How to weigh yourself.

January 8, 2013

I weigh myself once a week, in the bathroom, nearly naked, right when I wake up in the morning. I also ensure that I had my ‘cheat meal’ at least 3 days ago (to make sure the bloat went away) and I’m not retaining water due to excess salt, PMS, or stress.

I found that my best ‘weight’ days are when I had adequate sleep and didn’t eat a heavy dinner the night before. So since my weekends are sprinkled with some inconsistent eating, I usually like to weigh myself on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning.

Right after birth my weight drops faster. I can usually drop anywhere between 1-2lbs per week (I usually start at around 150 post-baby). When I get into the 130’s I start to lose .5-1lb a week. When the weight slows it usually means that I’m nearing the ‘last ten pounds’ and my body doesn’t want to give it up very easily. Also – in my weight loss process my weight has plateau’d for 2-3 weeks at a time. I remember it being stuck at certain stages: 141, 132 and 127.

Now I’m around 122.

It’s funny to look back and think: “I’m never going to get passed this number!” and then continue to train and eat clean despite some disappointment after looking at the scale. In my mind I reassure myself, “Consistency, Consistency, Consistency!” Do NOT stop. Keep pushing and you will get there. I’m telling you right now, when I was at each and every one of those weight marks, it felt like an eternity.

So, as you guys start to weigh yourself weekly here are my tips:

  1. Weigh yourself at the same time each week
  2. Don’t eat before you weigh yourself (keep in mind you should eat within the hour of waking…so do it quick!)
  3. Use the same scale
  4. Consider what could cause weight fluctuations (heavy meals and periods)

If you are not losing weight, I would look in my food journals and see the following:

–          Am I eating too much sugar (especially in the form of fruit)

–          Do I eat salty foods

–          Are my portions larger than I think they are?

–          When am I starting my period? (I ask this often and I DO track it! For one week prior I usually retain 1-2lbs of water)

–          I look at my fitness calendar and see if I’m focusing more on weight training than cardio

–          Personally I ask if I’m stressed or sleeping enough

Whatever your weekly weight is, make sure you write it down on your calendar so you can visually see your progression.

1st shot was taken 4 months post-preggers
2nd shot was taken 7 months post-preggers
3rd shot was taken 10 months post-preggers

8 Comments

  • Reply marianna January 8, 2013 at 4:32 am

    thanx for posting this!! I’ve been getting so discouraged lately since all my friends have been dropping their weight faster than I have been (even though they don’t exercise or diet) and we all gave birth 4 months ago. I’ve only managed to drop 20 out of 49 I gained and I’ve plateaued and I’ve been working out and keeping a food diary to watch what I eat.. Reading this post has given me the inspiration and motivation to keep going. You rock! hopefully I look as good as you someday, maybe within a year.

    • Reply Maria Kang January 8, 2013 at 5:38 am

      You can probably drop the rest of your pregnancy weight before summer…focus on intense exercise and very clean eating.

  • Reply Stef January 8, 2013 at 4:47 am

    I almost ready to have a baby. I became pregnant with 3rd four months after 2nd one was born and I had not lost all of my baby weight. I was at 130 and had 10 lbs to go. Now I am almost ready to have the 3rd in a month. I am planning to nurse. Did you nurse? How many calories did you eat? How much did you workout? I don’t want to make excuses but want to make sure the baby is getting adequate nutrition but I am not overeating. Thanks so much for your help and inspiration!! 🙂

    • Reply Maria Kang January 8, 2013 at 5:37 am

      Stef, I nursed anywhere between 3-6mths. I ate around 1800 calories for my size. Every woman is different so I would experiment with how much you need to intake to keep up with production. I would also focus on eating very clean and staying away from junk…In regards to workout, I started my program slowly. I started with just three days and increased as I got stronger and had more energy. It’s important to personally challenge yourself and not try to emulate my program because I am different…

      • Reply Stef January 8, 2013 at 5:43 pm

        Thanks Maria!! I think I am probably 1800 too judging prior to being pregnant. I have cut out cake, cookies, candy, ice cream for the last month which is huge for me since I love sweets. But just felt like I was out of control. Now I just have sweets in form of drinks hot chocolate, chai tea, etc. May seem contradictory but it is helping me to have freedom and more discipline in other parts of my life. I want to be a good example for my kids. Not to say I won’t have sweets again but until I can eat one or two cookies without going back for more I think it was best for me to get rid of them for the time being. Now I just need to work on being careful with other sugar intake such as dried fruit, regular fruit, juice occassionally.

      • Reply Stef January 8, 2013 at 5:43 pm

        Thanks Maria!! I think I am probably 1800 too judging prior to being pregnant. I have cut out cake, cookies, candy, ice cream for the last month which is huge for me since I love sweets. But just felt like I was out of control. Now I just have sweets in form of drinks hot chocolate, chai tea, etc. May seem contradictory but it is helping me to have freedom and more discipline in other parts of my life. I want to be a good example for my kids. Not to say I won’t have sweets again but until I can eat one or two cookies without going back for more I think it was best for me to get rid of them for the time being. Now I just need to work on being careful with other sugar intake such as dried fruit, regular fruit, juice occassionally.

  • Reply Marisela January 11, 2013 at 10:27 pm

    Hola Maria,no hablo ingles,pero me gustaria lograr lo que tu haz logrado con tu cuerpo,tengo 35 años y 4 hijos,mido 1.70 y peso 170 lb. quiero volver a pesar máximo 140 lb. trataré de empezar a traducir lo que tu nos dices,eres una inspiración para mi,gracias!

  • Reply lasertest April 5, 2017 at 4:37 am

    Hi! I’ve been following your weblog for a while now and
    finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you
    a shout out from Austin Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the great work!

  • Leave a Reply to Stef Cancel Reply