How can I weigh myself accurately at home?

Establish a routine of weighing once or twice a week, ideally in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating and exercising. Use an accurate scale on a flat hard surface, and record your weight to monitor progress effectively. Consistency is key for reliable results.

Written by: The Athlete’s FoodCoach, on 5-4-2024

Why is it important to establish a weighing routine at home?

Control external factors: A weighing routine ensures consistent management of the various factors that can affect measurements, such as clothing weight, timing in relation to meals and using the bathroom, and the reliability of the weighing scale.
Reliable monitoring: A weighing routine helps to track changes effectively over time to better understand natural weight fluctuations and to provide reliable data for progress monitoring and goal setting.

How can I bring my weight measurements at home on point?

Decide on your simple weighing routine by always applying these tips:

Clothing: Always wear the same clothes (e.g. only underwear) while weighing yourself.
Moment: Weigh yourself always at the same moment, like in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating and training
Quality scale: Use a reliable, calibrated scale on a consistent hard surface

Take into account short-term natural weight fluctuation triggered by:

Intestinal residue: Depending on the amount of fiber and fluid in the diet, the amount of food residue in the intestines may vary which can influence weight.
Dehydration: Take into account possible factors for dehydration when weighing yourself, like visits to the sauna or engaging in heavy exercise with limited time to restore fluid balance, sincs this can affect your body weight temporarily by causing fluid loss.
Lower glycogen: Glycogen is stored with water. Therefore, low glycogen levels can influence fluid balance and therefore weight. Take into account a drop in weight the day after a high-intensity training or race with short recovery, since glycogen may still partly be depleted.
Variations in diet: The amount of salt and sodium in your meal the moment or day before your weighing moment may influence water retention and therefore affect short-time weight.
Menstrual cycle: The menstrual cycle can lead to short-term weight fluctuations by the results of hormonal changes and water retention.

Keep a log of your weight results, including dates and external factors like stress and training to understand natural weight fluctuations to monitor your progress.

Use the FoodCoach app to track your daily training and eating routines for accurate results. Empower yourself with the FoodCoach app to stay on track and achieve your weight loss goals step by step. If needed, seek assistance from a certified FoodCoach for personalized consultation.