Good News - Bad News

Raddichio
Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The good news is I recorded another pound lost today. The "bad" news is that I recently bought a new, more accurate scale and have been weighing myself on both my old and new scales for the past several weeks. This week I've transitioned from the old to the new scale as my official weigh-in report. I like that this scale is more consistent and, I believe, accurate than my other one, but the reason it's bad news for me is that my old scale shows my weight as nearly 2 pounds lighter than the new one. In the big picture, not a big deal, but I do enjoy seeing each of those losses reflected in my weekly report/graph of weight loss. I'm trying to overcome the feeling that I just lost credit for 2 pounds that I lost. Silly, I know. And I also realize that there is much more to weight loss than just the number on the scale. I think the main reason it's disappointing is that it comes at a time when I could be celebrating saying goodbye to the 150's. Oh well, hopefully, that will happen in another week or two, and it will be just as sweet then as now.

And it will be great to say goodbye to weighing myself on two different scales each day. Yes, I'm guilty of weighing myself every morning, but even I think weighing myself every morning on TWO scales is a bit excessive.

Replies

  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    If it makes you feel any better, when I bought a new (and far more accurate & fancy) scale, I magically gained 10 lbs. That kinda sucked a little. I'm glad I switched though-my old one was a dial scale-my new one is digital. Since my rate of loss is significantly less than it was when I started, I'm glad I have the 1/10 lb measurement.

    I also weigh myself every morning-but I don't consider it a sin. I am not driven to "feel" or behave any differently by whatever number is there, but I am fascinated by how much my weight varies from one day to the next (as much as 9lbs). So I like to look at those ups and downs and compare them to my diary to see what may be impacting massive water weight loss & gain like that. I also know that my weight tends to stabilize on the weekends (to a consistent number)-so I do my "official" weigh-in on Sunday assuming that to be the most likely "real" weight (it's generally the only day of the week where I see anything close to the same number as the day before). I don't think it's a sin to weigh yourself every day-unless you're going to freak out when the number goes up/down and/or panic that you gained/lost 4lbs overnight and/or allow the number on the scale to dictate how you feel about yourself or the choices you make (e.g. Eating nothing but celery because the scale was up 2 lbs and you "have" to get it off).
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    Since you have been consistently using both scales for a while, and have seen a consistant 2 lb difference you should be able to go back and adjust your original weight by the 2 lbs. That could be good or bad depending on your situation. Good in that it will reflect the entire amount of weight you have lost, bad in that it will show that you were 2 lbs heavier to start and that you still are not out of the 150's.:ohwell: Good job either way!
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Vitaminndd, I'm sorry that happened to you (the instant 10-pound gain), but, yes, it does make me feel better. I totally agree with every point you made about weighing yourself daily. I don't find that a particular number on the scale will send me into a tailspin or, conversely, make me feel overconfident. It's just useful data. One other way I use that information is that, now that I'm getting closer to goal weight, I won't record the weight as permanent unless by my official weigh-in day (Friday) I've been at that weight at least 4 days out of the week. By weighing every day, I won't find myself recording a weight that randomly appeared on Friday but goes back up for the next several days. I like to be really sure that weight is accurate before making it "official." Also, congratulations on the big weight loss.

    MzBug, I think I will do that. As you said, it's not so good that I weighed even more than I thought I did to begin with, but I think I'll just focus on the bigger loss. And I'm still counting on getting out of the 150's in the next week or two. (I'm trying to lose only about 1/2 a pound per week, although it seems to be averaging about 3/4 - 1 lb per week so far.)
  • SoulHippie
    SoulHippie Posts: 8 Member
    I am so guilty of the weighting in everyday... Oops... but I feel like it helps motivate me. I agree that you should not freak out if the numbers are higher or lower, but it sure does help to see them lower :) I appreciate all the posts because it really helps me to keep me mind there are others that struggle with scales and seeing different jumps in weight!!! Thank you for that!!!
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    No worries on the instant 10 pound gain. Sometimes I pull out my old scale and pretend I lost an extra 10-so it's all good lol.
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Zubers, Yeah, this site is really helpful isn't it? I've learned so much just reading others' posted without having to ask many of the questions I've had. Why "reinvent the wheel" when others here have had the same questions or problems and can offer suggestions how to deal with them?

