Your health: Should you weigh yourself every day?
Scaling back?
Should you step on that scale every day? Just once a week? Or keep it tucked away all together?
Lavinia Rodriguez, a psychologist and expert in weight management who writes for the Scripps Howard News Service, says people are often confused when it comes to dieting.
“Some experts say weighing should be kept to a minimum so that we don't get obsessed about it; others say weighing daily can keep us from losing awareness so that we don't cheat; and still others say to judge our weight by how our clothes fit, not the scale,” Rodriguez says.
Most dieters believe that the more you weigh yourself, the more motivated you'll be and the faster you'll lose weight. But the number on the scale can't be the primary focus.
Rodriguez say the key is to zero in on dieting and exercise behaviors that promote weight loss. It's also important to remember that weight can vary day to day because of many factors — how much you've eaten, the time of day when you weigh, how much water you may be retaining or how much muscle mass you may have gained or lost.
Pass the pork rinds
If you think you have to avoid junk food to maintain a healthful diet, think again. Many taboo foods aren't as bad as you think, or they at least have close alternatives that won't kill you, reports The Washington Post.
Pork rinds, for example, are deep-fried pigskin, but “Junk Food That's Good for You,” an article on the website menshealth.com of Men's Health magazine, points out that they also have zero carbs, 9 grams of fat — 43 percent unsaturated — and 17 grams of protein, which make them more acceptable as an occasional snack than, say, a small bag of potato chips. (And there's a less greasy microwaveable variety available.)
Although beef jerky is usually loaded with preservatives, it's also high in protein, and it's possible to find jerky made from grass-fed beef that has no preservatives.
If you like a daily drink, you'll be happy to know that in a study of 18,000 men, Harvard scientists found that men who consumed one to two alcoholic beverages a day had a lower risk of heart attack than nondrinkers. As for what kind of drink to have, consider that pinot noir is an antioxidant-rich wine that won't give you a beer belly.
And finally, for those who worry about their love of chocolate, you can take solace in knowing that it contains flavonoids that improve blood flow to the heart.
Regardless of their redeeming qualities, none of these qualify as healthful food, so moderation is key.