Your Body Weigh Scale, Use It or Lose It?

For some, daily body scale weigh-ins provide feedback that’s motivating and helpful. But for others? It can cause anxiety and disappointment.

Author

Mark Dilworth
February 22, 2024

Should you weigh yourself every day?

(My admission: I weigh myself almost every day to get feedback on my plan and improve on my previous day's activity. I'm not trying to lose weight, just maintain.  When I was 50 pounds overweight, I had no real, consistent plan and struggled big-time).

So, it depends on how you think about it, suggests University of Oxford research.

In the study, participants weighed themselves each morning for eight weeks.

They were also asked to “think aloud” during and after stepping on the scale—and either audio-record themselves or write their thoughts in a journal.

The scientists then analyzed their responses.

💥 What they found:

▶ 90% compared their weight to a previous weight or goal weight

▶ 58% reflected on decisions and actions that may have influenced their weight

▶ 14% made an action plan

▶ 6% made a SPECIFIC action plan

💥 As you can see, participants almost always played the comparison game. Only 6% made a specific action plan.

But guess what?

When the researchers tracked which behaviors actually helped weight loss, the only one that helped: specific action planning!

💥 What does specific action planning look like? After you weigh, you could ask:

▶ How can I make sure I’m able to eat slowly (until 80% full, not stuffed) and mindfully today?

▶ Eat protein with each meal to improve satiety throughout the day (and eat less)?

▶ What vegetable could I include with each meal?

▶ When exactly will I fit in my 15-20 minutes of intentional movement and how will I stay active every day?

💥 Instead of kinda-sorta-maybe making better choices throughout the day, you’ve created a specific action plan.

That’s how you drive success!

There’s no one right answer for everyone.

For some, frequent weigh-ins provide feedback that’s motivating and helpful.

But for others? It can cause anxiety, disappointment and even shame.

So consider your own experience, and ask, “Is this helping—or hurting?” Because weighing yourself isn’t a requirement.

Keep eating better and keep moving more.

Mark Dilworth, PN1-NC, CDS, NMH, LWM

Nutritionist, Dietary Strategies Specialist, Specialist In Nutrition For Metabolic Health and Lifestyle Weight Management Specialist