Stupid Scales!!!

red_hatorade

Ok, so I had a doctor appointment yesterday and weighed in at 255. I then went to the dietician 3 hours later and weighed in at 258. I bought a digital scale and weighed in at home and weighed 255 last night. I weigh myself just now and I am 258. WTF is going on here?

brittanyjeanxo

Weight fluctuation throughout the day is totally normal. When I weigh in, I do it naked, after I've emptied myself, and before I eat anything. It's a more accurate reading. Obviously you can't do that at the doc's, but don't get discouraged by a fluctuation. It's totally normal.

moushtie

You drank water and ate a meal? Then later went to the bathroom? A pint of water is about a lb

hroush

Scales are not 100% accurate and is why you should only use one scale to weigh in on. You could have also consumed something in between, which will add weight to your body.

MelissaL582

Did you eat anything between your doc appt and seeing your dietician? If you had something with lots of sodium or just lots of water, it will do that to ya.

maria1113

The weight varies throughout the day, depending on how much you've been eating and drinking, etc.
I've learned that that's why the best way to weight yourself is max once or twice a week around same time of the day. I do it before I have my breakfast in the morning.

FireSwan

Yep, Scales are truly EVIL!

Don't stress about it. Your weight will change by a few lbs throughout the day. If I weigh myself in the morning then again in the afternoon, I am usually anywhere between 3-5 lbs heavier in the afternoon. Also, different scales are calibrated differently so you'll see a few lbs difference when weighing on different scales.

Try to only weigh yourself about once a week or every other week, at the same time of day on the same scale. That will give you a better representation of your weight.

---so it looks like we are all giving you the same advice---

Juggernautpint

Most have addictions to the scale as a measure of success however the scale is the worst measure of progress. Gaining muscle through exercise as well as water retention or other bodily functions all affect your weight.

Best thing to do is use the scale once per week and record that weight and do the same every week. This is more or less your barometer for weight loss. If the overall trend is downward then that's good. The number itself isn't as important.

tonyalenore

Remember that a bottle of water weighs 2-3 pounds, so drinking, going to the bathroom etc. can make you have weight fluctuations throughout the day. I weigh in Monday mornings naked after using the bathroom, before eating or drinking to try to have the most accurate gain/loss for the week. And some scales are more or less accurate than others, so using the same one will help you track your weight loss.

Naomi_84

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/160943-why-the-scale-lies

Sarah_uk

It's just the food and drink in your stomach.

butterfly25

i never get on a scale at night always in the am...right after i go potties and butt naked...best way to do it :bigsmile:

melkorxp

Scales are never a good thing to us more than once a week (minimum) in my opinion.
Gauge how well your weight loss is going by your jeans size and how your clothes hang in general.

Every set of scales are different and get this, the closer you are to the equator, the less you would weigh because of where the centrifugal force (or the centripetal acceleration) of the earth reduces your weight as the earth is spinning. Time of day is also a factor for this reason. Scales are completely unreliable.

I can almost guarantee that if you 'scale watch' you will demotivate yourself more than if you do it once a week.

Tony

Mixmode

Your body can fluctuate 5lbs or more within one day. Try weighing yourself at the same time no more than 2x a week and do it in the AM after using the bathroom. Don't get in a twist over the scale. Seriously.

rllewell

I weigh first thing EVERY Morning and after going to the bathroom and as close to being naked as possible! ; ) All other times would mean nothing to me because of what everybody else have already posted.

I did laugh one time when I had weighed myself in the morning and had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon. Hopped on the scale fully clothed, shoes on, cell phone, etc. and had gained 9 pounds. Did I care, not one bit!

Once I started weighing myself daily and recording my workouts I did start noticing a typical trend in that the mornings after my cardio workouts were my greatest losing days, followed by weightlifting days.