Should you weigh yourself on a weight loss journey?
It depends on how you think about it, and what you do next, 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 scales - and either audio-record themselves or write their thoughts in a journal.
The scientists then analysed their responses.
The findings:
90% compared their weight to a previous weight or goal weight
58% reflected on past 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. And they rarely made a specific action plan.
But when the researchers tracked which behaviours actually aided weight loss, you can probably guess the only one that helped: specific action planning.
What does that look like? After you weigh, you could ask:
How can I make sure I’m able to eat slowly and mindfully today?
What vegetable could I include with lunch and dinner?
When exactly will I fit in my 15 minutes of intentional movement?
When will I take 10 minutes to myself to de-stress at work so that I don’t reach for wine when I walk in the door?
Instead of resolving to ‘make better choices’ throughout the day, or simply to ‘work harder to lose weight’, you’ve created a specific action plan. That’s how you drive success.
There’s definitely 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.
Weighing yourself isn’t ever a requirement, even when weight loss is the goal.
So, consider your own experience, and ask, ‘Is this helping - or hurting?’
Let’s make healthy simple
If it’s helping you to weigh yourself, continue.
If it’s hurting you, either
Reframe the way you’re thinking about it, so that it supports the specific actions you take, or
Stop weighing and find another way to measure your progress, that supports you better
And if you need help creating a specific action plan for weight loss, hit reply for a chat