To WIN a Mary Lou Weigh Platform check out this post!
Turns out I am pretty much a scale junkie. I weigh myself every single day if I can. Sometimes I can’t but I generally weigh myself every morning to try to make sure that I am not slipping off into oblivion. When I stop this daily habit I usually start to gain back weight.
Though I weigh myself every day I only post my weigh in updates on the weekends (or every other weekend or whenever I remember hehe). Well, the weekend weigh ins are over. The daily weight checks are over as of now.
I have decided to stop them for a while to try out a product I was sent. I stopped weigh ins a few days ago so I could try out Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform. Yes, it a product from Mary Lou Retton, the 1984 Olympic Gold gymnast. Fantastic.
They call it a re-invention of the bathroom scale focused on helping those fighting the battle of yo-yo weight gain. The scale never tells you your actual weight. Instead it secretly records your weight the first time you get on the weigh platform because as they say on the website, knowing that number can be overwhelming and depressing. The weigh platform then has Mary Lou Retton coaching you along your weight loss journey telling you how much you have lost or gained since you started while also giving you advice and motivation to keep you going.
I was happy to try out the product since the philosophy behind the scale, er, um, weigh platform mirrors mine. They even recognize the fact that weighing myself every morning helps keep me on track.
Studies have shown that people who have lost 10% or more of their body weight are more likely to avoid regaining five pounds or more if they weigh themselves daily. A study conducted at Brown University Medical School in Providence, R.I., showed 61% of people who weighed themselves daily continued to maintain their weight loss within a five-pound range after a year and a half. Only 32% of people who weighed themselves less frequently were similarly successful.
The more often you weigh and monitor your results, the faster you can catch whatever caused the weight gain. It’s easier to make small, daily corrections in your diet and exercise program than to feel the frustration of, say, a 5-pound gain. A daily weigh-in means you won’t get such unpleasant surprises. For the most accurate results, be consistent with the time of day you weigh. The morning is the best time to weigh yourself – just after your first run to the bathroom.
Here are the guiding principles behind Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform:
- Common Sense beats a quick fix.
The last thing the world needs is another fad diet or weight-loss gimmick. We focus instead on proven tools and tactics and smart, no-nonsense choices. The Platform itself is based on studies that show that daily tracking of dieters’ progress helps people lose more weight and keep it off longer.
- Information breeds inspiration.
Knowledge is power when it comes to taking control of your health. We’re committed to providing ongoing education to fuel your progress. We’ve created three ways to deliver information and inspiration to you daily through Platform messages, the MLW book and this website.
- Live well & laugh often. (My personal favorite of the guidelines!)
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll be happy 5 pounds from now. On the path to a healthier you, it’s important to have fun along the way. We’re here to help turn what was once a “another diet” into a positive, affirming and energizing adventure.
- Move beyond a number.
We all (particularly women) have a certain number we feel we should weigh and too often it’s unrealistic. Having goals is a fine thing, but giving one number on a scale too much power over us can be debilitating. The real issue is that our dread of “that number” prevents many of us from using one of the most useful, proven weight-loss tools around: the common bathroom scale. That’s why we reinvented the scale to make it a source of inspiration and information rather than a meaningless number. Tracking your progress daily has been proven to help people lose more weight and keep it off longer.
- Set yourself up for success.
The Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform is designed to help you set realistic, attainable goals. Too often if you have a lot of weight to lose, you can make the mistake of trying to lose the entire amount all at once. That can be daunting and is a recipe for defeat. Instead, we focus on ten pounds at a time and we celebrate each achievement along the way to your final goal. It’s just another tactic for staying focused on the positive and making the whole “weight-loss thing” a more enjoyable process.
I like the philosophy behind the weigh platform. Its realistic and helpful. We will see how it goes, I will update again when I get to that first 10 pound milestone the weight platform records (it works by 10 pound increments). I will give my real review then, but I just wanted to mention this since it will be changing my scale and weekend posting habits. If you are interested in Mary Lou’s Weigh check out her website.
[…] here is the deal. A while ago I wrote about Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform. If you didn’t catch it the first time around – I love the idea behind this product. I really […]