Scale problems

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Remoth
Remoth Posts: 117 Member
edited March 2023 in Health and Weight Loss
I've had my scale for like 8 years. It's worked fine as far as I know. I've been using it daily for the last 2.5 months to track my weightloss. The numbers slowly went down in a pretty expected fashion for lowering my calorie intake. Down 50 lbs so far.

Jump to today. The scale now reads 30lbs heavier than yesterday, so I compare it to another scale in the house and it's within a lb. Then I go to my local clinic and use their commercial scale. Almost identical. So what do I take From this? Did I only lose 20 lbs? Or was i heavier than It read when I started? I wish I did a triple check when I started...

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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,642 Member
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    How many months of use?

    What was expected loss based on calories compared to realities #1 and #2?

    Was the scale of on yielding floor or on carpet or in between?

    Did you move the scale in conjunction with the change

    Were you/are you near POTENTIAL scale maximums? For example currently showing to be in the 250 range.

    Have you changed batteries?
  • Remoth
    Remoth Posts: 117 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    How many months of use?

    What was expected loss based on calories compared to realities #1 and #2?

    Was the scale of on yielding floor or on carpet or in between?

    Did you move the scale in conjunction with the change

    Were you/are you near POTENTIAL scale maximums? For example currently showing to be in the 250 range.

    Have you changed batteries?

    Changed batteries. No difference.

    Scale moves around on tiled floor all the time. Tried it in different spots, no difference. No rug.

    Scale is a 550 lb limit. It said i started at 480. Then down to 430, then 460 overnight. 460 was triple verified.

    Weight loss did seem similar to how I had lost in the past. Counted calories at the beginning, 2-3000 deficit. Eating habits have not changed lately.

    Used the scale for 8 years
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,642 Member
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    Was the 430 verified at all with alternate sources? For that matter were ANY of the old weigh ins matched by other sources?

    Any signs that there might be that much water retention/swelling taking place overnight? Do/did you feel heavier all of a sudden? Or off?

    Were you checking your weight often or is that a once in several weeks thing?

    Running out of ideas :blush: Tile floor. Within limits. Consistent showing.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,642 Member
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    The most likely scenario LOOKS to me that either a) you are retaining a huge amount of water (recent exercise, food, or actual health concern) or b) you started at a higher number than you thought but your scale had not re-calibrated for some time. Loss was the same as what you saw, but the calibrated starting point (with today's calibration) would have been higher than you thought. I would confirm that water retention is not the culprit and keep on keeping on!!!!
  • peggy_polenta
    peggy_polenta Posts: 310 Member
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    i hate to be an alarmist. but are you short of breath? if you have indeed increased in fluid that amount overnight this could be cause for concern.
  • stuffnmore
    stuffnmore Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2023
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    So, maybe you were heavier. Is your belt looser like you lost 50lb? (estimating? think 5 sacks of taters, spread all over would be a few inches at the waist for bigger guys.) Personally, I would adjust the start # up. My newest scale was 14 lbs heavier than my old one when it went wonky. It was a bit discouraging because I had to re-lose what I thought I had already lost, but I still considered it 25 lbs down when it happened based on clothes.

    The reassuring thing is you can validate the current number. Check again in a week or few and go from here.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    edited March 2023
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Was the 430 verified at all with alternate sources? For that matter were ANY of the old weigh ins matched by other sources?

    Any signs that there might be that much water retention/swelling taking place overnight? Do/did you feel heavier all of a sudden? Or off?

    Were you checking your weight often or is that a once in several weeks thing?

    Running out of ideas :blush: Tile floor. Within limits. Consistent showing.

    Your questions about scale limits are giving me similar ideas. For instance, the starting 480 reported is within limits but 480+50=530 seems pretty close to the 550 limit. Possibly the scale just performed incorrectly for those initial readings, and then finally somehow recalibrated itself (there’s a process that has to be done for some of these digital scales I think whenever you move them - step on/off with one leg, rub your belly etc) and it’s now reading correctly, as verified by multiple other scales. I say keep it pushing with the current numbers and maybe double check elsewhere every so often for poster Remoth to maintain Remoth’s sanity??
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    MelodyandBarbells wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Was the 430 verified at all with alternate sources? For that matter were ANY of the old weigh ins matched by other sources?

    Any signs that there might be that much water retention/swelling taking place overnight? Do/did you feel heavier all of a sudden? Or off?

