Updated January 16, 2015.

How much do you weigh? While that’s not a question most polite people ask, I’ll bet most of you know the answer. Whether you weighed yourself this morning, yesterday or last week, chances are, stepping on a scale is something you do on a regular basis.

My next question is this: What do you think about when you step on a scale? Some common thoughts:

• "That can’t be right."
• "I knew I shouldn't have had that extra breath mint yesterday."

• "Did I really gain 5 lbs since yesterday?"
• "I haven’t lost a single pound. What’s wrong with me?"

Whatever you think about when you weigh yourself, one question you may not consider is this: Is weighing yourself helping you lose weight or standing in the way of success?

To Weigh or Not to Weigh?

For some of you, the idea of not knowing your weight on a regular basis may seem as foreign as not knowing you hate lima beans. This is true despite the fact that a scale, unlike lima beans, has all kinds of emotions, thoughts and beliefs attached to it. The moment you step on it, you decide things about yourself: Whether you’re fat or thin, whether you’ve succeeded or failed, perhaps even how you feel about yourself as a person.

For some people, the scale is an important and useful tool for maintaining weight loss but, for others, it can stand in the way of success. Which group do you fall into? If you’re not sure, learn more about the reasons you might want to ditch the scale.

Next: Reasons to Ditch the Scale - You're Just Getting Started