This is the right day to weigh yourself if you want to know your true weight.

Are you trying to monitor your weight, but every time you step on the scale you get an unexpected surprise? That’s normal, say the experts, because our weight fluctuates throughout the day depending on our diet, our exercise, our hormones, and our hydration. Whether reassuring or disappointing, the habit of weighing yourself is not as harmless as it may seem.

Yet, for some, weighing oneself is a daily gesture or even a habit bordering on obsession. In order to clarify any doubts, dietician Jérémy Gorskie addressed the subject in a video published on the Instagram account of Doctor Michel Cymès. The two experts set the record straight so that the scale is no longer an enemy.

Finding the perfect day

Weighing yourself regularly remains a good reflex to monitor your health and notice abnormal and unexplained weight gain or loss. But weighing yourself every morning is far from necessary, explain Jérémy Gorskie and Muchel Cymes. One weigh-in per week, or even once every two weeks, would be more than enough.

But for optimal monitoring, it will be necessary to ensure that this gesture is performed under similar conditions and on a regular basis, always at the same time of the week and day.

Is there a day that is particularly good for weighing yourself? Yes, experts say, and more specifically, there are days when it is not recommended to weigh yourself. This includes Monday, because large meals on the weekend and aperitifs rich in fatty, salty and sugary products risk causing water retention that will distort the figures. The best days are therefore Thursday and Friday.

Avoid getting on the scale during your period or after a workout.

For women, no more getting on the scale before their period for the same reasons. Water retention is higher due to hormonal fluctuations, and constipation is often present. Athletes also risk not having their exact weight if they weigh themselves right after a workout that made them sweat, due to water loss.

Once you have set a day to weigh yourself, also remember to follow the same conditions each time. It is best to weigh yourself in the morning, on an empty stomach, without clothes, after going to the bathroom. The ideal time? Before or after showering. Finally, be sure to keep the same scale and the same settings to remain as faithful as possible.