    Were you checking your weight often or is that a once in several weeks thing?

    Running out of ideas :blush: Tile floor. Within limits. Consistent showing.

    Your questions about scale limits are giving me similar ideas. For instance, the starting 480 reported is within limits but 480+50=530 seems pretty close to the 550 limit. Possibly the scale just performed incorrectly for those initial readings, and then finally somehow recalibrated itself (there’s a process that has to be done for some of these digital scales I think whenever you move them - step on/off with one leg, rub your belly etc) and it’s now reading correctly, as verified by multiple other scales. I say keep it pushing with the current numbers and maybe double check elsewhere every so often for poster Remoth to maintain Remoth’s sanity??

    Oops sorry I meant starting weight of 460+50=510 still somewhat close to scale limit, using the verified 460 weight and assuming the 50lb drop was real. Though I will say I used to store my digital scale on its side and got gibberish results if I didn’t first calibrate it every time I set it back down on a hard surface.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
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    Can you think back to anywhere else you may have weighed in during this time? Maybe you’ve been to the doctor and can ask them to check their records? Then you’d have another Independant datapoint to help you work out what went wrong and where.

    Ultimately the scales are just a number though and so long as you’re feeling fitter and healthier and like you’ve lost weight then that’s the main thing. Whether it’s 30 or 50lbs.

    I guess if you carry on at the same eating pattern for another month you’ll be able to assess your weight loss over that time and guesstimate whether indeed you lost 50lb from an originally higher start weight or 30lb.
  • Remoth
    Remoth Posts: 117 Member
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    I appreciate the concern of some, but I feel great. I just got back from a golf trip to Florida to get away from the cold in Northern Canada and with all the walking I did combined with losing what I think is 50 lbs, I feel better than I have for years and the idea of gaining 30 lbs of fluid overnight seems pretty out there unless I was a waterbender or something. Haha

    I don't have any records of verifying my weight prior. I'm thinking the idea of it being close to its max messing with it is probably the most likely answer. I have lost about 3 inches on my belt size. My shirts are all pretty loose. I know I've lost more than 20 lbs, but what the number actually is now is kinda muddied. Oh well.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,642 Member
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    I would figure 50+ lbs with the top weight a bit uncertain and keep on going! 🤷‍♂️

    Large swings are very possible with exercise (including walking) at a bigger size. You will have to discover over time the range of normal non fat loss variability.

    Washer weight referencing non fat weight does not consist of water only

    A true 30lb over night increase would have most of us requiring a hospital or at the very least doctor near the hospital visit! 🤷‍♂️ Glad it's not the case!
  • Remoth
    Remoth Posts: 117 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    I would figure 50+ lbs with the top weight a bit uncertain and keep on going! 🤷‍♂️

    Large swings are very possible with exercise (including walking) at a bigger size. You will have to discover over time the range of normal non fat loss variability.

    Washer weight referencing non fat weight does not consist of water only

    A true 30lb over night increase would have most of us requiring a hospital or at the very least doctor near the hospital visit! 🤷‍♂️ Glad it's not the case!

    Pretty sure a 30lb increase overnight means someone snuck into your room at night and injected 30lbs of something into you. I'm convinced that I would notice something like that. Haha
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,463 Member
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    So you’ve had a long flight recently.

    Cabin pressure messes with water retention which messes with scale weight. I got back from an international flight less three and a half days ago and have already “lost”’ 5+ pounds, and expect to “lose” a little more by the end of the week.

    This is very common with air travel.

    Coupled with the unusual amount of activity on the golf course, this could account for (no offense) a considerable amount of difference for someone your size.

    Just a thought.

  • TaariniNeelam
    TaariniNeelam Posts: 13 Member
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    This is no mystery except you need a new scale. When something similar happened to me during the pandemic I purchased a new scale. My new purchase was unfortunately about a 10 inch diameter scale so I could not even stand on it. Finally I purchased two better looking weighing machines and now I’m happy.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,463 Member
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    TaariniNeelam wrote: »
    This is no mystery except you need a new scale. When something similar happened to me during the pandemic I purchased a new scale. My new purchase was unfortunately about a 10 inch diameter scale so I could not even stand on it. Finally I purchased two better looking weighing machines and now I’m happy.

    I have this really great mental image now of a woman standing with one foot on each scale and a cartoon bubble “woo hoo! I’ve lost half my weight already! This diet thing ain’t so hard!”

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