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Re: Why i weigh daily
23 Nov 2013, 17:43
Whoa - really? Those last two are really good arguments.... I might have to finally get a reliable scale and use it....
Re: Why i weigh daily
23 Nov 2013, 19:02
Okay, count on the guys to bring up the rational arguments :smile:

Here's my response:

I believe you, @kencc, that the research supports daily weighing as a more successful strategy for more people, and I like your analogy, @ADFnFuel.

However,

1. I've never been a binge eater (in the traditional sense, not the eating disorder sense - though not that either), and although for most of my adult life I've been overweight, I've also stayed within the so-called "healthy" range of BMI.
2. We now have an entirely different WOE - 5:2 - than was ever used in past studies, and it's been a total game-changer for me. I've fairly steadily lost .5 to .6 pound per week since March without a significant lifestyle change.

Therefore, I think that for me, and for some people like me, for whom weight loss is not a high stakes game and for whom 5:2 works well, making daily adjustments in one's intake requires an increased focus on food that is not necessarily psychologically the healthiest approach. My husband has absolutely no awareness of his intake (he has a very healthy diet - I'm not referring to what he eats) - he simply eats when hungry and stops when full and has never known any other way, and I'm sure his BMI has never been above 20. This is the approach I will be trying to take, with a fast day per week for the non-weight loss benefits, starting after Christmas when I'm at goal.

I want to stress here that I don't at all think this is the "right" way, just mine. Check back with me in, say, November, 2014, and I'll let you know how it's working out :smile:
Re: Why i weigh daily
23 Nov 2013, 19:36
I would also encourage the use of the TRUE WEIGHT app, or any weight averaging app or computer program. It makes high weight days less discouraging when you see the trend line remains steady.
FINALLY, I hit my interm plateau today, 200 lbs (90Kg) after a month of almost being there. So feel back on track and now have hopes of losing another 15 lbs which is below my intial goal.
I haven't been at 200lbs in over 10 years, probably 15 years actually.
Re: Why i weigh daily
23 Nov 2013, 19:41
I weigh every day to keep myself on track. I have a much better understanding of how my body responds to fasting/eating days as a result. I couldn't just weigh weekly/monthly as it would constantly torture me, not knowing if I was still going in the right direction or not. If my weight increases, then I can respond, I feel more in control that way.
Re: Why i weigh daily
23 Nov 2013, 19:45
Couldn't agree more @wendyjane, that's my philosophy too :wink: I now find I've developed a sort of in built radar regarding my weight and I don't need to jump on the scales every day to confirm whether I've gained or lost. I just know if I have overindulged for a few days by the fit of my waistband and the size of my belly! Weighing every day would probably depress me and give me a guilt trip for my 'bad' eating habits, whereas I can just repair the damage by doing a fast or 16:8 and my mind is none the wiser :cool: and next time I weigh myself all is tickety boo.
Maybe because I am maintaining, rather than trying to lose weight makes a difference but this works for me. Each to their own though and whatever works best for you just stick to it. :grin:
Re: Why i weigh daily
23 Nov 2013, 21:12
ADFnFuel wrote: Daily weighing allow smaller adjustments to occur more frequently because you know what you ate and drank the day before to quickly realize what you might do differently the next time.

Imagine driving down a road and closing your eyes for a full second then opening them. Now imagine leaving them closed for 5-7 seconds. The longer time delay will be far more stressful and your necessary correcting adjustments far larger than they'd be with the shorter time.

Making daily adjustments is easier and less stressful than throwing in another fast day or two to restart a downward trend. And after a short while weights are just numbers, stressing is gone and simple adjustments have become habit.


Thank you for expressing what I was thinking (I think!)
Re: Why i weigh daily
24 Nov 2013, 00:02
wendyjane wrote: ... Therefore, I think that for me, and for some people like me, for whom weight loss is not a high stakes game and for whom 5:2 works well, making daily adjustments in one's intake requires an increased focus on food that is not necessarily psychologically the healthiest approach. ...

I want to stress here that I don't at all think this is the "right" way, just mine. Check back with me in, say, November, 2014, and I'll let you know how it's working out :smile:


Agree completely.

