The Scale Was Wrong!
 

I'm starting a totally new year, especially after what I learned yesterday.

I have over the last year weighed myself at my mom's once a month. The goal was to not obsess over tiny fluctuations. Well, anyone who's gone a month without weighing themselves knows that it doesn't quite work as well as planned. Anyway, I was so happy in November to see I was down 15 lbs from my starting weight.

Then I learned recently when I went to weigh myself again that she's been noticing her scale is lower than her doctor's office. I don't know how scales work, but with the amount she says it's regularly off, I've really only lost 4 lbs. All year, I've lost so little. I was totally crushed.

I'm starting anew with this year and that crushed feeling has become determination. I'm also going to get my own scale and start weighing myself every few mornings.

This looks like an awesome supportive community so I'm really excited. Also, do you have any suggestions on a good scale that stays accurate?

Is she weighing with clothes on? Is it after she's had something to eat and drink? Trust me that can make a HUGE difference!

Just weight yourself at the same time of day, without clothes, consistently and look at the difference. Anything else is certainly going to frustrate you because even changing the place on the floor can affect the scale!!! :dizzy:

Remember when she weighed at the Doctor's office the conditions wer different, wearing clothes? Eaten a meal or drunk water ? As someone said the scale reading doesn't matter. It is the pounds lost that count.
If you weighed at home and started with 175 pounds and ended with 160 pounds you would have lost 15 pounds. Say at the doctors office you started with 180 pounds and now weigh 165 pounds you would have lost 15 pounds. The loss is the same no matter what the scale says. To save confusion always weigh on the same scale under the same conditions.

Like everyone said stick to one scale. Don't go on the scale everyday because the way if fluctuates is enough to make anyone upset. I found measuring inches lost is a sure fire way to tell if your really losing..:)

Ditto what everyone has said about scale fluctuations.

I bought an EatSmart scale on Amazon, about $50, it also measures body fat %. I really like it. It doesn't seem too finicky.

Pick one scale and track your results with that scale. If you weighed on your mother's scale and it showed your weight going down by 15lbs, you lost 15lbs! It doesn't matter if the scale is off, it will still show if you lost weight.

Also I've heard that doctor's scales are the ones that are notoriously inaccurate! They get so much more use and are likely not calibrated or adjusted to ensure accuracy! Chances are your mother's scale is the more accurate one.

Also - did you know that the surface your scale sets on impacts the way it reads? It has to be on a hard flat surface to be accurate. My scale is great and seems to be pretty accurate when compared to my doctor's, my daughter's, and the scale at the gym. But I keep it on a small piece of board on my carpeted bedroom floor. If I move it to the carpet in my bedroom, it's about 10 pounds lighter. And I can be as much as 20 pounds lighter in the spare bedroom that has the "fluffiest" carpet.

I agree with the advice to get your own scale and weigh at the same time under the same conditions every time. For me that's naked, after going potty, before eating breakfast. Pick one day a week if you think you'll get frustrated by daily fluctuations. Good luck.

Lin

Maintaining was the hardest part the last time I lost weight. Apparently I hadn't maintained very well and that's why I'm where I am. BUT I HATE SCALES. I will only weigh myself once/week in order to be accurate for my blog.

Pick one and stick to that one. I think the doctors office scales are against us always :) The one at my doctors is always more than the one at my gym and the one at home.

Ditto what everyone else said. If you have only been weighing on your mom's scale then you have lost 15 pounds! That's fantastic.

Thanks everyone! I went ahead and got a scale today. I'm interested in the fluctuations, so maybe for a while I'll try the daily thing. :) And thanks for the tips about getting an even measurement, I'll have to find somewhere consistent I can leave it where my toddler won't get to it!

Weighing daily and tracking it is interesting! I've got a graph that shows my weight loss and while I can see an overall downward trend, my graph is all over the place and shows my daily fluctuations :)

I started a new graph for my maintenance and I expect to stay within the same weight range, but still see ups and downs due to daily fluctuations.

I think it's really fascinating too, although I only record my weight once per week. I do weigh every morning, and I love seeing all the fluctuations and am frequently in awe of how my body works. The whole process just amazes me!

I know some people really can't emotionally handle all the ups and downs of daily weighing, but for me it keeps me on track. Even if my "official" weigh-in is higher than I've been earlier in the week, it still keeps me motivated, because I've seen the lower numbers and know it's possible to get there.

I agree with that. When you get to your goal weight on that scale, then reassess if you want to then get to a certain weight on your doctors scale.

Another thing you could try, if you have some free weights, is to pile them all on your scale to see how accurate it is. I have 2 20lbs, 2 10lbs, 2 5's and 2 2's; so 74lbs total. My scale reads that as 73-ish (analog), I'm good with that. I've also weighed myself holding one of my kids, weighed myself, get the difference, then have them get their weight alone to see if the difference is the same as their weight.

Replying to a couple people and not quite expert enough to get all the quotes in...

I thought I'd just emotionally destroy myself if I had the daily weigh-ins. Looking back, I was much more emotional about weight loss then - really self-conscious and relying on weight loss to make me happier somehow. At this point, it's a numbers game to me. I think knowing the fluctuations for a couple months will help me predict so I don't get discouraged if I "feel" like I've gained weight during a certain week. I also think I'll only do my official weigh-ins weekly, just because it's too much hassle haha!

Again, thank you all, this is a surprisingly supportive community!!