How Often Should You Weigh Yourself? A Complete Guide to Tracking Progress
As a weight loss coach with over 10 years of experience, I find that we (as humans) tend to fall into one of two categories in regards to weighing ourselves:
First up, are the people who weigh themselves on a regular basis, knowing that the scale fluctuates. These people tend to have no emotional attachment to the number they see, they simply use it as a data point.
The second group of people tends to avoid the scale because it brings up feelings of anxiety, disappointment, excitement, etc.
Do you identify with either category? Chances are you are reading this article because you’re wondering, “How often should I weigh myself?” Whether you're tracking progress, maintaining weight, or simply curious about the best approach, understanding the right frequency can make a big difference in your journey.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward answer that’s applicable to everyone, like “weigh yourself once per week.” Let’s dive into why how often you weigh yourself is highly individualized, as well as what might work best for you.
The Purpose of Weighing Yourself
There are many reasons why weighing yourself is valuable. First up, weighing yourself on a regular basis helps to track progress, especially if you are someone who is trying to gain or lose weight. Second, the scale is a tool that can be used for accountability. When you monitor your weight over a period of time, you learn if your current habits are leading to weight gain, weight loss, or maintenance.
Lastly, weighing yourself over time allows you to learn about your body and helps you to identify trends over time. For example, you may notice that after eating Mexican food for dinner, you tend to gain 1-2 lbs the next morning due to water retention (because Mexican food is salty.)
While there are multiple benefits to weighing yourself on a regular basis, there is something I want to make crystal clear:
The scale is ONE way to measure progress, but it’s not the ONLY way to measure progress!
Yes, it is a great way to measure weight loss, weight gain, or maintenance, but at the end of the day, the number on the scale simply reflects your relationship with gravity on that particular day. It does not necessarily show how healthy you are (or are not.) Wondering why the scale isn’t moving even though you feel leaner? Read this.
Other ways to measure progress include objective measures, such as progress photos, measurements, or how your clothes fit, and subjective measures, like energy levels, your mood, and quality of sleep.
If you do choose to use the scale as one way of measuring progress, keep in mind that the scale will fluctuate on a day-to-day basis for ALL OF US. Factors such as hydration levels, food still in our intestines, the last time we had a bowel movement, and hormones all affect your weight.
Notice all of the fluctuations that happened on this client’s journey at Strong with Sarah. This is normal!
If you're actively working toward a goal, you may also wonder, how often should you weigh yourself when dieting? The answer depends on your personal preferences, emotional response to the scale, and how much accountability you need to stay on track. Some people benefit from daily weigh-ins, while others prefer a more structured weekly or monthly approach.
Weighing Yourself Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Not at All
I know it might feel overwhelming to decide how often to weigh yourself. Let’s break down the various frequencies that you can weigh yourself so you can make the best-informed decision for yourself!
Should You Weigh Yourself Daily?
Some people choose to weigh themselves daily, which can be a great option if you are someone who thrives off of learning about how your body responds to various food and movement choices. Daily weigh-ins help to track trends over time. They can also increase awareness of how your choices affect your weight. Lastly, daily weigh-ins can help to provide accountability in terms of reaching or maintaining your health goals.
Here are some qualities of people who tend to succeed by weighing themselves daily:
✅ You’re focusing on long-term trends on the scale, not daily fluctuations.
✅ You thrive on structure and accountability.
✅ You’re comfortable with seeing fluctuations, and you don’t let your weight define you.
✅ You’re using it as one of many progress-tracking tools.
Daily weigh-ins may not be the best option for you if you associate with the following statements:
❌ You tie your emotions and self-worth to the number on the scale.
❌ You’re not tracking trends and get discouraged by normal fluctuations.
❌ You’re focused on muscle gain or body recomposition (which results in changes to muscle mass and body fat percentage, but not necessarily the number on the scale.
❌ You feel triggered by the scale and it affects your mood and actions for the day.
Should You Weigh Yourself Weekly?
Weighing yourself weekly is a solid option for many people. It provides a good balance of accountability and consistency, without fixating on the number. However, it’s important to know that if you choose to weigh yourself weekly, you may miss important fluctuations (such as a new high or new low weight) that occur the other days of the week.
Here are some qualities of people who tend to succeed by weighing themselves weekly:
✅ You want to monitor your weight without getting caught up in daily fluctuations.
✅ You prefer a structured but less frequent approach.
✅ You still want to track your progress but tend to get triggered by weighing yourself more often.
✅ You’re in a weight loss or maintenance phase but don’t want to feel the stress of more frequent weigh-ins.
Weekly weigh-ins might not be best for you if you resonate with some of these statements:
❌ You still feel emotionally impacted by the number on the scale.
❌ Your weight fluctuates a lot due to hormones or medical conditions.
❌ You struggle with all-or-nothing thinking, and a number that isn’t what you want to see once per week might dictate how you feel and act throughout the next week.
❌ You feel pressured to hit a certain number on the scale each week.
Should You Weigh Yourself Monthly?
Monthly weigh-ins are a great option for people who are focusing on slow transformations and/or non-scale victories. Because monthly weigh-ins are less frequent, they won’t show many fluctuations but will do a better job of showing how your weight is trending over time.
Monthly weigh-ins might be a great option for you if you can relate to any of these statements:
✅ You want a more relaxed way to focus on the big picture.
✅ You’re working on body recomposition such as gaining muscle while losing fat.
✅ You’re in a maintenance phase.
✅ You don’t want the scale to be the only tool that dictates your progress.
Here’s when weighing yourself once a month may not be the best option:
❌ You need more frequent data for motivation and accountability.
❌ You struggle with consistently taking action needed to reach your goals.
❌ You tend to get discouraged if you don’t see big changes.
