How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

Thu Dec 18 2008

 

How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?


By Paul Stokes
Some people hate to look at the scales. Some trainers even suggest throwing the thing out. But the truth is, keeping an eye on your weight can help you meet your weight-loss goals.


To see if frequent self-weighing helps - or discourages - weight-loss efforts, researchers reviewed 12 studies. Eleven of the 12 indicated that more frequent self-weighing was beneficial. People who'd been weighing themselves weekly or daily for at least several months tended to lose more weight (and prevent subsequent weight gain) than people who didn't do regular self-weighing.
The researchers admit the studies weren't perfect, but there doesn't seem to be any reason not to weigh yourself frequently. Through my experience with clients, I've found that weighing yourself every couple of days does help keep you on track for fat loss and for keeping the weight off. Even better though is to have your body fat estimated and take your limb, hip, and waist circumferences every four weeks.
However, you need to understand that weight can fluctuate up or down based on the salt content of the foods you eat, the phase of the menstrual cycle a woman is in, the amount of fluid you have taken, and the previous day's activity. So don't hit the panic button if your weight jumps up one day. Just make sure the general trend is downward.
Most importantly, muscle weighs almost 2-3 times more than fat. When you start out exercising, very often you will gain some muscle AND lose some fat.  When this happens you may not see as dramatic a change when you weigh yourself on the scale.  But don’t panic ! If you have gained some muscle but lost fat, your actual weight may not have changed, but this is a very desirable result. You will have lost inches, you will look and feel better, your clothes will fit better, and your posture and strength will improve.
So my best advice is to weigh yourself every few days if you want, but definitely check your body fat and limb, hip and waist measurements every 4 weeks.  This is the critical check point to keep you motivated and ensure that your program is working. 
For an exercise regimen that can help you build muscle and burn fat, try our Fat Burner Program. It includes a proven regime of exercise and nutrition advice to burn fat as well as a regular 4 weekly body fat measurement using specialized scales that measure muscle and fat. Phone 5580 4900 now to book your first session.

 


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