Does that .X really matter?

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rhall9058
rhall9058 Posts: 270 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I posted this in my blog, but I'm kind of curious about the discussion around it, so I'm posting here as well. I'm curious what kind of responses I'll get.

So I always see people with the tag of I lost 2.6 lbs since the last time I weighed in. Does that .6 really matter? When you consider that water weight can fluxuate up to 5 lbs, does that .6 really matter? When somebody asks you, "Oh, how much have you lost?", do you say "I've lost 20.6 lbs!", my guess would be NO!

So why even record that? I understand that in the grand scheme of things, it's there essentially to make you feel better, but c'mon. If you are worried about .6 lbs, you need to find other things to worry about.

Me you ask? I have a generic digital scale that has digital numbers on it. I step on it and gives me a number. I either lost, gained, or stayed the same. Do I feel left out that I didn't see a .6 gain or loss. Not really. Even if it did give me that, would I change what I'm doing? NOPE! I guess I'm just the type that doesn't get twisted out of shape about whether or not my scale connects via wi-fi or has a memory chip that stores my .6 for the week. Maybe it's a personal preference, but in the grand scheme of things, I ask again, DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
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Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    yes. it does matter. Especially to those on smaller caloric deficits. :)

    And to answer you other question, yes, I do tell them "I've lost 26.8 pounds".
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I don't get it either but to each their own I suppose. To me, that .5 or whatever coulc be cause by standing differently, you know? Stepping on and off the scale usually gives me three different weights so I only record a drop in weight every 2 weeks.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Since my goal is to lose about .5 to 1 pound per week right now, yes, the .X matters since I may not be losing a full pound and yet as long as there's a loss, I consider it a successful week.
  • bkibbs
    bkibbs Posts: 106 Member
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    I would say that it doesn't matter in the way you might think it matters, but I have a digital scale that gets that accurate, so I just go with whatever it give me.
  • katamus
    katamus Posts: 2,363 Member
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    I think the fractions matter. It could be the difference between losing nothing for four weeks and then magically dropping (which I don't trust), or losing a pound over the course of four weeks.

    Or we could all just ignore the scales since we know there are other ways to measure. :)
  • LoggingForLife
    LoggingForLife Posts: 504 Member
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    I think you have scale envy....you are just in denial :0)
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Does it matter that it matters to some people?
  • JohnMessmer
    JohnMessmer Posts: 536
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    I am with the "Yes" folks on this one. Although it is not a huge influence in itself, overtime it adds up and if you are getting healthier and losing .5 then some are happier than if they are getting healthier and not losing anything. Personally, I just input what my scale displays and it just so happens that it displays.X and has a memory card, lol.
  • blanchette_j
    blanchette_j Posts: 17 Member
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    I personally do not count decimals on MFP. I have such a large amount of weight to lose that it would be moot; I can see how people with smaller amounts of to lose would keep track of their exact weight, though. But unless you weigh-in at the same time everyday, I don't think the decimal points on a pound are an accurate measure of fat loss due to fluctuations that happen over the course of a day.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    But unless you weigh-in at the same time everyday, I don't think the decimal points on a pound are an accurate measure of fat loss due to fluctuations that happen over the course of a day.

    This is very, very true and important for any regular weighing. I weigh-in between 7:15-7:20 every morning Mon-Fri and about 90% of the time on Sat and Sun. But if I sleep past that time, I'll still step on the scale, but I don't really compare it to my regular weigh-ins. For as little as one extra hour of sleep I can have up to an additional pound loss on the scale.

