What is your personal attitude regarding bathroom scale weights?
NovusDies
Posts: 8,940 Member
This is not really about weight fluctuations but about scale operational fluctuations.
How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations.
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different?
I am losing and have been for some time and I have a ways to go. I consider my weight both verified and unchanged until the scale has moved more than a single increment because I know it is not that precise.
How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations.
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different?
I am losing and have been for some time and I have a ways to go. I consider my weight both verified and unchanged until the scale has moved more than a single increment because I know it is not that precise.
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Replies
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My scale goes to .1 pounds. I'm working on losing weight. I haven't had the experience of worrying about maintenance fluctuations yet.
My scale has a tendency to "stick" at a weight. I think this was done to avoid fluctuations (it's a weight watchers scale), but it annoys me. I usually pick up something heavy and weigh myself to "reset" the scale and then weigh again to get a more accurate reading. I usually trust that reading.
I weigh myself only once a month. When I was weighing daily, I usually considered .1 change up to be unchanged, and .1 down to be true since I'll take what I can get, lol. I figure it will eventually even out as I continued to log weight. Now that I only weigh myself once a month (and at an ideal time, generally) I am usually down 3-4 pounds and fluctuations don't impact me.3 -
- I have a digital scale the measures in .5lb increments.
- I am trying (I use that term pretty loosely here) to lose weight, ideally about 15lbs.
- I do not take multiple readings. I've used this scale long enough to know that subsequent readings ALWAYS match the initial reading.
- I log each weigh-in into Libra and monitor my trend weight. if/when that changes, I consider my weight to have changed.
- I do like my round numbers, so to some degree yes. But it's more like milestones for me. Going from 170.5 to 169.5 is far more significant than going from 171.5 to 170.5.
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My scale measures in increments of 0.2 lbs. I am slowly adding in calories going to maintenance (still in a small calorie deficit). Sometimes I step on a scale more than once to verify, but not usually. If I do step on it more than once to verify, if the first 2 times match, then I consider it accurate. If not, I will do a third time and if the third time matches either number, then I go with that. I try to get 2 consistent readings to consider it accurate. My scale does not have a tendency to stick to a number, it will give a new reading every time.
If my weight goes one increment higher, I do not consider that a weight change. If it goes one increment lower and that is the lowest it has been, then I do consider that a weight change. My feelings do not change if it is a whole number change, unless it is a new low. I weigh daily so I see my fluctuations. My weight fluctuates about 4 pounds total (current range 146-150).1 -
My scale goes to 0.1 lb, but I regularly read exactly the same weight every day. So I assume it’s not actually that precise and round to the nearest lb
I am sort of in maintenance, but trying to err in the downward direction rather than upward.
Just one reading - on the occasions I’ve taken two the second has been exactly the same.
I consider the increments basically unchanged if I start to read higher before my ToM, or lower afterwards. If it were the other way around, I would regard it as a genuine increase/decrease because my weight is pretty darn stable.
And there is always a special magic to round numbers 2 -
How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in? 0.2 pounds
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations. Top of normal BMI - still losing but slowly
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact? Just once
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact? It is what it is. I weigh daily and use the Libra app to chart my trend
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different? Not really. I like seeing new tens, though. I am human, after all, and it doesn't happen all that often for me. Now that I'm in the 130's, I know it'll be quite some time (if ever) that I see the 120's
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- I prefer my scale that measures in .5 lb increments.
- Right now, I'm working on losing weight as I've gone beyond my comfortable upper limit.
- I do not step on it more than once.
- I consider my weight to be whatever the number is on the day when I step on the scale. That is, I log whatever shows up and don't only log when the number is down for two consecutive weigh-ins.
- That kind of difference doesn't matter to me.
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My scale measures in 0.2lb increments. I am in limbo right now, still in a bit of a deficit going to transition to maintenance soon. Sometimes I do if I feel I was leaning weird or the weight is odd. I usually take the higher weight when I am losing, lower weight when gaining or an average if I can't decide.
If my weight goes up/down by an increment the next day I don't consider it until I enter it into Libra and let it decide. If there is a big drop or increase, I also consider what I did the days before (more exercise, food, sodium, no snacks before bed, etc) which can account for it but I don't pay too much attention especially a big change which is typically water.
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My scale measures in kilograms to one decimal point. (xx.x)
I weigh every day.
It goes up ... it goes down. Whatever.2 -
my scale is goes to a tenth of a pound.
i'm losing weight
i have learned to step on it so it doesn't change -consistently get the same number.
my weight is what it is per the scale
i track here
i don't mind small differences as it is the overall trend that matters0 -
-I get increments of 0.1 lbs
-Maintaining, since March 2017
-Just the once. It's an Aria scale and ports on over to my phone and apps that pick it up.
