Before you let the numbers affect you, here are five instances when it’s best to skip the scale all together and focus on the signs of progress.

Stepping on the scale can be a routine part of tracking your fitness or health journey, but it’s not always the best way to measure the progress. In fact, there are times when checking your weight can do more harm than good by causing unnecessary stress and frustration. Weight fluctuates naturally throughout the day due to various factors like food intake, hydration, and hormonal changes. So, before you let the numbers affect you, here are five moments when it’s best to skip the weighing machine all together and focus on the signs of progress.

5 Worst Timings to Check Your Weight

1. Right after eating: After a meal, your body is digesting food and holding onto extra water. The weight you see on the scale includes not only the body weight but also the weight of food and water retained during digestion. This give a misleading result that doesn’t reflect your actual progress.
2. After a night of poor sleep: Lack of sleep can cause hormonal imbalances that can lead to weight fluctuations, particularly because the hormones that regulate hunger and fullness can be affected. If you’ve had a restless night, you might see an increase in weight due to water retention or increased cravings, not actual weight gain.
3. Immediately After a Workout: Exercise can cause temporary muscle inflammation and water retention as your body works to repair itself. Your weight actually increase right after intense workouts, even though you’re losing fat and gaining muscle tone.
4. During Menstrual Cycles: Hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle can cause bloating and water retention. This can increase your weight temporarily. Hence, during this time it’s considered unproductive to weigh yourself.
5. First thing in the morning after a late-night meal: Eating late night meal can lead to temporary weight gain when you step on the scale first thing in the morning. The weight you could see due to undigested food or water retention, rather than real body fat.