PISSED!!!!

Allegi32
Allegi32 Posts: 302 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
I was SO excited to go weigh in today (I do WW). I did so well all week, saw the scale going down, and got on this morning (naked). It said 227.6. I was thrilled, because that would mean I was only .2 away from 10 pounds gone. So I put on the clothes I always wear to weigh in, the same clothes I wore last week. I had a few sips of coffee, went to the (ahem) bathroom, and went to weigh in.

And they said I was UP .7!!!!! UP!!!! I could see if I wasn't down all the way I was when I weighed in at home because I was naked, etc., but there was no way I gained 3 pounds from being naked to getting dressed and going there. AND, if anything, I got rid of a little weight when I went to the bathroom - not much, but at least a little!

They even weighed me twice. My scale at home and the one at my WW meeting is always the same. I almost burst out in tears. So I came home, weighed myself with my clothes on, and sure enough....same as the WW meeting scale - 3 pounds up. I even weighed myself without clothes again, and I was still up about 2 pounds from the hour before when I was naked.

How can I retain 2 pounds of water in an hour when I did nothing????? I understand that the weight isn't really there, I didn't really gain 2 pounds, but I was SO excited to go to my meeting and share how well I did this week, and it was like a big slap in the face. And now I'm wondering why I go there at all. If I just weighed myself at home, I could record the 227.6, and not the stupid 230.5.

Sorry, had to vent, I've had a bad 24 hours (personal stuff) and this just capped it off.
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Replies

  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    Every scale is different. There is no way to know which is right. I would go by one. You'll make yourself crazy other wise.
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    That can be very discouraging... but please know that the scale responds in due time. All the work you put in this past week is not in vain. Every food/exercise decision you make will eventually be reflected on that scale. In between, the scale can go up and down due to hormones, salt, even stress, etc... But regardless of whatever reason it went up today, all your work will show up later. If you blow it this week due to being frustrated about the scale, that will show up too.

    Hang in there and believe me, it all shows up eventually.
  • Allegi32
    Allegi32 Posts: 302 Member
    That can be very discouraging... but please know that the scale responds in due time. All the work you put in this past week is not in vain. Every food/exercise decision you make will eventually be reflected on that scale. In between, the scale can go up and down due to hormones, salt, even stress, etc... But regardless of whatever reason it went up today, all your work will show up later. If you blow it this week due to being frustrated about the scale, that will show up too.

    Hang in there and believe me, it all shows up eventually.

    But that's the thing that makes me angry. It DID show up - when I first got up. But an hour later....a 3 pound gain?
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    I don't drink or eat prior to weigh in as even a glass of water can put half a pound on the scales.

    It is also important to weigh in at the same time as weight can even go up or down in just an hour. Does that happen at WW?
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
    Just out of curiosity, was this a mechanical scale or a digital scale?

    Either way, they are not always completely accurate.

    This is one of the reasons they tell people not to weigh every day. The scale can give different readings just weighing in, stepping off, and stepping back on again right away.

    Don't fret about it.
  • danascot
    danascot Posts: 100 Member
    I think you should focus on how you FEEL, not so much on the scale. You said you had a great week, so keep that in the back of your mind and keep doing what you are doing! You will see results - I weigh myself once a week or even every other week because anything more than that just makes me crazy. Best of luck to you.
  • knapowell
    knapowell Posts: 230 Member
    You would really be surprised how much your clothes weigh. I can weigh in on my scales (doctor scales), then after putting on clothes several minutes later, I can be up 2-4 pounds depending on what I am wearing. I know I am not retaining anything in less than 5 minutes. I would suggest wearing what you are going to wear for your WW weigh-in when you weigh at home.
  • teresafrose
    teresafrose Posts: 3
    any caffiene can cause water retention. Don't be discouraged. I have just started this weight loss journey and the same thing has happened to me. I refuse to let this get me down. Think positive.
  • floridagirl7264
    floridagirl7264 Posts: 318 Member
    I weigh myself first thing in the morning after I go to the bathroom and strip down nekked. I always weigh in the same spot at the same time each day. Any other changes could cause fluctuations in weight.

