How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?

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Does it make any difference how often you weigh yourself? While stepping on a scale doesn’t use many calories the results can have a profound effect on motivation to continue (or abandon) your weight loss efforts.

If you’ve been dieting you might feel especially virtuous because you’ve had a good day. You ate reasonable portions and avoided desserts and other calorically dense foods. If you step on the scale the next morning and find that you’ve gained two pounds how would you feel? You could get discouraged and might be tempted to give up. Would you be better off if you didn’t weigh as frequently?

Opinions and practices vary widely. I remember one anorexic patient who refused to be weighed. When the hospital staff required her to get on the scale she faced backward so she wouldn’t have to see the result. A bulimic college student I was working with weighed herself before lunch, halfway through lunch and again when she was finished.

If you look at diet books the issue is ignored or if it is addressed, you’ll get conflicting advice. For example, The Beverly Hills Diet is insistent that you weigh yourself every day while The Beck Diet Solution, like many commercial programs, advises you to limit yourself to once weekly weighing. In contrast, Eating Mindfully wants you to, “Put the scale away. Hide it, trash it, give it away, or tape over the numbers.”

At Strong with Sarah, we believe that delicious cookies can be enjoyed while on your weight loss journey. We also use cookies (the digital kind) to create a great experience for you and to help our website run effectively.

At Strong with Sarah, we believe that delicious cookies can be enjoyed while on your weight loss journey. We also use cookies (the digital kind) to create a great experience for you and to help our website run effectively.

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