discuss the two points I’ve labeled A and B.

Had I stepped on the scale at point A, then not again until point B, I may have found myself questioning my methods and considering changing things up. I might have grown impatient and been tempted to drastically reduce my calories, which can be detrimental to maintaining consistency and adherence to any diet.

I might have even been tempted to binge, because obviously what I was doing wasn’t working! The scale told me so! But unless you weigh yourself each morning, you won’t know the whole story.

Luckily, I weigh everyday.

That means I am aware of my body’s fluctuation trends. I knew the scale had dipped low at point C, and when that happens it tends to spike back up for a few days before it promptly drops once again.

Having knowledge of my body’s trends keeps things predictable, which makes it easier to keep a level head. Instead of spiraling into a mess of what-ifs and whys out of confusion and anger, I’m encouraged. I continue to try because I’ve learned it will go back down, and stay down, if I do.

I weigh everyday, and This is why you should consider weighing daily too

The scale is a powerful tool to have on your weight loss journey. But you must decide if its powers will be used for good or for evil. So much good can come from the scale when you begin to appreciate it for what it really is – a piece of equipment that displays information. Then you can use that information to your advantage.

Hopefully, weighing daily will also end the control the number has over your mental space once and for all, as it has done for me. Once the ties connecting your weight with your worth are broken, you will operate on whole new weight loss level.

You NEED Support

I understand it’s hard to get to a place where you’re emotionally detached from the number on the scale. And it’s even harder to get there alone. I know it’s difficult because I witness and help people through it every day in my weight loss community Mom’s Kids. Many of us, myself included, weigh everyday. Then we post and discuss our weight graphs daily.

We encourage each other to keep going, celebrate one another’s wins, both big and small, and lift each other up when things are tough. I’m inspired by my Kids each day, and am well on my way to seeing new lows – in a good way! With my trusty scale and army of support by my side, I’m doing this weight loss thing. Are you?

Having someone hold my hand and encourage me – okay, drag me – through the hard parts of weight-loss (specifically weighing daily) is the only reason I didn’t quit. Every single day my support system keeps me going. If you don’t have one, let me take you under my wing.

You can have this change too, and the scale can help you get there.

Freedom is waiting for you…

Food freedom, scale freedom, more calories than you ever thought possible, and weight loss success are all right here waiting for you. You just need to take the first step. Join me.

P.S. My new PRINTED 12-week life and fitness planner is about to drop. I’m really excited about it, and cannot wait to start using it myself! Join my mailing list or Mom’s kids to make sure you get one! Only a limited number will be printed this first round. People in kids will have priority, Mom’s show favorites like that.

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Why I Weigh Everyday, and Maybe You Should Too