❌ You’re prone to last-minute "crash dieting," meaning the few days before your monthly weigh-in, you decide to go into “crash diet” mode and extremely restrict your food intake and overexercise.
These proven tricks can help you reduce food intake without feeling deprived.
Not Weighing Yourself at All
For some people, not weighing themselves at all can be the healthiest and most effective way to track your progress. Other ways to track progress (outside of the bathroom scale) include using circumference measurements, progress photos, and how your favorite clothes fit.
Not weighing yourself at all might be the best option if you relate to any of the following:
✅ You have a history of an unhealthy relationship with the scale.
✅ The scale negatively impacts your mood and motivation, or the number on the scale causes you to act in self-harming ways.
✅ You prefer to focus on non-scale victories (NSVs) such as improved energy, how your clothes fit, etc.
✅ You’re working on becoming stronger or toning up/gaining lean muscle rather than weight loss.
✅ You’re in a maintenance phase and feel good in your body
On the flip, avoiding the scale might not be the best choice for you if any of the following statements are true to you:
❌ You tend to be unaware of gradual weight changes over time, meaning you gradually gain weight without realizing it.
❌ You struggle with accountability, and skipping weigh-ins completely leads to the “out of sight, out of mind” mindset.
❌ You have a specific weight-related health goal (like high blood pressure, prediabetes, etc.) and your goal is weight loss.
❌ You feel avoidant or nervous about the scale, meaning you are afraid to get on the scale because you don’t want to face the number.
How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?
As we’ve discussed, there is no “easy answer” to this question that is applicable to everyone. In a similar way, there is no “right” or “wrong” answer. What’s most important is that you find a way to weigh yourself (or not weigh yourself) that supports your goals and your mental health.
On top of the considerations we’ve already discussed, here are some questions to ask yourself as you decide how often you should weigh yourself:
How do I feel when I weigh myself? Does it motivate me or cause me to feel bad about myself?
Am I using the scale as one tool to measure my progress, or do I let that number define whether I am successful or not?
Do I understand that my weight will always fluctuate daily, depending on hormones, hydration, digestion, etc?
Would weighing myself daily, weekly, or monthly help me stay more accountable or add more stress to my life?
How To Accurately Weigh Yourself
When it comes to weighing yourself, regardless of how often you choose to do it, accuracy and consistency of your weigh-ins is key. Weighing yourself one morning as soon as you wake up, and then the next day after you’ve eaten 3 full meals is also like trying to compare apples to oranges.
In general, weighing yourself first thing in the morning after you use the restroom is considered the best time of day to weigh yourself. This is because it provides the most accurate and consistent baseline, due to the fact that you haven’t consumed any food or drinks yet. It also prevents exercise (or sweating from exercise) from influencing your weight.
Let’s chat through a few other tips to keep your weigh-ins as accurate as possible:
✅ Weigh yourself each morning immediately after waking up and using the restroom, before eating, drinking, or exercising.
✅ Use the same scale and place it on a hard, flat surface. If you want to be even more consistent, leave the scale in one spot and try not to move the scale between weigh-ins.
✅ Weigh yourself while wearing minimal or no clothing.
✅ Focus on the trend of the scale over time as opposed to a single day’s data point. Remember that fluctuations are NORMAL and bound to happen to all of us.
Alternatives to the Scale for Measuring Progress
We touched upon this briefly already, but I want to remind you that the scale is only one tool (amongst other things) that you can use to measure progress while on a health journey. As we’ve learned, many other factors influence the number on the scale, including hydration levels, your most recent workout, food in your GI tract, hormones, quality of sleep, etc. Learn more about what drives food choices and appetite here.
Regardless of how often you weigh yourself, I highly recommend you use multiple ways to measure your progress. Let’s check out some common ways you can measure your progress, in addition to the bathroom scale:
👗 How Your Clothes Fit
Regardless of your weight, if your clothes start to fitbetter,it probably means that you are changing your body composition (gaining lean muscle and/or losing body fat).
📸 Progress Photos
Similar to weigh-ins, the key to taking accurate progress photos is to keep conditions as consistent as you can. That means wearing the same form-fitting outfit for all photos, while using the same background. It’s also important that you keep the camera at a consistent distance from your body, so that you can notice the subtle differences between photos.
📏 Circumference Measurements
Using a cloth tape measure, notice how your waist, hip, thigh, arm, and bust measurements trend over time. In fact, current research suggests that a waist measurement may be a better predictor of future health concerns versus just your weight/BMI. If you choose to use measurements, ensure the exact body part you are measuring stays consistent over time. For example, you may choose to measure 4 inches above the top of your kneecap for your thigh measurement.
🏋🏻♀️ Performance-Based Goals
In addition to tracking your weight (if you choose to do so,) consider setting a performance-based goal. Some examples of these goals include the following:
Bench pressing 100 pounds
Running 1 mile in 12 minutes or less
Increasing your energy throughout the day to avoid the “afternoon slump.”
Remember, there is no “exact formula” of measuring progress that works for everyone. Choose a way or ways to measure progress that make the most sense for your physical health, your mental health, and your goals.
Finding a Healthy Balance With the Scale
When it comes to learning how often you should weigh yourself, the answer lies in finding the balance between keeping yourself accountable to your goals without feeling emotional or stressed about the number on the scale.
For some of us, that might look like once a week weigh-ins. For others, once a month, and for others, every day. For some people, that might mean never using the scale at all! Remember you can change how often you choose to weigh yourself throughout different phases of life. The frequency of your weigh-ins can look even more informal than what we discussed – you can choose to weigh yourself every few days, or twice per week, etc.
At the end of the day, how often to weigh yourself is about finding the right balance between achieving your goals and prioritizing your physical and mental well-being!
