Stepping on the scale, and facing those three numbers is not easy this time of year after all those weeks of holiday eating and imbibing. But fear not—a good bathroom scale can be your best friend when it comes to weight-loss. In fact, successful losers swear by regular weigh-ins as a way of measuring their dieting progress and reaching their weight-loss goals. According to data in the National Weight Control Registry, 75 percent of successful dieters weigh themselves at least weekly.

To get started, you’ll need to find a scale that best suits you and has the features you want, such as a low-battery indicator, automatic turn-off, or a bright color that livens up your bathroom and your mood. Our lab recently tested 11 bathroom scale models, 9 digital and 2 analog. The testers looked for consistency, accuracy, price, and various features, and found that the best models were digital.

So take a deep breath and go for it. Another group of studies analyzed by the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation found that people who weighed themselves daily, or even weekly, were more likely to maintain their weight loss over time.