OMIG.............................What would you do?

So I went to the doctor today and talk about being frustrated - I steeped on the scale this morning just so I could compare it to the doctors scale, also a big mistake, one reason I don't weigh daily, I just cannot handle the fluctuations. Anyways, this morning it said I was 2.5 pounds over what I was yesterday. So started off bad , then I went to the doctor and I weighed 4 lbs over what I weighed yesterday and 1.5 over what my scale at home said. Ughhhhhh - then they hooked my arm and leg up to this little machine and it read my body fat and muscle mass. I have 34.1% muscle - that is good  - they said women should have between 10%  - 35% . Then the really bad news - I have 33% fat - which women should have not higher that 32%. About this time I am about ready to cry.  Their  little machine says my BMI is  - 24.4 - ughhhhhh!! I wanted to cry.

Tell me - what would you do - change your weight to match the doctors scale and start your plan over according to the information I received today or just continue on with what I was originally doing.

That means I am have 14 more pounds to lose instead of 10, I know I know, doesn't sound like a big difference but IT IS ;(.

That means all my weigh-ins for my little challenges are wrong?  I just don't even know where to start. 

I am upset - thanks for reading.

Any input is appreciated.

Have a good day! 

 

I have lost about 52 and I need to lose 83 more, please trade me!

 How are your clothes fitting? I thought that BMI was pretty ok? Don't panic and keep at it, it sounds like you are doing fine. Ignore those numbers!!

Well I can certainly understand your frustrations and also for those reasons, do not weigh myself. I go by the way I feel, my measurements, and more importantly, how my clothes fit. Just because you used a scale at the dr.s office does not automatically make it correct. Your may be right, theirs may be right, or they both may be wrong. The important thing to remember about weight and scales is consistency. This means that you need to track your weight on the SAME scale, at the SAME time, each time you weigh. You need to look at a pattern of change over time. I would suggest weighing in at the same time every week on the same scale and watching for changes that way. Additionally, remember too, the lovely facts of being a woman, our weight changes throughout the month due to hormonal fluctuations, water weight, etc. Look at your weight as a number and reference. Not something that dictates your happiness for that day. Best of luck, you will be fine! Keep up the healthy habits and make this a lifestyle!

 

First of all, calm down. It's not as bad as it sounds. I'll explain why, but first, just take a deeep breath. Hold it. Hold it. Now let it out slooowly.

 

Your BMI isn't bad at all.  24.4 is at the high end of "normal" but not "overweight", according to the NIH. Also, a recent study found that people in the "overweight" category on the BMI scale actually live longer ("suffer mortality due to certain conditions less") than people in the "normal" category. Maybe you need to put on a few pounds!  :-)

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8793 4.php

Now here's the other reason you shouldn't worry about being "up" 2.5 lbs today. It's normal, and it doesn't mean you're "gaining weight". I'm an engineer so the math makes sense to me; let me put it into a formula to explain it.

1. It takes 3500 calories to make 1 pound of fat.
2. You probably burn about 2000 calories per day just existing.
3. So to gain 2.5 lbs in a day you would have to eat 2000 + 2.5*3500 calories, or almost 11,000 calories. 

I'm certain you didn't eat 11,000 calories yesterday; that would take about 20 steaks, or 2.5 gallons of ice cream!  You probably had well under 3,000 calories yesterday.  Based on your weight, I'm guess it was under 2,000 calories.

So where did that 2.5 pounds come from? It's all input minus output. You put things in your body every day (water and food) and you take things out of your body every day (perspiration, respiration, and elimination). Depending on when you weigh yourself (after some input, before some output), you may be up or down a pound or two. It's no big deal on a daily basis. What you want to do is look at your "moving average" or the "trendline" of your weight graph.

That may sound difficult, but calorie-count.com makes it easy. Just go click on "My account" and find your weight log. Go there and enter your weight every day. You don't have to do it every day, but I find I get better results if I do it every day. This part is important, though: pay no attention to the zig-zaggy weight line. That line is important, but it's just going to zig up and and it's going to zag down. That's normal; that's just what it does.

