Post: #1

I used to think weighing yourself was stupid. After all, a 5’10” 200 pound NFL cornerback is a jacked beast, while 5’10” 200 pound Bob in Accounts is a soft tub of goo. The mirror never lies.



But recently I’ve been weighing myself a lot, and have come around to the benefits of doing so. For guys looking to slim down, here’s why I think frequently weighing yourself is helpful.

1. It results in daily mindfulness
It is well documented that logging daily activities can help you gain momentum in positive practices (writing, meditation) and curtail negative habits (fapping, repeated email checking).

Getting on the scale at least twice a day will help you become mindful of your weight, and mindfulness can overcome unhealthy cravings. Personally, I don’t even write my weight down, just being aware is enough.

One of my favorite writers did a similar thing and had success with it. While you don’t necessarily have to share your results with anyone, that can be very strong motivation as well.

2. It establishes your current range
Although a driver’s license says 173 or 210 pounds, it would be more accurate for most people if it said 170-185 or 210-240. Weight fluctuation is the norm, and just part of life. By mentally inputting data for several days or a week, you can figure out what weight range your current diet, exercise and overall lifestyle put you in.

For example:
I weighed myself three times on Sunday.
Sunday morning I was 151. Then I went on a run, and lifted that afternoon.
Sunday evening I was 148. I ate a massive amount of food that night and went to bed at 154.
Monday morning I awoke at 152.

As your diet and exercise improve or regress, so will your weight. Before I left Japan I was drinking almost every night and eating out a lot as well. My range was 152-158 for several weeks. Since I’ve been in the US, I’ve cut out most of the alcohol and now am in the 148-155 range.

3. It mentally balances out consequences of healthy and unhealthy behavior
I’ve noticed that by weighing myself both in positive situations (after intense exercise) and negative situations (feeling bloated after overeating), they balance out. In other words, while I feel great at a lower weight, I still want to pig out and enjoy it. So I don’t beat myself up if I binge here and there. I know that fasting/eating minimally for x amount of time and exercise will bring me back to where I was previously.

So by all means, weigh yourself before and after you go out with some buddies for pizza and beer. It will simply be information that reflects what you did. The next day, after you play ball or whatever, check again and see how the weight melts off. The key is to accept and normalize your behavior, and not get too high or low. Just be honest with yourself.

4 “Chunk” your overall goal into reasonable and manageable segments
If you are 230 and want to drop 50 pounds, it’s very doable, but it’s also gonna take some time. Just focus on lowering your range, going from 228-233 to 224-229 and so on. It’s not a linear progression unless you are a straight-edge maniac about what you eat and drink. I’m definitely not. Even if you have developed strong self-control, shit sometimes happens in life. Contract an illness, break your leg, you never know.


Again, as the photos emphasize, weight is just one number of many to measure your health. Especially for tall and naturally thin guys, putting on a lot of muscle weight is probably more challenging than dropping it. And obsessing about your weight is pointless self-absorption to some level. No one in the world gives a fuck or notices when I go from 149 to 152. But overall, I think that paying close attention to your weight can be a valuable mental technique.

Post: #2

I weigh myself every morning.

To be honest I have become a little self absorbed and obsessed about getting down to 10% bf.

The dread of that sinking feeling the next morning when you've gained a kilo or whatever, can often make me visit the gym when I can't be bothered or not eat a delicious but unhealthy snack.

Post: #3

I agree.

I weigh myself multiple times a day. At the very least right when I wake up and before I go to bed. Sometimes after I eat so I can see how much I gained.

Post: #4

I have my girlfriends weigh themselves almost every morning.

I set a certain weight I want them to be at, an ideal weight that I find most attractive for their height, then once they achieve it, I keep them within a tight range.

It's understood if it ever goes over a certain point, I walk.

Keeps them in check and leaves no doubt as to my expectations.

Post: #5

^ Damn, you run a tight ship, Buddy.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #6

(08-12-2014 06:24 PM)Flyjin Wrote:  After all, a 5’10” 200 pound NFL cornerback is a jacked beast, while 5’10” 200 pound Bob in Accounts is a soft tub of goo.

That's because that NFL cornerback is probably somewhere in the realm of 8-10% body fat while Bob has 18-23%.

Weight means nothing without a bodyfat percentage.

Post: #7

I agree with the OP- weighing yourself is an excellent tool in your arsenal when trying to get fitter.

In many ways, I think that weighing yourself when trying to gain weight works even better. After all, you're body fat percentage is (ideally) remaining relatively stable, so you are getting a good idea of the amount of muscle you're gaining.

It also helps you establish what makes you lose muscle, and how long it takes to gain it. For example early this summer, I was ill for three days. I couldn't eat and was throwing up. This made me lose weight (obviously). Going out a lot (more than 2 times a week), also made me lose weight, as I could no longer eat a proper breakfast or dinner), and was often not in a position to work out properly. Thinking about it beforehand, I would be inclined to say that I would gain weight from going out a lot as I eat more unhealthily. So weighing myself gave me an idea of the extent to which I need to be focussed in order to continue gaining muscle.

