I bought a scale from the 2ndhand shop the other day because I know that I am the type that will NEED to constantly weigh myself. If I see I am gaining or not losing, then I can hold myself accountable and decrease calories, increase exercise. Anyway, I have lost all my pregnancy weight and was back to about 210, and the scale said I was about 208 or so. Then the next day, I weighed myself again and it said 205, then later on, it said 190. I kept weighing myself after I saw it said 190 and then it would go back up to 205.. ummm...

It is not a digital scale, just one of those old bathroom scales that you stand on. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a correct way to stand on it so that you can weigh yourself more accurately? Help.

Scales are pretty straight forward. Stand balanced on them...

If it's making 15 pound jumps in one day... I'd say it's time for a new scale.

Perhaps there was a reason it was 2nd hand...

I was thinking the same thing myself, but then also, I noticed when I stand a certain way the numbers will change. I am gonna try standing balanced on it like you said, and will try it about 5 times in a row to see what happens. You're probably right though.

I agree with Faerie about the reason why it was 2nd hand... I have a digital one and it still makes me crazy sometimes...so I'm trying to pay more attention to the inches and clothes, rather than the weight itself

Digital scales are the only way I can keep myself sane.

I know when I didn't have a digital where I put the scale in my crap apartment's slanty bathroom could add or subtract 5 pounds or so.

I have a digital scale that does the same thing. Before I started exercising the numbers on my scale were always consistent. Now over the past few weeks, it's been anything but.. It's like the scale has no idea what is going on with my body. Whenever I stand on it, it will randomly jump to different numbers between a 10lb range, as if it just can't quite decide what my weight is. For now I've put the scale away and am relying on measurements.

IMO, if it's actually bouncing between 20 pounds, there's something wrong with it and I would ditch it, and get a new one. It's VERY normal for our weight to fluctuate and change throughout the day, or for your scale to "act funny" if you step on it "weird" or whatever. But, I wouldn't think it should bounce between a large range like that (20 pounds)... it sounds like it doesn't work correctly anymore.

Also make sure you calibrate it because it's 2nd hand, before you weigh yourself get on then off, let it settle, get on then off, let it settle, adjust the needle to zero, get on then off, make sure it stayed at zero then weigh yourself. HTH

Thanks everyone for the responses. I tried calibrating it and weighed myself about 10 times over last evening and this morning, and now it is giving me the same result. Thanks again for the poster who suggested to calibrate it!