-Increments within a half pound or so I consider as "the same" but more than that and I usually know the reason why, such as eating more salty foods or more volume than usual
-I do like seeing 132.9 much better than 133.11 -
0.1lb increments
Focus is: Lowering weight, trying to maintain muscle mass as best as possible in the process with weight lifting.
Usually step on the scale first thing in the morning M-W-F, only record on Wednesday. I accept it as a snap shot in time and not over think it.
I just record whatever weight it shows on Wednesday. Sometimes I'll be 2 lbs down on Monday from the previous week and then only 0.2lbs on Wednesday. I still just record Wednesday.
Mentally the scale only represents a part of the progress to me. Non scale victories such as fitting into clothes I couldn't before, measuring loses with the tape measure and feeling/looking stronger and taking regular pictures capture my entire progress more than just a relative weight at one single point in time.
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-My scale goes to 0.2 pound increments
-Sort of maintaining, sort of messing with vanity weight
-Step on once unless it's a really out of range reading in regards to where I have been
I used to weigh daily and never had issue with it because I know reasons for scale fluctuations. Then I hit a rough patch of binge/restrict cycles and the scale became an issue for me. It still is.
I tend to focus instead on compliance with habits and goals that I know will get me where I want to be due to the binge/restrict problem and check in on the scale every few weeks or so. Over time, I see a trend I'm happy with.5 -
How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
-0.1kg
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight?
- I'm losing
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
- My scale often gets moved (normally by my pup) so I often will step on the scale multiple times one after another. Normally 3 times, the first one is often massively different. And then the next two are the same. If it's not the same I keep weighing until it is constant. But that's never more than once or twice. And if I move it, I start it again.
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
- I don't often consider my weight on a day my day trend. If I'm up 0.2kg or down 0.2kg I consider myself about the same until I'm consistently at (or moving below) a particular weight.
- So for example, I've had a somewhat unplanned maintenance/very slow loss month this past month. My weight before was mid 67kgs and this morning I weighed in 67.3kg. I consider this about the same weight. If I check my spreadsheet, I can see that I'm actually down about 0.3-ish. However, because of some salty foods over the weekend, I'm probably retaining water, and I've got a couple of other reasons why I could be retaining more water than normal, I'm fairly sure my weight will start to lower soon, but I still consider my weight, currently, to be about the same. I think it's because I think of my weight as being "about" a number, as opposed to an exact number. It'll normally be phrases like "I'm under 68kgs" or "around 67kg" rather than exact numbers when I talking (or thinking) about my weight. The only time I use exact numbers is on my spreadsheets (so I can do analysis on it, because I'm a nerd)
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different?
- Yes, but I work in kilograms, so the difference between whole numbers is greater (1kg=2.2lbs), so getting to a different whole number seems like a greater difference than when using pounds. That being said, when considering fluctuations, I'm unlikely to consistently fluctuate between whole numbers unless I'm very boarderline on that weight and although I celebrate a change of whole number, I don't mentally have myself weighing in that whole number until I have been consistently in it for a few days.
- (EDIT:) And very much yes when it was getting under 70kg. This is a massive mental barrier for me for a number of reasons including: it's the next weight category down in judo; it's even; a '5' and a '10' number. As humans we see those types of numbers as more important (for some reason); it was also the number that I "thought" of myself as. And I think that 65kg will be a similar mental barrier, for similar, but different reasons.
Another thing that I'm not quite sure where to answer under is that I fluctuate daily, a lot. I rarely have two days when I weight the same thing consistently. I normally fluctuate 0.1-0.5kg, but I have been known to fluctuate up to 1.5kg on special occasions (or rather after them
) So what this means is that I really don't obsess over little changes in my weight. I'm used to daily change and I've repeatedly said that I find seeing that daily change much better than not being aware of my fluctuations. 0 -
I have an old freight scale that they use in shipping departments (up to 250 Kg.). It is calibrated and works perfectly. The digital bathroom scale I occasionally use when travelling usually needs to be stepped on 3 times before I get an accurate measurement. It is accurate, but not always the first time.0
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Get a quality digital scale that measures in .2 lb increments. Readings should repeat. I also measure daily at the same time. Charting over a few weeks will reveal the trend that's not apparent in daily assessment. Keeping daily tracking helps in maintaining how well my previous day has worked both in calorie intake and exercise.0
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I have a digital scale that weighs in 0.2 pound increments. I am losing but I am within 8 pounds of my goal so it's slow going. I make sure the scale is level on the tile floor before I weigh myself, and I step on 3 separate times for 2/3 consensus to record weight. I use the Happy Scale app and record my weigh only first thing in the morning when I wake up, but I might weigh myself a couple of times over the course of the day just to see if a particularly grueling workout or huge meal has any effect (I don't record those weights). I don't stress out too much about it when I am out of town and can't weigh on my own scale--I just skip those days and eat sensibly.0
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How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in? 0.1lb
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? Losing, but I just spent 2 years either gaining for a pregnancy or maintaining for breastfeeding after 2 years of losing.
