One question you may have in common with other dieters is how often to weigh yourself. Should you weigh daily, weekly, monthly, or not at all? You will find that there are many differing opinions on this subject, but below we’ll share a few good ideas to help you decide what’s best for you.

Weighing yourself daily may sound like a good idea; after all, you’d notice immediately if you gained weight, so you can take steps to lose it again. Or, if your goal is to lose weight, you’d be able to see clearly if you’ve lost weight each day so you know if you’re on track or not.

Unfortunately, weighing yourself every day can wreak havoc on your mind because it’s natural for your weight to fluctuate each day, even by a few pounds up or down.

Weighing yourself weekly makes more sense because even if there were a few daily fluctuations, for the most part your weight should show a general up, down, or static trend for the week.

How often to weigh yourself is definitely a personal choice; just be aware that you could end up sabotaging yourself if you focus too intently on the scale and disregard other signs of progress like inches lost and increasing strength (especially if you are strength training and building lean muscle).

A few other questions may have occurred to you also:

Should you weigh yourself with or without clothing?

Obviously, without clothing will give a more accurate number. However, if you are wearing light clothing (like an exercise leotard or biker shorts and tank top), those don’t weigh much so they shouldn’t affect the reading by much, if at all. Just be sure to follow the same routine each time you weigh, wearing or not wearing the same amount of clothing.

Should you weigh yourself before or after a workout?

Some people swear that weighing themselves before a workout is better, especially if they are doing some heavy strength training. Others insist that weighing themselves after a workout is better because they’ve lost weight through perspiration. It doesn’t really matter as long as you do the same thing each time you weigh. In fact, it might be a fun experiment one time to weigh yourself before you work out, and then weigh yourself again afterward to see if there is any difference.

Should you weigh yourself before or after eating?

Again, this is a personal preference but doesn’t matter except that you follow the same routine each time. Unless you are eating a big, heavy meal or drinking a lot of fluid with your meal, you shouldn’t notice a significant weight gain after eating.

So, how often to weigh yourself, and all of the variables about HOW to weigh yourself are really secondary to the main goal – tracking your progress toward your weight loss goals. You can do that with a scale, a measuring tape, or by simply paying attention to how your clothes fit and how you feel.