Study: Daily weigh-ins help dieters keep weight off
Here is some of the text of the article:
It involved 291 people, mostly women, who in the previous two years had lost at least 10 percent of their body weight, an average of 44 pounds. They weighed 171 on average when the weight maintenance study began.
They were randomly put into three groups. The Internet and face-to-face groups met through online chat rooms or in person, respectively, with a weight-loss counselor weekly for four weeks and then monthly for 17 months. All submitted weekly weight reports and were counseled if they were in the "red zone," meaning they had regained 5 pounds or more.
The third group received counseling via monthly newsletters. Participants in all three were advised at the outset on diet and exercise, and were given scales and encouraged to use them daily.
A year and a half later, researchers checked on participants, assuming that those who dropped out of the program had regained 5 pounds or more.
They found that 46 percent of the face-to-face and 55 percent of the Internet groups were in the "red zone," compared with 72 percent in the newsletter group. The median weight gain was 2.5 pounds in the face-to-face group, 6 pounds in the Internet group and 10.4 pounds in the newsletter group.
. . . . Among daily weighers, only 39 percent regained 5 pounds or more, but 68 percent of those who weighed themselves less frequently did.
I thought it was an interesting idea for a study, particularly since so many people advocate weighing no more often than once a week. Since I am still in the [slow] weight loss phase of my plan, I only weigh about once a week, but was wondering what anyone who has already reached goal thought of this study.
I weigh daily now that I am trying to maintain my current weight. Fluctuations don't bother me because I know whether or not I've eaten and exercised as I should. But, if an extra pound sticks for a couple of weeks then I know what I have to do. In my opinion it is all about management at this point and I don't ever want to have to tackle more than 2 or 3 pounds at a time again.
With that said, I began weighing daily a few months ago. I made a point not to respond emotionally to the number that showed on the scale (again, I knew whether or not I had been on plan so it wasn't rocket science to figure out if a gain was a result of a normal fluctuation or an actual gain). It didn't take long before a definate pattern began to emerge. It was helpful knowing what I could expect my body to do at any given time and how it reacted to certain foods, etc. On top of that it allowed me to see how many pounds I lose on average per week. I could easily see that a three week period without a loss wasn't a big deal because I knew it would be followed by a couple of weeks of significant weight loss. As long as my average was .5-2 pounds a week I was a happy camper.
Of course, if an pound or two (or a ounce or two for that matter) is going to be so upsetting that it is difficult not to give up then once a week or less is a better weighing habit. The important thing to remember is that the scale isn't the last authority on our weight loss but only one tool to help gauge our progress - and that is true whether you are losing weight or trying to maintain it.
I weigh each day, sometimes 2 times (morning and night) just too see what different foods/beverages do to my weight even though I maintain specific calorie intake. It is nice to see. Upon getting to my goal weight, I will continue to weigh each morning, that way I can stay within 5 lbs of my goal weight. I think, personally, that IF I dont weigh frequently, it is too easy to say "I will worry once I am 10, 20, ect pounds over my goal". I want to be accountable for my health and weight..and not give myself excuses.
*I* weigh in once a week and don't plan on changing this, as it keeps me sane and less obsessive.
Been maintaining within a pound for 1.5 years now and did the same thing when I was losing weight. However, I am quite strict on my maintenance diet even if I am not weighing in. I think that daily weights are almost a sure thing to keep you on track after losing weight, *especially* if you are tempted to overindulge at goal, but it is not a NECESSITY.
Keep in mind that other factors could contribute to this study - a person who weighs every day MIGHT be a more meticulous dieter/maintainer in general than the person who does not, also leading to a stricter adherence to diet, food logging, etc. It's just one factor in an overall picture.
Do what works for you - if you find that not weighing every day leads to 'oh I can just eat a little more today' then you better start getting on that scale. I don't need it, at least not yet.
I was weighing every day for a while when I first started WeightWatchers, and I found that daily fluctuations that might not even be a result of what I'm doing would make or break my mood for the given day.
And having higher weights would have the opposite effect. It would make me think that it was hopeless to try, and then I'd give up and eat something I shouldn't just because I was apathetic.
So... I weigh weekly. It helps keep me from obsessing.
I agree that weighing daily is good, at least for me. When I step on the scale and the number has gone down I feel awesome and follow my plan just as I have been. If it's up, I just concentrate on being more careful about what I put in my mouth that day.
I've never been a big weigh-er, I always felt like weighing once a week was sufficient, but I like weighing daily.
When I don't weigh every day, I tend to forget about it. I have gained the most weight by getting out of the habit of weighing every day and by not wanting to look at the scale to see where I am. (Usually when I'm eating whatever I want and not trying to be on any plan).
Sometimes even before I really get back on plan, just starting to weigh myself every day helps to motivate me. For instance last December, I weighed, was shocked at the number and determined to do something about it. I didn't immediately start a diet, but I continued to weigh every day and to be more careful about how I was eating. Within December I lost 4 pounds. Then come January I started back on my diet.
When actively dieting I do weigh every day and sometimes many times during the day. I always accept as my "true" weight, whatever weight I see that is the lowest. This is my weight without excess food or water in my body, so I may wait an hour or two after getting up to eat, just to see how much food will evacuate from my body. (yeah, that might be obsessive, but I need to see my true progress).
There are days when the scale is up even though I've been on plan. Sometimes it might be up by 3 or 4 pounds. When that happens I can usually pinpoint why. It could be something as simple as too much salt eaten, or some higher carb food causing extra water retention. I know my body well enough to know that if I stick to plan, that after maybe a half a week, that new weight will be gone, and perhaps an extra pound or two with it.
What occurs to me though, when I see those spikes in the scale is what if I only weighed once a week? I would see that gain of 3 or 4 pounds and not know what is causing it. Plus I wouldn't know that it went away along with an extra pound or two the next day (if the next day wasn't my weigh in day) and so I could be working all week or two weeks and never have any real encouragment from the scale. In fact, I might be complaining that the diet isn't working!
So many people have almost insisted to me that I not weigh once a day, or multiple times in a day and I just know what works for me. Losses make me happy, they make me know I'm on track. And when I'm not on track, gains can be caught and corrected before they get too big. Plus my little ups and downs don't bother me as much as they would because I know why they happened, and I know that it won't be long before they are showing me a new number.
I think it's an individual thing. If weighing daily works for you, then go for it. For myself, I've decided to try weighing just once a month. I used to weigh myself weekly, but I found it counterproductive. The problem was that if I didn't lose weight, I'd get discouraged and overeat. When I did lose weight, I felt like, "Hey, I'm not in such bad shape, I don't really have a food problem," and then I'd overeat. So no matter what the results were, I overate. Right now I'm concentrating solely on increasing my endurance through aerobic exercise, and my overall health through eating more fruits and vegetables. By no means am I knocking the daily weigh-in, though. Once I reach the mainenance phase, I'll probably do it myself, just so the pounds don't sneak back on.
I've always been one to weigh daily, sometime in am and pm. No matter how hard I try as soon as I wake up and go to the restroom I want to weigh.
I agree with one of the statements above...if I'd have kept weighing daily the last time I lost weight I wouldn't have gained it all back and then some.
Study: Daily weigh-ins help dieters keep weight off
