[futuresurferchick]

Hi there...

I've been lurking around this site on and off for a few years, but I don't think I've ever posted. I've recently started the weight loss effort again (I have over 100lbs to lose) and you've all been a big help to me already without even knowing it. So thanks for that!

I've been going to a dietician every two weeks, which has been a big help to me... in fact it's been the only reason I've gotten as far as I have already without giving up! So every two weeks I get weighed at her office. What is weird is that the numbers are not really consistent. For example, at the last appointment I got on the scale 3 times and it gave 3 very different answers ranging from 287lbs to 275lbs! I know her scale is not the problem because I tried her other one and it said 290 lbs, and she says she has never experienced this before with anyone else. Her two scales are coordinated and always read the same.

The reason I did it 3 times in the first place was because she has a digital scale where you put in your height and age and it calculates your weight and your body fat. It is supposed to take a few seconds for this to occur but whenever I step on it, the numbers jump around for several minutes before finally landing on one number.

When I started going to her I weighed myself at home and got 310 lbs, but when I got to her office it said 290 lbs so I assumed my scale at home was wrong. Since then the number has gone down, which is why it doesn't make sense that I could weigh 290 lbs now. Unless my scale at home was right originally.

So all I know now is I weigh somewhere between 275 lbs and 290 lbs... which is a pretty huge range. I've heard of some people who have some kind of electric field that causes machines to malfunction in their presence. And I have had worn watches before that have stopped working after a few days, but I always assumed that it was water damage.

Has anyone else ever experienced this before? I know the number on the scale is not really what's important but it is a motivational tool that it's hard to do without. Sorry this post is so long!

[LovesBassets]

Hi

I don't know how helpful this is going to be, but I can relate. About 3 weeks ago, I tried 3 different (digital) scales in one day -- mostly just out of curiosity.

Here's what happened:

-my scale at home = 142 lbs
-scale at my friend's house = 145 lbs
-the dog scale at work (vet clinic) = 153 lbs

That was all on the same day!!

My solution, pick one scale and stick with it . And NEVER weigh yourself at the vet's office .

Like I said, not a very helpful post!

[JayEll]

Gosh, I've heard of fluctuating 3 or 4 pounds in a day, but in a matter of minutes?? Weird!

Me, I like those doctor scales that aren't digital and you move the weights across the bar on top. No electrical fields involved.

I agree with LovesBassetts--get a scale (that works!) and stick to the reading on that. It's the trend you want to watch, not the value.

Jay

[FL_Chickie]

My ex-husband had a very high electricity -- he couldn't wear a watch for more than a few hours before he burned the batteries out, and he once tested off the charts at a little "test your body electricity" gadget at the local museum of science. It can definitely whack out scales that rely on batteries or electricity to run. My suggestion would be the same as JayEll -- go to an old-fashioned doctor's weight scale and try it, or non-battery-operated home scale that works on spring tension and doesn't need batteries.