This topic contains 47 replies, has 38 voices, and was last updated by bedpage seo 1 year, 2 months ago.
Hi sheryljd,
I usually weigh in every day or every other day. However, since starting the 5:2 (3 weeks ago) I think weighing in once a week is the way to go. I’ve been reading on the boards & I think that’s the general consensus. I don’t have much weight to lose & I think weighing in every day (& often at night as well!! Crazy!!!) is a bit discouraging for me. Starting this week I’m choosing Fridays as my weigh in day. Do you measure yourself? Most people have better luck with inches lost than pounds. I’m noticing that too…but I haven’t measured!! That’s on my to do list this week. 😉
Once a month for me. 1st Saturday of the month. Not a fast day (as in 500 calorie day) but I fast every day now anyway so I do it at about 4 in the afternoon after my weekly shop, having eaten nothing and drunk a couple of cups of water. It would be better to do it first thing in the morning after a fast day I’m sure but that’s just what I did the first time I weighed myself last September and it’s stuck ever since.
Having a strong reason for weighing on the scale makes a difference.
I have a digital scale that measures weight & body fat and transmits that information on the web. I’ve been doing this for over a year, weighing in almost daily.
Since starting 5:2 about 6 weeks ago, I have noted a steady decline in my weight. I can view my history and compare to my sleeping patterns and activities to gauge better results.
Here’s my weight tracking over the past 3 months:
http://trendweight.com/u/2530328a1bd347/chart/3m.png
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Hi, I planned to weigh in once a week, but sometimes I sneak in an extra. I have found one interesting thing, I tend to weigh more the day after a fast! no clue why, but usually a day later, I’m down. 1.6 lbs last week. yay! AND after a month, no heartburn! I plan to continue on this path forever.
good luck everyone.
@sheryljd
“I read a great article on the Beeminder blog. Here is the link:
http://blog.beeminder.com/weighly/ ”
Thank you for that article link and I read it eagerly. I was unaware of justification for doing so.
Clearly, I weigh in daily because it’s easy and registers electronically. Something that I seldom did with a regular scale. The tracking that it has provided for me has allowed me to be more strategic about my health.
When my weight was creeping up, I kept looking for a solution & found it with 5:2 lifestyle.
The awareness, of self tracking my health, is made easier with wearable devices so that I can remove any dependence on medical consultations. It may be too late by waiting to meet with a medical professional after symptoms appear.
By being on this forum, we are all being more proactive and responsible about our wellness.
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@rockyromero what kind of scales do you have? I really like to weigh in every day, and my scales also track body fat %. But I only record my weight once a week. But I’d love to chart it everyday. Surely there’s also an app for that….
@mommabear
“What kind of scales do you have? I really like to weigh in every day, and my scales also track body fat %. But I only record my weight once a week. But I’d love to chart it everyday. Surely there’s also an app for that….”
I have been using Fitbit one for steps tracking and Fitbit Aria for a digital scale. The tracking is automatic and the forums are extensive.
Additionally, the apps that connect to this provide additional info that relates to health for weight, movement, sleep and food logging.
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Thanks, @rockyromero. I use the SparkPeople app to track calories & weight. It charts it as well. But I have just been logging in my weight once a week. Don’t know why, but it never occurred to me to track it via the app every day. Going to do that now!! I don’t have all that much weight to lose, but I may check into getting those new scales.
Thanks for the info!
I have been fasting for more than six weeks and have not weighed once!!! I can tell that I am making progress by the way that my clothes fit and the fact that I feel great. I have decided that I might get discouraged if I weigh and have not lost as much as I think I have. I know from past experience that a disappointing weigh-in can discourage me to the point of quitting. It seems better to keep doing what I’m doing and weigh at some point in the future. I have a tight pair of pants that I haven’t worn in a few years that will be my quide; once they fit I will weigh myself!!!
Hi, again. well, it had been 10 weeks this morning and I finally talked myself into weighing. It was with some trepidation that I got onto the scales. When I saw the number I thought something must be wrong. I was expecting and hoping to have lost a half-pound a week (good for an old gal of 68) and what I was seeing was a loss of 10 pounds!!! I got on and off several times thinking maybe the scales weren’t working. My husbands weighs every day and swears they’re accurate. So, I am excited (and still just a bit dubious) because this fabulous plan is working, I am not at all tired of it, and that means I can keep going indefinitely. I could be a whole new me by next year. I will continue, though, to weigh infrequently as that works best for me.
