This Is The Best Time Of Day To Weigh Yourself

In the battle to shed a few pounds, you might feel like running a mile or two would be easier than getting on your bathroom scale. But if you really think you need to drop some weight, the only way to do that is to use your scale on a regular basis — and according to weight loss experts, you'll need to weigh yourself every morning (via Consumer Reports).

"Make it part of your morning ritual," says Holly Wyatt, a doctor with the of the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center. "You need to know that number on a consistent basis to help you manage your weight to make better decisions about your health."

Charlie Seltzer, an obesity and exercise specialist, says the best way to use your scale in the morning is to weigh yourself at your lightest — after you've done your thing on the toilet and when you have no clothes on, which helps your scale give an accurate read. 

Seltzer also recommends using a scale with the knowledge that numbers can go up — as well as down. "Individual body weight on a given day is irrelevant," Seltzer says (via Women's Health). "You have to look at the trends over time, so that one day's weight is simply a data point."

Choosing the right scale to do the job can be an easy task for those who want to lose weight — pick a basic scale, because high-tech scales can be inaccurate. A high-tech scale is also fine to use if you want the bells and whistles, as long as you take the readings with a grain of salt. Consumer Reports also suggests putting your scale on a hard surface when you do your weigh-in, because a wobbly scale can deliver an inaccurate reading.

But if you are trying to lose weight and have a history of eating disorders, it may be wise to check in with a health professional before you start a program or make a purchase, simply because self-weighing can not only cause anxiety, it might even be a trigger. "Like with any weight-loss intervention, if weighing yourself has a neutral effect on your life or makes it better, you should do it — but if it has any negative impact you definitely shouldn't," Seltzer tells Women's Health.