I have to believe that a core desire of everyone here is to lose weight with the least hassle possible. Being that 5:2 is new, it is rough around the edges. Discussing its finer points exposes those edges which we as a group can file down with our collective experiences occasionally considering a "better idea" from background research.

As long as our weight loss trend line is sloping downward, the difference between the various methods boils down to the rate of that loss. Individual comfort with a chosen method is very important because we all rely on emotionally based assessments every day - intuitions - to quickly assess a lot of sometimes conflicting information.

When we first heard about 5:2, many of us expressed: "That's it? Only two days a week with no calorie counting on the other five?" There you go: 5:2 took off like a rocket. Minimal hassle, easy to implement and it just seemed reasonable.

So as long as the weight goes at a rate you're comfortable with, the rest is just rough edges. How smooth the ride is, is a personal decision.


Don't forget: Everybody mark your calendars to check back in November 2014...
Re: Why i weigh daily
24 Nov 2013, 00:48
kencc wrote:
Gimmick wrote: ...... But there's obviously no "right" way since we're not subjects in a controlled experiment here.

Except that studies show that, on average, daily weighers lose a lot more weight over a period of time than those who weigh weekly or at greater intervals. Not that it's the 'right' way but the probabilities are that daily weighing gives a greater chance of successfully achieving weight loss targets.

Similarly, studies show that daily weighers are more successful than weekly weighers in maintaining their weight loss during maintenance.

Personally I always play the percentages if I can.

I thought that (daily weighing and weight maintenance) was in the list of weight loss myths. I can't easily look it up (I'm on my mobile), but I think the researcher is Dr. Allison.

Edit to add: found it searching 'weight loss myths Allison'. From first article that came up (in NY Times)

His first thought was that, of course, weighing oneself daily helped control weight. He checked for the conclusive studies he knew must exist. They did not.

"My goodness, after 50-plus years of studying obesity in earnest and all the public wringing of hands, why don't we know this answer?" Dr. Allison asked. "What's striking is how easy it would be to check. Take a couple of thousand people and randomly assign them to weigh themselves every day or not."
Re: Why i weigh daily
24 Nov 2013, 01:32
I weigh daily, it's just part of my daily routine, don't always like what I see but think it is keeping me on track

I was having to find places where I could weigh myself early in 5:2 and ended relying on the gym's scales, which was getting silly really driving to the gym to weigh myself and just though time for my own set. I had avoided having scales for the past few decades on purpose because I didn't like what I saw I suppose
Re: Why i weigh daily
24 Nov 2013, 13:24
I'm a daily weigher, encouraged by Kens posts when I first started. Here's a picture of my graph from the true weight app. Imagine if I were weekly or monthly weighing, I wouldn't see all those drops and I think I would have given up before now.

I have gone from never weighing to it becoming part of my daily routine. Note that the steep increases have coincided with holidays, May, July/August and October but I see it as a bit of a result that I have seen those increases and kept going anyway. This is all so easy albeit slow that I am sure I will always weigh daily so that it never gets out of hand again.
Re: Why i weigh daily
27 Nov 2013, 07:02
I've always weighed daily, even before 5:2. I have an Aria scale that goes with my FitBit, so it measures body fat too. Like the OP, I don't bother about the daily fluctuations - it's the overall trend that matters but I'm particularly interested in see my body fat percentage drop.

I always weigh first thing in the morning (usually between 6am and 7am) after I've had a wee and with no clothes on - I think it's important to keep the conditions as similar as possible every day.
Re: Why i weigh daily
27 Nov 2013, 09:34
Wendy Darling wrote: I'm a daily weigher, encouraged by Kens posts when I first started. Here's a picture of my graph from the true weight app. Imagine if I were weekly or monthly weighing, I wouldn't see all those drops and I think I would have given up before now.

I have gone from never weighing to it becoming part of my daily routine. Note that the steep increases have coincided with holidays, May, July/August and October but I see it as a bit of a result that I have seen those increases and kept going anyway. This is all so easy albeit slow that I am sure I will always weigh daily so that it never gets out of hand again.


i love the steep curve in your graph Wendy!!!

Yss, agree, daily weight is as part of a normal daily ritual such that you dont even think about it. i think ive missed only once in last 5 months. if im away i wont way myself cause it would be different scales , different floor.
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