Slightly disheartened. :|

alliegeorge
alliegeorge Posts: 114
edited December 27 in Motivation and Support
I weighed myself at the beginning hon of the week on my bathroom scales & and I weighed in at 12 stone 4; I know this is calibrated correctly as I placed a 8lb weight on them and the correct reading showed.

However I weighed myself this morning on my boyfriend's bathroom scales and it weighed me in at 13 stone. I thought that there was no way I gained 10lbs in one week. I mean I've been keeping within my calorie limit and eating relatively healthily - so I came to the conclusion that perhaps his scales were out - I weighed a 5lb weight and it weighed in at 5lbs.

This has confused me a little as both scales are "correct" & on a flat lino surface - so I don't know why there is such a big difference; I don't know which is my true weight. I suppose in the long run it shouldn't matter which weight I am as I am losing weight; but I'm pretty anal with facts and figures and I like knowing for sure what weight I am.

Sorry for the rant/long winded-ness

Replies

  • That must've been really frustrating for you. I do believe that different scales weigh differently, even though they are correctly calibrated. It's got to be best to weigh yourself on the same scales at the same time on the same day each week. Could other factors also be at play? Time of the month/water retention? Heavier clothing? Different time of day? Looks like in the grand scheme of things your weight loss has been good, so don't be disheartened, just keep up the good work and consider weighing in fortnightly instead. :smile:
  • It really is - as long as the scales are constantly going down it shouldn't really matter which one is correct; I obviously go by the ones I have at home as they are the ones I use most often. Usually I weigh every Monday morning after going to the bathroom etc. I was just curious as to if I had dropped anything after working so well this week.

    Nope barring the factor of a different set of scales everything was the same; plus I've since been home and jumped on my own and it reads at 12 stone 4.

    Hmm yeah you're right; but it makes me feel as though I've gained even though I havent if that makes any sense.
  • I weigh myself 3 times and take the average ... it changes almost every time I step on it depending on my balance and such.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I'll bet you don't jump on your friend's scale again :laugh: . . . I'm not laughing at you. I would just like my own scale much better after that. When I was actively losing, I found the same problem. So I picked one scale and only used it.
  • Amryfal
    Amryfal Posts: 225
    i'm having the scale problem at the moment too. i was going down consistently but my old scales were getting worse and worse until finally they were bouncing around 10 lbs. difference depending on how i stood. i finally got fed up and bought a new scale, and it read 5 lbs higher *cry* now i'm trying to whittle that down, but my *new* scales aren't giving me consistent readings - varies by ~1.5 lb. which i know is probably varying degrees of water retention. but still. crap. just show me good numbers, ok?!?!

    no advice or speculation, just sayin' i hear you. heh.
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    There's a simple way to see if you lost or gained weight ...
    Go to your room, stand in front of your mirror, take your clothes off.
    Do it again, 2-3 weeks later. No scale needed. :-)
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    I weighed myself at the beginning hon of the week on my bathroom scales & and I weighed in at 12 stone 4; I know this is calibrated correctly as I placed a 8lb weight on them and the correct reading showed.

    However I weighed myself this morning on my boyfriend's bathroom scales and it weighed me in at 13 stone. I thought that there was no way I gained 10lbs in one week. I mean I've been keeping within my calorie limit and eating relatively healthily - so I came to the conclusion that perhaps his scales were out - I weighed a 5lb weight and it weighed in at 5lbs.

    This has confused me a little as both scales are "correct" & on a flat lino surface - so I don't know why there is such a big difference; I don't know which is my true weight. I suppose in the long run it shouldn't matter which weight I am as I am losing weight; but I'm pretty anal with facts and figures and I like knowing for sure what weight I am.

    Sorry for the rant/long winded-ness
    Different scales are different. The denseness of the material of the floor can make a difference too or if there's either bit of a slant in the scale or floor. Also if you go to another part of the world and bring your scale you'll weigh something different. Elevation and latitude can make a difference. If you're bfs scale is up a big cliff who knows lol. Plus we can fluctuate in water weight fairly easily. You can't really tell if you're gaining or losing consistently on a day to day basis.

    If you keep weighing yourself you'll realize that no matter what you do the scale well do weird things sometimes. Don't worry about it, it's not the end of the world, you're likely still making progress.
  • Nikki_Nx
    Nikki_Nx Posts: 27 Member
    There's a simple way to see if you lost or gained weight ...
    Go to your room, stand in front of your mirror, take your clothes off.
    Do it again, 2-3 weeks later. No scale needed. :-)

    To be fair, if I did that I would need several piccies before I noticed any difference and sometimes because we're so used to seeing our bodies on a daily basis, we might not see the changes.
    I think sticking to one set of scales, preferably my own, is the best thing to do....when I go for my 4 monthly check at the gym it will be interesting to see what difference if any there is :o)

    btw...don't be disheartened, if you think of life as a rollercoaster, you'll know that where there are down days, up days will follow xx
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