Weigh yourself on Wednesday to lose most weight

December 21, 2014  17:00

Dieters should weigh themselves every Wednesday to lose the most weight, according to new research.

Regularly stepping on the scales really does work for those trying to shed the pounds, a study by food technology experts found.

But they discovered Wednesday is the best day because it is when weight is least likely to fluctuate, giving a truer reading and makes it easier to compare one week to the next.

According to Telegraph.co.uk, typically, people weigh the most at weekends and then gradually burn pounds off during the week, said researchers from Finland's Tempere University of Technology.

How much more they weigh at weekends can depend on whether or not they go out to eat, snack or have a quiet weekend.

As a result, weighing themselves on a weekend can see much bigger gains or losses and present an inaccurate picture of their attempts to lose weight.

But Wednesdays, generally, give a much more typical reading of genuine weight and makes it easier to compare one week to another, researchers told the journal PLOS One.

For those trying to slim, going for more than a week without checking the scales will see them put on weight, said Dr Elina Helander.

That is because regular monitoring helps them stick to a weight loss regime as it reminds them why they are doing it, she added.

It is a standard method of slimming clubs to have a weigh-in every week in front of other members to give dieters encouragement.

The Finnish team took 40 overweight adults and analysed 2,838 different weight readings over the course of a year.

They found how and when the individuals weighed themselves related directly to how much weight they lost.

Dr Helander said: "The more often you weigh yourself, the more weight you lose."

Those who went more than a week without weighing themselves put on weight and those who weighed themselves once a week were most successful if they did it on a Wednesday.

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