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? Only when I get a whoosh so big it catches me off guard lol
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact? I weigh daily first thing after going to the bathroom before even a sip of water, and usually at least just in my undies. I log that weight into Libra. Then, on Saturday, whatever my trend is goes into MFP, and every 10lbs I adjust my calorie goal.
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different? No, even a .2 loss is a victory.
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My digital scale weighs to 0.2. I don't move it around. I do weigh twice because sometimes it seems like the first weight can be off from "waking" it or whatever but it is pretty consistent after that. if the first two weights are different I weigh a third time and it will match the second and I take that. I am in maintenance now and I am more relaxed about minor fluctuations most of the time. I have been concerned recently as I got close to the top of my range, but I am staying in deficit now and confident it will start moving down to give me more breathing room again and I will be less concerned again.2
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How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in? 0.2lbs
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? Losing
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? Only once unless the number seems really different from expected
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact? I don't consider the scale itself to be exact or extraordinarily accurate, but it reads very consistently.
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different? I weigh daily first thing in the morning. I find that my weight on this scale stays consistent enough that I consider even minor changes to be a change. But I don't necessarily consider minor changes to be worth celebrating or getting upset over, they are just a change. I am much more emotionally invested in changes of 0.6lbs or more.0 -
My scale measures .5 lb increments.
I have had the scale for a long time through loss and maintaining. Currently working on losing.
I step on the scale usually 3 times. I record the weight I get the same 3 times in a row. I would accept the weight if it reads .5 lb higher than one reading if other readings say the same.
I weigh once a week and record what it says. I generally look at my weight change over several weeks to judge progress. If my weight goes up or down .5 lb I don't consider it a big deal. I am more interested if my weight changes by 1 lb or more.
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I have an old school scale with a big dial. I switched to this instead of the digital scale because I like to put a piece of tape on each mini-goal. When I hit the tape on three days I record the weight. I'm on "the last five pounds" and when I hit goal I will draw a "red line" on the scale (I do have a red line at obese) I just didn't like stressing about tenths of pounds. I weigh most days before coffee and every once in a while I'll test the scale by weighing, then picking up my ten pound weights and weighing again.
I just do better keeping things simple.2 -
How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
0.1 increments
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations.
Losing.
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
Only once per time.
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
I weigh daily and use a trending app (Happy Scale); I consider my weight 'changed' when I hold a whole number for longer than a few days.
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different?
Sort of? My feels revolve around blocks of 5. So 169-165 feels generally the same. Usually I'm trying to get "into the next 'decade'" and then "under the middle bar." So 169 is "yahoo!" and then the next step is, "lets get to the bottom!" so 168-165 are about the same, but 164 is "yay, change!". And then it's about getting down to 159, because that's "A new milestone."
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mine only measures in 1lb! I weigh each morning after calibrating. I like to watch my fluctuations and know how to expect them and understand them. (example, I put on a few lbs 10 days before I'm due on!)0
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0.1 pound increments.How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
More or less maintaining, playing around with vanity weight of perhaps a few pounds. Honestly, I'm more interested in my body composition than my scale weight at this point. But everything written below was the same when I was actively losing weight as it is now.Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations.
I step on it once every morning, at roughly the same time, under the same conditions (no clothes, after using the bathroom, before eating/drinking anything). My scale is wi-fi enabled and automatically uploads the reading to Trendweight.com, Garmin Connect, Apple Health, MFP and Happy Scale (iOS). I've used the same scale for over three years, in the same place (within millimeters) on the bathroom floor, so I accept that number as my scale weight at that given moment - with the understanding that if I were to step on a different scale at that exact same time, it would probably show a different weight.Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
The reading is what it is - a snapshot of what I weigh at that exact moment. I know that it would have been different if I'd weighed an hour earlier, or if I'd weigh at some other time during the day under different conditions. I look at my weight trend reading (mostly on trendweight.com) for what it's doing over time. Our weight fluctuates constantly and there is no one number that is your "actual" weight.If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
I've become so familiar with the daily fluctuations that I don't have 'feelings' about the scale number. I look at the trend to decide if there's something going on that requires action, not the daily fluctuations. Using your numbers above, a change (in either direction) between 165.4 and 164.8 wouldn't faze me in the least - I frequently see daily fluctuations larger than that. For example, my scale weights from the last 4 days (starting with this morning):Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different?
