So many people — myself included — consider the number on the bathroom scale to be a measure of self-worth. Stepping on a scale can be an anxiety-inducing ritual, with each decimal point holding the power to sway our emotions.
Even though I preach the values of body positivity and celebrating your body for what it does vs. what it looks like, I still get stuck in the trap of allowing my weight to dictate how I feel about myself.
That said, I still also enjoy and appreciate tools that help me measure my fitness progress. That’s why I decided to try the Withings Body Smart scale‘s “eyes-closed” mode. Essentially, this scale can hide your weight from you while still tracking it, along with other — arguably more insightful — metrics like muscle mass and body fat.
After using it for the past six months, I can say it’s completely changed the way I approach tracking my weight.
Mindful Weight Tracking With ‘Eyes-Closed’ Mode
In the health and fitness world, numbers can often feel like a determinant of progress. While numbers are helpful in some ways (like knowing you’ve gotten strong by bench pressing 100 vs. 50 pounds), they aren’t always helpful when it comes to weight.
That’s because slight weight changes happen constantly, even within a day.
Many things — like muscle growth, fluctuating hormones and water retention — can influence the number on the scale, especially in the short term. For instance, I know I’ll weigh a bit more the day after a carb-heavy dinner, and on days I don’t drink enough water, I might weigh a little less. (And don’t even get me started on period weight gain.)
Beyond Weight: Tracking Body Fat and Muscle Mass
Yes, weight can sometimes be a valuable indicator of health, but it doesn’t paint the full picture. A more accurate way to track fitness progress, specifically, is through body composition — particularly body-fat percentage and muscle mass.
When you’re building muscle, the number on the scale might go up, but your body-fat percentage will go down. You may even drop a pants size while building muscle, as muscle takes up less space in your body.
All in all, as someone who aims to hit the gym three to five times a week, body composition numbers are infinitely more meaningful to me than my weight. It lets me know that, yes, my gym sessions are paying off.
Luckily, you can track body composition metrics through the Withings scale and its app. But you might be thinking, “how does a scale measure body composition?”
The Withings Body Smart scale uses bioelectrical impedance technology, i.e., it sends tiny electrical currents through your body to measure its composition. This is a quick and painless method, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While this may not be as precise as clinical methods like DEXA scans, the scale’s consistent readings give useful information over time.
Other Helpful Metrics the Withings Body Smart Scale Tracks
- Fat, muscle and bone mass
- Lean mass
- Hydration (through water percentage)
- Visceral fat index
- BMI
- Standing heart rate
The app and scale will even show you the day’s forecast and air-quality rating, because why not?
Measuring Progress With the App
Say you do want to take a look at your weight. This information isn’t hidden from you forever. The app still keeps a running log of your weigh-ins that you can easily access.
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The advantage here? Tracking your weight in an app is associated with more consistent and sustainable weight loss habits, according to a March 2021 review in Obesity.
But it can also create a double-edged sword: You may still feel tempted to check the app daily and obsess over your weight. I do find that once my day gets going, though, I get distracted and forget to check my phone for things beyond email and social media.
Now, it’s much easier to check my weight less frequently — I do it about once a month. And sure, frequent (even daily) monitoring may help some people with accountability, but it isn’t for everyone, and it isn’t going to show progress like a log over an extended period of time would.
Finding Balance: How Often Should You Weigh Yourself?
Another great feature of the Withings Body Smart scale is its guidance on how often to weigh myself, which suggests a more balanced approach.
When I first started using this scale, I was in the habit of weighing myself every day, and that is not an easy habit to break! So, I didn’t. I still got on the scale every day. But thankfully because of its “eyes closed” mode, I wasn’t confronted by a number that would dictate my mood for the day (thanks, diet culture…not).
Over time, I’ve switched to weekly (or nearly so) weigh-ins — still in “eyes-closed” mode — which helps give me a more accurate representation of my weight trend over time, without the emotions that come with daily measurements.
The Bottom Line
In a weight-obsessed world, the Withings Body Smart scale’s “eyes-closed” mode has given me a refreshing perspective on self-tracking.
By encouraging mindfulness and a balanced approach to weight management, this mode has changed the way I view my health journey. It serves as my reminder that progress isn’t just about numbers — it’s about the holistic wellbeing of my body and mind.
If you’re looking for a scale that goes beyond the ordinary, inviting you to embrace mindful self-tracking, the Withings Body Smart scale is your ideal companion on the path to a healthier you.
