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