Happy Birthday and thank you for the new scale!!!!!!!

YIKES! Yesterday was my birthday and my mother got me a scale that also tells you your BF% and body water %. It is ver cool but I wasn't ready for the disappointment that was in store for me.

 I set it up and was expecting to see the usual weight on there. Maybe because I used it in a different room? I don't know but the thing read 5% higher body fat and 6 more pounds!!!! Holy heck! I did eat a little excessively the past few days because people always try to feed me on my birthday but that just seems over the top!

Does anyone have one of these things? How reliable are they? If I did put all that weight on during a 3 day "binge", can I get it off soon? I really need help (or my scale does!)

I think that standing on a scale and seeing your body-weight is traumatising enough without adding body-fat to the whole miserable business. So I refuse to have body-fat scales on principle.   It's also true that no two scales will ever weigh you the same.  When I started losing weight a few years ago I was about 10lbs down, got a new set of scales and found I'd magically 'regained' 7lbs.  Very demoralising.  

You probably aren't 6lbs heavier  it's more likely to be the calibration of the scales....   Good luck.

It is true that no two scales are the same. I have signed up at my job for a weight loss contest and the use that same type of scale to weigh us. I truly dread stepping on it. It really is horrible to not only see your weight but to have your body fat shown to you at the same time it to much, in my opinion.

As far as the scale goes I wouldn't worry too much. This past month I have had to weigh in on 4 different scales. My primary doctors', my OB, my jobs, and the one at the YMCA that I go to and none of them were the same weigh. So when I asked my doctor why I weighed more in one scale then the other, he told me it could that A)sales are not collaborated right or B) they are set on a complete flat surface and the type of scale will also give you different readings

By the way Happy Birthday!!!

I've heard a lot of people say that scales that claim to measure body fat percentage are incredibly inaccurate, and can be influenced to a greater degree by lots of factors (including hydration) - I'd ignore the bf%, and just be consistent about which scale you use.

the best scales are doctors scales b.c you can calibrate them very easliy. Im sure they cost a bundle though.

I really am going to take all of that advice and not listen to my scale too seriously. I think I might go back to my old scale that said I was lighter! We were just becoming friends. Thanks everyone!!