Watching Your Weight Is One Way to Lose It

Heading into the holiday season a lot of folks will be worrying about weight gain.  (Fruit cake is really cake!)  In the battle of the bulge we have often been counseled to avoid too much focus on the scale.  But...apparently that's changed.

A new study has found that actually stepping on a scale everyday can help you lose weight! The study was conducted over 12 months by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing and the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine.

During the study, 1,000 adults with an average age of 47, weighed themselves at home as they normally would, without interventions, guidance or weight-loss incentives from researchers.

By the end of the year, researchers concluded those who never weighed themselves or only did so once a week did not lose weight in the following year. But those who stepped on the scale six or seven days a week “had significant weight loss,” shedding roughly 1.7 percent of their body weight.

Study's authors say for many people, monitoring your behavior or body weight may increase your awareness of how changing behaviors can affect weight loss. These findings support the central role of self-monitoring in changing behavior and increasing success in any attempt to better manage weight.