Fitness - for Us Moms

I agree with the others don't weigh every day and when you weigh you want to have the same amount of cloths on if at all possible. When I used to weigh myself I would do it after I got out of the shower. But as close to the same time. Also the change could be if you are fixing to start and bloated. There are a lot of reasons for that. I personaly don't weigh myself anymore if I can keep from it usually only at Dr.s apt. And not it's not because I don't need to loose weight cause I do. Me and my scale had a falling out (or should I say falling off) and I broke me wrist so I kicked it out of the bathroom and my husband or kids hid it. :O)

First...a pound is a pound. Muscle does NOT weight more then fat!!! That is such a myth. The good news, is you are right. Our body does fluctuate. My OB told me, it can fluctuate to as much as 8 pounds from one day to the next...depending on your body. The reasons are where you are in your menstrual cycle (your body retains more during certain times,) If you are carrying more water weight at that moment, if you've had a bowel movement, and a whole lot more reasons. That's why I think people should go by how they FEEL, and not the scale. Stop thinking about the number. Start to notice when your pants feel looser, your shirts fit differently, you have more energy, etc. The scale can really bring people down. If you keep excising and consume less calories, you WILL lose that weight!!

Another shout out for NOT weighing in everyday. As a matter of fact, I would avoid the scale at all costs and focus on how you feel mentally, and if you must, how your clothes fit. You might also want to mix up the exercise routine to stave off boredom and work different muscle groups. Again, don't focus on the weight.

Don't weigh every day. Your body weight fluctuates daily depending upon water retention if you've eaten certain foods (salty?), whether you have been "regular" or not, what time of the month it is, or even what time of day you are weighing yourself. It can vary a lot from morning to lunch... even without eating anything of note.

Maybe try to weigh once a week. And only weigh at the same time daily... like first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and before breakfast and coffee.

Don't weigh yourself every day! If you are going to weigh yourself at all do it first thing in the morning before you have anything to eat. I would go more by how your clothes fit than by what your scale says.

don't weigh every day.
While muscle does not weigh more than fat (great comment below!), it is less bulky (look at the google pictures of 10 lbs of fat vs. 10 lb of muscle, one takes up A LOT more space - hint: fat)
Try to choose one day each week and note that if you are losing more than 3 to 4 lbs a week (unless extremely obeses by medical standards) it is not acutally fat, but water and other things contributing.
Slow and steady:)

I've been on Weight Watchers for almost a year and I've learned to weigh myself once a week, same day every week, first thing in the morning, before eating. Your weight will most likely be different on a daily basis, I know mine has been & it is discouraging, that's why I have ONE weigh in day a week. Also, take your measurements, you would be amazed how you can lose inches before the scale ever moves. To date I've lost 58 lbs. (6 left to go!) and 36 inches total body fat. There were week's my scale didn't move, but the inches kept coming off. Find what works for you, a combination of good foods & exercise and I bet that 10 lbs. melts right off! Good luck!!! :-)

I totally agree with Bug. Also, the Wii seems to be extremely inaccurate for measuring weight.

always weigh yourself at the same time each day (morning before you've eaten anything is best) to get the most accurate measure of how much you're losing/gaining. water weight does definitely make a difference so if you had a lot of salty foods the night before (hence, bloating) or if it's closer to your period (hence, water retention), the scale will be off. and, as others have said, try to measure how you're doing by the feel of your pants, not the scale.

I agree with below comment to weigh once a week. Water weight fluctuates daily and depending on your hydration level, rest, sodium and sugar intake etc can change up to 5 pounds in a day. Calories in and calories out is only one portion of weight loss success - especially if you only have 10-15 pounds to lose. You can't be too low in your calories, you have to drink lots of water and cut out caffeine, sugar and sodium to control the water weight and optimize your metabolism. Workout in the morning is best and eat something with protein after. It is very difficult to "bulk up" or add on muscle weight. There is a lot of science that goes into it - ask any body builder. Most like the weight gain is water.

Everyone else had good advice as far as daily weighing and weight fluctuation. If I'm right though, you can't avoid the weighing and charting of the wii fit program if that is what you are using. I haven't used the wii fit, when I looked into it I realized that its constant assessment of me would be depressing, that was a turn-off for me. After some pondering I realized that home workouts just aren't as effective for me, even when they save me money. I have to join a gym or a dance or exercise class that way I feel obligated to go, and there is a social aspect of it that is good for me and pushes me to try harder and also gives me more positive feedback. Anyway, I just want to say that I think the daily assessment of the wii fit program could be a bit daunting and depressing, and I've heard people have to workout beyond the wii fit's exercises to actually meet their goals (wii exercises got boring when doing them enough to get anywhere). I don't weigh or monitor myself so much. If I feel strong and like the way I look, I don't need wii to tell me if I am normal or not! But that's just me. I'm sure if you stick with it you will see changes, just be sure to give yourself credit for your hard work already and don't let wii get you down! Good luck!

First off -make sure you have a calibrated digital scale -or at least a newer scale that weighs "true" as far as other objects and that you always use to weigh yourself. Weight at the exact same time every day -preferably in the morning with only underwear on or nude (different clothing will weigh different amounts). Keep in mind -a big BM can weigh a few pounds! Gross, I know -but true! If you've eaten salty foods or are retaining water for any reason -that can add 1-5 lbs. It's really best to weigh once or a few times per week instead of every day. If you weigh once a week, you are far less likely to see such weird shifts and far more likely to see true weight loss.