By Natalie Gingerich, Prevention

FOR YEARS, many experts recommended tossing your scale. Good advice when you consider the emotional whiplash that weighing yourself can cause. As the number goes down, your confidence goes up, but a gain of even a pound can easily ruin your day.

It’s time to end the love-hate relationship with your scale. A review of a dozen studies tracking over 16,000 dieters provides indisputable evidence that the bathroom scale is one of the most effective tools for losing weight and preventing pounds from creeping on. A whopping 75% of members of the National Weight Control Registry–men and women who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off–weigh themselves at least once a week.

Here are five surprising facts that will help you make peace with your scale–and use it to your weight loss advantage.

SURPRISE No. 1

The more you weigh yourself, the more you lose

Out of sight, out of mind simply doesn’t work. In one study, daily weighers dropped twice as many pounds as weekly weighers–12 pounds versus 6, possibly because it was a regular reminder to stay on track. Meanwhile, dieters who avoided the scale altogether gained 4 pounds. And despite the common belief that focusing on weight makes women feel bad about themselves, scientists have found that tracking your weight can actually improve your mood by giving you a sense of control.

TIP Weigh yourself daily (more than that isn’t really meaningful, as you’ll see in “The Scale Diary,” at right).

SURPRISE No. 2

A cheaper model is better

You can spend hundreds on a high-tech scale that also estimates your body fat percentage and more through a series of mathematical algorithms, but you’re just getting another number to worry about that’s possibly less accurate than your weight. “I avoid scales that measure body fat, because there are so many inaccuracies based on fluctuations in how much water you drink,” says exercise physiologist Kara Mohr, PhD, who’s done extensive scientific research on weight loss.

TIP Buy a basic digital scale that displays weight to the nearest 1/2 or 2/10 pound to minimize fluctuations.

SURPRISE No. 3

Weight can fluctuate 5 pounds in 24 hours

The biggest culprit is water (and water in the food you eat). The calories in a liter of soda would add about 1/10 pound if you didn’t burn them off, but step on the scale immediately after drinking it and you’ll be up more than 2 pounds; go to the bathroom and you’ll likely drop 1 to 11/2 pounds. You even lose water weight–about 2 pounds a day–just by breathing and sweating. Day-to-day fluctuations can be the result of a highsodium meal or your level of hydration, while your menstrual cycle can cause changes all month long. “It’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind,” says Mohr. No one meal or single splurge will move the scale’s needle in a lasting way unless it becomes a habit. However, a difference of 100 calories at every meal could add up to more than 30 pounds in a year–in either direction.

TIP Weigh yourself at the same time each day, first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and getting undressed, to avoid factors like water weight and clothing. Track your results, and focus on the pattern over time. The number may go up and down from one day to the next, but the overall direction month to month should be down if you’re trying to lose weight. If you see an upward trend, it’s time to take action.

SURPRISE No. 4

You can lose inches without weighing less

In a recent study from the University of California at Berkeley, women in their mid-50s followed a 12-week cycling routine while eating a diet designed to maintain their weight. The result: One 56-year-old lost just 1 pound but dropped two sizes, thanks to a 7% decrease in body fat. She replaced about 4 pounds of fat with 4 pounds of muscle–pound for pound, muscle is firmer and denser, and it takes up about one-third the space of fat. But don’t assume your scale is stuck due to new muscle. It takes about a month of strength-training to add a single pound of muscle, on average, according to Wayne Westcott, PhD, author of Get Stronger, Feel Younger.

TIP Track other markers such as the size of your waist and thighs (using a tape measure), how your clothes fit, or how much energy you have–and celebrate those successes.

SURPRISE No. 5

Where you put your scale matters

In most cases, your bathroom floor will work just fine, but if the floor is textured or the grout creates an uneven surface, the readout might be off. Bath mats or carpet of any thickness can absorb some of your weight, throwing off the scale’s sensors and decreasing your weight by 20 pounds or more, explains Keith Erickson, company spokesperson for Tanita scales. Some higher-end scales come with carpet feet to accommodate the inconsistencies, but our tester still found a several-pound discrepancy.

