Weigh yourself every week, take a photo every year

My annual photo 2026. August 1st. 63 years old. Next year will be a new one. (I have chosen my annual photo in the summer as I still want to be in good shape.)

I've written before that the scale lies about your health. And I stand by that. It says nothing about your muscles, your belly fat, your fitness, or what you can actually do. As a measure of how healthy and strong you are, the scale is one of the worst tools you have.

But now I'm going to defend it. Because as a warning system it is invaluable and in that it does a job that nothing else does as easily.

So this is not a contradiction. It's about using the right tool for the right thing. The scale is useless for determining whether you're in shape. But it's brilliant for catching a weight that's about to slip, while it's still easy to do something about it.

Let me explain how I think, and how you can turn it into a system that actually works.

Why two kilos become fifteen

At least this is how I work, and I think I'm pretty normal in this regard.

If I gain two kilos and notice it, I do something about it right away. It's a small thing. A couple of weeks with a little more organization, and it's gone.

But if I gain two kilos without noticing it then it doesn't stop at two. Then it becomes four. Then six. Then ten. And one day I'm standing there with fifteen extra kilos and wondering how it happened.

It happened just like that.

Slowly, silently, without me reacting. Each individual week the change was so small that it got lost in the noise. But the weeks piled up.

That's the whole point of stepping on the scale regularly.

Not to chase a number. Not to feel bad about a gram here or there. But to catch it early – while it's still two kilos and not fifteen.

Two kilos is a small thing to fix. Fifteen is a project that takes months and eats away at your self-confidence. The only difference between them is how early you discovered it.

The scale as a system, not as a judge

Once you see the scale as a warning system, it suddenly becomes useful in a completely different way. It becomes a map. It tells you where you are, so you can find your way back if you get lost.

Take an example from my own life.

If I'm going away for two weeks, I know roughly what to expect. A good mix, a little extra of everything, the occasional dessert and a glass too many. I expect to gain two or three kilos, and that's totally okay. Holidays should be enjoyed, not spent with a guilty conscience at the buffet.

I get home, step on the scale: plus three kilos. Just as expected.

And then I don't do anything dramatic.

I simply run through Bodyweight's three-kilo program. Three weeks later I'm back at match weight again. No drama, no anxiety, no feeling of failure. Just a system that does its job.

That's the difference between having the scale as an enemy and having it as a tool. Without the system, the extra three kilos become a source of guilt and worry. With the system, it just becomes information: here you are, this is how to find your way back.

How to weigh yourself correctly

If you are going to weigh yourself regularly, do it in a way that provides useful information and not just stress.

Once a week is enough.

Every day is too much noise – your weight fluctuates due to so many things other than fat. It's better to weigh yourself on a fixed day a week.

Same time, same conditions.

Best is in the morning, before breakfast, after going to the bathroom, in the same clothes or without. Then you compare apples to apples. That's why I weigh myself on Fridays first thing in the morning. I've had a whole week where I've been strict with my diet. If I were to weigh myself on Sunday after Saturday when I eat whatever I want, I'd probably weigh at least 1.5 - 2 kilos more.

Don't worry about the daily fluctuations.

Here's the most important thing to understand: your weight can fluctuate a couple of kilos up and down between days without you gaining or losing a gram of fat. Salty food binds water. A big meal shows up on the scale the next day. Hormones, intestinal contents, how much you've drunk everything affects the number in the short term.

That's why individual measurements don't mean anything.

It's the trend over weeks that means everything. If the average is still, you're in balance. If it's steadily creeping up week after week then it's time to act, while it's still easy.

If you see the scale that way, as a trend and not as a weekly judgment, it stops being a source of anxiety and becomes just a calm little warning system in the background.

And then the picture the most honest of all

The scale captures it in the short term. But there's one thing it can't tell you: whether it's muscle or fat you're gaining or losing. And for that, and for the long term, I have another tool that I think is just as important.

Take a photo of yourself at least once a year.

The same kind of picture, preferably at the same time of year. From the front, maybe from the side. Nothing fancy – just a regular picture.

Because here's the truth that no one really talks about:

you can't see yourself in the mirror.

You look at yourself every day. And that's why you never notice the slow changes. Change that happens over months is far too slow to be visible from one day to the next. The mirror always shows you roughly the same thing as yesterday, no matter which way you're going.

It goes both ways. Those who are slowly decaying don't see it in the mirror. And those who are slowly building themselves up don't see it either which is a shame, because that's when you need encouragement the most.

But the annual picture doesn't lie . Place this year's picture next to last year's, and you'll see exactly the truth. Forward or backward, stronger or weaker, straighter or more hunched over. No explanation is possible, because there are two pictures side by side.

I personally think it's one of the most honest and motivating tricks there is. Because once you see a year of work in a single comparison you understand in an instant that what you do actually matters.

Two tools that complement each other

So there you have it. Two of the simplest tools there are, and two of the most honest, if you use them right:

The weekly scale captures it in the short term, like a warning system. It allows you to act while the change is still small.

The picture every year captures it in the long term, like a result. It shows you the truth that the mirror hides.

And notice what they have in common. Neither of them costs anything. Neither of them takes more than a few seconds. And both do the same basic thing: they give you honest information in a timely manner, so you can control while it's still easy to control.

That's really the whole secret to staying in shape over decades. Not perfection. Not iron discipline. Just catching things early, while they're small and trusting the system instead of your daily form.

The scale is the map. The picture is the result. And you are the one in control.

All the best,

Kennet Bath

Founder, Bodyweight Diet

Do you want a system that does the job when the scale shows a few pounds too much? The Bodyweight Diet app has ready-made programs – like the three-kilo program I mentioned – built to get you back to match weight without drama, and to keep you strong the whole way.