There’s a right way and a wrong way to weigh yourself.  And the difference has nothing to do with what you wear or the time of day.  It doesn’t even matter much what type of scale you use.

The difference has everything to do with how you interpret the results.

Since body weight is subject to significant variability from day-to-day (3-5 pounds by most estimates) and gradual weight loss is recommended (1-2 pounds per week), it is absolutely impossible to see real weight loss in less than a few weeks.  In fact, I would say no less than 1 month.

That’s right, a month.  Forget everything you’ve been promised about losing 5 or 10 pounds in a matter of days.  (You didn’t really believe that anyway! Did you???)

The alternative is to accept that losing weight, losing body fat to be precise, is a gradual process.  It’s not that you shouldn’t get on the scale as often as you want, but looking for weight loss results in a matter of days is a losing proposition – and not the good kind.

Instead of this popular but misguided method, you should measure yourself daily (at the same time, in approximately the same clothes) but simply record the number and GET ON WITH YOUR LIFE.  At the end of each week calculate your average weight for the week and record that number in a journal, chart, log, whatever.  Continue this process for at least a month and then decide if your diet and/or exercise program is working, or not, and make the necessary adjustments.

Once you have established your actual body weight, based on a weekly average, it would be a good idea to get your body composition assessed.  Because you can only measure real fat loss by knowing how much of your total body weight is fat compared to muscle.