    I was working out and eating within my calories for a couple of weeks with no change on the scale. Then on week 3 I registered a 3.5 lb loss. The scale will catch up. Don't become discouraged.
  • wiffe
    wiffe Posts: 224 Member
    Do you always have coffee before you go?
  • ac0rn
    ac0rn Posts: 3 Member
    For what it's worth, my bathroom scale can vary by plus or minus 1lb (that's a total of two pounds, mind you) just stepping off and back on. I experimented the other day by weighing myself like 6 times in a row and got a different answer each time. However, the TREND is going down so I know what I'm doing is working. If you've already lost nearly 10 pounds, you know it's working for you, too, so just keep on keepin' on ;)
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    And this is why the scale is a terrible way to gauge progress. You logically KNOW there's no possible way that you gained weight in a few hours time. But scales are fickle and imprecise.
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    [quote/]
    But that's the thing that makes me angry. It DID show up - when I first got up. But an hour later....a 3 pound gain?
    [/quote]

    Not to worry... You'll see the loss again. That used to happen to me a lot.
  • PDHH
    PDHH Posts: 1
    Scales are made of springs and balances and weights. I've seen mine jump up to four pounds in (I'm not exaggerating) thirty seconds depending on the way I stand on it (weight on my heels, weight toward the balls of my feet, where my feet are placed on the scale, etc.). It's frustrating and annoying, but scales aren't particularly accurate. Anything made with springs and weights will have some wiggle room, but the downward trend will show if you keep going. Weigh again in a few days and see what happens. Good luck.
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    If you have a digital scale at home, make sure it is the exact same spot when you weigh. Digital scales are very sensitive to minute differences in how level they are, you can see this by just moving your scale around a bit and weighing yourself. I live in a old house with not so level floors and discovered this right away :) I also work with digital balances at work but they fortunately come with a little bubble so you can level them.
  • Allegi32
    Allegi32 Posts: 302 Member
    Thanks everybody. I know you're all right. I think it's just because I've had a really crappy 24 hours and I was looking forward to the one thing I thought I could count on and I was so happy to see that loss today. Then to have it register as a gain just sucked. I'll get over it and I know I've really lost, but it's just been a rough morning.

    Thanks, fellow MFPers! I love this community.
  • riss223
    riss223 Posts: 1
    What I learned over the past years with up and down weight, your weight is just a number, the most important aspects you get from proper diet and exercise is 1) Good health and nutrition and 2) feeling good about yourself!. It doesn't matter how much you actually weight, all that matters is how you feel when you put your clothes on in the morning and look in the mirror...this sounds soo corny but is sooooo true!
  • paisley2288
    paisley2288 Posts: 913 Member
    I always weigh myself in the morning when I get up after I use the bathroom and get NEKKID! Then I record that weight.
  • Ljcrace
    Ljcrace Posts: 2
    I usually step on the scale 3 times and do an avarage for my weekly weigh in. Just keep up the hard work and you
    will be fine. Joe
  • applekoko19
    applekoko19 Posts: 85 Member
    The scale is so so stupid and frustrating!!! It is also your best friend when it tells you that you have lost. Today the scale is an idiot! You KNOW that you have done the right things this week... I think you should forget the second reading, focus on your first one from this morning and know that next week it will be lower again! Try not to let it put you off. I always found the ww weigh ins so hard because you know that you are at your lightest in the morning but my meeting was at like 7pm!
  • VictoriaFitness2010
    VictoriaFitness2010 Posts: 175 Member
    Here's a suggestion...pick a time during the day to weigh yourself and only weigh once a week. Weight fluctuates for a variety of reasons. If you are weighing multiple times a day, you will be discouraged.

    Instead of being focused on the number, focus on the trend. For example, I weigh every Sunday morning, after using the bathroom, with no clothes, socks, or shoes. There are weeks where I lost a small amount of weight, no weight, or gained a couple of pounds. Either way, I have been averaging a downward trend. I don't care how small the loss is, I accept it and move on.

    Also, it's helpful to focus on NSVs. You may not have lost weight this week, but are your clothes fitting well? Or falling off? Were you able to go up a flight of stairs without getting winded? Did you run an extra mile today?

