For many, the prospect¹ of losing weight without changing your diet sounds too good to be true. But scientists have found a method that could provide the solution: simply weigh yourself daily.

对大多数人来说，不改变饮食习惯来减肥似乎是天方夜谭。但是科学家已经找到了一个办法：那就是每天量一下你自己的体重。

In a study of 294 female² students by researchers at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, it was found that those who hopped³ on their scales every day over two years saw a drop in both BMI and body fat compared to those who didn't.

卓克索大学和宾夕法尼亚大学的研究人员对294名女学生进行了一项研究，结果发现，在两年内那些每天上秤称体重的女生与不称的女生相比，体重指数和身体脂肪都有所下降。

What's more, the women - who were all of different weights - hadn't been told to try to lose weight.

更重要的是，这些体重完全不同的女生事先没有被告知任何关于减肥的任务。

The researchers were particularly interested in studying students as it's so common to put on weight at university, especially in your first year - they don't call it the "Freshers' 15" for nothing, after all.

研究人员对研究学生的体重特别感兴趣，因为在大学期间体重增加很普遍，尤其是大一的时候--他们可不会叫它“Freshers' 15”。

In fact, a 2009 study found that over 70 percent of students gain weight in their first year at university.

事实上，2009年的一项研究发现，超过70%的学生在大一时体重会增加。

But simply by weighing themselves daily, the women not only avoided putting on weight, but actually lost a significant⁴ amount. Those who didn't weigh themselves saw little change in their BMI.

但是，只要每天称重，这些女生的体重不但没有增加，而且实际上减了相当一部分重量。但那些本身不重的人的体重指数则变化不大。

"The losses in BMI and body fat percentage were modest, but still significant, especially keeping in mind that these women were not part of a weight loss programme," said lead study author Diane Rosenbaum, PhD.

该研究的负责人戴安·罗森巴姆博士表示：“虽然体重指数和体脂百分比的减少程度不太大，但意义是重大的，尤其是证明了这些女生不是减肥计划的一部分。”

"We did not expect that, in the absence of a weight loss intervention⁵, folks would be losing weight."

“我们没有想到，在没有刻意减肥的情况下，人们竟会达到减肥的效果。”

The researchers cannot say for certain that daily weighing leads to weight loss, but it could be that checking in every day motivates you to look after your body more.

研究人员无法确切指出日常称重会导致体重减轻，但有可能是每天检查会促使你更加关注自己的身体。

"Regularly weighing yourself can motivate you to engage in healthy eating and exercise behaviours, because it provides you with evidence that these behaviours are effective in helping⁶ you lose weight or prevent weight gain," said Meghan Butryn, PhD, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel.

卓克索艺术科学学院副教授梅根·布特林博士称：“定期称重能激励你培养健康的饮食和运动行为，因为这可以证明，这些行为在协助你减重或预防体重增加方面是有效的。”