TIP Weigh yourself in the same spot every day.

Even if it’s off by a few pounds, you’ll still be able to see changes over time. For the most accurate reading, place your scale on a bare floor that’s hard, flat, and level. You can test the scale’s accuracy by weighing an object whose weight you know–like a dumbbell.

WE TRIED IT! The Numberless Scale

Mary Lou’s Weigh Platform (notice it’s not even called a scale) secretly records your starting point, then simply tells you how much you’re up or down each day. And Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, who created the device, cheers you on with music, applause, and healthy tips. “You can’t help but smile or even do a little dance,” our tester said. “Not the usual reaction to weighing yourself!” ($70; marylousweigh.com)

The Scale Diary

Don’t let the number determine your self-worth! An anonymous 40- something reader shared how her weight fluctuated in 1 day.

7 :15 AM 133.8 lb Right before hopping in the shower
8:30 AM 137.5 lb Wow, my clothes weigh 3.7 lb
9:15 AM 138.7 lb Gained 1.2 lb from breakfast
10:30 AM 137.9 lb Bathroom break, -0.8 lb
1 PM 135.8 lb Lost 2.1 lb, thanks to a sweaty cardio workout
1:30 PM 137.4 lb Up 1.6 lb from lunch
4 PM 138.6 lb Gained 1.2 lb, probably from all the water I was drinking
5:30 PM 137.5 lb Bathroom break, -1.1 lb
11 PM 140.8 lb Yikes! Gained 3.3 lb–probably the pasta I ate and the wine!
11:30 PM 137.1 lb Undressed–huh, gained 3.3 lb since this morning
7 :15 AM 135.4 lb Lost 1.7 lb while sleeping

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By Heather Cabot, The Well Mom

What happens when a mother and future daughter-in-law go into business together?   In this case, they launch a product that’s getting rave reviews and even a mention on national TV by celebrity mom Kelly Ripa.  Two years ago, Joanna James and Mary Moschos teamed up to create and sell a workout gadget intended to take stroller exercise to the next level.  Their invention is called Love Handles.  The handles attach to the top of your stroller to give you an upper body workout similar to an elliptical  machine while pushing your baby.  TWM had the chance to chat recently via email with the Florida-based duo about the inspiration behind their invention, what it’s like to work together and advice for moms starting a home business. Enjoy!

Joanna and Mary show off their invention.

1.How did you come up with the idea?

Joanna: It’s funny how I came up with the idea because I not only wasn’t a mother, but I was in college. I was a walker and every time I noticed a parent pushing a stroller I thought it just didn’t make any sense that there wasn’t something on the market that allowed you to move your arms and target your mid-section where all the baby weight is. I thought of Love Handles because I imagined that when I do have a baby I want to be able to continue to walk and jog outside with my baby, but be able to move my arms, target my core and get a full-body workout.

2. Was there an a-ha moment?

Joanna: The first a-ha moment was when I explained my idea to my future mother-in-law Mary over lunch at a book club meeting, and while everyone else was conversing about the book, we were excitingly talking about what we should do first. She loved the idea and took to it right from the start, in which we became partners. I’d have to say from there it was when Mary went to Home Depot, bought some rudimentary parts, and made our very first prototype to see if the idea had potential and make sure that it would work… And it did! We were ecstatic at the results and our mission

3. What’s it like to work with your future daughter/mother-in-law? How did your son/husband react?

Joanna: Working with my future mother-in-law is great because at the end of the day I know we can trust each other with our business decisions because we care so much about what we are providing for moms, and doing what’s right for our family. Of course it’s also been so much fun because we end up spending so much time together and Mary knows how to have a good time and get business done while having some laughs. It truly has been an amazing journey together and I have learned so much in her company. The quote I tend to hear the most from my fiancée Charles is “How did I get mixed up with the two of you,” since you’ll usually find the three of us together most of the time… and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mary: Working with Joanna, my future daughter-in-law, it has been so rewarding – not only to see how well she operates with business (which blows me away), but to get to know her even more than I could have ever imagined. I never thought I would have had this experience to not only be partners with my daughter-in-law, but be such a great team together with my son as well. We each offer so much individually but the incredible thing about our family business is what we offer collectively as a team.