    Please don't get discouraged. You are doing very well! The scale is just one tool of many to help move you toward your weight loss goal.

    Best,
    VC
  • SmashleeWpg
    SmashleeWpg Posts: 567 Member
    Your weight can fluctuate by several pounds (some studies say as much as seven) over the course of the day based on many factors, some including TOM, weather, sodium intake throughout the day, caffeine as others have mentioned, stress, and the list goes on. As others have mentioned also, it's best to weigh yourself at the same time, same clothes and whatnot - so I'd go by what your scale said sans clothes in the morning, focus on how you feel, chin up and forge ahead! :)
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    when you went outside the pollution in the air stuck to your skin and BAM! an extra few pounds. go green before its too late!
  • LindaSueBakk
    LindaSueBakk Posts: 145 Member
    Scales are evil! I bet you feel a lot better than you did before you started MFP. Keep eating healthy foods and getting some exercise and the scale will tell a different story soon. (This message is from an old lady who lost 28 pounds after menopause and after 55 - when it's supposed to be almost impossible to lose weight. IT WILL HAPPEN FOR YOU TOO!!!)
  • klkelley
    klkelley Posts: 122 Member
    I had the same discussion with my husband this morning. It is soooo frustrating. Yesterday morning I weighed 4 pounds less than this morning at the same time. We are having a biggest loser contest at work and I can weigh in at home on Monday morning and then an hour later at work weigh 2 or 3 pounds more.
  • JulieF11
    JulieF11 Posts: 387 Member
    And this is why the scale is a terrible way to gauge progress. You logically KNOW there's no possible way that you gained weight in a few hours time. But scales are fickle and imprecise.

    Yes!!! She is so right on! My weight tracker would have looked more like a heart rate monitor with it's ups and downs, but each down was lower than the last, and each up was lower than the last "up".... so it didn't really matter. The weight was coming off. I was looking better and feeling better each week. Eventually, the weight was gone. I don't really care anymore what the scale said each week on my journey here. I'm here, and that's all that matters.
  • Strawberrypop
    Strawberrypop Posts: 33 Member
    I really wouldn't worry about this. I've had it before, where I weigh myself and then (stupidly) weigh again a little while later and have gained a couple of pounds. You're body weight changes during the day, and yeah that can sometimes only be a couple of hours later! Different factors can come into it too - time of the month, etc. I'd take the first weight as your weight and be pleased with your loss. Best time to weigh is first thing in the morning after all.

    Funny how the scales make or break a bad day for us eh? The all ruling scales! I can feel great and feel slimmer, then weigh myself and see extra weight and suddenly feel FAT and rubbish.

    I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you next weigh in x
  • kaseyAnne425
    kaseyAnne425 Posts: 230
    When I did weight watchers, that would happen to me, however it is important to remember that you said you had an amazing week, focus on your EATING success rather than what the scale showed and don't give up!!
  • trmndsblndtte
    trmndsblndtte Posts: 82 Member
    I say f' it! Record the weight from home when you got up.

    I usually weigh myself on Monday and do it 3 times in a row to see if I get the same number.

    I also *try* to focus on how I feel and how my clothes fit more than the scale.

    My personal problem area is my stomach and it discourages me time and time again that it doesn't really look or feel any smaller - but then pants fit and then I notice other changes like more definition in my neck, face, and upper body.




    P.S. Good job :)
  • Femtec74
    Femtec74 Posts: 347 Member
    Thanks everybody. I know you're all right. I think it's just because I've had a really crappy 24 hours and I was looking forward to the one thing I thought I could count on and I was so happy to see that loss today. Then to have it register as a gain just sucked. I'll get over it and I know I've really lost, but it's just been a rough morning.

    Thanks, fellow MFPers! I love this community.

    I wouldn't let it spoil your weekend. Who says the WW scale is the king of all scales? YOU know you did well this week - you felt good about yourself when you woke up. So - you'll get your star sticker next week. (If that's what they still do...) Not a big deal - keep in the game and think about the next goal because it's not far away if you keep down the right path. :)
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