Here's What Time Of Day You Should Really Weigh Yourself
The bad news is that you've been weighing yourself all wrong. The good news? It's an easy problem to fix. Maybe you didn't even know there was a "wrong" way to weigh. In that case, read on.
According to health experts, the most important thing when it comes to weighing yourself is consistency. You should do it at the same time, in the same clothes (or lack of clothes), using the same scale, each time. There are many reasons weight can and does fluctuate over the course of the day or week — hormones, salt intake, irregular food consumption (hello, holidays!), and even stress. At least we can have some consistency in how we go about weighing in.
Weighing yourself regularly can provide a helpful check as to how your weight loss or maintenance goals are going. Registered dietitian Chelsey Ludwiczak told Cleveland Clinic, "It's like having a weekly budget. If you go over your budget one week, you want to know so you can fix it. If you don't realize you're overspending every week, it adds up."
Weighing yourself in the morning gives the lowest result
But when should you weigh? Most experts recommend doing it in the morning after you empty your bladder and before eating anything or working out. That way you're more likely to get a lower number than you'll get in the evening after having eaten three meals. Also, make sure your scale is on a hard flat surface (not on carpet) and that you're standing solidly on two feet, with your weight evenly spread, to get the most accurate results.
There's even a best day to weigh yourself — Wednesday. People tend to weigh the most on Mondays, after a weekend's worth of indulging, and the least on Friday, after they've been eating healthfully and consistently all week. Lauren Harris-Pincus, a registered dietitian and author of The Protein-packed Breakfast Club, told Women's Health, "Chances are you didn't go on a bender Tuesday night. So Wednesday gets you the best average."
Also, experts generally recommend weighing in once per week instead of every day to get the most consistent results. Rachel Fine, registered dietitian and owner of To the Pointe Nutrition, explains, "There's no reason to weigh yourself more than once a week. With daily water fluctuations, body weight can change drastically on a day-to-day basis" (via Healthline).