Question:
Okay, I know I should not obsess about the scale, but I am curious
On Friday, I weighed myself at the health club. They have a dr scale and it said 268. On Saturday I was in Linens and Things and weighed myself on a digital that said 263 and then an analog that said 260. I bought the analog got it home to see if it worked and it said 280-- gaining 10 lbs. I then went to Walmart and got on their digital scale and it said 261. So which is more accurate a digital or dial scale? I am taking the scale back by the way. I don't go back to the dr till 5/6. I just wanted to know cuz I don't see it yet. — Monique W. (posted on April 23, 2003)
April 23, 2003
I have always thought that the dial scales are more accurate. I have a
digital at home and if I get on it 3 times in a row, it will say 151.5,
152.5, and 153. Thats 3 times in less than 15 seconds....lately I have
been taking the first reading and not bothering with getting on and off
several times, but it is curious as to why it does that. With a dial it
stays the same. Some people just weight at the docs office and take that
as their official weight, but I am obsessive and have to weight every day.
— Cindy R.
April 23, 2003
I would suggest only weighing in one place and on one scale. I weigh weekly
at the nutritionist. I got rid of my scale a few weeks ago because it was
making me nuts. It was one of the best things I have done. It is teaching
me to trust the surgery and myself in terms of food choices. I used to let
my scale tell me what kind of day to have! How crazy is that? Plus it is
much more exciting to see a bigger loss at the end of a week than tiny
little bits every day or two. I was weighing myself constantly and it was
really counterproductive for me. I have also found that the ighter i get
the more accurate the scales (digital or dial) seem to be. Anyone else?
Good Luck!
— Carol S.
April 23, 2003
Monique,
I would settle for one scale, and then stick to it, don't get so caught up
on what other scales say, they are all different, I ran into the same
problem, and finally ust threw the old one away, (even though that was the
one that was reading the lowest weight) , I would stick with one, and not
weigh myself on anything other then that one. You'll see a difference,...
Best of luck.
— tannedtigress
April 23, 2003
I used to have a dial scale that kept telling me I weighed 260 and when I
got on the scale for my pre-op appointment it said 270! So, when I got
home I checked again and it still said 260...of course it had for atleast a
year...why would it change now? I would suggest doing what I did, go to a
store and look for a mid priced digital (I got one that does body fat too
from Target for $36) and get on it five or six times in a row and see what
it says...if they all match, keep it, if not, try again. I also want to
note that if you do the 5 or 6 times over the course of the day (or even an
hour or two) you will see as much as 3-4 pounds fluctuations (all that darn
water!)...so maybe try either consistantly weighing either first thing in
the morning or last thing at night. Of course, you could go with the no
scale all together theory...but I'm with the many that can't stand to wait
months (let alone weeks) at a time to be weighed. Good luck!
— eaamc
April 23, 2003
my doctor said that all "over the counter" scales are
unpredictable and can be off by quite a bit. In addition, they become less
acurate as the person on it is heavier. He said that they are rarely
acurate over 230 lbs. My scale at home ($75 healthometer) will fluctuate
almost each time I stand on it. I use it as a guess, and then count the
real weigh in at the dr. office. Good Luck!
cb - 1/27/03 - 298/247/175
— CrystalBroj
April 24, 2003
Do you have your scales sitting on carpet when you weigh yourself? If so
put them on a hard surface before you weigh. I thought something was wrong
with my new scales. Then my daughter suggested I not weigh myself while my
scales were on carpet. It made a huge difference.
— Polly G.
April 24, 2003
Let me say I am not obsessed with the scale. But I do weigh myself every
day about the same time. I have a digital scale and I get on it about 3
times and take the middle range reading, or the reading I get twice in a
row. I have made myself a graph and graph my weight every day. It really
helps me to plot "trends". I know now that my weight can go up
2-3 lbs over 4-5 days, then I will have a nice drop, stay there for a
couple of weeks, and do it all over again. Personally, seeing the changes,
no matter how small, is reassuring. I think some of the plateaus we read
about aren't really plateaus. I would think that I have been on a big
plateau for a couple of months, but I know that's not the case! It's a fun
thing for me, not an obsession. (If I go away for a few days, I don't take
my scale and I don't worry about what the scale says while Im gone, but
resume when I get home again.) I can also say that I am fitting into
smaller clothes, so I believe I am building some muscle! Remember: the
scale is not the only measure of how successful you are with WLS!
— koogy
Click Here to Return