scales saying different weights

sgiles92

Hey everyone

Ok so I started my diet on the 24th July 2017...I was on a tablet called roaccutane to help with my adult acne and that caused me to have high blood pressure and I was tachycardic!! Ever since I stopped taking the tablets, my levels have all gone back to normal - but it was the kick in the butt I needed to start looking after my body!!

My starting weight was 19stone 7lbs and I have lost approximately 2lbs each week. I have just got to my 1 stone weight loss (weighing 18 stone 7lbs) and decided I should buy some better scales because I have had these old ones for years and they are the ones where the dial moves back and forth!!

Anyway, I got my new Weight Watchers scales today and they are saying that Im now 19stone 10lbs which is more than my starting weight on the old scales!! I feel really deflated and peed off now because, I know it sounds stupid, but I dont feel like Ive lost weight anymore!! I know I certainly have because clothes feel looser...but that means my starting weight must have been about 20stone 10lbs!! I certainly dont feel over 19stone now and I certainly didnt feel over 20 stone at the start of my diet!!

I have placed my two 1kg dumbbells on my old scales and it does come up and say its 2kg!! But the scales at the doctors has always shown Im about 1 stone heavier than what my old scales say - which is now the same as the new scales (sorry if that doesnt make sense?)!!

Has anyone else had this problem?? How have you found the motivation to carry on?? I was super head strong with this diet and being healthy...but now I just feel terrible!!

Im a 25 years old female and about 5ft 6inch!! Im on a low calorie diet of 1440 calories a day which was the recommended calorie amount suggested by MyFitnessPal (this was based on the fact that I weighed 18stone 7lbs - the calorie amount may now change because of my weight going up by 1stone 3lbs on these new scales)!!

I do 30mins each day on the exercise bike...I eat plenty of fruit, veg, nuts, salads etc...and I try to drink about 3litres of water a day!!

Ive always heard that if you have more than 100lbs to lose then your guaranteed to get saggy skin - which is an actual fear of mine!! My target weight is 13stone (I know thats still classed as overweight but thats the weight I want to weigh)....so if I was 19stone 7lbs when I started (old scales weight), it would mean a 91lbs weight loss!! But if I was 20stone 10lbs when I started (new scales weight) then it would mean a 108lbs weight loss

Sorry for the moan....and sorry I havent worded it better!! I hope youve manage to keep up and got to this far hahaha I would be super greatful for any advice of what you recommend to do...or to hear your stories if you have been in a similar boat!!

Nony_Mouse

I would trust the scales at your doctor's office more than your old dial one, and if your new set is gelling more with that, it suggests they are more likely accurate. Home scales will vary a bit from one set to another anyway, but not by an entire stone.

You have lost weight, and still likely as much as you thought, or thereabouts, your starting weight was just higher than you thought. Are you really going to let this derail you and undo all your hard work? I understand that you're disappointed, but don't let it mess with your head.

aeloine

While I would trust the doctor's scale most, I would go by the one you have at home. My reasoning is that that's the one you're going to be using regularly. If it's going down, that's all that matters. Exact measurements aren't as important as some form of progress.

ETA: you've JUST started. Treat yourself to a new scale and just go off of what it says. Who cares if it says that you weight 7 stone or 15 birds or 37 turtles? As long as you're decreasing, that's all that matters.

MegaMooseEsq

It's understandable to be disappointed - we get really connected to our labels and definitions, and it can be a shock to realize you need to adjust the way you were thinking of yourself. But remember what you said - your clothes are fitting better, and you're getting healthier. You have had huge success - do you really want to throw that away because you were a bit heavier when you started than you thought?

As for the skin thing, there's nothing magic about 108 pounds that makes you guaranteed to get baggy skin while 91 means no baggy skin. My understanding is that it is connected to large weight loss (91 is still large even if 108 is larger), how long you were overweight, genetics (can't do anything about that!), and the speed at which you lose weight. The only thing you can control here is speed of loss, but 2 pounds a week doesn't seem excessive. Honestly, I understand you being frustrated and upset, but I think that deep down, you know that this doesn't actually change your body or your progress.

PAV8888

Well, each and every scale I've tried has had some variance... by a few lbs. A full stone seems excessive. You could try another scale or two to confirm... but, then again, ... who cares if the original scale gave you a wrong starting number? maybe you lost a stone, or a bit less, or a bit more!

But, to be honest? Who the heck wants to lose 91lbs if they can lose 108lbs instead? I mean I am sitting here and I literally only want to move another lb or two below my current weight just so that when I have a natural upward variation in weight I don't end up at 124lbs lost instead of being at 125+ lbs lost... because 125 is a cooler number than 124!

You will either have saggy skin or you won't. And no, there is no rule that says: at 91lbs you don't get saggy skin but at 108lbs you do.

You are young and over time any loose skin will tighten up appreciably. And if it doesn't chances are that it wouldn't have anyway. Even at 70lbs. But seriously. Who cares about non-saggy skin if the price for that is being un-healthy?

Priorities my friend. Priorities.

lose the weight at a slower but reasonable pace (aim for a 25% caloric deficit or 0.7% of bodyweight a week). This will give your body some time to adjust and will give you the opportunity to engage in some strength training.

And use a trending weight app... it will help you in the future when weight loss becomes more of a slog...

spiriteagle99

I had the same thing happen several years ago. I started a diet at 170 pounds. After losing about 10 pounds, we got a new scale which said I weighed 167 pounds. All that work and only 3 pounds less! Except that no, I really had lost 10 pounds and could and did take pride in that loss. Yes, it did mean it was going to take longer to lose the weight I needed to lose, but since I knew it was a long term project, it didn't really matter. I was really upset with myself though to realize that I had let myself gain that much weight before I did something about it. It just kept creeping up and I ignored it for much too long.

Every time my husband goes to the doctor, I make him step on the scale as soon as he gets home so we can compare the numbers on our scale with the number at the doctors. It is never more than a pound different, which I attribute to his clothes or shoes. At least I know that our scale is accurate now.