So controversial: To weigh daily, weekly, even monthly? Everyone has an opinion about what is best. My answer is that it's different for everyone. I, as you probably know by now, do weigh every day. I find that it really helps to keep me on track and in tune with my body (though not always in harmony, like this morning). Also, if you track your weight every day, either with an Excel spreadsheet or on a site like my fave, Physics Diet (which, unfortunately has been down all day, grrr!), you can actually see the overall trend of your weight loss. So, that even if you don't lose weight on a particular day, you still might see your losing average go down. It's actually pretty heartening, if you ask me.
On a day like today, which made me a little mad, the trend makes me feel better. After a good eating day, and good water day (another 112 oz!), a good C25K workout in the morning, and about 4 hours' worth of yard and garden work in the evening, I fully expected to see a more than a good loss on the scale this morning. Didn't happen. I was UP .4 pounds! Grrr.
Stuff like this has happened to me before, so I know that as long as I keep on track, I will see a big loss soon. But it still feels crappy. Do I regret daily weighs on a day like today? Yes and no, but mostly no. I just think it serves as an excellent illustration about how our bodies function and vary from day to day. It's kind of fascinating, really. I wish I knew more about the science behind it.
Who knows what the reasons are that I haven't lost in a couple days despite really fine efforts? All I know is that I am not going to let it get me down, or give up.
After last night's marathon gardening session, I was very sore all over. And I woke up sore all over. So, I decided to make an executive decision to take an exercise break today and tomorrow, and let my body recover a little bit from the past couple day's workouts. I think come Saturday I'll be totally rejuvenated and do well on starting my second week of C25K!
Hey, I want to tell you guys: If you are a diet soda addict like I was, seriously? Stop drinking it! For some reason it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be; I just decided to stop on a particular day and haven't touched it since. I don't crave it at all, and I really believe it has done something to my appetite and cravings, in a good way. I don't have proof, but all I know is that it has NEVER been this easy to right well and healthy. The only thing that has been drastically different is that I stopped drinking diet (and all) sodas. Tell me what you think!
I wish you a wonderful, healthful evening, and see you tomorrow for my official week 2 weigh-in!
I think the recommended weigh-in frequency varies from person to person, too. I am quite inconsistent myself :> Sometimes I weigh in everyday, sometimes once a week, or longer. Personally I like using body composition measurements and just "feeling" how my clothes fit.
ReplyDeleteGood for you giving up the diet soda. All the evidence shows that it can make a major positive difference in your health. I really think most people's "addiction" to diet soda is mind over matter. It's an emotional addiction more than a physical one. Wish I could talk my sister into giving them up!
ReplyDeleteI have a three-hour practice on Wednesday evenings, and always eat better on that day, paying much more attention to my need for the right fuel 7-10 pm. But I always weigh about two pounds more on the scale on Thursday morning than I did on Wednesday morning. Friday is generally back to normal. (I have a cheapie analog scale so I don't get into tenths of pounds or precise tracking.)
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a problem to weigh in daily, but I don't think our bodies respond on the same 24-hour good day/bad day schedule that our minds do, so being disappointed about a slight gain immediately after a good day seems unnecessarily negative.