A very warm welcome to my new subscribers. Thank you for signing up. Thanks to all my subscribers who’ve joined me on this journey. Writing these newsletters is a huge help to me. I hope it is for you too.
This week I look at how often we should weigh ourselves. Some say every week is best. Same time of day wearing same clothes. So you measure like with like. However weekly weigh-ins don’t work best.
Daily weigh-ins seem obsessive. That’s because they are. But you have to be obsessive if you want to lose a ton of weight.
Weekly weigh-ins encourage the binge and starve merry-go-round. When I did WeightWatchers I went to an evening group with a few friends and we’d hit the pub right after and gorge on peanuts, crisps and wine. It didn’t count we’d insist as we munched and chomped away. It felt naughty. Like we’d been let off the leash.
The following day was much the same. A “free” eating day. The day after I’d still eat fairly freely. So by the time I was only two to three days off weigh-in day I’d be practically starving to make up for it. Binge at the beginning of the week and starve leading up to weigh-in day. I’d even take a hot bath before weigh-in to try and sweat a bit more off. It was like a game. It worked. I hit goal. I got my gold badge. And the weight all went back on.
Daily weigh-ins are healthier because they don’t encourage this unhealthy attitude towards food. You can keep a much closer eye on your weight and remain totally focused on your goal. You also get a clear idea what works, what makes you gain, what helps you stay the same. A weekly weigh-in doesn’t give you such good information.
Of course there are natural fluctuations to take into account with daily weigh-ins. Especially for women. You’ll gain weight leading up to your period then lose it right after so a daily weigh-in can be misleading. It’s disheartening to go up a couple of pounds when you’ve been strict. They will come off though on the other side. It’s mostly fluid retention causes the gain.
There are other reasons for fluctuations but despite this a daily weigh-in gives you control and discourages bingeing because you know it’s going to show up the following day when you do your daily weigh-in.
It was only by strict daily weigh-ins I managed to hit 12.4 back at the beginning of September - my goal of losing three and a half stone in 12 months. I’m now struggling to get a final few ounces off to hit a four-stone loss in total. It’s proving very difficult but I always knew it would be. With darker nights, colder days, and Christmas looming I have a real battle on my hands. Daily weigh-ins are how I’m going to get there and then onto the fifth and final stone.
Good luck with your journey to weight loss and thanks very much for subscribing. Till next time.