Post: #8

I weight myself daily. I am trying to bulk up (skinny bastard here). It is very helpful, and its really satisfying to watch my average weight increase. Its very hard to visually see progress since you see yourself daily. The scale doesn't lie. It lets you know when you are plateauing and need to step it up too.

Post: #9

(08-13-2014 08:47 AM)frenchie Wrote:  

(08-12-2014 06:24 PM)Flyjin Wrote:  After all, a 5’10” 200 pound NFL cornerback is a jacked beast, while 5’10” 200 pound Bob in Accounts is a soft tub of goo.

That's because that NFL cornerback is probably somewhere in the realm of 8-10% body fat while Bob has 18-23%.

Weight means nothing without a bodyfat percentage.

I think that was his point...mirror never lies.

There was a thread on body fat scales...which ones are good. My thought was, mirror and a scale. Boom, that's pretty much all you need.
/thread-37175-...#pid792950

Post: #10

(08-12-2014 07:28 PM)Spaniard88 Wrote:  I have my girlfriends weigh themselves almost every morning.

I set a certain weight I want them to be at, an ideal weight that I find most attractive for their height, then once they achieve it, I keep them within a tight range.

It's understood if it ever goes over a certain point, I walk.

Keeps them in check and leaves no doubt as to my expectations.

This is a really great idea. Many years ago when I was beta I met a really hot girl (body, face, personality) and was in an LTR for over 2 years. During that time she got progressively fat, very fat, and I had to dump her.

It was a crying shame. If I had laid down the law from the beginning perhaps she wouldn't have gone bad like that.

Lesson learned and if the next girl gripes, "You should love me for my personality and not my body!", I'll respond, "I'll always love your pesonality, but sex takes place on the physical level. If you want to shirk your responsibilities to that then I'll find someone more responsible, but I'll always love you baby...as a friend"

I remember at the time, when I explained her weight was the reason she blamed me for not saying anything earlier. "Didn't you see that I was dinking heavy beer every night?. etc." Although women say they want a man who's not controlling, deep down they really do. They want someone who's going to not only protect them from the world, but also themselves.

Post: #11

(08-12-2014 06:50 PM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  To be honest I have become a little self absorbed and obsessed about getting down to 10% bf.

I don't think this is a *bad* obsession to have. Just like making 6 or 7 figures a year will ensure that you live comfortably, single digit bodyfat (with some muscle) will ensure that you look lean and healthy. Having an established numeric goal is very useful in both matters.

Post: #12

(08-13-2014 09:58 AM)heavy Wrote:  There was a thread on body fat scales...which ones are good. My thought was, mirror and a scale. Boom, that's pretty much all you need.
/thread-37175-...#pid792950

Thanks for the link, I'll have to look into that Fitbit Aria scale.

After reading MikeCF's D&P post on DEXA scans, I'm considering one of those as well.

Post: #13

I do it every morning and record the result. I like how myfitnesspal produces a graph. I've found it's useful to teach yourself that the overall trend over time is more important than the number. The graph shows all the jagged noise in the data from water fluctuations, salt, extra carbs etc. I can easily be +/- 3 lbs from one day to the next.

Post: #14

Once you spend a period of time (approx 1 week) measuring BW to gain an understanding of the fluctuations associated with a myriad of factors (time of day, hydration, illness, sodium intake, ambient temperatures, etc) it's not very useful, and borderline neurotic.

It would be far more beneficial to do daily, detailed and accurate tracking of food/water intake and training (i.e MyFitnessPal w/ Scale).

Daily food tracking and 1x/week weight/waist measurements and self-portraits are far more useful in the long run.

Body Fat scales (and fitbits, sleep cycle apps, etc) are questionable in their utility as well. I used the Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock on my iPhone for awhile; when seeing my sleep doc he said it was good for tracking data, but not much else.

Post: #15

I give my girls 55kg as a max limit.

Post: #16

(08-13-2014 05:47 PM)PHC19 Wrote:  Once you spend a period of time (approx 1 week) measuring BW to gain an understanding of the fluctuations associated with a myriad of factors (time of day, hydration, illness, sodium intake, ambient temperatures, etc) it's not very useful, and borderline neurotic.

It would be far more beneficial to do daily, detailed and accurate tracking of food/water intake and training (i.e MyFitnessPal w/ Scale).

Daily food tracking and 1x/week weight/waist measurements and self-portraits are far more useful in the long run

I do that too...If you're bulking/cutting I think it's good to see how much you're gaining/losing per week by the overall slope of the trend.

