To Weigh or Not to Weigh?
There’s definite controversy over whether or not you should weigh yourself daily. While one school of thought is that this will lead to obsession, anxiety and self-loathing which are often counter to weight loss efforts, there is research that indicates daily weighing is actually a helpful, cost-effective behavioral tool to facilitate weight loss and keep it off. A two year study at Cornell University including 162 participants demonstrated that daily self-weighing in fact, helped produce a small amount of weight loss when controlled for other behavior changes. While the change in weight attributed to this was small, what was most notable was that the participants maintained the loss at a 0% regain rate at the 2-year mark. This is remarkable in light of the fact that most studies demonstrate a 40% regain at 1 year and 100% at 5 year follow-up.
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2015/763680/
Keep in mind, this study is small and more research is needed. Also, it’s important to consider how you respond to self-weighing. Many individuals report an increase in permissiveness in their diet when weight goes down and likewise, become more rigid when weight increases. These fluctuations in eating behavior are counter-productive to weight loss efforts and to establishing a healthy, balanced relationship with food. Jillian Michaels recommends weighing yourself once a week due to the frequent fluctuations that happen over the course of the week, even the day. (article here http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fit/lose-weight/myth-weighing-yourself) This is what most dietitians recommend as well since it allows you to use the scale as a reference but not fixate on the daily changes that might occur due to fluid fluctuations.
Artical Provided by: Metrowest Nutrition
