Long-term self-monitoring of weight: A case study

Self-monitoring of weight is a useful method both for assessment and treatment of obesity. For example, when a client is an active participant in data collection, her own awareness of factors influencing weight may increase. Using a case study advantages of long-term self-monitoning of weight are presented. A female obese client measured her own weight every morning over a period of ten years. Altogether she made 2081 measurements. Thus, 67 % of all possible days were measured. After the initial weight loss of 8 kg during the first year, a pattern of gradual weight gain was observed. The data indicated that the subject gained weight especially, during August and September, and during the end of December and at the beginning of January. Further, the data showed that the weight increased slightly during the weekends. This case study pointed out the advantage of self-monitoring of weight on a daily basis. For example, individual patterns of weight changes can be observed during long-term self-monitoring.