Post: #17

I have to agree with OP. I've been doing it for about three years. A scale, a calendar, and a pen. Every morning when I wake up I take a piss and then weigh myself naked. I've got a calendar on the wall and I write that morning's weight on it. I have found it keeps me honest to myself on whether I'm really heading to where I want to be or not. I don't really obsess over it daily but rather examine it a couple of times per month to note overall trends.

Post: #18

I weigh myself everyday. HappyScale is a great app that uses a moving average to give you a trend. A lot of the variability in your weight comes from the fact that most electronic scales are crap. They change readings depending on the time of day and where you stand on the scale. Get a physicians scale or a balance and do it properly.

Post: #19

^^^ A moving average is another good idea. Not sure if it came across in my post, but what I was trying to say is that it's possible to track it every day and become less worried about it, because you realize how much it fluctuates. Also you realize you can "enjoy yourself" every once in a while, and if you are generally hitting your calories/macro targets it doesn't really change much of anything. It's the long term trend and habits that matter.

Post: #20

(08-15-2014 05:40 PM)RexImperator Wrote:  ^^^ A moving average is another good idea. Not sure if it came across in my post, but what I was trying to say is that it's possible to track it every day and become less worried about it, because you realize how much it fluctuates. Also you realize you can "enjoy yourself" every once in a while, and if you are generally hitting your calories/macro targets it doesn't really change much of anything. It's the long term trend and habits that matter.

Exactly.

I can easily put on 2-3 kilos over a weekend of eating and drinking whatever I like. I know it will be gone by wednesday when I get back into my weekday eating and training.

My regular weighings are obviously obsessive but also liberating at the same time.

Post: #21

(08-13-2014 10:09 AM)Onto Wrote:  

(08-12-2014 07:28 PM)Spaniard88 Wrote:  I have my girlfriends weigh themselves almost every morning.

I set a certain weight I want them to be at, an ideal weight that I find most attractive for their height, then once they achieve it, I keep them within a tight range.

It's understood if it ever goes over a certain point, I walk.

Keeps them in check and leaves no doubt as to my expectations.

This is a really great idea. Many years ago when I was beta I met a really hot girl (body, face, personality) and was in an LTR for over 2 years. During that time she got progressively fat, very fat, and I had to dump her.

It was a crying shame. If I had laid down the law from the beginning perhaps she wouldn't have gone bad like that.

Lesson learned and if the next girl gripes, "You should love me for my personality and not my body!", I'll respond, "I'll always love your pesonality, but sex takes place on the physical level. If you want to shirk your responsibilities to that then I'll find someone more responsible, but I'll always love you baby...as a friend"

I remember at the time, when I explained her weight was the reason she blamed me for not saying anything earlier. "Didn't you see that I was dinking heavy beer every night?. etc." Although women say they want a man who's not controlling, deep down they really do. They want someone who's going to not only protect them from the world, but also themselves.

Absolutely, they do. Even the damaged ones do, except they're too far gone, so it's best to just stay away from those. The thing with those girls is that ultimately, all you're doing is scraping the bottom of the barrel, and if you scrape the bottom of the barrel hard enough, you just end up digging a hole for yourself. If you scrape the bottom of the barrel hard enough AND long enough, you'll dig deep enough to bury yourself alive.

With non-damaged girls, however, the level of dominance required is completely healthy.

I make it clear that sharing my world comes at a price.

The women I date, that is, feminine women, see this as a sign that I care about them. As in, I want them, specifically them (this is important), to accompany me on my journey, so that's why I have them do these things, because I WANT them, and I want to make sure they can continue to make the cut.

Feminine women appreciate this, they feel valued, they feel they are a part of a team, they feel sexy, and they know they are dating a man with high standards, and that they are the kind of girl that can keep a man with high standards.

It's all about communication. It's about clearly communicating what you desire, while showing your woman the world/reality you have to offer her, the value that you bring to the table.

My expectations are completely reasonable when compared against the world I'm sharing, although, to many men that hear this without understanding what is going on, they may get the impression that I am demanding too much. I don't believe that to be the case. I believe these men simply aren't able to exude and apply masculine dominance, and that's why they are not able to get 100% of what they desire out of a woman, and it's why, ultimately, they live unfulfilling lives.

When you first meet a woman, she's like a wild mare. You've got to break her in so she can be a comfortable ride. She'll appreciate it too, because she'll know that with you in the leadership position, the future is bright, and she doesn't have to worry about anything. Feminine women naturally worry a lot, about everything, so if you banish most of their worries, this has tremendous value to them. It also keeps them young much longer if they have no worries other than keeping you satisfied. All she should concern herself with is the present, that is, keeping you satisfied.

The other concerns, if any, are my responsibility.

This works for me.

Post: #22

Agreed but it can be confusing if you fluctuate in water weight and don't understand the concept.

Post: #23

weigh every day. become aware of your patterns.

its been shown people that weigh themselves every day are less likely to get fat.

shocker