Participant Experience of Monitored Daily Self-Weighing for Two Years: A Mixed Methods Study

Background: Daily self-weighing can facilitate weight gain prevention, weight loss and weight loss maintenance. This study examined the experience of daily self-weighing from the individual perspective and related it to weight outcomes. Methods: We conducted a mixed methods study of intervention group participants in a two-year daily self-weighing randomized controlled trial. Body weight was measured at baseline and two years. Percent body weight change was calculated and categorized as weight loss (>3% loss), maintenance (+/- 3%) or gain (>3% gain). Individual qualitative interviews about the experience of daily self-weighing were conducted at study end. Two investigators coded the interview transcripts independently. Chi-square tests explored the association between experiences and weight outcomes. Results: Participants (n = 128) were 76% female and 88% white with an average age of 43 years (95% CI [41, 45]) and a mean BMI of 27.1 kg/m2 (95% CI [26.0, 28.0]). Three aspects of daily weighing emerged as themes from the interviews: the act of weighing, awareness of weight changes, and reactions to weighing daily. Most reported the behavior of daily weighing as easy, quick, or a habit (n = 71), while fewer found it to be difficult or tedious (n = 10). There were no significant associations between ease of daily weighing and weight outcomes (p = 0.77). About half of participants (n = 66) noted a new or increased cognizance of fluctuations in their weight, including daily, seasonal, life-event, and/or health behavior-related patterns. Those who noted weight fluctuations were more likely to lose or maintain weight versus those who did not (p = 0.003). Weighing daily long term caused a range of reactions from positive, helpful, and motivating (n = 41) to more negative feelings of frustration, discouragement and stress (n = 25). Those reporting negative responses were more likely to have gained weight (p = 0.002). Conclusions: Adults volunteering for a self-weighing study most often find daily weighing easy. Individuals who experienced positive reactions to weighing and increased awareness of weight changes were more likely to maintain or lose weight.