Whether you’re trying to lose fat or keep it off, there are different theories out there about whether or not to weigh yourself at all and, if you do, how often to do it. The latest official word from The National Weight Control Registry, a database of people who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for a year or more, is that out of the over 5000 people they track, the majority of them weigh themselves daily.

When I first heard this, I thought it was ridiculous. And, I have to admit, I am still inclined to believe that those who weigh themselves daily after having lost fat are living in fear of gaining it back. Why else would you weigh yourself daily?

I also used to be one of those folks who believed that not weighing yourself while losing fat is a good idea. In fact, when I lost the 40 pounds I lost, I weighed myself not more than a total of 10 times. BUT I was also in denial about how important that number on the scale was to me at the time and didn’t want the roller coaster of emotions if my weight fluctuated. So I avoided the scale until I was sure I had lost weight and would like the number I saw staring back at me.

Fast Forward to Today…

I’ve been studying the mind-body connection for over 20 years now and have read many books about the link between emotions and dis-ease. Lately, I’ve been reading a phenomenal book called, The Power of Your Supermind by Vernon Howard. He talks about emotions and the importance of not judging them, but of learning to separate yourself from them, observe them, learn from them, and let them go. Only then, are you truly able to live freely. The truth and the power of this hit me when I read it.

So, while I haven’t changed my thoughts about why most women weigh themselves daily after fat loss, I have changed my thoughts on whether or not to do it.

Rather than avoiding or denying the thoughts and feelings you have when on the scale, get on that scale, feel what you feel, acknowledge it, don’t judge the feeling or yourself, and then let the feeling go. The numbers on the scale don’t mean anything until you give them a meaning, so the goal is to take the “sting” out of whatever you see on the scale. It’s all about acceptance and love of yourself, regardless of the number on the scale. The only way to reach true self-acceptance is to become conscious of your thoughts and feelings. That’s when the fat will come off and stay off!