Fluctuations in scale

vasdfp24

So I always get on the scale wearing the same clothes just so I can make sure nothing I'm wearing or doing messes with the numbers if that makes sense. Well today is my weekly weigh in and the first time I got on it said 417.4 (yes I know that's a lot but I also used to be almost 500 pounds) and then I get on it again and it says 418.4 so which is it because it keeps going back and forth.

lemonychild

congrats on your success! keep it up!

malibu927

I just step on it once and take that weight. Even the slight bit of movement of where you stand on it can affect how it reads your weight.

kk_inprogress

Step on it once and take that weight. Slight shifts in the scale or your placement can affect it, but if the overall trend over time is going to be downward, you're fine.

scolaris

I get that kind of variance because I live in an old house with an imperfect wood floor & floor joists. I often scoot my scale around 'shopping'for that mornings lowest possible weight. LOL (I'm the worst, I know...)
If it starts to be so unavoidable you feel it can't be trusted, change your battery first, then consider changing your scale. My Aria is never more than a few ounces different in various positions.

vasdfp24

Thanks everyone!!! I finally stood still on it and keep getting 418.4 I will take it!! So much better than almost being 500 again. I've lost 15.6 pounds in just 6 days with a 1200 calorie diet and I see my nutritionist and dietician on March 23rd I can't imagine how much it's going to be by then. I shooting for 400 atleast. Still sounds so embarrassing though.

rankinsect

I always weigh until I get two consecutive measurements that are the same, then I take that. Usually it's the first two, but sometimes it takes longer.

Anne_R91

I read that when you move your scale, you have to step on it and ignore what it says once, because it needs to set back to zero or something. After that it should keep at a somewhat steady reading. I've started ignoring the fat % reading and all because it fluctuates crazy much, but the weight is always steady when stepping on 5 times (apart from that first time). You could consider a new scale or new batteries, and try not moving it around too much.
Btw, congratz on your weight loss! It doesn't matter how much is left to go, any loss is an accomplishment to be proud off, and to help you stay motivated.

jmgj27

Your weight loss sounds awesome is what it sounds! FWIW I have a tiled bathroom floor so I put the scales in the exact same spot every day in order to minimise fluctuations!

wendsg

Congratulations on your weight loss! That's a great accomplishment!

Personally, I always weight right out of the shower in nothing but ye auld birthday suit (lol) and step on it twice - if the readings match, I call that good to go. But then again, I'm on the ground floor of an apartment complex with laminate floors in my bathrooms, so there's not much chance for variation except for where I put my feet.

WaterBunnie

How are you managing on 1200 calories a day? At my largest (133lbs ago) I was getting nearly 2000 a day (plus exercise calories) for a 2lbs a week loss and I weighed less than you do now so you really do need more than you're currently eating if you want sufficient nutrition and to keep your metabolism as high as possible. 1200 a day is for when you're much lighter.

GemoBunny

Make sure the scales are not on a carpet as it would be less accurate
What I do is get in the scales at different times and get about 3 different weights and just choose an average.

vasdfp24

WaterBunnie wrote: »

How are you managing on 1200 calories a day? At my largest (133lbs ago) I was getting nearly 2000 a day (plus exercise calories) for a 2lbs a week loss and I weighed less than you do now so you really do need more than you're currently eating if you want sufficient nutrition and to keep your metabolism as high as possible. 1200 a day is for when you're much lighter.

My metabolism is really slow and I'm taking all my vitamins and everything. I'm managing 1200 calories a day by being motivated to change my lifestyle and get healthy. If that's what my nutritionist and dietician think will work for me then that's what I will do. It does sound like it's not enough but i make sure what I'm eating has everything my body needs. Thanks for your input though. I do understand what you are saying and no disrespect to you at all but it's obviously is working for someone like me and my weight and I feel perfectly fine.

Sued0nim

That's an awesome loss ...almost 100lbs and close to breaking 400

You've got this! Keep going

bruhaha007

Weight fluctuates daily. Consider taking measurements in addition and don't worry about a couple lbs here or there. Stay focused on the end goal, Keep up the good work!

amyn73

vasdfp24 wrote: »

Thanks everyone!!! I finally stood still on it and keep getting 418.4 I will take it!! So much better than almost being 500 again. I've lost 15.6 pounds in just 6 days with a 1200 calorie diet and I see my nutritionist and dietician on March 23rd I can't imagine how much it's going to be by then. I shooting for 400 atleast. Still sounds so embarrassing though.

You have accomplished more than a lot of people! No embarrassment necessary. Good job...keep up the good work!

