Why weighing yourself helps moms lose baby weight
The impact of self-monitoring physical and mental health via an mHealth application on postpartum weight retention: Data from the INTER-ACT RCT
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
New moms who weighed themselves more often using a smart scale lost a little more weight and were less likely to keep extra baby weight. Tracking mood helped too—but not by making them lose weight. Tracking steps didn’t help at all.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
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Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
New moms who weighed themselves more often using a smart scale lost a little more weight and were less likely to keep extra baby weight. Tracking mood helped too—but not by making them lose weight. Tracking steps didn’t help at all.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 566 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Geusens F, Van Uytsel H, Ameye L, Devlieger R, Jacquemyn Y, Van Holsbeke C, Bogaerts A
Related Content
Claims (5)
People who consistently track what they eat, exercise regularly, and monitor their weight are more likely to maintain low body fat over time compared to those who do not.
For mothers who gained too much weight during pregnancy, regularly tracking their mental health using a mobile app in the first six months after giving birth is linked to a small decrease in the likelihood of keeping on 5 kg or more after childbirth, but does not lead to greater weight loss.
For mothers who gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, using a fitness app to track daily steps after giving birth does not lead to greater weight loss or less remaining weight six months later.
Mothers who logged their weight more often using a mobile app after giving birth, within 6 weeks to 6 months postpartum, lost slightly more weight and were less likely to retain 5 kg or more compared to those who logged less frequently.
Many women who gain too much weight during pregnancy still carry at least 4.6 to 5 kilograms of that weight six months after giving birth, even when they receive structured lifestyle support and digital tools.