Extra weight showing up on the scale

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  • JoshLikesBeer
    JoshLikesBeer Posts: 88 Member
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    A 0.4 pound fluctuation could be caused by any one of hundreds of things. I have weighed myself before and after going to the bathroom, and I think I figured out why they call it "number 2" -- because I was 2 pounds lighter afterwards.
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
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    A 0.4 pound fluctuation could be caused by any one of hundreds of things. I have weighed myself before and after going to the bathroom, and I think I figured out why they call it "number 2" -- because I was 2 pounds lighter afterwards.

    That's one heck of a poo! Can you teach me how? :laugh:
  • jessilee119
    jessilee119 Posts: 444 Member
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    Beyond the already mentioned fact that most people fluctuate several pounds over the course of the day...I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned that 163.0 and 163.4 are basically the same on typical bathroom scales.

    The resolution in pounds on bathroom scales is commonly 0.2 lb, meaning that you would never see a 1/10 of a pound reading that ends in an odd number--so 163.0 could also be 163.1, and 163.4 could also be 163.3. And unless you have a mechanical, upright scale--even the most expensive and top of the line bathroom scales are only accurate to within +/- 2 lb.

    So in reality, there is no way to discern a relative difference of 0.4 lb. Step on and off your bathroom scale at least 5 times (letting the LED shut off between each), and you will probably see a difference in readings of at least 0.4 lb.

    ...however; if you see a change of 0.4 pounds each day for a whole week, that's data you can make some sense of.

    So true! I used to be obsessed with the number on the scale. Like you mentioned, fluctuations can even exist with how you stand on the scale from day to day and if the scale is in the EXACT spot it was the day before (we keep our's in the bathroom closet so each time I use it I have to pull it out so it might be a fraction off on the floor where it was before).

    Now, I get on the scale once and that's it. Whatever it says, it says. If it's only a fraction of a difference no biggie...if it climbs for several days then that's when I know I'm doing something wrong.
  • cloieclo
    cloieclo Posts: 33 Member
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    A better indication of your progress than the numbers on the scale is how your clothes fit. My weight can fluctuate by as much as a pound or two from day to day, but I've dropped two jeans sizes, so that's what I look at more than the number on the scale.

    Firstly, well done!

    Secondly, I stopped weighing myself because I feel like I became obsessed with the numbers. I too, simply tell by how my clothes fit. I've dropped two dress sizes as well.

    The scales can fluctuate with muscle gain etc too.
  • Raclex
    Raclex Posts: 238
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    Seriously? You are freaking out over 6 ounces? Take a dump, then write back and tell us how you found a miracle way to lose 6 ounces.

    Word. :wink:
  • 13bbird13
    13bbird13 Posts: 425 Member
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    I've had those "oh darn" moments over .4 pounds myself, so I know what you mean. But I also have to remind myself that my bathroom scale is not a precision instrument, and that coupled with normal fluctuations from day to day can easily account for the slight uptick. Hang in there and try again in a day or two.
  • stacyjh1979
    stacyjh1979 Posts: 188 Member
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    I'm not sure why you're worrying over that tiny amount. I was up a pound yesterday but then realized I hadn't been to the loo for a you know what for a few days. I went that day and this morning I'm back down a pound ????????

    Yep this happens a lot. For me it's usually either water or I need to use the restroom. Last week toward the end of the week I was 189, Monday morning I showed 191 and by yesterday was 188. Fluctuations happen and 0.4 is definitely nothing to be worried about. I won't lie I was a little disappointed on Monday but I also knew that there was no way I had eaten a surplus of enough calories for it to be a real gain. If you haven't eaten at a surplus then don't let it get to you and just keep pushing on.
  • jasveersingh925
    jasveersingh925 Posts: 50 Member
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    Thanks for the responses. I guess after seeing a loss for a few days in a row the 0.4 threw me off. Now I know not to freak out about it when something like that happens again.

    /thread

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