Hi sheryljd
I just get weighed once a week; the morning after the second fast day. I used to get weighed on a Monday morning after a non-fast weekend (!) but found this very depressing and not at all motivating. I might be ‘kidding myself’ with this approach but it works for me and that is one of the keys to success on this eating regime.
Hey MaybelleW – way to go!
10lbs in ten weeks – there is a nice symmetry about that. That is an impressive weight loss for a lady of a certain age!
I love the sound of the ‘whole new you’ by next year. I suspect there will be a whole lot of whole new me’s around this time next year – I intend to be one of them too!
I am a once-a-week weigher, same time, same situation – what I am tracking is more weight loss than actual weight, since that can vary so much from day to day and across the day. I do weigh at a time when I will generally be at my lightest – for me, that is after a fast day. (I have made my goal weight 2-3kg less than ‘ideal’ to cover this…)
Although I agree that monthly weighing does allow for plateaus (and my weight loss pattern has generally been that for 3 weeks I only have minor changes, then the next week a much bigger change), I personally need the weekly reinforcement to help me stick to this WOE.
Although I like the idea of using clothes as a measure of weight, this has not worked for me. My weight can vary by several kg and I do not pick this up from how my clothes feel – for many years I have tended to wear looser fitting clothes. I suppose I could keep trying on tighter fitting clothes to see how I am going, but that seems more of an effort and also depends on time of day etc. I would also kid myself that the clothes feeling tighter was just due to bloating or some such… For me, the scales give a much more precise view. I do also track % and actual body fat and water to help me understand what is happening.
I take bust, waist, hips and thigh measurements about once a month – never thought about taking neck measurements, but note that is suggested.
And although it is pretty imprecise, the mirror can also be a good aid.
As we can see from these and other posts, different routines work for different people – see what works best for you.
I have a rather weird weight of tracking progress when losing weight. I can’t resist hopping on the scales first thing in the morning – I don’t think I could last a week (let alone a month!). Yes, the reading does vary from day to day but I only record the weight when it has gone down – sounds a bit odd but works for me!
I step on the scales Saturday am when I wake up and then measure bust,under bust, waist, hips, thighs and calves. Sadly never thought to do the upper arms.I also try on clothes and see how they fit. I find that when the scales appear to be broken or the tape measure isn’t moving, that clothes will often show where I am shrinking.
Leafi (and all)
I also weigh in every day, I’m not upset by the ups and downs on the scale, feel it’s keeping me in touch
before I get too far off course. I measure, like Annette, every possible dimension, once a month, now that can
discourage me because the waist and bust are almost the same, in other words, although getting close to goal weight,
pudgy around the middle. (I do exercise)
I also like to weigh in every morning, and am also taking the ups and downs in stride. What used to be my new low, over time becomes the norm and then I get a new low. I also measure waist, which is my issue, and where I’m seeing best results. Measurements are tricky, as is weight, but if they are, as a whole, going in the right direction, I am happy. Just a little weight loss is supposed to make our bodies healthier and happier too.
I tried not to weight myself too often since it discourages me. I found once a week-first thing in the morning with same amount of clothes on and I weigh myself the day after the fast. I discovered that if I weight myself in between the 5 days of non fasting, the scale shows some weight gain from the food that I now have in me.
Way to go Maybelle. Great loss there.
I tend to weigh myself on a daily basis first thing in the morning the way god made me. Then I only record my saturday morning weight. That gives me a good record of my trending weight. When I stop weighing is when I generally start to get sloppy with my eating and putting all the weight back on. I don’t want to record the morning after a fast day as I feel that is a bit of an unnatural low number. After only a week after starting 5:2 I’m still in the romantic love stage of this diet. Really hoping that the infatuation will last as my results to date have been more than acceptable to me.
Twice a week – once for the low weight and once for the high weight.
Low weight is morning before eating after most fasts.
High weight is upon waking on fast day after most feeds.
e.g. For 5:2 Tuesday Thursday – low weight is Friday and high weight is Tuesday.
For ADF Monday Wed Fri – low weight is Saturday, high weight is Monday.
