Is my scale right?

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larainew
larainew Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
I just bought a new scale and have been weighing myself every day. My weight has been all over the place this week, from 133 to 139 and everywhere in between. I know its normal to gain some weight throughout the day, but five pounds in 24 hours? Two pounds from before to after breakfast? I was 133 this morning and am 137 tonight.
How am I supposed to tell how I'm doing if I'm only trying to loose .5 pounds a week, but go up and down more than that in a day?
Also, I started a new intense workout this week and have been eating properly (not too high or too low, lots of protein and veggies, etc).
My husband has been using the same scale and hasn't seen the same kinds of fluctuations.
I used to weigh myself once or twice a week at the gym and saw a slow and steady decrease in weight over time.
What's going on?

Replies

  • kimberliiw
    kimberliiw Posts: 242 Member
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    If you're going to weigh yourself every day you need to do it at the same time and not keep getting on it throughout the day. Also weighing every day you're going to see fluctuations. If it bothers you, you may want to just weigh in once a week.
  • julie781
    julie781 Posts: 221 Member
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    I looked at you're diary, that much sodium could definitely make you retain 5 pounds of water.
  • leska1216
    leska1216 Posts: 260
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    Don't get hung up on the scale. It's only a tool. Weigh yourself once a day, once a week, or once a month. Don't weigh more than once a day. Always weigh at the same time of day. Weight fluctuates during the day, yes 5 lbs is not unheard of. A good time to weigh is first thing in the morning, after a pee, and before breakfast.

    Good luck.

    Checked your diary -- you are either not eating or you are not logging. If you are logging what you are eating, you need to eat way more than you are. You are nowhere near your set caloric intake for the day. And then you do an intense workout? Eat.
  • dovesgate
    dovesgate Posts: 894 Member
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    Stop weighing multiple times per day.

    The once or twice a week is better because it shows an overall trend. If you're going to weigh every day, weigh once in the morning before you eat and after you've used the rest room.

    It's normal to fluctuate the way you do, especially with a new intense workout. Water retention, weight of food, weight of food waste in your system all contribute to the fluctuations. All you're doing by weighing multiple times per day is driving yourself crazy.
  • lovechicagobears
    lovechicagobears Posts: 289 Member
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    I often weigh 2-4 extra pounds at the end of the day due to food and beverages. That's completely normal.

    Weigh yourself first thing in the morning after using the bathroom. Weigh naked so your pajamas/clothes don't affect it.
  • MichelleLaree13
    MichelleLaree13 Posts: 865 Member
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    Step on the scale five times and see what the numbers are. The scale may just being throwing out inconsistant numbers.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
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    Stop weighing yourself so much, you will drive yourself insane.

    I weigh myself in the morning, and then don't do it again. Sometimes I step on the scale at night to see how much I did gain throughout the day but I never let it bother me usually I am up anywhere from 1 - 5 pounds, in the morning I wake up go poop step on the scale and I am back down where I was before.

    your weight changes depending on what your eating, your hormones, how many bowl movements you have had etc.
  • larainew
    larainew Posts: 17
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    It's good to know that's not unusual. I don't plan to keep weight myself all the time - was just checking out my new scale. It is interesting.
    I know there are gaps in my diary. I have been eating regular meals. I've been doing this long enough that I have a pretty good idea how I'm doing. I've been eating leftovers of a complicated recipe and I was too lazy to put it all in. Yesterday, I probably went over because I went to a party and had some bad things. And yes, I'm way under today (I did log everything today) , but I'm not usually.
    Also, my doctor says I need to eat more sodium because of some blood thing I have...I forget what. I just went to the doctor and my blood pressure's great, so that's not a concern for me. The sodium count isn't very accurate anyways because I used brand-name versions of some things that were actually homemade and didn't have as much sodium. Cause I'm lazy sometimes.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    Check your scale with a known weight. Weigh it a couple times to see if your scale is consistent.

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