4. New moms have a lot going on. Even going for a walk requires lots of baby gear – and motivation to get out the door. Were you concerned that adding the workout gadget on top of that would be frustrating?

Joanna & Mary: We understand all the concerns, challenges, frustrations and daily issues moms have to deal with so we made it clear to our extremely clever engineers that we were going to develop Love Handles from our perspective as women and as a mother. And we’re very proud of thinking of every last detail well beyond quality materials and parts, but to making sure Love Handles could fold down by the sides so they’re never in the way, you can still fold up your stroller and you never need to take Love Handles off. One of the most important things is that Love Handles come fully assembled so you don’t have to figure out how to put another piece of complicated maternity stuff together or have to hire someone to do it– you’re ready to go. Even with safety we wanted to take every extra precaution we could, such as including a brake on the hub to ever prevent Love Handles from falling down and causing an injury. We’re so grateful for the receptive feedback we’ve gotten from our moms who love using Love Handles.

5. What kinds of results have Love Handles users reported?

Joanna & Mary: We’ve gotten great feedback from Love Handles users from weight loss, to dropping inches and most importantly parents thanking us for making it easy for them to get a quality workout while spending quality time with their babies – moms are ecstatic that they don’t have to leave their baby’s side to get in a great workout.

6. What’s your advice for new moms who feel overwhelmed with the new responsibilities, sleep deprivation and stress?

Joanna & Mary: Our advice for new moms dealing with stress, sleep deprivation and soooo many responsibilities is the HUGE importance to make time for yourself and exercise each day or as often as you can. By getting outside and exercising you are getting your natural endorphins going which help make you happy and more at ease. That is why we created Love Handles, we understand all the demands and stress new moms and dads go through so we wanted to help them multitask by getting to workout while spending quality time with their babies. The happier and healthier you are, the better you will be at being a parent and teaching your kids by example.

7. Lots of moms are starting small businesses so they can work at home. What are your top 3 do’s and don’ts?

Joanna & Mary:

Three DO’s: 1) Balance your time between business, family and yourself. Although it can be very challenging and at times you’re going to have to spend more time on one over the other, make up for it. 2) Regarding your business pay attention to the details! Simple follow-up may be the difference between a huge success or a huge let down. 3) Reach out to friends, family and your support system. You’ll be surprised how much help there is from people who care about you or from new people who you find through networking and want to offer their advice or support.

Three Don’ts: 1) Don’t give up! You will face obstacles and major challenges along the way but if you’re passionate about what you’re doing and love what you’re doing the rewards will come. 2) Don’t start without a plan. Make sure you know before getting into it how you are going to run your business financially and with a timeline, especially up against all your other responsibilities. 3) Don’t listen to rules listen to your instinct. Some of our best success stories came from us going out on the limb or not thinking what others would do but rather what we were willing to do.

8. What’s been your biggest challenge so far in launching your business?

Joanna & Mary: We would honestly say the biggest challenge is financing in one of the worst economic times. Banks are not lending and that’s not just personal experience as much as what we’re hearing from all entrepreneurs we’ve been talking to. Unfortunately at the end of the day, you may have an amazing product or service and get great buzz and sales, but to take it to the next level you need financing to do it and it’s disappointing and frustrating to know there isn’t that help out there for the American entrepreneur.

9. How do you take time for you?

Joanna & Mary: The reality is there isn’t much time for you when you’re starting a business. That’s why you’ll see people who are very successful doing something they love because you’re spending so much time doing it. Even beyond the time is the effort and thoughts invested.

Joanna: I finally just started to read again – for a while there when I wasn’t taking calls or meetings or doing sales, I was just on my computer which you can do at all hours. So it is important to try and make time for yourself – but at the beginning it will be very difficult to do that.