Some people have heard that when they are trying to lose weight, it is not good to weigh themselves every day. However, a lot of people do not know that when they do weigh themselves it should be the same day every week, and it should not be on just any day. So, which day is the most effective day for people to weigh themselves?

Weigh yourself on Wednesday

Brian Wansink says people should weigh themselves only on Wednesdays. The director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University says most people weigh themselves on Sunday nights. The author of "Slim by Design" also reports that people weigh themselves the least on Friday mornings.

However, he contends that weighing yourself in the middle of the week will give the most precise reading. If you do it every week on the same day, your weight will be more consistent.

Even though Wansink suggests the best day is Wednesday, there are a lot of variables that should be considered. People's weight could go up or down depending on how much water is in their body, how much sleep they have gotten, how much exercise they have done, and of course, how much they have eaten. Keri Glassman, registered dietitian and nutritionist said it doesn't matter which day of the week a person steps on the scale.

Other days to weigh

Those who are weight-conscious believe that weighing themselves on Monday morning is better because it is after a weekend of working out.

There are others who believe they weigh more on Monday morning because of indulging in extra food over the weekend.

It is easy to see that even the experts don't agree on Wansink's claim that Wednesday is the best day of the week for people to weigh themselves. What they do agree on is that people shouldn't weigh themselves every single day because there could be false readings that will could disappoint by making people think they weigh a pound or two more than they really do.

On the other hand, it could make people think they are losing and give them a reason to eat that extra slice of cake.

A better solution

Dawn Jackson Blatner, registered dietitian for the American Dietetic Association, recommends that people should weigh themselves only once a week because those who weigh themselves more often become obsessed with the number on the scale instead of focusing on their overall plan.

Blatner advises her patients to focus on sameness. In other words, they should weigh themselves at the same time on the same day each week while wearing the same clothing and using the same scale in the same location.
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