198.1
200.7
202.0
199.1.
I know exactly why the 2.9 pound spike happened on Saturday (big meal Friday night - lots of food, lots of sodium and carbs), and I knew it would dissipate within a day or two, so the scale reading was nothing more than amusement.
While I was actively losing weight, I trusted in the process (adhering to a calorie deficit, being consistent, having patience) and rode the fluctuations out, keeping an eye on the trend to make sure I was on the right track with my calorie intake. As has been said many times, it's not a linear process and the scale readings won't always trend downward from day to day - as shown in this graph from Trendweight while I was losing (scale weights are the gray line, trend weight is the red line):
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How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
0.1 increments
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations.
maintaining....oops....losing....maintaining...repeat
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
Only once per time. My scale is consistent.
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
My weight can flux several pounds from day to day. I don't consider it "changed" until there's a trend or a new high or low I haven't seen in a long time.
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed?
My feelings are more about "new" highs and lows (see above)...they really don't change unless I see something outside of what I expect, and I expect it to flux here and there.1 -
Pretty sure my scale only measures in 0.2lb increments. I'm currently attempting to cut down another ~5 lbs so I can start on a very lean bulk I'd be able to ride for a while. I weigh daily, first thing in the morning, nude and only weigh once. I'm played around with duplicates and have enough confidence in my scale and where I place it on tile everyday that variations are minimal. I record this weight in HappyScale and in my TDEE spreadsheet. Have been doing this for over a year and only missed maybe 5-6 days (had a trip for work for a day or two and visited family over Christmas). Weighing daily I don't take all that much stock in day-to-day changes, favoring the overall trend for analysis purposes. That said, it is always nice to see a new lower whole number but having weighed daily so consistently I know when to expect a temporary bump for high sodium/glycogen retention. If I'm referencing an "official" weight I tend to take the weekly average instead of a single data point.0
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This is not really about weight fluctuations but about scale operational fluctuations.
How small of an increment does your scale weigh you in?
Are you maintaining or attempting to change your weight? I would think a person that is maintaining would be slightly more relaxed with minor operational fluctuations.
Do you step on more than once to verify a weight? If so, if it is the next increment higher or lower do you accept it as verified or does it have to be exact?
If you weigh yourself the next day or scheduled check-in and it is one increment higher or lower than the previous day do you consider your weight unchanged or does it have to be exact?
Does your feelings change if it is the whole number that has changed? Is 165.2 and 165.4 the same but 165.0 and 164.8 seem different?
I am losing and have been for some time and I have a ways to go. I consider my weight both verified and unchanged until the scale has moved more than a single increment because I know it is not that precise.- My scale weighs to the 1/10th of a pound
- I am losing
- I weigh myself a couple of times a week, not daily
- I only verify my weight if is seems off (like losing 2 lb in a couple of days). I also weigh myself 2-3 times to give the scale a chance to calibrate after moving it from its normal spot
- I only record weights that are less than the previous one. I do not record gains. I monitor progress by how much time has elapsed since the previous loss.
- The whole number does make a difference, especially when changing "decades". 159 is so much better than 160.
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@RelCanonical I had a scale like that. Simpler to just step on it with one foot, let it give you a reading and then stand on it for real. Means you don't have have something heavy by the scaleRelCanonical wrote: »My scale has a tendency to "stick" at a weight. I think this was done to avoid fluctuations (it's a weight watchers scale), but it annoys me. I usually pick up something heavy and weigh myself to "reset" the scale and then weigh again to get a more accurate reading. I usually trust that reading.
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Tacklewasher wrote: »
@RelCanonical I had a scale like that. Simpler to just step on it with one foot, let it give you a reading and then stand on it for real. Means you don't have have something heavy by the scaleRelCanonical wrote: »My scale has a tendency to "stick" at a weight. I think this was done to avoid fluctuations (it's a weight watchers scale), but it annoys me. I usually pick up something heavy and weigh myself to "reset" the scale and then weigh again to get a more accurate reading. I usually trust that reading.
Well, the "something heavy" is usually my cat, but that's a good idea for when she's napping.2 -
RelCanonical wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »
@RelCanonical I had a scale like that. Simpler to just step on it with one foot, let it give you a reading and then stand on it for real. Means you don't have have something heavy by the scaleRelCanonical wrote: »My scale has a tendency to "stick" at a weight. I think this was done to avoid fluctuations (it's a weight watchers scale), but it annoys me. I usually pick up something heavy and weigh myself to "reset" the scale and then weigh again to get a more accurate reading. I usually trust that reading.
Well, the "something heavy" is usually my cat, but that's a good idea for when she's napping.
Ooh, bonus - you get to track kitty's weight too! 3
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