Weighing in on low and high days, for me, is a good way to check up on how weight is trending.
Hi there! I’m relatively new to this diet but I also weigh after the second fast day (usually Thursday morning before breakfast) as this is surely the most accurate day to weigh? (I’m a poet and I know it ha.) I stick rigidly to my fast days and on Tuesdays stay under my tdee drinking several litres of water every day so I’m not dehydrated and water weight is flushed out. Really enjoying the diet so will continue til I hit ideal weight and beyond. Been a while since this thread was active, may need resuscitation!
This thread is so old that the topic’s new again — good save, SBC!
Interesting to see how other people have found what works for them. I learn so much here.
I weigh myself every morning. I don’t mind the fluctuations as I like to track things and I find them interesting. My willingness to do so is also something I can gauge, so there’s a mental check as well as the physical one. I do, however, only take the Wednesday reading as my official posted record. It all averages out.
When I first started 5:2, I thought I’d not weigh myself at all. But now I’m glad to have those encouraging downward lines on my graph.
I try to weigh in once a week, ditto for waist measurement. My weight fluctuates widely (+ or – up to 5 lbs). For instance, I arrived home on Monday after a long trip so weighted in Tues morning when I got up – 73.6 lbs. fasted yesterday, decided to check – 68.7 lbs this morning! As such, I use the weight following a normal day, which has me 9.4 lbs lighter after 8 weeks.
Typically several times a day. I like to know what is going on and my weight changes a lot. I’m often my lightest right before lunch because I tend to workout between breakfast and lunch when I can. By the time I go to bed I’m often 1+ kg heavier. Typically I lose about 400g during the night.
Part of the reason I weigh myself often is that I find it hard to believe I’m as light as I am now. My weight has been hammering on 80kg and my goal is about 77kg. (12% to 15% body fat.) Anyway I guess I weigh myself to make sure I’m just not dreaming.
Great to hear others’ weighing schedules and yes I have been slow to respond but kinda fell off the wagon there for a while… back on it again now though and feeling the better for it. I find myself weighing almost daily now as well which depending on my mood can be a good thing or a bad thing. Sleep is so important I’ve found and really affects my mood so trying to get 8 hours every night. Good luck guys, thread resuscitated once again… 😉
I weigh in once or twice a week – usually on the morning after my fast day which I know will be the lowest weight but it helps me psychologically to see the lower numbers. I hit my goal this morning so I am very pleased. Took 3 months to take off 18 pounds. The fast days are soooo much easier now than when I first started. In fact, I look forward to them because I don’t have to think about food. I am convinced this is the best way to lose weight if you can handle the “fast” days. The 500 calories are just enough to keep me from going crazy. Best of luck to you all and stick with it.
I don’t weigh myself. I am a pt with a specialism in diabetes and obesity the big eye opener in my studies is that weight is the least effective way of assessing health and body composition. Everyone’s goal here is to lose fat, scales do not isolate fat loss they register fluids muscle skeleton etc. Your size through measurements are age best indicator of fat loss. Weight loss after fasts is mainly water and so are gains after your NFDs I want to track fat loss personally.
I spent many miserable years of watching the scales am hypothyroid so spent years trying unsuccessfully lose weight going to weight watchers/ slimming world and weighing myself daily. Now if my clothes feel tight I do something about it. I have had a knee injury so have had to scale back my running, my jeans were tight so I gave 5:2 a go.
It is hard habit to break and hopping on the scales is really motivating for most people so if that works stay with it.
I weigh myself after each fast, then occasionally on non-fast days – just out of curiosity!
However, I really think once every two weeks is the way to go.
I’ve found this diet makes your weight fluctuate much more than others I’ve tried.
So it can be a bit uninspiring to be getting on the scales every day and seeing your weight rise sometimes.
I agree with an earlier post, that measuring your waist doesn’t feel like it would be very effective. Although, I’m yet to try it!
I sm a weekly weigher as I can’t ride the waves of daily fluctuations. Every Friday, the morning after a fast. I notice a drop most weeks so it keeps me on track.
I also measure waist and hips every week. I read somewhere that the height to waist ratio is a very good predicter of body fat. So I’m using that measure as my main target – to get under 0.5. I’ll be getting new scales in the summer that show body fat %. I do notice the scales sometimes move down less when I’ve done a lot of challenging yoga and its probably because I gained muscle mass!
