Humidity affecting digital scale?

SuperStorm
SuperStorm Posts: 119 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
So this week my scale read that I had gained 3.2lbs, in disbelief I got off and back onto the scale and saw the same result! I got back off the scale...I've been working very hard the last several weeks to really stay on track but I had one bad day in the middle of the week and figured I would lose LESS but still lose. Gaining just wasn't an option! So after a little fit which had a couple of cats looking at me like I was a crazy person, I stepped back on the scale to save the weight and it read a 4.0lb gain!!! WHAT??? How did I just gain 0.8lbs in thirty seconds?!? Again, I was off the scale in disbelief!! Now my fit was an all out, full blown Hissy Fit!!
So after a few minutes, I gave up and saved the 4.0lb gain. My mother, friend, and husband all gained 3+lbs this week as well, and I just think this has to be something other than us all having a bad week when we haven't spent any time together.
So I've been thinking. We live here in Southern Indiana where the weather is crazy all the time and the last couple of days it's been extremely humid. Today it's 79% humidity right now! So I'm wondering, could the humidity in the air be affecting our scales? Or could something else have done it? I just think it's odd that my mother on the west side of town gained 3+lbs, my friend on the north east side of town gained 3+lbs, and my husband and I gained 3+ pounds each in the middle of town....
Any ideas??

Replies

  • heathermrls
    heathermrls Posts: 91
    never heard of this. it is odd, but i wouldn't think humidity would do that. it is humid where i live also but it never does that. but i dont know. curious to see what other people say.
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    Everyone fluctuates from time to time. Salt intake. Hydration levels/water retention. The ummm... regularity of your digestion and removal. LOL! Hormones.

    It could all be coincidence.

    EDIT: And I would completely think it to be a coincidence if all of your scales changed within a lb of each other due to weather. Especially, if you're not in the same house, using the same scale, right after one another. And even if that was the case, I would still think it was the scale not working right(but not due to weather), even if you could prove there was no other bodily or dietary reason.
  • kristine321
    kristine321 Posts: 13
    I too have the same issues, I just figured that my scale needed new bateries!
  • bunchesonothing
    bunchesonothing Posts: 1,015 Member
    And, I know it's frustrating, but, if you "gained," but you know that through your diet and exercise, that there was no way you gained fat.... relax.... You did nothing to damage your goal. The goal is to generally lose fat. If you didn't gain any, there is nothing to worry about.
  • Cam_
    Cam_ Posts: 515 Member
    We had a digital scale that used to do wonky things. You would gain / lose pounds merely seconds apart. You would weigh 3 times in a row and never get the same weight.

    I finally got a weight watchers scale at Costco - the cheapest one they had - and it has been a lot more consistent. It's also a lot bigger so I can fit my entire feet on it (size 14). It actually weighs about .2 lbs lighter so the other one was making us a bit heavier.

    Another thing, always weigh yourself first thing in the morning, just after pee and with the same weight clothes (jammies).
    This should give you more consistent results also.
  • mountainmare
    mountainmare Posts: 294 Member
    I notice the same thing. We don't have AC at home and the scale is always up if weigh in day is humid and down when the weather breaks. I don't know if it the scale or me--but i drink alot more water and sweat alot more on humid days. My sodium intake is very very low in the summer because fresh local veggies are everywhere and very cheap at the local "leave your money in the coffee can" stands.
  • electromg
    electromg Posts: 70 Member
    Honestly, I had the same experience. My scale now reads 10 pounds lighter because I lived in a high humidity apartment for a year. I looked this up, and learned that yes, humidity does affect your scale. From my understanding, I thought it was irreversible, but you could try replacing the batteries to see if that helps.
  • Taszbo
    Taszbo Posts: 1
    According to this article in Scientific American scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=experts-body-wieght-ambient-temperature you can retain as much as several pounds of water weight in humid weather. Leads me to believe it isn't the scale.
  • MermaidTX
    MermaidTX Posts: 352 Member
    So this week my scale read that I had gained 3.2lbs, in disbelief I got off and back onto the scale and saw the same result! I got back off the scale...I've been working very hard the last several weeks to really stay on track but I had one bad day in the middle of the week and figured I would lose LESS but still lose. Gaining just wasn't an option! So after a little fit which had a couple of cats looking at me like I was a crazy person, I stepped back on the scale to save the weight and it read a 4.0lb gain!!! WHAT??? How did I just gain 0.8lbs in thirty seconds?!? Again, I was off the scale in disbelief!! Now my fit was an all out, full blown Hissy Fit!!
    So after a few minutes, I gave up and saved the 4.0lb gain. My mother, friend, and husband all gained 3+lbs this week as well, and I just think this has to be something other than us all having a bad week when we haven't spent any time together.
    So I've been thinking. We live here in Southern Indiana where the weather is crazy all the time and the last couple of days it's been extremely humid. Today it's 79% humidity right now! So I'm wondering, could the humidity in the air be affecting our scales? Or could something else have done it? I just think it's odd that my mother on the west side of town gained 3+lbs, my friend on the north east side of town gained 3+lbs, and my husband and I gained 3+ pounds each in the middle of town....
    Any ideas??

    My scale was doing that crazy thing w/ reporting various weight during a 2-3 minute period of my stepping off & on. I changed the battery & it stopped doing that.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    Humidity affects my scale, I think. Hubby says he always weighs slightly less after a long hot shower, despite having wet hair.
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