Don't trust my scale

carenjd
carenjd Posts: 40 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Well one minute my scale says I weigh 251 - then I weigh 248, then 255. So should I just be keeping track of my measurements instead?

Replies

  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    Do you mean you weight yourself a few times within minutes or seconds and all the results are different? If so, maybe you just need new batteries. If that's throughout the day and night then you're seeing normal weight fluctuations. It's a good idea to use your measurements to monitor your progress, too.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    So should I just be keeping track of my measurements instead?

    Yes. And pictures.

    Or only weigh once a week and stop being concerned with normal weight fluctuations, as well.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    When you weigh yourself, just decide that you're always going to use the first number (or the second, etc.) to record your weight. That way you're consistent. My digital scale varies a few lbs the more I get on and off, too. Now I just weigh myself once and stick with that number.
  • Wrenbot87
    Wrenbot87 Posts: 100 Member
    I have a digital scale. My old one kept doing that, so I got a new one. My old one was a few years old. My new one give the same weight twice in a row within a minute. You may need a new scale...or it might need new batteries!
  • sweetzoejane
    sweetzoejane Posts: 153 Member
    I do not recommend weighing yourself every minute. Instead, weigh every couple of weeks maybe, and relax. Look in the mirror, use the tape measure, and keep doing exercises you enjoy.
  • carenjd
    carenjd Posts: 40 Member
    I know I should just weigh myself once a week - but I always give in. Sometimes I weigh myself twice a day - but it ranges from like 4 pounds more or less a day. Is that normal weight fluctuations? And yeah, I'm going to start measuring myself - because even though my scale is bipolar, I have gone down a pants size. W00t.
  • sweetzoejane
    sweetzoejane Posts: 153 Member
    I know I should just weigh myself once a week - but I always give in. Sometimes I weigh myself twice a day - but it ranges from like 4 pounds more or less a day. Is that normal weight fluctuations? And yeah, I'm going to start measuring myself - because even though my scale is bipolar, I have gone down a pants size. W00t.

    Yes, daily weight fluctuations are completely normal. Weigh yourself less often.
  • jess_goobie
    jess_goobie Posts: 133 Member
    I also have the same problem with my scale +3 then -2 then +5 its soo frustrating. I am also a scale freak, i know i shouldnt weigh everyday but i do. I really need to stop though because I get disappointed if I gain when I know I did really good the day before. I say weigh once a week and try to get 2 of the same numbers back to back or always take the first #
  • shaywallis
    shaywallis Posts: 165 Member
    Throw your scale out the window.
  • MicroHez
    MicroHez Posts: 125 Member
    I had that problem with a cheap digital scale I purchased. I would weigh one weight, then when I went to double check few minutes later, I'd weigh 20 lbs heavier. Needless to say, THAT scale was returned, and I bit the bullet and got the $40 WW scale. That scale has worked amazingly, and it's consistent. I highly recommend it.

    http://www.target.com/p/weight-watchers-glass-scale-clear/-/A-13202699#prodSlot=medium_1_4&term=weight+watcher+scale
  • Ashwee87
    Ashwee87 Posts: 695 Member
    This is why I am taking measurements and trying to ignore the scale because the scale ain't movin', but I have lost inches. Scales are the DEVIL! lol
  • kusterer
    kusterer Posts: 90 Member
    Consumer-grade scales are manufactured to have a measurement accuracy of 1% or even 2% plus or minus the actual weight. At the lower and upper ends of the scale's range, they tend to be at their least accurate. Despite all the threads on MFP fretting about going up or down a few pounds different than what was expected, the range of variation you see is normal. The rest of us should not believe that our scales are any more accurate all the time than yours is, unless we either: 1) paid a lot for it; or 2) were lucky to have happened to get an unusually accurate scale.
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
    I had a problem with weighing myself multiple times a day, kind of an addiction where I couldn't help myself. I tried telling myself that normal fluctuations were to be expected, but it was still upsetting. I decided to not let the scale control me - got rid of the scale and now take pictures, measurements, and weigh in when I go to the doctor.
  • carenjd
    carenjd Posts: 40 Member
    fo sho. *extreme white girl voice*
  • FoodandFitness
    FoodandFitness Posts: 502 Member
    1. Your weight will fluctuate by the hour. This is normal.
    2. There is no benefit to weighing yourself multiple times per day. It is in fact, detrimental. You're putting too much emotional charge into your weight and this is going to keep you from losing weight and having a healthy relationship with your body. Keep a chart by your scale and record your weight when you weight yourself in the morning (if you don't want to make your own chart, you can use mine http://foodandfitnessonline.com/faq/ here). At least this way you will have consistency for comparison. In regards to the multiple weigh ins per day... move your scale to another room in the house that you don't go to often. Make a strong effort to stop doing that.

    Good luck!
  • cristeberga
    cristeberga Posts: 251 Member
    I know I should just weigh myself once a week - but I always give in. Sometimes I weigh myself twice a day - but it ranges from like 4 pounds more or less a day. Is that normal weight fluctuations? And yeah, I'm going to start measuring myself - because even though my scale is bipolar, I have gone down a pants size. W00t.

    There are times that I weigh 4 to 5 pounds more at the end of the day as opposed to my morning weigh-ins. If I see the scale, I might as well weigh myself, so after I weigh myself on Fridays, I put the scale up on a shelf in a closet that I do not need to open often, so i actually forget about it and don't take it down until the following Friday. :bigsmile: It has worked for me. :wink:
  • Michielynn222
    Michielynn222 Posts: 81 Member
    Throw your scale out the window.


    ^This
  • lobo_a_gogo
    lobo_a_gogo Posts: 265 Member
    I do not recommend weighing yourself every minute. Instead, weigh every couple of weeks maybe, and relax. Look in the mirror, use the tape measure, and keep doing exercises you enjoy.

    THAT, but also, make sure you are standing in the same position the scale, that is it doesn't have to be perfect, but its going to make a big difference whether you're leaning forward to look at the number, standing straight up, leaning on your heels, etc. I'm guessing that's what your fluctuations are from.
  • valeriewxy
    valeriewxy Posts: 418 Member
    Throw your scale out the window.


    ^This

    I would do this if the scale didn't belong to my mother, lol.
  • theecatt
    theecatt Posts: 31 Member
    Yeah. If I weigh myself after I wake up, and then shortly afterwards after breakfast, it's a 2 pound difference. Clothes obviously can make an impact as well. I tend to be heaviest right after lunch (+3 lbs from morning), and lightest either right after a workout (sweat) or first thing in the morning.

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