No responses the first time :(

shelbymkoenig · October 2013

Thank you so much everyone. You've got me nearly tearing up over here. I suppose I was freaking out so much because my ultimate goal is to get to a healthy BMI, and I no longer have definite confidence on where I am on that goal track. I'm also a very science brained person so I do use the same scale and follow the same procedures, even down to placing my feet exactly the same way. I did buy a new scale but it wasn't any better than my current one and actually claimed I weighed more than even my doctor's scale. Initially my doctor's scale matched what mine at home said. Half of that spaz was probably my science brain exploding from inaccuracies, ha. Again, thank you all so much. This is exactly what I was hoping for.

bridgie101 · October 2013

So I've been having scale drama and I think I'm just going to give it up for a while. My normal bathroom scale gives me a different reading every time I'm on it, by 10lbs in either direction. When I got on the digital scale at my doctor's yesterday it said I weighed 20lbs more than what mine at home averages around. I've been using MFP for more than 6 months. I've been under my calories slightly every week. There is no way that in 6 months I've only lost 20lbs instead of the 40 something my home scale tells me. Anyway, I'm just frustrated and was wondering if people here still have success after giving up the scale. I'm maid of honor in my best friend's wedding in December and I'd really like to look my best by then. I'm just being a spaz I guess

For this community supposedly being built on support I'm going it alone at my home already, I'm just looking for a little encouragement and advice.

Buy a new pair of scales.

And remember: if your first set of scales started at x and is now saying you're at x-40, that's probably true.

What might be scary is that it was weighing you 20lb lighter than the doctor's scales.

PS: doctors scales always weigh you heavy. You're clothed, you've eaten, it's not early morning and you haven't just gone for a wee.

chin up. I'm sure it'll be fine.

trogalicious · October 2013

You could always keep a known weight nearby, too.. if need be. Like, get a 5lb dumbbell. Leave it near the scale. Before you step on, put the weight on the scale... if it comes up 5lb, you're good.

jessannprice · October 2013

A scale at the Doctor's office is used all day, everyday. I wonder when the last time they calibrated it was??

Get a new digital scale for your home and start using it.

But.... TAKE MEASUREMENTS!! I would have given up long ago if I didn't see my measurements going down while the scale was stuck.

Even if your weight is off from what you thought.. that's no reason to give up. You've made progress. Just keep moving forward.

Holly_Roman_Empire · October 2013

So I've been having scale drama and I think I'm just going to give it up for a while. My normal bathroom scale gives me a different reading every time I'm on it, by 10lbs in either direction. When I got on the digital scale at my doctor's yesterday it said I weighed 20lbs more than what mine at home averages around. I've been using MFP for more than 6 months. I've been under my calories slightly every week. There is no way that in 6 months I've only lost 20lbs instead of the 40 something my home scale tells me. Anyway, I'm just frustrated and was wondering if people here still have success after giving up the scale. I'm maid of honor in my best friend's wedding in December and I'd really like to look my best by then. I'm just being a spaz I guess

For this community supposedly being built on support I'm going it alone at my home already, I'm just looking for a little encouragement and advice.

Without weighing myself, I find myself more happy. I take measurements, make fitness goals, and I am elated when I meet them. Getting fit is not just about losing weight and having a better appearance. It's also about getting healthier and stronger. If you look at it that way, you're less likely to be disappointed and give up.

SToast · October 2013

Sadly every scale weighs differently depending on the scale type and the ground it is sitting on. I can move my scale around the house to five different locations and get 5 different readings. However, if I weight in the same place 5 times, the scale is the same every time.

Like others have said. Don't get too hung up on the scale. It's inches that matter. I got to a point where I wasn't loosing any on the scale BUT I knew, just by looking at my thighs, that they were thinner. I was shaving my legs in the shower and thought "wow where is the rest of them?" The scale wasn't showing results but I had turned that corner from just losing fat to also building muscle. Oh and next time you go to the Dr. ask if they will do a BMI for you. That might be more helpful.

sloth3toes · October 2013

PS: doctors scales always weigh you heavy. You're clothed, you've eaten, it's not early morning and you haven't just gone for a wee.

The DR's office scales are evil. Avoid them at all cost. Everything is against you, when you step on those scales.

jetinder · October 2013

For me, the scale is my friend. I started with a pair of old analogue scales that did as yours, fluctuated wildly. In fact to start with, they didn't even measure to the weight I was.

I invested in a decent digital scale costing about £35 and haven't looked back. It measures your body fat, muscle mass, water content and anything else that it feels like. Like yourself, I'm analytical, so I have personally chosen to track my weight every single day (apart from when on vacation) and store it all in a spreadsheet. I usually see losses of between 0 and 1 kg in a 24 hr period. For me, that helps me understand what foods/activities work well together or not.

For example, I found that drinking coffee made me lose less weight over a 2 week period. A week after I went back to tea, things started moving again.

Some days I will gain weight, but my muscle percentage or water content will go up I.e better. So here, the scale helps make me feel positive.

missomgitsica · October 2013

First of all, doctors don't weigh you naked or first thing in the morning. So you always weigh more at the doctor's office than you actually do. And your weight fluctuates daily because of water and lots of other things so don't get too hung up on what you saw at the doc's office.

But the best advice is to NOT use just the scale to measure your progress! There are so many factors that affect your weight--water, muscle gain, muscle soreness, menstrual cycle, how you stand on it . . . it's so touchy. You definitely need to start taking your measurements every couple weeks. I know that if I gain a pound on the scale but lose an inch on my waist, I'm going to feel like a success.