    I've actually tested this multiple times before. I wake up fairly frequently even if I'm trying to sleep in once it gets past the time I usually wake up. So I've had days where I've jumped on the scale every time I've woken up from the 7am time until 11am when I finally actually got up and ate something. I've seen times that I dropped two full pounds (on the scale) from the first weighing to the last, just from the additional time where I was doing nothing but laying in bed resting/sleeping.
  • onyxgirl17
    onyxgirl17 Posts: 1,721 Member
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    My water weight doesn't fluctuate nearly as much as people here, definitely not 5 pounds. I don't know why. The .6 doesn't really matter to me much personally.
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
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    I have a digital scale and do my official, recorded on MFP weigh ins once a week. Why wouldn't I put the exact number that is on the scale? Then the message on my board records it to one decimal point. So what? If you want to round or not post to MFP that is your choice.
  • niftyafterfifty
    niftyafterfifty Posts: 338 Member
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    I've reached my first goal weight and reset it for my ultimate goal weight. I only have 6 pounds left to lose, and I have to work really hard for those tenths of a pound. So, yes, they are important to me!
  • zigeuner62
    zigeuner62 Posts: 96
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    Yes, it matters to me. I have a digital scale that displays .X and that is what I go by. For me it is a source of motivation instead of an exercise in frustration. I would rather see a .X loss no matter how small and stay motivated than to become frustrated at seeing no change for days. To each their own.
  • jeleclekat
    jeleclekat Posts: 124 Member
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    To me, personally. I won't even BUY a scale that doesn't give me the X factor.(lol) I have roughly 100 lbs to lose, so to see even a fraction of a pound lost is great to see. If I step on and I'm up a fraction, I don't panic either. My scale sis between two tiles in the bathroom so even with the kitties chasing through the house and moving the scales, I can realign it each time to where it needs to be. I weigh approximately the same time each morning, undressed and after business so there is no change in clothing, etc.
    It can motivate me, too. If I see I haven't budged, I go back over the food diary and check to see if I'm eating differently. Maybe more carbs lately, or sodium, etc.. and you can catch it earlier. A steady loss of a fraction each week, too, is nice to see, rather than four weeks of no change. That little X factor can keep someone motivated, knowing that they're done something. I know we know about fluctuations with water, etc. and I think we do take that into consideration, too.

    To some, no, it doesn't matter, to each his own, but please, don't condemn the ones of us who DO like to see even .10, because to us, that does matter.
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
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    My weekly weight loss so far goes in a regular pattern of losing for three weeks, gain for a week and then back to losing (usually with a big loss the week after the gain). For obvious reasons. So I try not to take any of the weights too seriously but look at the overall pattern.

    That said, I was bad last week and I was SO HAPPY to still see a loss, even if it was a .X loss!
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
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    So I always see people with the tag of I lost 2.6 lbs since the last time I weighed in. Does that .6 really matter? When you consider that water weight can fluxuate up to 5 lbs, does that .6 really matter? When somebody asks you, "Oh, how much have you lost?", do you say "I've lost 20.6 lbs!", my guess would be NO!

    So why even record that? I understand that in the grand scheme of things, it's there essentially to make you feel better, but c'mon. If you are worried about .6 lbs, you need to find other things to worry about.

    I weigh every day and record my weight in a spreadsheet. My weight does indeed fluctuate up to about 5 pounds a day, which I don't stress about.

    I only record my weight on MFP when I hit a new low. Sometimes this low is .2 pounds less than the previous one and sometimes it's 2.2 pounds less than the previous one. Either one is within the five pound fluctuation zone and may be an equally illusory loss due to water weight (I doubt that I've every truly lost 2.2 pounds overnight, but my scale has dropped that much at times).

    The fact is, the numbers are all relative. You need to pick some way to record your progress. I've chosen the "new low" method. Others may choose to take an average or to only record a loss when it sticks around for a while. It's really up to the person.

    When people ask me how much weight I've lost, I usually just round it off to "about 50 pounds", since I'm not 100% sure what my top weight was.

    Finally, if recording a .2 pound loss makes someone feel better, thus inspiring them to stick with their healthy habits a while longer, than why begrudge them that? Personally I am more inspired when I look at the graph I keep with my daily weigh ins and see the constant downward trend then I am by any individual loss, but whatever helps people stick with it is a positive as far as I'm concerned.
  • babeinthemoon
    babeinthemoon Posts: 471 Member
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    Grand Scheme of Things? No it doesn't really matter. I'm looking at overall trends and moving towards my goal at a steady pace.

    In any case, I record the 0.X weights. My scale gives them to me (in only 0.2 increments though), and I'm a scientist at heart, so I have to be as precise as the technology will allow me to be. When I talk about my weight loss though, If I'm almost to a milestone weight I'll say I'm nearly 30 lbs down.. but usually I'll just talk about percentages: "I'm already down my first 10%!!"

    Now, that 0.X number is really important to me. Like other posters have said, on weeks that are really bad, it is nice to see a loss, no matter how small. I weigh daily for trends, but only record my Saturday # in mfp. Last week, on Friday I was down 2 lbs from Saturday, but then I got sick and was retaining water like a balloon by Saturday morning. So, even though I felt uncomfortable, I rejoiced in the knowledge that I was still down 0.6 pounds from the week before.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    I totally ignore the .x digit on the scale - I don't pay attention to it and don't record it anywhere.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I'm not obsessed with the number on the scale by any stretch, but my weight only drops in fractions. I don't lose a full pound or multiple pounds at a time. So that's what gets recorded.

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