A lot of people will tell you that getting on the scale, especially after the holiday season, can be an emotional experience. It’s easy to get hung up on a specific number, and especially for those with a ways to go until they meet their goal weight, it can be overwhelming and discouraging to step on a scale that reinforces that.

However, this interesting new Quantum scale ($78) registers your weight but only shows you how many pounds you’ve lost or gained since your last weigh-in. For those with a tendency to obsess over numbers, not knowing their actual weight could be a great way to check in and stay on track without going down the rabbit hole every time. However, you’d probably need to use it pretty regularly for the numbers to make any sense—writing down your progress could help.

For someone who wants to lose, say, twenty-five pounds this year, focusing on losing a half-pound per week could be a great way to make the challenge less daunting. These kinds of small, attainable goals can help maintain motivation and enthusiasm for big changes.  This scale could also be helpful for those looking to maintain by trying to stay within a few pounds of a comfortable, healthy weight.

Personally, I don’t think I’d use this because I prefer to pay attention to how clothes fit and how I feel, but for someone with a specific weight-related goal, this device could be a great tool.

Do you use a scale at home? Do you think you’d buy one that only tells you how much weight you’ve lost or gained? 

PS—Am I the only one who finds it interesting that this photo only shows weight loss results? With two scales, I’d have assumed they’d show one of each but perhaps this is why I’m not in advertising…