To Weigh, or not to Weigh?

Does weighing yourself, as a teen help? Some say that it helps teens become more aware of their weight and that they will not snack as often if teens weigh themselves weekly. Some say that it won't make a difference if they are weighed or not. But some kids still have fears of the scale, and to see what it tells them, even if they are visibly loosing weight.

Can a Scale Solve Teen Obesity? Not So Fast
Obesity Experts Debate Findings of New Study
By NICOLE MARTIN, M.D.
ABC News Medical Unit

Nov. 20, 2008—

Brandy Cruthird, owner of Body by Brandy Fitness Studio for children in Roxbury, Mass., is no stranger to the power of the scale when it comes to obese teens.

"There's an intimidation factor with scales," says Cruthird. "Kids who are overweight don't like to weigh themselves. I've seen kids run from the scale...I've seen kids cry."

Recently, she says, one of her students pleaded, "Please don't put me on the scale," even though it was clear she had lost weight.

Still, with rates of teen obesity on the rise, new research suggests that a weekly appointment with the bathroom scale may be a low-tech, low-cost tool for helping teens maintain healthy weights.

But some experts caution that weigh-ins should be only one part of a multifaceted approach to weight management. More...