Why You Should Never Weigh Yourself Every Day
We all know that feeling. You know, the one where, every morning, as soon as we wake up, we hop on the scale to see how much weight we were able to lose the night before. There might be a sense of dread or excitement, but either way, we’re obsessed with that number on the scale.
But here’s the thing: weight fluctuates. A lot. You could eat a big meal and suddenly be 2 pounds heavier than you were the day before. Or you could be holding onto a lot of water weight and be 2 pounds lighter.
Whatever the case may be, your weight is constantly changing, and it doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with how much fat you’re carrying around.
So why does this matter? Well, if you’re constantly weighing yourself and letting that number dictate how you feel about yourself, then you’re in for a world of hurt. Not convinced yet? Read on to learn some of the reasons why weighing yourself every day is a bad idea.
7 reasons why you shouldn’t weigh yourself every day
1. Your weight doesn’t tell the whole story
Like we said before, your weight can fluctuate for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with your general health or how much fat you’re carrying around.
For example, if you eat a lot of salt, you might retain water and appear to be heavier than you actually are. Or, if you just worked out, you might be carrying around a lot of water weight.
In other words, the number on the scale doesn’t always reflect reality, so you can’t make decisions based on that.
2. The scale might be inaccurate
Scales are notoriously inaccurate, which means that the number you see when you step on them might be wrong. In fact, it might not even be close to accurate.
Some scales could give you one number, and within a minute of stepping on again, give you a completely different number. If you’re weighing yourself daily, you’re bound to see extreme swings like this regularly.
3. It can lead to unhealthy and disordered eating habits
If you’re someone who’s always hopping on the scale and letting that number determine whether or not you have a good day, then there’s a chance that you could develop some disordered eating behaviors.
After all, if seeing a certain number on the scale makes you happy, then you might start fixating on that number and obsessing over ways to make it go down (even if it means resorting to unhealthy behaviors).
Some of the eating disorders that might develop from this include anorexia and bulimia, both very serious conditions that can have long-lasting effects on your health, both physically and mentally.
4. It takes time to see results from your healthy lifestyle changes
If you’ve been working hard to eat better and exercise more frequently, then kudos to you! Making healthy lifestyle changes is no easy feat, and it definitely deserves to be celebrated!
However, just because you’ve made some changes doesn’t mean that they’ll immediately show up on the scale. It might take weeks—or even months—before you start seeing results on the scale (if they show up at all).
So, constantly weighing yourself to track your progress will quickly frustrate you when those numbers don’t change as rapidly as you’d like them to—regardless of how well you’re really doing.
5. It will make you depressed
The reality is that you won’t see the numbers you want if you step on the scale every day. If you’re fixated on losing weight, then chances are good that you won’t be happy with whatever number you see.
And if you’re not happy with the number, then it can lead to all sorts of negative emotions, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Not to mention, it can also lead to some unhealthy behaviors, like crash dieting and over-exercising.
6. You might decide to give up your healthy new lifestyle
Due to the time it takes to see meaningful weight loss results, you might get discouraged and decide to give up on your healthy new lifestyle altogether if you’re weighing yourself daily.
This might mean that you give up cutting back on fast food and sugar, something that you were doing well with. Or, you might stop working out as frequently as you were before.
7. It might cause you to think you’re healthy when you’re not
The thing about weight is that it can be deceiving. Just because you weigh a certain amount doesn’t mean that you’re healthy.
For example, someone might weigh a lot because they have a lot of muscle, while someone else might weigh less but have more body fat. So, just because you’re impressed with the number on the scale every time you step on it, doesn’t mean you’re in good health.
Your daily weighing will only give you a false sense of security, reaffirming something that might not be true.
And when you’re so focused on the number on the scale, it’s easy to miss other important health markers. For example, you might not realize that your blood pressure is rising or that your cholesterol levels are higher than they should be.
These things are much more important than your weight, but if you’re only focusing on the number you see every day on the scale, then you won’t even know to pay attention to them.
In closing
Your self-esteem shouldn’t come from a silly little machine, especially one that doesn’t tell the whole story of your overall health.
The bottom line is: no meaningful changes to your weight can happen overnight. Certainly not lasting changes. So if you’re only looking to the scale to give you a sense of accomplishment or progress, then you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
Real change takes time, so be patient and focus on other things— like how you feel, your energy levels, etc. —that will give you a better indication of the positive changes you’re making.