Step on your bathroom scale each day to help keep hard-lost pounds from creeping back on this month.

People who have successfully lost weight are much less likely to put the pounds back on if they continue to weigh themselves daily, a study shows. Daily weigh-ins help you monitor small increases in body weight so you can refocus on your diet and fitness routine before things get out of hand.

Approximately 80 percent of overweight people who lose 10 percent of their body weight regain the weight within the first year after the loss. However, there are strategies you can use to boost your chance of long-term success. Research shows that exercising for an hour per day; eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet; eating breakfast every morning; and keeping consistent eating patterns during both weekdays and weekends are key factors in maintaining long-term weight loss. Weighing yourself daily can help as well. Although weight does fluctuate daily, daily weigh-ins can help you better determine when a weight fluctuation appears to be sticking around and help motivate you to pay extra attention to diet and exercise. It's best to weigh yourself at the same time every day for consistency. For example, try weighing yourself every morning before eating breakfast or before your shower.