How to Weigh Yourself Without Seeing the Number
There are two routes to weighing yourself without seeing the number. Buy a new scale that hides the reading, or use an app with the scale you already own. Shapa sells a scale with no display at all, and Withings scales have a mode that keeps the figure off the screen. Ori takes the app route, using your phone camera to read your existing bathroom scale so you never have to look.
You’re not alone in wanting this. Weighing consistently is linked to better weight outcomes in the research, and a randomised trial in adults seeking weight loss found it didn’t increase depressive symptoms or disordered eating. It’s worth noting that although weighing yourself more frequently is generally a helpful endeavour for weight loss, a 2023 randomised trial in young women found daily self-weighing produced more mood swings, more weight-related stress and lower body satisfaction than a control activity.
In brief
- There are two routes, a scale built to hide the number, or an app that hides it on the bathroom scale you already have.
- Shapa's Numberless Scale has no display. Withings' Eyes Closed Mode keeps the reading off the scale and in the app.
- Ori's Look Away Weighing does it with your existing bathroom scale and no new hardware.
- You're not alone in your reason to want this. Weighing regularly helps, but seeing the number itself is what could be harmful for some people.
Scales that hide the number for you
Shapa makes what they call the Numberless Scale. There’s no display on it at all. You stand on it and get a colour-coded reading in their app, positioned against your own recent range rather than an absolute weight. It’s the most complete version of the idea, because there’s no digit anywhere to catch by accident. You buy the scale and subscribe to the service behind it.
Withings scales have a setting called Eyes Closed Mode. With it on, the scale hides “weight and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) values on the scales,” and their documentation states that “though your measurements won’t be seen on the scale screen itself, be assured that you will see all of your measurements and data in the Withings app.” So the number isn’t gone, it’s deferred (you choose later whether to look).
Both are good answers for the right people. However, both also mean buying that company’s scale and retiring the one you may already have.
Apps that hide the number on the scale you already own
If you’d rather not buy a scale, then the app route uses either the bathroom scale you have now, or another cheap digital scale you can pick up from many stores.
This is what Ori does, with a feature called Look Away Weighing. Open the app, point your phone down at the scale, step on, and simply wait. The camera reads the display, Ori stores the figure, and you don’t see it unless you choose to.
The downside is that it needs your phone in your hand, and it depends on the display being readable, so a dim bathroom or a low-contrast LCD gives it more trouble than a scale that sends the number electronically. A dedicated smart scale doesn’t have that problem.
Where Ori fits
If the number on the scale is the thing you want to avoid, there’s usually a second one close behind it — the calorie figure. Most people looking for one are looking for the other.
Ori is built for both. Look Away Weighing keeps the weigh-in figure out of sight, and a setting called Stealth Health hides calorie and weight numbers across the whole app, replacing them with plain language (whether there’s room for a snack, rather than how many calories are left). Your personal weekly guidance arrives as food suggestions rather than only a target to hit in numbers.
A numberless scale solves the weigh-in. Ori is trying to solve the weigh-in and everything that happens afterwards, using the scale you already own.
How to choose
| If… | Then |
|---|---|
| You want no chance of glimpsing the number, and don’t mind buying a scale | Shapa |
| You want a good smart scale that can hide the reading on demand | Withings |
| You’d rather use the scale you have, and want the calorie numbers hidden too | Ori |
Whichever you pick, the point is the same: the weigh-in keeps happening, and the number stops running your day.
Sources
- Shapa - Numberless Scale - checked 10 September 2026
- Withings - Body Smart: Using Eyes Closed Mode - checked 10 September 2026
- Daily Self-Weighing and Adverse Psychological Outcomes: A Randomized Controlled Trial - American Journal of Preventive Medicine (Steinberg et al., 2014)
- Daily Self-Weighing Compared With an Active Control Causes Greater Negative Affective Lability in Emerging Adult Women: A Randomized Trial - Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being (Pacanowski, Dominick, Crosby, Engel, Cao & Linde, 2023)
- Is It Bad to Weigh Yourself Every Day? - our summary of the self-weighing research, with primary sources
A gentle safety note
Ori supports general wellness. It is not medical care. If you have a history of disordered eating, are pregnant or breastfeeding, take medicines that affect weight or appetite, or have a clinical nutrition need, speak with a qualified healthcare professional before changing your intake or weight goal.
Read Ori's Health Disclaimer