Wild scales

steveburrow99
steveburrow99 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm new to myfitnesspal but am really enjoying it and am getting some good results. But this morning things went very strange.

I woke up, hopped on the scales, and weighed 84.5kg. This was a bit disappointing as I'd been weighing in at 83.5kg for a few days. Then I had a shower and thought I'd double check the scales and came in at 82.0kg. Amazing, but a bit unbelievable. So I had some breakfast and thought it over some more, went back to the scales and weighed in at 83.5kg.

Is there any explanation for this that doesn't involve me buying a new set of scales? And if not, what scales would give me more consistent results?

This is my first post on the forum, so apologies if I'm asking a question that's so obviously stupid that I should already know the answer.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Your weight is going to change throughout the day -- going to the bathroom, eating/drinking, sweating, respiration . . . all of these things are constantly changing our weight. When you add weight (think eating) or remove weight (think going to the bathroom), your body weight will change.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    Actually that's not strange at all. There will be times where your weight will go up, down or just stay stagnant. Weight loss isn't linear. The scale is fine, you may just have to manage your expectations:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
  • starwhisperer6
    starwhisperer6 Posts: 402 Member
    yeah mine does that every morning. It is always interesting to me.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    strong_curves wrote: »
    Actually that's not strange at all. There will be times where your weight will go up, down or just stay stagnant. Weight loss isn't linear. The scale is fine, you may just have to manage your expectations:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

    This. Weight fluctuates 24/7. If you had a higher sodium/carb intake yesterday or did more exercise, it's going to go up. Eating makes it go up because you're now carrying the weight of the food on top of your weight.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    I've had that happen, my weight would sometimes swing 8 pounds in the day. I just picked part of my daily routine and that's when I weigh.

  • steveburrow99
    steveburrow99 Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks all. I get the point about the weight varying through the day - but a drop in 2.5kg from getting into and out of the shower? Where did it go? Does my stomach port to another dimension? Can I make it do that all the time? :-)
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    Gremlins.

    *nods wisely*
  • angerelle
    angerelle Posts: 175 Member
    You must have just been *really* dirty.
  • Living360
    Living360 Posts: 223 Member
    I have to put my scale in the exact same spot, stand the exact same way and not move one little bit to get it to register the same amount within moments. The other morning I caught my husband stepping on, off, on, off. So he does it too. I step on, weigh, step on, weigh and when I get the same amount twice that's what I log. I realized the ridiculousness of weighing this way each day and have promised to weigh myself once a week from now on. For me the truth is in how I feel and how the clothes fit.
  • kbolton322
    kbolton322 Posts: 358 Member
    you may need to change the batteries in your scale. that happened to me and I change the battery in it... them my kids messed it up so I have to get a new scale..
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    I can change my weight by leaning forward. I sometimes get off and on until it shows a number Im happy with. So long as I trend downward, I dont worry about day to day totals. home scales are pretty inaccurate and I use them as a guideline. Buy a better scale might help.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I have wondered if there is something about the moisture in our feet before and after a shower that affects the scale. I've noticed big changes and now I just weigh myself before exercising when I first get up, for consistency.
  • steveburrow99
    steveburrow99 Posts: 3 Member
    My favourite responses "gremlins" and "you must have been really dirty" :-)

    I've decided to give my scales another go. They're generally recording my weight as going down, so they can't be all bad.

    Thanks for all the advice.
  • mrsnazario1219
    mrsnazario1219 Posts: 173 Member
    I had to put my scale on a platform because my floors are uneven. It was horribly off before I did that. Make sure it's on an even surface
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