    Vitamindd, How funny---just pull out the old scale and instantly feel better. Maybe I should keep my old one for when/if a plateau strikes!
  • rmalford
    rmalford Posts: 58
    Just increase your starting weight by 2# and your weight lost will be the same.
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Just increase your starting weight by 2# and your weight lost will be the same.


    You and Mzbug were both way ahead of me. That's what I did and, if I ignore the new starting number, it makes me quite happy with the extra credit for my weight loss. Good idea---not sure I would have thought of it myself.
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Checking back in to say that now it's all good. Beginning June 4, I've weighed in at 149 or less, except for two days when I was 150. I've now had enough days in a row at 149 or less that I feel comfortable changing my "official" weight to 149. I actually weighed in at 147.6 today, but I never officially record a weight unless the scale remains at that weight (or lower) for 5 out of 7 days in a week.

    Anyway, bye bye 150's! Hope it's the last I've seen of you.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    I use my scale to track trends, not actual weight. I know that my scale seems to read a few pounds lighter than the one at the doctor's office, but at least mine is consistent from day to day, so I can trust it to tell me how the ups and downs are going.
  • NikkiSmo
    NikkiSmo Posts: 180 Member
    I don't own a scale, I threw it out a few years ago because I refused to get on it! (I'm wishing I hadn't now) I weight myself whenever I'm at my parents house which is maybe 1 a month. This is good and bad: the good is I would do the every morning weight in and become very upset if it was more then the day before; the bad: when weighing only 1 a month I feel like I should see large amounts of weight lost and sometimes its only 3 or 4 lbs. But a pound lost is better than a pound gained - right????
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Nikko, I don't think there's an absolute right or wrong weight to track weight loss for everyone. As I mentioned earlier, I can deal with the natural ups and downs that you see weighing yourself daily and actually find it useful. For me, weighing in every day has been a good thing while trying to lose weight. I'll probably only weigh once or twice a week on maintenance, unless I start gaining, in which case I'll go back to daily weigh-ins. For others, once a week, once a month, or even once a year at the doctor's office works. It sounds like you're continuing to lose weight and not becoming overly discouraged when you lose a bit less some months than others, so I'd say it's working for you.
  • Alpine005
    Alpine005 Posts: 87 Member
    It always sucks when you have to re-lose weight. but once you do, it will be all good.
  • hookandy
    hookandy Posts: 278 Member
    I started on MFP weighing in each Monday at work, then bought a new pair of scales for home about a month ago.

    I still have not made the change to my official weigh in scales, still use the ones in the office. I would like to make the switch, but will have to work out the difference, home does not include clothes, so the office ones are always more..... imagine the reaction
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Tim I agree completely. Now that I'm back to where I started before changing scales I'm pretty happy. That leaves me just 6 pounds from goal weight, although I'm already starting to think maybe I'll lower that by about 10 more pounds.

    Andy, Why not weigh yourself at home just before you leave for work one morning, then weigh yourself again immediately upon arriving at work? That would tell you what the true difference, if any, between the work scales and the at-home scales. I switched to the more accurate scales after I went to the doctor and found that it was just 0.2 lb more than the doctor's scales, in exactly the same clothing and shoes. I can live with a margin of error of 0.2 lb---especially when it weighs heavier, not lighter. For some reason, I'm much more comfortable overestimating my weight than underestimating, atlhough, of course I always want to see the number go down.
  • Raddichio
    Raddichio Posts: 163 Member
    Woo Hoo! For the last four days I've weighed 148 or less, so I officially changed my weight here to 148. Now only 5 pounds to goal.

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