It fluctuates like crazy.



First, 171lbs. 171 lbs again.

Then 183lbs.

Then 176 lbs. 176 lbs again. And again.

?????


What number do I track down?

First of all ... why are you getting on and off your scale that many times???


Secondly, my digital scale bounced up & down as much as my water-weight did. So my nice DH bought me a big, old analogue scale and I use that now ... but most importantly, I get on it only once and that's it. I also don't get on it every day or I might start obsessing or something like that, so I am using sizes as my main NSV (non-scale victory) and other achievements instead (like no Junkies June/July and staying on plan for a week, and so on).

Some people can weigh themselves daily and not get upset; not me -- so I found other ways -- ones that work best for me. A doctor once told me not to weigh myself more than every 3 weeks (which took into account monthly water gain); that way, I'd more likely see a true loss. So now, I weigh myself no more than once a month; and that works for me.

I hope you find something that works better for you too ...

I weigh myself several times because I can't trust my scale. ;P I got all those numbers within a minute!

Should I just toss it?

Absolutely, heave it out the window or something. Anyway you need to weigh yourself on a scale you can trust.

The numbers you are getting are messing with your mind.

I get on my scale and then off and back on once more just to make sure both numbers are the same. So far so good...but I don't use digital.

yeah, i would probably try to find a more reliable scale, something digital, something with good reviews. it will give you an accurate read and also peace of mind.

I had the same problem last week and went out and bought another one. I weigh on each scale when I first get up, write those numbers down then weigh again in 30 mins on both scales. I take the best # out of the 4 readings and thats the number I log for the day. Yeah, I know its a bit neurotic lol

Your scale sounds very dodgy! If you haven't already done so, I'd do these two things first, before throwing it out.

1. Make sure you are putting the scale on a perfectly flat, sturdy and hard floor (e.g., not carpet). If the floor isn't level, no scale (no matter how good) will weigh reliably. I have a perfectly decent inexpensive digital Salter scale, and found it was weighing me a stone less than I actually was because I put it on an uneven patch of floor in my bathroom (it's sensitive, I couldn't see it was uneven but when I knelt down to feel it and to move the scale around, it was obviously not flat).

2. Make sure you stand in the same place on your scale every time. Some cheaper (but perfectly reliable if used correctly) scales are quite strongly influenced by where and how you stand (e.g., feet together, feet apart, leaning forwards or backwards, etc.). If the design of the scale permits, you might find it helps to put little stickers on the scale to show you where to position your feet each time.

3. Try weighing a heavy item that you know the weight of, and see how reliable the scale is. It's hard because most people don't have objects in their house that they know the weight of that are sufficiently heavy to use on bathroom scales, but something like a weight (for lifting) would be ideal, or something like a large bag of rice or several tin cans (you could weigh these on kitchen scales to verify the weights).

If you've already tried these things and your scale is giving you such disparate measurements every time, I would definitely recommend tossing it out and selecting a different scale. Digital or mechanical, I don't think it really makes any difference if it's good quality (it's only your personal preference), but I would also recommend looking around online for consistently positive reviews. Having said that, almost no reviews online are consistent, so don't spend ages doing this and just select one and buy it - you can always take it back if it's no good!

I bought a WW digital scale a few years ago and it is very accurate. It reads the same as the doctors scales and my daughter and I just tested out the scales at Walmart this past week to see how they read compared to ours at home and they all read right on or within a pound of ours. I would totally recommend it to anyone looking for a new scale.