PROVEN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT TIP

EVIDENCE BASED

3 EFFORTLESS TIPS TO LOSE WEIGHT:

1. Weigh yourself every morning. YES, I said every morning.

2. Record your weight in an app, calendar or journal.

3. Check trends on a daily or weekly basis and make notes in your app, calendar or journal. If you see you gained weight or lost weight on certain days, think about what you did then and write it down (Hashtags work well, like #latenightchips). Over time, common themes will pop out at you and you can brainstorm solutions.

For example, I have a few Netflix programs I love. I really have to resist not to binge watch when a new series is dropped. Sound familiar? I noticed that if I stay up past 9:30 watching a favorite show, I tend to snack. These late night snacks tip up my weight. However, If I turn off the TV by 9:30, I don't eat more as I'm still full from dinner. I learned this from daily tracking.

Most everyone is working to manage weight. We live in a food rich environment; technology has eliminated most natural physical activity. A simple strategy to prevent weight gain, and for some to even lose weight without trying, is to weigh yourself daily.

Possible reasons why:

1. Tracking regularly helps you connect your behaviors to weight changes.

2. Tracking prevents accumulation of weight as you can eat more lightly and get more active when you notice a few pounds gained.

3. Overcome fear of self-weighing and emotional reactions to weight. Simply see your weight in relationship to your daily actions (e.g. late night snacking, lack of sleep, skipped breakfast, etc.) and adjust your behavior accordingly.

Some people may tell you not to weigh yourself daily. What I'm sharing with you is evidence from research studies. To me, scientific findings matter, because many myths exist when it comes to best practices for weight management.

I suggest you try daily weighing for at least 2 weeks and see how it goes. Two weeks is a pretty small commitment compared to your whole life. Then, you can decide what works best for you.

ONE IMPORTANT CAVEAT:

Keep in mind that if you start a strength training program, you may gain weight, but that is muscle and is good weight gain. That is where a "smart scale" comes in handy, like the Nokia or Garmin products listed below. I use the Nokia scale myself. You want to gain lean body mass and lose excess fat. So, if part of what is new and changing in your life is that you're increasing muscle, celebrate that weight gain!

A PROVEN WEIGHT MANAGEMENT TIP

A recent 2-year long study demonstrated the effectiveness of self-weighing. Female college students who weighed themselves daily not only avoided gaining weight, but also managed to lose a few pounds, reported Drexel University and University of Pennsylvania researchers. The 2017 study, published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine, included 294 college-aged women of various weight levels. Investigators weighed subjects at baseline, 6 months, 1 and 2 years and conducted body composition scans.

Data analysis showed that the women who reported daily self-weighing experienced some weight loss with significant changes in BMI after 2 years. Students who did not weigh themselves daily saw little change in BMI.

Lead study author, Diane Rosenbaum, PhD, psychologist at University of Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said, “The losses in BMI and body fat percentage were modest, but still significant, especially keeping in mind that these women were not part of a weight loss program." 

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