Does daily weighing lose weight

To answer this question, one must first understand what the numbers mean that we see on the scale.

Changing the number on the scale does not necessarily mean that you gain or lose weight

Daily weight fluctuations that we see on the scales do not reflect the decrease or increase the amount of adipose tissue. As it can be judged only on four factors: the amount of feces and urine, carbohydrate intake and blood volume. The volume of blood remains practically unchanged, so consider the other three factors.

Not for nothing is usually recommended to be weighed as soon as you wake up and go to the bathroom: the weight of feces and urine (which different people can be very differentThe Characterization of Feces and Urine: A Review of the Literature to Inform Advanced Treatment Technology. ) Influences the weighing result. Their weight depends on the amount eaten or drunk, and the weight of feces - and even on the fiber content.

Still, the main reason for weight fluctuations - this is the deposition of glycogen, a polysaccharide, which is the basic supply of glucose in the body. If three days have low-carb food, glycogen levels may be reduced by two-thirds. And this is reflected in the total weight, because glycogen is 5-10% of the weight of our liver and muscles 2% weight

On average, we have in the body of about 500 grams of glycogen, so the amount of carbohydrates consumed daily significantly affect the numbers that you see on the scaleGlycogen storage: illusions of easy weight loss, excessive weight regain, and distortions in estimates of body composition. .

What scientists say

Recent studies have shown a significant reduction in weight gain in participants who were weighed every day. For example, results of a randomized controlled trial using a Wi-Fi-weightsWeighing everyday matters: Daily weighing improves weight loss and adoption of weight control behaviors. .

• Within six months, those who weighed daily lost 6 kg more than the control group.
• Even members of the control group, which weighed about five times a week, lost fewer kilograms compared to those who get up on the scales every day.
• Those who are weighed every day, more than trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle (for example, eating less fast food and less sitting in front of the TV).

It turns out that daily weighing still helps to lose weight?

all individually

Unfortunately, the clear answer to this question is no. Everything is very individual.

When you weigh every day and steadily lose weight, you may feel that it affects the weighing results. But if you overeat one day, tomorrow you will not want to get up on the scalesOvereat today, skip the scale tomorrow: An examination of caloric intake predicting nonadherence to daily self-weighing. . And if you do not need on a daily basis to report to someone, chances are good that you will over time not only to throw the weigh-in, but a proper diet.

In addition, you can simply get tired. After all, we often hear about some new method for health (awareness, counting calories, sleep trackers!) successfully adhere to it a month or two, and then forget to follow the schedule and we just begins to pall. This was confirmed with frequent weighings: one and a half years after the start of the study the effect of them is significantly decreasedAssociation between Self-Weighing and Percent Weight Change: Mediation Effects of Adherence to Energy Intake and Expenditure Goals. .

There is a third problem. Some in the daily weigh-in experience psychological side effects (eg, power supply problems or low self-esteem). And hard to say who exactly is at risk. There are more than twenty studies the psychological effects of weighing, but the precise criteria for risk groups have not identifiedSelf-Weighing: Helpful or Harmful for Psychological Well-Being? A Review of the Literature. . While it is believed that the risk is particularly high for young people and women. But those who are being treated for obesity, conversely, a lower risk.