Have you been told that weighing yourself every day is unhealthy? Or do you fear the scale so you avoid it? However you feel about the scale, here is my case as to why you should consider weighing yourself daily.
*disclaimer – this is not meant to be medical advice. It is my own opinion.
Benefits of Weighing Yourself Daily
I’ve gone through cycles of obsession over the scale and long periods of fear of the unknown. Since starting my reverse dieting journey, I have learned to reflect on my daily body changes and use them to my advantage.
Here are my top three reasons you should consider weighing yourself daily.
You learn how your body ebbs and flows
The first few weeks of weighing myself daily were filled with joy and agony. Somedays I would wake up down 3lbs, others I would be up that, and some.
The emotional rollercoaster was a knee-jerk reaction to my past relationship with the scale. It was an authoritarian that dictated how I would feel that day. I often would avoid it altogether out of fear of my own reactions.
Within a few weeks, I noticed trends. The weight fluctuated daily but there was not much change overall. When I looked at a graph and zoomed out I could hardly see a major shift day over day.
This was a revelation for me. It was just my body going through the motions based on how much fluid was moving in and out of my body. Likewise, I could see subtle uptakes over months of my muscle weight increasing.
I talk about why my weight gain was a good thing in this post.
Ultimately, if you are trying to gain weight, lose weight, or maintain, periods of time weighing yourself daily teach you how your body responds to day-over-day inputs.
If you ate more carbs than usual one day, it might show up on the scale the next day. But the following day it may go back down. Knowledge is power and seeing how your body changes can empower you to stay on course and ride the waves.
Most if not all journeys will not be linear. The same goes for your body.
You see your weight as a data point
When you start to recognize that your body changes, you begin to see it as a data point. It has some merit to your goals, but it is so variable that it really isn’t a great indicator of progress.
Consider muscle growth for example. Over 3 months you put in the work and are hitting PRs (personal records) in the gym. Right on!
Let’s look at two scenarios of how you tracked your progress. I have a post on biofeedback data points to consider that are not weight here. But for this example, we are looking at weight and tape measurements only. And for kicks, you measure once at the beginning of the 3 months and once at the end.
- You track only weight. The scale has gone up 10 lbs in 3 months. Panic ensues. You either give up entirely or punish yourself with rigorous cardio and dietary restriction.
- You track weight and measurements. The scale has gone up 10 lbs in 3 months. Your measurements have stayed the same. You reflect. How did I stay the same size but my weight went up? You research or already know that you experienced body recomposition because muscle is denser than fat. You look and feel great regardless of how much you gained.
Neither of these scenarios has you weighing yourself daily. But I did this to show what can happen if you don’t recognize the scale for what it is, a data point.
By learning how the scale ebbs and flows, you see it for the data point it is. By weighing yourself daily, you have more data to synthesize over time.
The scale doesn’t own you
Hopefully, by recognizing the previous two points, you start to become emotionally unattached to the scale. It does not have to dictate how you feel and how you treat yourself.
This was such a powerful mindset shift for me. I could really learn to love and respect my body for what it does. A tool that tells me my gravitational force at that very moment was not going to decide how I went about my day.
I still have subtle intrusive thoughts creep in now and then. I had to unpack years of disordered dieting. However, I have found that the more I look at data points, like weight, the more I can objectively make decisions on what is best for my body and my goals.
Draw Backs to Weighing Daily
It takes a lot of work to get comfortable with the scale. I am not naive to that. I can easily write about how it is a benefit however it took me months to get to that point and that is okay.
It can be a hard truth to swallow
Maybe you are in denial about where you are physically. Likewise, you may not be in a place to know how to use the data and make a good health-based decision.
Stepping on the scale daily can snap you to the reality that you are not where you want to be. But what do you have to lose? *no pun intended*
Being uncomfortable is a good thing. It is where we discover self-growth. I did not want to weigh myself daily at the beginning of my journey. It was a reminder of the state I was in which if anything was mentally unhealthy.
However, it really can be a “rip the bandage off” kind of moment. Once you know the data, you don’t have to fear it. You can begin to learn from your body and how to make the right decisions to impact it in the best way.
Weight can trigger emotions
I was never diagnosed with an eating disorder, I did however have very disordered eating and exercising habits that could have benefited from professional help.
I’ve come a long way and having a coach who was also like a therapist allowed me to overcome a lot of the emotional struggles along my journey.
With that being said, there were times when the weight would trigger awful feelings because of my history of disordered habits. It was scary and overwhelming.
Over time I got mentally stronger and less phased by the data point I saw every day. It was liberating for me.
I will say, if you struggle with an eating disorder or have mental health issues associated with this subject, I implore you to seek help from a professional and follow their guidance.
Weighing yourself every day can be powerful, but if you are in a position where it could cause more harm than good, please do not participate.
Should You Be Weighing Daily, Forever?
Up to you! I do not believe you need to.
Truly, weighing yourself every day is a great exercise for learning about your body. I advocate for it as a little bit of discomfort for a period of time can lead to a life of self-discovery and growth.
I don’t plan on weighing myself every day forever, I take breaks. Really, who wants to weigh themselves on their beach vacation? I’ll pass.
However, if you are on a journey for personal progress, adding one more data point can enable you to make smarter and healthier decisions for yourself.
Final Recap
Weighing yourself daily can help you:
- Learn the natural ebbs and flows of your body
- See your weight as nothing more than a data point for decision making
- Break free of the uncontrollable emotions that come with the scale
Keep in mind:
- The beginning will be uncomfortable and hard to accept
- The journey of embrace can trigger emotions
- Please seek professional help if you struggle with a disorder
I hope this has encouraged you to consider a data point that not only can tell you more about your body, but also empower you to embrace it.
Do you weigh yourself daily? Maybe you are thinking about it. Please comment or ask any questions below!
