If you're anything like me you've lost and gained the same weight over and over again. For me it's been the last 20 years or so of a cycle of weight loss, followed by weight gain. This time however I have a plan, and I'm going to try and stick to it. The plan is simple — weigh in every day no matter what I think the scale is going to show.
In the past I have avoided weighing in after a day of bad eating, whether it was McDonald's, all you can eat sushi, or just over indulging in general. I would know the scale was going to be up and I didn't want to be discouraged by that so I simply wouldn't weigh myself. This is okay to do once in a while, however it turns into a habit quickly, and before you know it you've gained 10 of the 20lbs you lost back, in the blink of an eye.
The Chart Tells The Story
As you can see from my chart I have periods of high motivation and discipline where I am essentially weighing in every single day — there is a steady drop. There are some days slightly up, but I would just adjust my activity and diet based on the scale, doing this would give me that steady trend down.
Periods where I would stop weighing (typically if I was close to my goal weight for instance) I would have weight gain...I believe for multiple reasons. Number 1 being you don't really notice you're gaining weight. It happens slowly, until one day your pants are not fitting like normal, the notches that you had to add to your belt aren't being used anymore, you look in the mirror and can't believe what you look like. It happened again, you've gained the weight back...time to restart.
That's where I am now...this time however I have a plan — WEIGH IN NO MATTER WHAT!
The Science Behind It
So I wanted to see if there was actual science backing up what I've experienced, and turns out...there's a lot. A massive study of 10,000 smart scale users tracked people's weighing habits over about 3 years and found that the more frequently someone weighed themselves, the more weight they lost. Daily weighers specifically saw the best results. For people who were overweight or obese, the benefit was even more pronounced — even weighing in just 2-3 times a week was associated with weight loss in that group. But daily was king.
Another study, this one a 6-month randomized controlled trial, found that people who weighed themselves every single day adopted significantly more weight control behaviors than people who weighed most days of the week. We're talking about things like watching portion sizes, cutting back after a heavy day, and being more mindful in general. It's like the scale acts as a daily check-in with yourself...a reality check that keeps you honest. When that check-in disappears, so does the accountability, and that's exactly what I've experienced firsthand.
Now I know what some of you are thinking..."isn't weighing yourself every day bad for your mental health?" I thought the same thing. But a randomized controlled trial specifically designed to answer that question found that daily weighing did not lead to increases in depressive symptoms or disordered eating. A meta-analysis that looked at 23 different studies on the psychology of self-weighing came to a similar conclusion — for most people, it's not harmful. That said, if you have a history of eating disorders, this is a conversation to have with a professional. The research does show that for people in that category, frequent weighing can be more complicated.
One more thing that really stood out to me...consistency matters more than anything. A study on weight loss maintenance found that people who kept their weight off long-term weren't just weighing frequently — they were weighing consistently. 6 to 7 days a week, week after week. It wasn't about weighing yourself 100 times in a month and then stopping. It was about making it a daily habit, like brushing your teeth. That's the part I've always struggled with, and that's the part I'm committed to changing.
Weigh yourself first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom, before eating or drinking anything. This gives you the most consistent baseline. Don't stress about daily fluctuations — focus on the weekly trend. Your weight can swing 2-5 lbs in a single day from water, food, and sodium alone. The trend is what matters.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, I know what works for me. The proof is there — daily weigh ins. I just need to do it. There will be days I don't want to, and those are the days where I have to. What do you guys think? Let me know. Thanks for reading, I hope we all reach and maintain at our goal weights!