Frequent self-weighing has been proposed as a strategy to promote weight loss. Not all experts agree on its utility, and the literature supporting its effectiveness is somewhat limited by methodological shortcomings related to the subjective assessment of self-weighing frequency. A prospective cohort design was utilized by Vanwormer and coworkers to examine 100 participants enrolled in a weight-loss trial that encouraged frequent, objectively measured self-weighing at home. Measurements were made at pretreatment and at follow-up visits at six and 12 months. Participants were obese adults enrolled in the Weigh By Day trial. Study data were collected between October 2005 and May 2007. The intervention consisted of a six-month behavioral weight-loss program that employed telephone counseling, a written manual, and a home telemonitoring scale. The primary outcomes of interest were body weight and clinically meaningful weight loss (i.e., >/=5%). Self-weighing was a significant predictor of body weight over time. Participants lost about one extra pound for every 11 days they self-weighed during treatment. In addition, participants who self-weighed at least weekly were 11 times more likely to lose at least 5% of their pretreatment weight after 6 months. Improvements attenuated after 12 months.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER: The authors concluded that self-weighing may be a strategy to enhance behavioral weight-loss programs. Weekly self-weighing seems to be a reasonable, evidence-supported recommendation for successful weight loss, but more research is warranted to determine the independent contribution of self-weighing to successful weight loss, as well as its potential risk of negative psychological impact.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU AS A PATIENT: The investigation suggested that frequent weighing might help you lose weight. There could be some negative points in that weight can fluctuate from day to day or from week to week. Taking this variability into consideration, weighing yourself frequently may still provide you with useful feedback on your attempt to lose weight.

JJ Vanwormer JJ et al. Self-Weighing Promotes Weight Loss for Obese Adults. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, October 2008.