Rocknut53

vasdfp24 wrote: »

WaterBunnie wrote: »

How are you managing on 1200 calories a day? At my largest (133lbs ago) I was getting nearly 2000 a day (plus exercise calories) for a 2lbs a week loss and I weighed less than you do now so you really do need more than you're currently eating if you want sufficient nutrition and to keep your metabolism as high as possible. 1200 a day is for when you're much lighter.

My metabolism is really slow and I'm taking all my vitamins and everything. I'm managing 1200 calories a day by being motivated to change my lifestyle and get healthy. If that's what my nutritionist and dietician think will work for me then that's what I will do. It does sound like it's not enough but i make sure what I'm eating has everything my body needs. Thanks for your input though. I do understand what you are saying and no disrespect to you at all but it's obviously is working for someone like me and my weight and I feel perfectly fine.

Just keep doing what you're doing. You have made remarkable progress.

daniellelear7

vasdfp24 wrote: »

Thanks everyone!!! I finally stood still on it and keep getting 418.4 I will take it!! So much better than almost being 500 again. I've lost 15.6 pounds in just 6 days with a 1200 calorie diet and I see my nutritionist and dietician on March 23rd I can't imagine how much it's going to be by then. I shooting for 400 atleast. Still sounds so embarrassing though.

Congrats!

PAV8888

First of all, sincere congratulations to @vasdfp24 for her success so far, and I look forward to her success story post down the road.

I will offer you a couple of things pertinent to what you asked and then I will lay out an argument for the alternative course of action you've already turned down solely for any lurkers who may be considering emulating your example as presented.

As mentioned the conditions and time of weight in should be as close to identical as possible. Many people weigh themselves first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom, nakid, before eating or drinking anything.

Your scale should be on a hard, unyielding, flat surface. Batteries should be in good condition.

Many newer scales exhibit fake consistency to alleviate concerns about their accuracy by showing the same result if you weight yourself several times in a row unless the scale detects a change that exceeds a manufacturer selected default.

Unfortunately the type of scales we use are inherently not as accurate as manufacturers would like us to believe they are. This tends to be the case even more so when the scale is operating at its limits. So the level of inaccuracy often raises at around 200-250lbs and 300-350lbs depending on the type of force sensors employed by the scale and the way the signal the sensors produce is electrically amplified and measured.

The force sensor basically translates physical compression (movement) to an electrical signal, so you can see the issue right there depending on the general robustness of the scale's construction especially if there is any flex anywhere!

What all this boils to is that you take a couple of readings and as long as they generally agree... well the real answer is somewhere around there.

Now, you can obsess and try for the perfect reading, or you can realize that a single scale weight reading pretty much means nothing by itself whether up or down. Because, honestly, your transient water weight creates larger changes than what all these measurement errors can amount to!

What is real is your weight trend over time.

You, OP, are not seeing that yet, and won't see that for a while because you will enjoy swift decreases for the foreseeable future. However most people would be significantly better off if they immediately start using a weight trend application or web site, and in their mind consider their weight to be their trending weight as opposed to their scale weight!

Suggestions for weight trending apps include Libra for Android, happy scale for iphone, www.trendweight.com and www.weightgrapher.com (you may need a supported scale, or a free fitbit.com account available without a fitbit product to use the trendweight web site. weightgrapher also allows for manual input).

as to the rest of it.

The OP's speed of loss absolutely confirms that whether the OPs metabolism is fast or slow, it certainly is such that 1200 Cal a day represent a huge deficit as compared to her total daily energy expenditure, a way bigger one than the 25% one would normally suggest to an obese person who is not under medical supervision.

On the plus side the OP is working with a registered dietitian. Being told that she performs occasional blood tests too (during what amounts for her to the equivalent of a very low calorie diet for most other people) would be comforting.

The reason to avoid this sort of huge deficits is that they are not problem free.

Usually medical advice will by used to evaluate whether remaining at the >400lb weight will cause more damage than using a 1200 Cal diet will

Obviously the OP has received advice and made her decision.

Absent having advice available to them, and absent a medical emergency requiring immediate weight loss, most other lurkers in the OP's position may want to consider that:

a) at the OP's weight 100lbs+ loss a year is entirely possible with a more conventional 25% deficit off of your total daily energy expenditure. just as an eyeball estimate that would have the OP eating at more than double the food she is eating now, leaving significant room to drop calories down the road when the OP weights less and her rate of loss slows down.

b) as mentioned fast and rapid weight loss is not without potential problems. From gallstones/gallbladder removal, to skin issues, to symptoms of malnutrition, to un-necessary loss of lean mass, to compliance and partial adaptation issues, the potential problems exacerbate the bigger the deficit and the faster the loss. Of course, again, these problems have to be balanced against staying in the morbidly obese range for a longer period of time, and individual psychology also plays into this! Which is why these decisions are probably best made by a patient and their doctor and/or a team that has a more complete picture of the individual

Best of luck to the OP!