Does the scale reflect the day before?

So basically I am getting healthier and working on not focusing on weighing, but when I do have to, for doctor purposes and such, does the scale reflect the exact day prior or over a certain timespan, like 4 days before?

How long does a weight change take to show on the scale??

a scale reflects in real time. what you have eatten your whole life reflects on a scale. you cant just say " 4 days ago i had a cheeseburger so its going to show on the scale today". remember that there is differant things that equate to weight

1. water retention

2. actual weight of food in stomach

3.calories consumed / burned

4. current bone density

and many other variables. so it is not correct to assume that what you eat will only effect your weight for a certain amount of time.

Some days my scale seems to reflect the day before.  Other times it seems to reflect a prior week.

I'm convinced that my scale has been taken over by gremlins some days...then other days I'm convinced that it's lying to get into my good graces.

I've been wondering the same thing! It seems like some weeks when I'm really, really good, the scale still goes up. Other weeks, I eat like everything's calorie-free, and I actually lose, or stay the same. I don't understand it, and I've almost given up trying. It's so hard to try to keep track of, and really, what favor are we doing ourselves trying to crunch the numbers anyway? Whether it takes one day or one week to gain a pound or for the scale to show it, is that really going to change your eating habits?

I can't emphasize this enough, but try not to put too much thought into the scale. You're better than that. More beautiful than that. I know, and you know, that you're so healthy, and eat so healthily, that any little adjustment in your weight is only natural, and healthy, and what your body wants anyway. Listen to it! It's crying already. Keep doing what you know is right, and watch how your clothes fit, how your body looks and feels, rather than that little dial. That's where the truth lies.