Reviving this thread! I’ve been weighing in daily, and it has been fine–the typical up/down/up/down of my ADF, but since I have such a long way to go, I’m wondering if I might become either obsessed or discouraged over the long haul. I’ve loved reading everyone’s suggestions and practices, and was intrigued by the one from @Leafi–weighing in every day but only charting the losses. I asked a statistician friend if this would be too wonky, or if there were some legitimate statistical argument for it, and she said “Sure, it makes great sense. You’re noting reality by checking in daily, but charting the downward trend. Your focus is on weight-loss, so it’s the downward trend that you’re really interested in.” So, I may finish out the month charting ups and downs as I have been, but try @leafi‘s method in May and see how that works. 🙂
I’ve been doing it pretty much every day – get up and on the scaled naked as soon as I get out of bed – the scales are left in the same place in an upstairs bathroom we no longer use (was the bathroom our girls used before they grew up and left home to go to uni) so I get weighed at about the same time every morning – I think it just helps me stay keen on maintaining what I’ve achieved so far 8.1kg loss in 13-14 weeks – it would be a shame to spoil it all by not caring as much or losing focus. Seeing the weight go up and down a bit and level off for periods of time gives me even more confidence that 5:2 works and that what I’m doing works and also that I can do it when I need to so I’m no longer asking – why hasn’t my weight dropped for nearly 2 weeks – it’s just the way it is – a lull and then a sudden drop. But I have hit my target and am 1kg under it and I just feel it is not so much about the weight any more – I think my lifestyle in terms of eating – amount, snacking and choice of food is better and I’m enjoying/appreciating what I do eat – I now see bread as something like cake – I hardly ever eat it (and I love bread) but I enjoy it as a treat now. I’m also eating a lot of fish, tangerines and grapefruit, raw carrots and celery and pickled foods – not just on 5:2 fasting days – just more in general. My sense of taste has changed or improved so many things just taste better imho. If anything I now think I am getting better at making the most of my 5:2 fasting days – I’m finding it easier to just switch off from the idea of eating and just get on with my day and don’t think about it – it is just a 5:2 day in my mind so I just don;t have to think about what I’m eating – I’ll grab a little it of something when I really need to – most 5:2 days I reckon I am well under the 600 calories – sometimes as low as 250-300.
There’s always a link to an up to date weight graph in my profile.
If you struggle with your weight, the bathroom scale may feel like your worst enemy. And for years, experts supported this notion, claiming that regularly weighing yourself means more burden than benefit—not to mention it’s only one number that doesn’t take a lot of other variables, such as muscle mass, hydration (read: water weight), and even hormones into account.
I do ADF, and at first recorded every daily weight, and my chart looked like a zig-zag—down after fast days and up after eat days. It was accurate but discouraging. Someone on the forum suggested only recording the new lows, so that’s what I do now and I like it so much more. I weigh in every day and mentally note every weight, but I only record the downward trend—kind of the best of both worlds.
I have only just started this WOE (3rd FD tomorrow) but I have always weighed myself everyday, I have scales that link to my phone and show all the stats for weight, fat, water etc so I have a record of everyday, but I will only log the weight the day after my FD so hopefully it will just be the downward trend. I no longer worry about the ups and downs too much but I do like to keep an eye on the losses not coming from muscle mass rather than fat.
I weigh myself when I want to, rather than regularly, but roughly at the same time of day, before breakfast and before getting dressed. I will also only record the reductions in my weight, and at the same time, take waist measurements etc for the personal tracker program on this site. I use a digital scale. I keep an eye on how I look in a full length mirror, and how I feel too. I even notice whether foods taste sweeter now that I’m eating better – they do. The stems of the tenderstem broccoli I ate yesterday were too sweet for my taste. A pack of chocolate wafer fingers were so sweet I had to abandon it. Even my favourite Tunnocks chocolate and sugary mallow treats were yucky. I now rely more on fresh fruit and sometimes fresh cream, and make desserts with some 85% dark chocolate (less sugar) and slivered almonds.
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Michael is touring Australia this September! Here's a link to dates and tickets. Hope to see you there.
Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
Michael looks at the Horizon special, "What's the Right Diet for You" and tells us which diet they say is best for him.
11:34 pm
29 Sep 13