If the pounds you dropped in time for summer are working their way back on, there’s a time-tested gadget that might help halt the creep.

It’s your bathroom scale. Research shows that people who weigh themselves regularly after reaching a goal weight do a much better job of keeping the lost pounds off.

Maintaining Your Losses
When you’re trying to lose weight, a bathroom scale may not be your best friend. It doesn’t always tell the whole story. But if you’re trying to keep lost weight off, a scale could be just the thing to keep you from backsliding. Researchers asked people who had lost weight over a 2-year period to weigh themselves daily for 18 months. The result? People who regularly weighed in were more successful at keeping the weight off for the long haul.

More Strategies for Control
So what else can you do to keep your weight -- and appetite -- in check?

• Eat a little healthy fat at the start of each meal. It will help curb your appetite. Find out more about this strategy.
• Buy a bag of pears, and have one before each meal. You’ll eat less overall. Here’s why.
• Don’t diet! Really. Dieters usually regain what they lose. Here’s what you should do instead.

Get more waist-management tips from the YOU Docs.