Tip: Weigh Yourself Only Once a Week

It’s Monday, so it’s weigh-in day, and the news is okay; not great, but okay. I lost a pound, which meets my goal of losing at least one pound a week, so I’m certainly not complaining, but I know why I lost only a pound. I had the best week, filled with social activities, which means going to restaurants with family members and friends. I ate out not once or twice but at least four times in seven days. Restaurant food tends to be loaded with calories and portions that are larger than they should be, and buffets are even worse. They beg me to overeat, or so it feels. I did well with most of my choices and quantities, but still, I know I ate more than necessary and ate things I wouldn’t have eaten at home.

A girl’s gotta have fun, even when she’s on a food plan, and I did have fun and lost a pound, too, as my weigh-in this morning can attest. I find it tough to weigh myself only once a week. I often sneak peeks midweek or after eating a big meal, but I know I shouldn’t. Do as I say, not as I do! I had an interesting conversation recently with a girlfriend, who disagreed with me about weighing in once a week. “Weight fluctuates from day to day,” she said, “and sometimes you can be two pounds up and the next day it’s gone. What if you’re two pounds up on the day you weigh in for the week? It could be discouraging.”

I agreed that weigh fluctuates; however, my comeback was this: “If you’ve stuck to your food plan and exercised all week, chances are that at the end of the week, you won’t be up two pounds, even for a day.”

Her argument, that weigh fluctuates, is exactly why experts tell us not to weigh every day; a weight gain when you’re on a weigh-loss program can frustrate a person and make him or her go off a food plan. If you give your body a whole week between weigh-ins, though, and you stick to your food and exercise plan, you have a greater chance of seeing a weight loss after seven days.

That’s my tip, then; weigh in only once a week. Mondays are my weigh-in days, so today’s score is listed below. One more pound dropped. More importantly, I feel a difference, an improvement, in my body already. My midriff feels less bloated, my knees hurt less, and I’m able to walk up and down the stairs in my house much easier, faster, and without pain or fear that I’ll fall. As a result, I’ve been walking my dog farther, which adds to my exercise. Things are looking up, even if my weight is down only sixteen ounces this week.

Original weight: 245
Weight last week: 230
Goal weight for this week: 229
Actual weight this week: 229
Goal weight for next week: 228
Total pounds lost: 16
Final goal weight: 150