Question about Fluctuating Weight on Scales

My apologies - kinda long!

Ok... I have a question.  I know ideally we should only weigh ourselves once a day (or per week, or per month - whatever method you use).  I do the once-a-day.  However how do you handle extreme fluctuations in what the scale shows you and there is NO way that they can be right?  What about if you step on the scale a 2nd time to do a double check and its much different than the first?  Do you just not log in the weight for the day, get the average of the 2, log in the first, or the 2nd or what?  The only reason I ask is yesterday I stepped on the scale - as I do each day - and the weight just seemed *too* low, it didn't seem right to me at all.  So I waited a little while - no eating or drinking (in fact I went back to bed for a couple of hours) and the weight difference on the scale was 7 lbs MORE, which also didn't seem totally right, but at least would have made a bit more sense.  (Oddly enough the 1st weight was done at the time of day I normally weigh myself.)  What would have been 'correct' would have been some place in the middle, based on my food intake, activities and so on, however I don't know that for sure.  However I took the 2 numbers and got an average.  Just wondering if others have done similar? or how do you handle situations like that?

I too am a daily weigher. I had a similar situation, but my weight was approx 20 lbs less than normal. Later that day I was cleaning and realized my daughter had but a metal hair barrette under my scale! (*DANG!*) When I weigh myself, I usually weigh myself 2-3 times in a row. Or at least until I get a consistent weight. But if something seems way off, I would do what you did, wait awhile a re-weigh. You could get a new scale, but I'm sure you would have the same problem.

Get a better scale ...

I can't explain a technical problem with a scale.

But, flucuations sometimes can be explained by the fact that 1 pint of water weighs approximately 1 lb. And:

http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/help.ph p?id=6

I only log if I have a loss! It makes me happier to see the blue line go down!

I hadn't thought of that, jeunene! Good idea. It's so depressing typing in that higher weight.

(Heh. I think I'll adopt this idea. No news [on the log] is bad news)

bekaspaeth wrote:
You could get a new scale, but I'm sure you would have the same problem.

I just bought this scale 2 months ago, brand-new.  It's a digital, bariatric scale, that is suppose to be accurate within 1% (+ or -) of actual weight, which I could handle if the differences were only a few lbs.  But I'm talking about I stepped on it on 12/2 and it showed 387 - which would have been awesome and a new time low for me! - and the next time it showed 395.  Today, even though I did not go over my calories and drank all my water and got in some activity yesterday, it showed me at 401!! 

jeunene, I like your idea a lot better!!  It's just that when it hits that low (like the 387) I don't know whether to trust it or not, which is the reason I did the 2nd try and it came up 395.  My prior weigh-ins were  391 (on 11/25) and 389 on 11/28 ....  now I'm thinking maybe it was o.k.

ARGH..................  Now I'm thinking I should have stuck with the 387???  I'm sorry... I swear I'm NOT trying to be neurotic about this.  I want to show a loss - obviously, naturally - but only if its right.

Hi willow - you might replace the battery in the scale, there is no telling how long the scale sat in the store before you bought it.

Test your scale.

Buy some weights.  Or weigh an object of known weight.  Put it on the scale each day before you weigh yourself.  If it isn't the same, your scale is messed up.  A 7 pound difference seems a little extreme after taking a nap... unless you sleepwalk to your fridge!

What about if you step on the scale a 2nd time to do a double check and its much different than the first? 

Ditto nubiker on that one.  If the scale registers different weights on consecutive weighings/won't settle on a weight, the battery's running low.  Had the second problem (stepped on, weight indications fluctuated 207...208....211...204... etc) and changed the battery... now it works fine.

But if you're doubting your scale (it doesn't require a battery, etc.) then hipsdontlie has a great idea.   I'll have to remember that. :)

The SAME thing happened to me this morning. I decided to go with the lower weight because it was the weight that showed up as soon as I stepped on the scale. I've decided to weigh myself once and not keep getting on. It will drive you crazy! You know the saying "go with your first mind" well "go with your first weigh-in"

Yep I'd be willing to bet its the scale...testing it seems okay, although they can be inaccurate at one weight and accurate at another...check the batteries, if battry operated. If not, double check with a scale at the gym. You sould not fluctuate much between weighing yourself at home, and then at the gym.

With my digital scale it varies depending on the spot you stand. It's not a huge difference but can be 2+lbs. Now on my old scale with the spinning numbers it doesn't matter how I stand on it. OTOH I need a magnifying glasses to read the thing.

I wish I could use the one at the gym - unfortunately it only goes up to 350 and I need one that goes to 400, or a little higher.  That's why I bought the one I did.  Its a bariatric scale that goes to 440.  Its a digital scale that is *suppose* the accurate within 1% (+/-).  (the one in the link is the exact scale I have)

And yes, I bought a pack of batteries today when I dropped my daughter off at school, and put them in the scale... now it's reading me between 397 and 402, which is a much smaller gap, however its also 10 lbs more than my last weigh-in, about a week ago.

I'll have to look around to see if I can find anything with a 'set weight' and test the scale with it.  Right now I'm getting ready to head to the gym.

Thanks everyone!


EDIT
found a bag of dog food we had just purchased and not opened.  It reads a weight of 20 lbs on the bag.  Put it on the scale and it comes up 22.2.  So it seems like it's a little off, however still not enough for the 10 lbs difference....

22 versus 20 lbs is 10%. 10% of 400 would be a 40lb difference.  So 10lbs off would be a smaller percentage then the dog food is showing.

The reason I said that you may have the same problem even if you buy a new scale is because I thought that buying a new one would some my problem of contradicting weights, and even a newer more expensive scale did the same thing...for me anyways. That is just my personal experience though.

I always found if I step on it twice the number goes up, and then I get depressed, just step on  it once then your happy and motivated, who cares if it's really correct, as long as it gives you the motivation that it should! I personally try to stay off the scale as much as possible and use my measuring tape instead! Since I started on CC I have only lost 2.4 lbs on the scale, but I have lost quite a few inches! 3 inches in my stomache alone! That is a much more positive motivation feel better about myself feeling than the 2.4 lbs on the scale!

I had to stop weighing myself everyday because the "normal" fluctuations had me riding an emotional rollercoaster...yay i'm down .5 pounds, no wait, now I'm up 2.

I have a brand new electric, body fat analyzer scale and I get fluctuations when I weight back to back, but only about .5 pounds or so. I find that my weight can fluctuate by about 2-3 pounds in any given day depending on when I weight myself. Now I weigh myself once a month at the same time of day...first saturday of the month, after I wake up, after I use the washroom and before I eat or drink...the number is always better that way :) I also take body measurements which I think are far more accurate in terms of guaging success.

Just a thought...

I saw someone on Oprah awhile back that suggested to refrain from weighing yourself for the first two MONTHS of your diet!  He explained that you would just have to see how your clothes are fitting to tell you are losing weight, and when you did finally weigh yourself it would be fun to see a big difference than last weigh in.  I don't know if I could resist though!  Maybe someone else could try that. :)

zeke wrote:
22 versus 20 lbs is 10%. 10% of 400 would be a 40lb difference.  So 10lbs off would be a smaller percentage then the dog food is showing.


Ok, if my calculations are right (and it's possible they aren't - I did really bad in math in school!), 1% of 400 would be 4 lbs, so 10 lbs would be about 2.5%...?

So if the scale is accurate within 1% (+/-) which would be 4 lbs, then having a difference of (for example) 8 lbs would only be a 2% difference and 10 lbs would be about 2.5%??

BTW Zeke, *how* did you figure out the 10% (22 versus 20 lbs is 10%)?