There are a million strategies out there that are supposed to help you lose weight. Spend a little bit of time reading through the magazines in the check-out aisle at your local food store, or watch a bit of morning talk show television and you will be bombarded with the latest tips that are designed to help you lose weight fast.

All of these strategies are designed to help you do a few basic things: eat better, exercise more, stay motivated to lose weight. When it really comes down to it, every one of these weight loss tips is just one of these basic core ideas dressed up in some fancy way. Well, when it comes down to it, there may just be one strategy that can really be defined as the most helpful tip for helping you to keep on track. That’s right: at the end of the day, nothing is going to help you stay motivated to lose weight like simply weighing yourself.

This is a fundamental habit that so many successful weight loss programs are built on. The habit of weighing yourself regularly and logging your weight has more impact on your ability to stay focused and on track for weight loss success than anything else.

If you want to reach your weight loss goal, then it might be time to start adopting the following daily habits:

• Set your scale up somewhere that you will see it daily. Have it out in the open so you don’t forget.
• Let go of whatever fears are holding you back from facing the scale. The only way to fix the problem is to recognize the problem.
• Don’t rationalize the number on the scale as being the result of anything other than what it is. Don’t worry about what pants you are wearing or what you had for dinner last night or when you last went to the bathroom. Just look at the number as posted.
• When you see the number, log the number. Be real with yourself and log it exactly as is. This is the only way to really hold yourself accountable for your goals.

A lot of people avoid stepping on the scale at all costs, but there is no reason to fear. You are going to go about your day with the body you have, regardless of what the scale says. Hold yourself accountable for staying on track by weighing yourself regularly and tracking your weight as you go along.