Is my scale broken?

baird3605

Ok, so I know that I'm not supposed to weigh every day... but I started watching what I ate on Monday and weighed myself at 382. Then Tuesday morning I weighed again, and I was 378. Again, this morning I weighed, out of curiosity, and it said 372.5.
Is my scale playing tricks on me? There is no way that I lost 10 pounds in 3 days. When I first saw the lower number I thought it must've messed up and just shrugged it off.

I have decided that I'm not going to weigh again until Sunday, and then log it on here.

RyanKnight71

I know you're not supposed to but I can't help but weigh myself constantly. I do my "official weigh in" on Saturdays since I work Sunday thru Tuesday and every other Wednesday. By the time I get to the end of my work week im up to 6 or 7 lbs over my Saturday weigh in number but then it comes back off rather quickly. I think it helps me though cuz every week I get nervous that its not gonna come down and it makes me just that little bit harder. I think the causes could be water consumption and also time of day. I drink tons of water while at work while on my days off im not nearly as disciplined about it. Also I work super early so on work days I weigh in around 430am, on my days off its closer to 8. Also I wouldn't be completely shocked if you did lose 10lbs in a few days. I lost over 9 my first week and you're starting out heavier then I did. Stay disciplined and accountable and the weight will come off

baird3605

Thanks! I sit at a desk all day at work, so I tend to drink a lot of water out of boredness... Who knows...

If I did lose around 10 lbs in the first week that would be stellar! That would give me great motivation to keep going.

CapnDonkey

I started at 371 when I started working out and eating better. I lost the first 10 lbs in a week. Mostly water weight, but it was still a thrill to watch that scale drop. I got down into the 330s pretty quickly, and then stalled for 3 weeks. I was starting to get frustrated, and then BAM! 6 lb drop in one week! I also only weigh in once a week, Saturday Mornings. I weighed myself every day for one week, and my weight would fluctuate anywhere between 4-9 lbs, depending on water consumption, sodium intake, and before/after bathroom trips. I'd drive myself crazy if I still weighed in every day. I've hit another stall, unfortunately, and I've been hovering at 305 for a month now. I started taking creatine, which makes me retain water, so I know that if I stop creatine, then I'll drop down another 5 or 6lbs, but I like the effect it's having on my lifting, so I'll just keep pushing it in the gym and keep eating clean. I'll be under 300 for the first time in 10 years soon. SOON.

baird3605

I can hardly wait to see a 2XX on the scale! I feel like if I can get there, I've won a major battle. My wife wants to weigh in on Fridays, so I did and low and behold... 11 lbs less than when I started! That just feels so good! I was starting to be tempted by fast food on the way to work today, and it didn't help that I dumped my Oatmeal in the breakroom at work, but I'm just modifying what I brought, and I'll survive.

When I lose more weight, and feel more comfortable going to the gym, I'm going to start there. Until then, walking around the neighborhood will do.

RyanKnight71

When I hit the 200s I about freaked out I was so happy. Never going back there again. About the urges, I found that when I started I was super disciplined but a week or so later it was a lot more difficult. The longer you go without giving in the easier it will be. At least thats what happened with me. Its kind of strange but I almost think about food like its money, its like my daily calories are my budget. When deciding if I should eat something or not I constanly ask myself if its worth spending that much on it. I also DO NOT think of this as a diet, ive changed my lifestyle. To think I'll never eat badly is completely unrealistic. I can and have eaten badly. Just gotta make sure its worth the price

CapnDonkey

PREACH. I don't use the word diet if I can avoid it. It truly is a Lifestyle Change. I still eat some of the old food I used to love, but now I eat much smaller portions, or I budget my calories so I can "afford" a splurge.
We're all gonna make it, brahs.

baird3605

It's so funny that you call it a budget! I literally told my wife last night, "I can't afford that! It's way too many calories!" I am a number cruncher so I too see it as a budget. If I don't have the calories in my bank, I don't get to eat it.

moolfson

You know, the budget view of calories is what got it working for me. That stair-mill that I hate? That's caloric income that I get to invest in the form of delicous cold beer while still being within my claoric budget.

RyanKnight71

It's so hard to do the beer though, sooo expensive. I try to go with the liquor cuz I get more bang for the buck so to speak. If I do get beer it's usually because Ive had a few drinks and I just have to have a few

joshdann

big guys like us can lose the first 10-25% of their body weight quickly. 10 lbs in 3 days isn't unheard of, though I suspect a large amount of it was water. I dropped 3.5 one day last week because I was out in the TX heat all day and didn't take in enough water. 2.5 of it came back over the next 2 days as I brought myself back up to proper hydration.

I've never been in the "don't weigh yourself too often" camp. Empirical data is your friend, as long as you understand that a day of no loss or even slight gain doesn't mean you're failing. For me, it just increases my drive to get out and be more active. If it helps you to do them less frequently, then by all means do that. I personally step on the scale every morning before breakfast.

baird3605

I tend to agree. So far in 3 weeks, I've dropped 20 lbs. I weigh myself before I head to work in the morning, and it's always pretty close. The weight loss has slowed down a little bit (4 lbs in the last week), so I am feeling much more comfortable with it. I just keep on trucking along!

dactonaw

I had the same issue and in all actuality it may not be. I lost 15lbs in my first week of weight loss because of being so overweight I was eating dang near 5000 calories a day and not realizing it. When I cut back to 2800 a day the deficit made a very unhealthy and speedy weight loss for the first bit. So its probably not broken and for a while they pounds will fly off. It's the later ones that are harder to loss because the calorie deficit gets smaller and smaller.