Advice for weighing in & purchasing a new scale

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Maymichelle
Maymichelle Posts: 106 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am newly dedicated to using this program and am wondering how often people are weighing themselves? Also, I am in desperate need to purchase a new scale. Any suggestions on a decent scale that is cost effective?
Thanks! =)

Replies

  • jakejacobsen
    jakejacobsen Posts: 595 Member
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    I weigh in daily just to keep track but only once a week do I record/count my weight. I uses the WII Fit scale it records and graphs the weight and its also a exercise device not sure if you would call it cost effective but I love it.
  • CoachNYLA
    CoachNYLA Posts: 129
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    The scale subject is a little tricky because it does not give you an idea of your body composition changes which is a better focus on how your fitness and nutrtitional plan are working.

    I actually have a Tanita scale but very high end which gives a little bit of a better idea on my lean mass vs. fat mass and body % of fat, BMI etc. BUT not probably what you would want to get - so expensive.

    But if you look up Tanita online to see if they offer something similar but at a better price, might be your best bet. Remember lean mass weighs more than fat so if you just go by the total body weight, it has your water weight, lean mass and fat all in that number. FYI.
  • Jemmuno
    Jemmuno Posts: 413 Member
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    I got my scale at walmart and I think it works pretty well. Also, I do official weigh-ins once a week usually sunday morning, but i do weigh myself like 2 to 3 times a week. The reason for doing an official once a week is becuase our weight fluctuates a lot from day to day and by officially measuring once a week it's a better average of how much you've lost (or gained).
  • JustBeckyV
    JustBeckyV Posts: 182
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    Personally I only weigh once a week at the same time and the same way! I dont really like my scale too well though so I wouldnt recommend it.
  • arosmith79
    arosmith79 Posts: 250 Member
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    I weigh in once a week on monday, The thought of the weigh in keeps me motivated to not blow it over the weekend. As far as the scale, I went to Walmart and got a digital scale from Taylor or Weight Watchers. (I cant remember) And it seems to be very accurate vs the doctors scale last time I was there.

    Feel free to add me if you would like :)
  • jmsladky
    jmsladky Posts: 46
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    I bought one recently at walmart. Its a helath o meter and its pretty accurate with my wii scale.
  • jenbo100
    jenbo100 Posts: 13
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    Hi there,

    Generally any electric scale is pretty accurate, and as lonjg as you weigh yourself on the same electric scale it'll be accurate in telling you how much you have lost. The rules that I follow when I weight myself is:
    1) Only weigh yourself once a week
    2) Weigh yourself at the same day and time every week
    3) Always weigh yourself in the same clothes (I recommend pjamas)

    The reason for this is that your weight can fluctuate during the course of the day, I can be up to 4lbs different in the morning and evening! If you weigh yourself at the same time of day you can be sure that any changes you see are genuine changes to your body mass rather than just natural fluctation. The same can be said weighing yourself more often than weekly; things such as hormones, water retention etc can result in weight fluctation from one day to the next so weighing yourself any more often won't be a genuine reading. Finally, you'd be surprised how much of a difference clothes can make to your weight! Weighing yourself in your pjamas will mean that you are consistent from one week to the next.

    Hope that helps!
  • Alpwmom
    Alpwmom Posts: 4
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    I only weigh in once a week. I used to weigh myself every day (sometimes more than once each day!) and I nearly drove myself crazy with it. I get a more accurate picture of my weight loss/gain if I weigh in once a week, at the same time each week.

    I have a cheap scale that I bought at Walmart...so I also am interested in other people's recomendations for a good scale!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Honestly I'd grab any old ghetto scale from wal mart or target. As long as you are using the same scale that's all that matters.

    You just use it to track changes, if it's off slightly it's not a big deal.

    As far as weigh-ins, I'd recommend once per week and under very consistant circumstances/procedures (for instance, weigh shortly after waking and after emptying yourself).

    You can do it more often but if you'll browse these forums you'll notice posts like "WTF IM UP 3LBS FROM LAST NIGHT" and this is the exact reason not to do daily weigh ins. Your bodyweight will fluctuate all over the place depending on water, internal contents (food/etc).
  • kfitz10103
    kfitz10103 Posts: 354
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    I love my scale. It only does weight, but it goes to the nearest 0.2 lbs. It is very accurate too. It is the Taylor 7506 from Walmart. $39.99 plus $.97 shipping.
    http://www.walmart.com/ip/Taylor-Model-7506-Glass-Electronic-Scale/14311191
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
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    I weight myself every day, but only record my weight on Saturday mornings.
    I don't ever wear clothes while weighing myself. I'm not interested in knowing how much my pajamas weigh...I'm curious about MY weight.
    I use a digital scale, and always keep it in the exact same place on an even surface (so that the reading won't be off).

    Your body weight can fluctuate between a few lbs throughout the day, it's totally natural. If you're 4 lbs heavier at the end of the day, don't sweat it. Food, water and water retention from a heavy workout can weigh you down, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.

    Edited to include I have an Omron HBF 400 and I'm in love with it (measures BMI, Weight and Body Fat %), incredibly accurate and gives the exact same reading as my doctor's scale.
  • TXBlockhead
    TXBlockhead Posts: 169 Member
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    I weigh myself on Fridays because it just works with my schedule. I bought a Biggest Loser (Taylor) scale at Bed Bath and Beyond and it didn't work very well so I returned it and bought a Weight Watchers (Conair) scale and I love it!!! It calculates your body fat, bone mass, etc. It was $29.99. Good luck!!!!
  • leylaaa87
    leylaaa87 Posts: 39
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    I weigh myself everyday but log it into my android app, Libra (https://market.android.com/details?id=net.cachapa.libra&hl=en)

    I like it because it does this:

    An Android application that takes daily readings of your weight and displays them in a chart with a moving average "tendency curve" in order to absorb errors in daily weighing. (from the developer's website)

    Basically, it graphs it in such a way so that daily fluctuations don't look so crazy. When I look at my weight over the past month, I can see that I've been up and I've been down but I'm generally moving downward.

    If this link works, here is an example of my chart so you can see how it graphs:

    http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g175/GodfatherLeyla/forums/Libra_2011-10-12.png

    When I graph on MFP or any regular graph, it looks like fluctuations are HUGE! A graph like this keeps things in perspective.

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