And don't weight yourself every day. That's going to be nothing but discouraging.

rachael1805 · October 2013

Thank you so much everyone. You've got me nearly tearing up over here. I suppose I was freaking out so much because my ultimate goal is to get to a healthy BMI, and I no longer have definite confidence on where I am on that goal track. I'm also a very science brained person so I do use the same scale and follow the same procedures, even down to placing my feet exactly the same way. I did buy a new scale but it wasn't any better than my current one and actually claimed I weighed more than even my doctor's scale. Initially my doctor's scale matched what mine at home said. Half of that spaz was probably my science brain exploding from inaccuracies, ha. Again, thank you all so much. This is exactly what I was hoping for.

I'm with you- I need the numbers, every day. Others don't. So, buy a new scale and ONLY weigh on that scale. Or just go with the new one you have and try to get your head around the numbers, which I know is easier said than done!! Weighing at the gym, the drs and at home does my head in and leaves me deflated- even if it is only a small fluctuation.
And at the end of the day, think about how your clothes fit and how you feel to know if you are going in the right direction. Good luck

Hearts_2015 · October 2013

It's incredibly freeing to put the scale away for awhile. Even months.. I did far better eating/workouts without the stress of the scale.

They aren't much of a measure of progress really, you can't guarantee the accuracy... the number in the end never really matters. What matters is are you healthier than when you started, what's the tape measure tell you? Are your clothes getting baggy, can you breath better, can you workout longer, do you feel stronger?

See all the things a scale can't tell us.. but it can cause us to stress out.

Good luck... I never use more than one scale because of the exact situation you shared. I give my Doc the weight from my scale if I'm weighting myself at the time if not, she'll get it from me next visit. It's just far less stressful not having to balance all sorts of weights in my head from various scales.

Here's a thought... how you feel and the way you look in Dec., will be far better for you than what you weigh that day, you think? I know we have all learned to put such emphasis on the scale but it's for me it's far to unpredictable.

:flowerforyou:

auntiebabs · October 2013

Yeah, doctor's office scales are always a B!atch..

I've always figure my scale doesn't have to be perfectly accurate as long as it's consistent because the number doesn't matter nearly as much as progress matters. So you may want to get yourself a new home scale that is consistent.

When I was about to quit because I wasn't meeting my MFP goals, I suddenly realized that I was still doing much better than before I was on MFP. It lost 33 lbs in 15 months. (Been tweaking maintenance for about 2 years now.. and I bobble around in a 5 lb range when as I test out different approaches)

When I weighed every day I tried to keep the same perspective that i hear you are supposed to use when track stocks... they go up and they go down, but as long as the overall trend is in the right direction you doing okay.

bohonomad · October 2013

How do your clothes feel? That is the best way to tell I think, maybe try taking photos of yourself each week or month to see a difference. Don't worry about the weight, it's more about body composition and just eating better/healthier in general

Rai007 · October 2013

Just get a new scale/ or go to a nearby gym. because it might be accurate.
u should know your real progress.
and start taking measurements.
hope all goes well

slim4health56 · October 2013

I would never give up my scale (although I did replace my old scale that did something similar to yours a couple of months ago with a nifty digital model that I can read without my glasses. Ha! ). I weight myself every morning. It helps keep me accountable.

lovingangel4uau · October 2013

Ok I've been where you are and telling you don't give up now! What I found when I didn't put down my food in here which kept me accountable and knowing where I was, I didn't put on weight right away but slow over the last 3 months I have put on 8Ibs but that isn't as bad as the inches. When you think your not taking weight off you have taken off inches. I know people here don't help much I found that myself, but at the end of the day this is for you and you are alone when you take that bite so do it for you.
Its been really really hard getting back and I really need to put more weight off. Being a hard core on and off diet person this was the first thing that really helped but once you are out for a while its very hard to get back into the mind space, meanwhile your the hard work slowly goes down the drain and when you do start up more work to get to where you are.
Anyway that has been my experience I wish you luck.

FattieBabs · October 2013

My scales are in the bathroom but on a flat tile. They are accurate. I weigh everyday but have learnt not to beat myself up if there is some fluctuation. My weightloss is very slow but the inches are coming off. I keep an old pair of trousers that, when I started Mfp, could not get over my hips comfortably. Then they would go over the hips but the zip would not do up. Now they zip up but the buttons are tight. When I know these for perfectly I will know I have dropped a dress size! This has taken around six months and the scales do not reflect the progress!

Best of luck with your progress!

1KiwiChick · October 2013

I dont own scales thank goodness or id be on the all the time!! I weigh in at the gym on the same scales ( for last 2 years) once - twice a week. Clothed ( of course or i might be evicted) but same clothes every time and usually in the morning if i can before i eat. I weigh around 700-800grams heavier at night. I take my measurements once a fortnight in same bra and pants to get accurate measurements. This is far more precise than any scale reading as all sorts of things can upset the scale like , water, TOM, what you ate that day, whether you need to go toilet !! measuring eliminates these problems!! Good luck!

pittsburghpamom · October 2013

My scale fluctuates at times too. It is a digital scale and maybe it needs a new battery. I weigh myself in the same spot (hard floor) in the AM so I guess it is mostly consistent. Seeing the other posts about taking measurements is a good idea and I will start doing that. I just started. Good luck with your weight loss/get health/fit journey.

cdahl383 · October 2013

I'd get a more reliable digital scale. Mine was $25 or so and it's consistent. You could also take measurements each week or each month to ensure you're improving your physique in the absence measuring your weight.

No responses the first time :(

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