When is best time to get the most accurate weight reading?

A friend and I were discussing the other day when the best time is to weigh yourself? Is it first thing in the morning, last thing at night, in the middle of the day? We debated for a good 10 minutes without resolving it so I decided to do some research and write a post on when exactly is the best time to weigh yourself.

photo credit: smig44_uk

Most people tend to believe that your true weight is when you first wake up in the morning, after you go to the bathroom and before you eat anything. Again common sense would suggest that in the evening you will weigh more becuause your body if full of food and water weight.

The key point however when it comes to weighing yourself is that you do it at the same time everyday and ideally with the same set of circumstances before hand. This is why most people tend to weigh themeselves first thing in the morning because it’s normally the same time and same set of circumstances (i.e no food/fluid intake has occurred).

If you weigh yourself at any stage later in the day you are likely to get inconsistent readings due to different levels of food and fluids in your body and the amounf of energy you have burnt. However, you should chose a time to always weigh yourself. I always weigh in the morning after going to the bathroom.

Consistency is important but we also need to remember not to get so caught up in numbers - let your clothes and how you are feeling do the talking.

From the research I’ve done and the people I’ve spoke to it seems weighing yourself in the morning after going to the bathroom is the most confidence building and also gives you a true reflection of what your weight is.

What happens to your body throughout the night to make a morning weigh in the best?

During the night the body enters a fasting period where our kidneys filter waste and the digestive system works throughout. Because our bodies are in a state of rest, the heart doesn’t have to pump as fast or any extra and the kidneys can efficiently move unwanted water into the bladder. This means that in the morning we dont have extra water and bulked up blood in your system and it is also why in general most people feel the urge to go to the bathroom as soon as they wake. Hence this is also why weighing yourself in the morning may be the best time to do it.

During the day our weight fluctuates depending on the activity, food, fluid and emotion’s we encounter but in the morning upon first rising you’re waking from a fast and your body is at equilibrium.

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