Some people weigh themselves regularly, while for others, the scale just gathers dust. Undoubtedly, it’s a key tool for measuring progress in reaching a specific goal. It helps you monitor body weight and check if your health improvement efforts are paying off. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
When Should You Avoid Weighing Yourself? A Dietitian Shares the 5 Worst Times
Daria Caputa, a personal trainer and psychodietitian, offers tips on her Instagram on how to lose weight without yo-yo effects or strict restrictions. In a recent video, she shared the five worst times to step on the scale. Here’s when to avoid weighing yourself:
- After a large meal. Your body is still digesting food, so the scale will show a higher weight due to increased intestinal content.
- In the evening. Throughout the day, food and fluids accumulate in your body, so weighing in the evening may yield misleading results.
- After exercise. During exercise, you lose water, which decreases body weight, making the results unreliable. Your weight will normalize once you rehydrate.
- With clothes on. Clothing and jewelry add extra pounds.
- Before your period. During menstruation, you may feel heavier due to water retention in your body.
How to Weigh Yourself on an Electronic Scale: Helpful Tips
The dietitian emphasizes that weight isn’t the only measure of success. During weight loss, any fluctuations are not due to fat but to water, intestinal content, and muscle glycogen. Caputa also mentioned the best time for weighing yourself. Aim to do it at the same time, preferably in the morning, before eating or drinking anything. It’s best to weigh yourself after using the restroom and with minimal clothing or none. Instead of weighing yourself during menstruation or a few days before it, check your body weight in the first phase of your cycle.
