Most people make the mistake of weighing themselves far too often. Yes you want to see if all your hard work is paying off, but our bodies vary in weight from day to day due to the amount of water in them. We are about 60% water and the weight of water content in our body is constantly changing due to things like how much we have lost from perspiration, or we might be retaining more than normal due to eating the wrong kinds of foods etc. That will affect how much you weigh on the scales, but has no bearing on how much fat you have on your body.
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of those scales:
Weigh yourself on Saturday and Sunday: This has two benefits, first you won’t be weighing yourself daily so you won’t see as much fluctuation, and second if you know you are going to be weighing yourself on both days of the weekend then you can’t pig out on either Friday or Saturday! On Sunday after you have weighed yourself again then take the average of that measurement and the one from Saturday to give you your weight for the week.
Weigh yourself first thing in the morning: You need to weigh yourself in the morning before breakfast because the instant you start filling your stomach then you are changing how much you weigh. If you waited until the evening then it would be even worse as you would have a whole day of food in your system and we rarely eat the same weight of food each day.
Make sure you wear the same clothes each time: I see people making this mistake time and time again, how can you get a reliable measurement if you are wearing different clothes each time you weigh yourself? They might seem insignificant, but that nice sweater you are wearing could weigh a pound or two by itself, or that bathrobe for instance, and that is an instant one or two pound weight gain you show on the scales just from wearing it. The best way to weigh yourself is either in whatever you wear to bed, or completely naked.
Keep a record of your progress: You are going to have bad weeks, we have all had them and we all will again in the future too. That is why it is important to keep a diary of your weight loss so when you do put on weight one week, you can look back and see how well you have been doing. Then on Monday make a commitment to get back to following your diet closely and continue the good work you have been doing!