The bathroom scale. Nearly every household has one, but their usage varies tremendously from person to person. Some fear it and keep it tucked away behind the toilet bowl, as their relationship with the scale is mainly one of fear-driven avoidance. Then there are the scale addicts who might weigh themselves daily, or even after every meal or workout, each tick downward giving them hope and each tick upward bringing despair.

Regardless of this love-hate relationship, the bathroom scale is not always accurate. Daily fluctuations in weight are common and it’s not unusual for a person’s weight to go up or down a few pounds every day. That’s why if you are going to step on a scale, you should be aware of how works…

• Some inconsistency in results on the scale is normal. It’s natural to fluctuate a couple pounds within a day.

• All scales are not calibrated equally, so weight can fluctuate between different scales.

• A big meal or a night of drinking influences your scale weight.

• We metabolize excess water while we sleep, so we tend to weigh less in the morning and more at night.

• Water retention adds to scale weight and is commonly caused by excess sodium and carbohydrate intake, as well as a low calorie diet. Contrary to popular belief, one of the best ways to reduce water retention is to drink 8-12 glasses of water per day.

• Fluctuating hormones can cause water retention among women.

• If you are new to exercising, don’t be discouraged by initial weight gain. When tissue is not working at its full capacity, it doesn’t volumize, or take in water. When we begin working our muscles for the first time in a long time, they pull in water so that they can work at their full capacity.

• Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat; it takes up less space than fat.

• Stress can also affect weight.

But still, a lot of us still obsess and overdo it. And riding the emotional rollercoaster of constant weigh-ins can increase stress, interrupt sleep habits, and lead to difficult relationships with food, all of which have an effect on fat gain/loss.

So how often should you step on the scale? According to the Cleveland Clinic’s Registered dietitian, Chelsey Ludwiczak, RD, “Regularly weighing yourself can help you stay on track with your weight loss or weight maintenance goals. It’s like having a weekly budget. If you go over your budget one week, you want to know so you can fix it. If you don’t realize you’re overspending every week, it adds up.” The scale helps you keep track of your own weight so that you can change behaviors before one pound of weight gain becomes five or 10.

According to Ludwiczak, it’s not how often you weigh yourself, but how you weigh yourself. And the key, she says, is consistency. “It should always be on the same scale, at the same time,” she explains. You’ll also get a more reliable result if you weigh yourself first thing in the morning, as food and drink can change what the scale says for a few hours.

Always remember that the number on the scale is just a piece of your overall health, not the whole picture; there’s more than one way to measure success, whether that be inches lost, how your clothes fit, or even how you feel!

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