The line you want to watch is that green line. That's your "trend" line. Don't worry if it's higher or lower than "today's weight". Just pay attention to whether it's going up or down.

And with your weight, I'd say don't worry about it going down too much. Just try to keep it level. Sure, if you want to lose 10 lbs, make the line go down (less input). But take your time, and do it calmly.

One more thing: about the inaccuracy of your scale. Don't worry about it. Who cares what the magic number is for your weight? Want to lose 10 lbs, lose it. Your scale will accurately show you the loss. So what if it differs from your doctor's scale by 1.5 lbs? That's nothing! That's like 1%. That's well within the margin of error of home scales. No biggie. Seriously. Calm down.

I think maybe I will measure myself and see if there is a difference.  I hate how this affects me so bad - probably cuz it feels like all the work I have done is not doing any good.

Makes me want to quit but I would never do that. I have come too far! 

My doctor's scale and my scale are a few pounds off too. But I am more attuned to the progress than to the numbers. So I weigh once a week, at the same time of day, on the same scale. I don't panic over the numbers anymore, because it's no longer about how much I weigh, but about how healthy I can be. Sure, I like the smaller numbers, the smaller sizes, etc, like everyone else. But I have found that the numbers tend to defeat me, and I want to win the ultimate prize...a healthy me!!

I'm sorry your upset and completely understand as I also had an equally upsetting day with the scale. I know the Doctors scale has to be wrong in my case and possibly yours too. There is now way my jeans are as loose as they are with no weight loss showing. If you have been doing what your suppose to then I would just say stick to the scale you use all the time (as long as it's working right).

I'm beginning to think now the scales don't really tell us that were losing. There are so many variables. I'm not sure what happened to your weight hon and i'm not sure about mine either but I do know my clothes are looser and yours probably are too.

I bought a tape measure today and am going to start using it. Maybe that would help show real weight loss as far as inches?

((((((hugs you)))))) I didn't almost cry I did cry today. I'm sorry your going through a hard time. Could it be possible water retention? Have you been eating alot of foods with sodium?

Shia

You know, I went through the same thing about a month ago, when I realized that the two scales at the two YMCAs in my city are two pounds different.  I completely understand where you're coming from.  Which should you believe?  The heavier one, just to make sure?  But then, all that extra work!  I know that the number on the scale isn't supposed to be priority number one, but they call it a goal weight for a reason!

Fortunately for me, my father is a wrestling coach & has an extremely accurate scale in our bathroom -- which I will be visiting this Christmas with crossed fingers.  Can you think of any places available to you that have reason to have an absurdly accurate scale?  That might put your mind @ rest ... just make sure you don't weigh yourself when you're retaining water.  :-P

 

1. It takes 3500 calories to make 1 pound of fat.
2. You probably burn about 2000 calories per day just existing.
3. So to gain 2.5 lbs in a day you would have to eat 2000 + 2.5*3500 calories, or almost 11,000 calories. 

I'm certain you didn't eat 11,000 calories yesterday; that would take about 20 steaks, or 2.5 gallons of ice cream!  You probably had well under 3,000 calories yesterday.  Based on your weight, I'm guess it was under 2,000 calories.

That is one of the smarter things I've ever seen anyone do with Math!  I do weigh myself daily, and look at the zigzag line, but it does not bother me because I know it will zig down when it has zigged up, and I look at the green line too.  What the blue line showed me was a)monthly cycle patterns, b) eating patterns (with family on weekends) that were counter productive and c) that if I gain it, I can also lose it.  I always think "Oh, a pound up.  Darn.  I did have a bowl of spaghetti last night.  It is probably pretty heavy and still inside me." and move on with the day.  But this Math reasoning totally validates that viewpoint!  Thanks!

PS: I don't think it matters so much which scale you look at, so long as it is the same one.  Every scale will show loss or gain of weight, but they don't all show them the same.  Find the one you 'believe' the most, and use it only.  Show blatant disregard or at least indifference to the others.