Weighing yourself once a week is fine, but weighing yourself every day may actually lead to weight gain

If you're on a weight-loss diet or exercise program, daily weighing is recommended, but experts say a good rule of thumb is to weigh yourself once a week.

How often should you really weigh yourself?

Dr Nick Fuller, founder of the weight loss and health program Interval Weight Loss and researcher in obesity treatment at the University of Sydney, recommends weighing yourself as being aware of changes in your weight can help you to lose weight and manage it more effectively.

Dr Fuller says previous studies have shown that people who weigh themselves regularly over a period of several months have a BMI that is one to three points lower than those who don't.

However, when it comes to how often you should weigh yourself, Dr Fuller says, 'daily weighing didn't result in any additional weight loss,' so weekly weighing is fine.

Weight changes in a short span of time, depending on the food you eat and the environment in which you are measured. For example, the day after you eat carbohydrates, your body will temporarily retain more water, so your weight will increase. You can also say that you weigh more because of the amount of food you eat, so you will weigh more in the evening after eating and drinking a lot than in the morning when you eat less.

It also decreases when you go to the toilet. A normal bowel movement can cause a fluctuation of about 100g. If you sweat at the gym, you will lose that amount of weight. For women, weight gain and loss is also greatly affected by hormonal fluctuations, and when you enter the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle, your weight may increase by about 0.5kg to 2kg.

Furthermore, in middle age, people tend to gain weight, increasing on average by 0.5kg to 1kg per year.

However, Dr. Fuller argues that weighing yourself too closely can have a negative effect because it makes you worry about your current weight. Dr. Fuller points out that even if you try a fad diet, it may not be sustainable and may even lead to weight gain.

Instead, Dr Fuller recommends weighing yourself once a week, preferably in the same environment and at the same time of day.

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