W is for Weighing-in

Regular self-weighing is consistently associated with better long-term weight maintenance. Frequent data catches drift early, while it is still a two-pound problem rather than a twenty-pound one.

The catch is that the number moves for many reasons that have nothing to do with fat — salt, water, hormones, glycogen, the time of day, what you did yesterday. A single reading is nearly meaningless. The trend across a week or two is what carries information.

If stepping on the scale wrecks your day, the instrument is not the problem — the interpretation is. Weigh under the same conditions, write the number down, watch the line, and refuse to let it comment on your worth.