To keep weight off, weigh in every day.

That’s the finding of a recent study, which determined that the best strategy for losing weight is to get on the scale every day and chart the progress. The findings reverse the longtime idea that a daily weigh-in isn’t a good idea.

According to researchers at Cornell University, tracking your weight every day makes you aware of the link between weight and eating. Their study was published in the Journal of Obesity.

Participants in the two-year study who lost weight during the first year were able to keep the pounds off in the second year. That’s significant because most people regain 40 percent of the weight they lost within a year. Typically, after five years, almost all the weight has been gained back.

The participants were first taught about evidence-based weight loss strategies that emphasized small changes and modest goals. The group was given a target of losing 1 percent of their weight and allowed to choose how they would accomplish that. After maintaining that 1 percent weight loss for 10 days, they were challenged to lose another 1 percent — all the way up to a long-term goal of reducing their weight by 10 percent in a year.

The participants’ strategies varied. Some people ate less, while others stopped snacking or skipped meals. Every day the participants weighed in and charted their progress.

Overall, the group’s average weight loss for the first year was a modest five-and-three-quarter pounds, but they kept that weight off during the second year.

Researchers believe that charting weight progress every day reinforces behaviors such as eating less and exercising.

Perhaps it’s time to stop thinking of your scale as the enemy and think of it more as your motivational coach.