Should You Weigh Yourself Every Day? Here’s Why I Do.

Ugh, the scale. Who among us doesn’t have a conflicted relationship with the damn digital device? This morning I stepped on mine to discover I gained .8 pounds, even though I played tennis, walked and ate pretty healthfully yesterday. At first I felt discouraged, but then I shook it off. Okay, good to know. I may face a number that doesn’t thrill me, but I still weigh myself every morning.

For me, it’s an important tool in maintaining my weight—which is my focus these days. At age 60, I weigh about ten pounds more than my “ideal” weight, a number I haven’t seen since my 40s, and then only briefly. Now that I’m post-menopause, things have shifted, including my mindset. I’m not going to starve or beat myself up to fit some ideal that I’ve never been able to achieve. And, honestly, as I get older, I don’t think super skinny is a good look. The women who I think look fabulous at this age are healthy, strong and radiant.

Accepting myself has made me happier, but I still don’t want to gain weight. It’s so easy to put on a few pounds and so effing hard to lose them. Diets are the worst! Weighing myself every day keeps me aware of what’s going on with my body while the changes are small and manageable. I may not always like the number I see on the scale, but it’s better to know what’s happening than avoid it. Usually only a few tweaks for a few days are required to reset, like cutting out my morning mini blueberry muffin, passing on the potatoes, or extending my dog walk.

Research shows that this practice does help people lose and/or maintain their weight. But it doesn’t work for everyone. If it ruins your day or if you find yourself getting obsessive about it, give it a skip. Here’s a good story from the Washington Post about the pros and cons of weighing yourself daily.

If you do decide to go for it, keep these things in mind:

• Your weight naturally fluctuates due to all kinds of factors, like hydration, stress and sleep. It even varies by time of day, so to be consistent, get on the scale before you eat breakfast.
• Weighing two pounds more than yesterday doesn’t mean you’ve gained two pounds of fat—that’s practically impossible. But if those new pounds are hanging around for the next week, you may want to look at what could be causing the change.
• The number on the scale is not good or bad. Weight, like age, is just a number. It’s not a measure of your worth, your attractiveness, or your health. It’s an objective reading of one thing on one day, information which, over time, can help you understand and manage your weight.

Our bodies are literally our most valuable resource. It’s important to pay attention to how our physical self is impacted by our environment and actions so we can take good care of it. These days, I always guess my weight before I step on the scale, based on how I feel. More often than not, I nail it. The most positive outcome I’ve experienced is being in touch with myself.

Okay, so that’s my opinion. How do you feel about weighing yourself every day?