I think I made a mistake...

[dragonlyre]

I started this journey 2 weeks ago. I weighted myself and came out to 185. I dropped soda and crap snacks from my diet. I started counting my calorie intake and tried to eat around 1700 calories a day ( adjusted for exercise), which for everything I have tried leaves me at a deficit of ~500 calories. I do bodyweight exercise 3 times a week as well as handstands and lift heavy things on 3 of my off days.

As I stated in a woot thread, my uniform fits me a lot better since I started. My overall energy is good. I can even see just a very slight improvement in my physical structure. I am improving my routine to work towards progressing past the newbie levels.

Now to my issue. I weighted myself today and I weighted 187lbs. I know the scale is a bs way to measure myself, but it left me kinda bummed. So I think I will atone for.my.mistake and vow.to never again weight myself.

Thank you for letting me get this out.

Cheers!

[unmeekgeek]

Many things can affect your day-to-day weight. Were you wearing the exact same clothes each time? Weighed at the same time (morning vs. a day of eating food/water). You're also exercising, so you're likely building some muscle weight, and people often hold on to a little more water while muscles are repairing.

You say your uniform is fitting better so you should go with that. Actual measurements are always a better way than just weight alone since it can often shift up or down several pounds depending on many factors like sleep, stress, food composition, and exercise.

[dragonlyre]

Thanks and I was wearing the same thing but weighted a little later in the day. And yes my post was made more because I am done using a scale for myself. The only way I let myself be weighted is by my doc or the guy that guesses your weight at the carnival. I am going to use more measurable ways, such as how I look and feel. I understand that I will gain muscle and that is heavier, but damn sexier than fat.

[joeyb]

Thanks and I was wearing the same thing but weighted a little later in the day. And yes my post was made more because I am done using a scale for myself. The only way I let myself be weighted is by my doc or the guy that guesses your weight at the carnival. I am going to use more measurable ways, such as how I look and feel. I understand that I will gain muscle and that is heavier, but damn sexier than fat.

You will generally be lightest first thing in the morning. The longer you wait to weigh yourself, the more hydrated you be (generally). Also, day-to-day things like sodium intake can affect your weight as well as having monthly cycles of water retention. The trend line is what matters. Day-to-day weigh-ins can be misleading.

[The Barefoot Ninja]

What they said!

[Amazon Grimm]

I weigh myself daily first thing in the morming.

I prevent myself from freaking out by looking at a weighted average. I'm also focusing on strength and how I feel rather than weight

[dragonlyre]

Yup, I have decided that until I actually need to weight myself, I will just go by the look and feel.

Thank you all for the little pick up.

[Corbab]

I've had my weight go down by as much as 10lb if I've been sweating and working hard. There are so many variables—hydration, stomach contents, clothing, muscle gain—that it loses a great deal of significance as a health marker. Take some pictures and write down how you feel. In a couple of weeks, do it again. You'll see (and feel) progress in no time!

[Waldo]

I weigh myself daily, usually 2x-3x a day. I consider it extremely important.

It helps me calculate things like a live sedentary TDEE number, so I know exactly how many calories I need to gain and lose at any given rate. I use that info, plus calories and protein, to make some fun charts.

This is my sedentary 14 day TDEE (red), plus some other stuff that adjusts for lean mass and protein.

This is my diet on a page, daily intake, exercise, net, and 14 day TDEE.

This stuff helps me troubleshoot any issues and also make decisions with precision. In case you weren't aware, yes, I am a nerd.

[dragonlyre]

Chart-gasim! Nice job man, thank you for sharing.

[Georges]

In case you weren't aware, yes, I am a nerd.

A nerd with awesome progress & the data to prove it! /envy (on both counts)

[inara]

Yay, this makes me so happy!

As a physicist I get really annoyed whenever I hear that you shouldn't weigh yourself more than once a week. With a weight loss of say 1-2 lb per week and a fluctuation of 10 lb like Corbab you couldn't be sure of consistent weight loss even after a month! Made even worse for women who are on a monthly cycle. I don't even want to think about the size of those error bars. It just does not make any sense. Tape measure, calipers, photos, Waldo's amazing chart - all of these are much better options!

Phew, geek rant over.

[Shortkaik]

As a physicist I get really annoyed whenever I hear that you shouldn't weigh yourself more than once a week.

I was just trying to explain this to someone. For me, I prefer to be all science nerdy, weigh myself consistently every day and then watch the trend lines on a chart over time. When if you weigh yourself once a month, if you're losing 1 lb and week and could have a daily fluctuation of +/- 5lbs, it could just be a bad or good day!

That said, everyone reacts to this stuff differently. Some people don't want to or can't detach themselves from the numbers enough to look at it more objectively and over time. It took me a long time to be able to do that, even. If you find that the numbers on the scale sway you even if you feel better and know you've been taking better care of yourself, by all means, don't do it!

[The Barefoot Ninja]

More power to ya, Waldo. That is a LOT of information. Anyone willing to devote that much time to making sure they are fit has an A++ in my book. By the way, what do you use to chart all that information? It looks like something I may have use for, not necessarily for myself, I don't weigh myself but once or twice a month out of curiosity, but for a few people I know who like to use the numbers.