If you see a trend up, it's easier to make corrections before your clothes don't fit.
Just don't obsess over the number every day. It's not unusual to go up or down as much as five pounds, depending on hormones or fluid retention.
"You can do everything right today - you can exercise, you can have a great diet that really would make any dietitian thrilled - but then you get on the scale and you're up two pounds," says Leslie Heinberg, Ph.D., a psychologist with the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Leslie Heinberg recommends picking two days a week to weigh in.
And be consistent, weighing yourself at the same time of day and with the same amount of clothing.