My scale will show me 3 different weights each time I step on it. Yesterday it said 205 and this morning it said 198 twice and then the third time it said 204. Ugh! It will usually start off low the first time and go up the next 3 times I step on. I don't know which weight I should go by? I use a healthmaster digital. What do you use? tia

Home scales are notoriously undependable. I don't even own one. When I want to weigh I run down to the med center and weigh on their scale. I keeps me sane because I'm not tempted to weigh myself every day, or even every week. Sometimes the opportunity to get to the med center in the a.m. does not present itself for a couple of weeks. It works for me.

I had the same problem with my first digital scale. I got so angry one day I threw it in the garbage!! I then tried a dial scale, but I wasn't satisfied with it. On Judy's advice I ordered a Tanita scale from Amazon.com. I got the plain, digital scale, no bells or whistles. No body-fat monitor, or fancy features. It was around $25, and it was the best investment I've made. It's never off my more than .4 lb., it's very accurate, very easy to read, I love it!

I tossed my new digital, too. I use an old health-o-meter with a dial now.

The digital drove me crazy... up, and down, and never the same number twice in a row. I carted my dial scale to the doctor's and calibrated it right there. It always goes to the same number no matter how many times I step on it in a row (I try, I try).

I have a Tanita digital...it' s very reproducible!

Weight Watchers scale from walmart/ $24.95. VERY reliable.

scale weight is the worst indicator of success. If you must use the scale use it once a week, in the morning, on the same day each week. Any daily fluctuations that are significant on the scale are due to water weight anyhow. To loose or gain one pound of fat in a single day you would have to eat either 3500 cals above or below you calories burned daily. Think about that, you aren't going to fluctuate in how much you eat that easily unless you suddenly binge on a bunch of crap.

Just make sure you cals are in check and as consistant as possible, see if you lost a few pounds that week, and if so, stay consistant week after week. When fat loss stalls, drop the cals a little more and assess. For an even better gauge grab a pair of body fat calipers. Hell, just make sure your belt fits too. These are all better ways to measure your progress. Especially if you are weighing yourself multiple times a day...pointless.

I got rid of the bathroom scale a long time ago. Especially if you're exercising a lot, the scale won't be accurate. What works better is a skin fold caliper. It's not affected by the latest meal, last BM, degree of hydration or female cycles. It only tells you how much subcutaneous body fat you have as a percentage of total body fat. Changes will be frustratingly gradual but it doesn't let you lie to yourself. :-)

I find daily weighing to be very helpful. It may be more of a hinderance to other people, but for some of us it's a beneficial part of our plan.

I Have a Waist High Physician Scale by Health o Meter. The only time I had trouble with it when my grandchildren we're playing around with it. The balance bean was way off. Its running fine again ,once we fixed it

Hugs CAG

Maybe, but do you eat identical foods everyday? Do you take in the same amount of water? sodium? other minerals? Do you exercise the same amount, have the same activity level, and sweat the same each day? All these things account for weight fluctuations from day to day more than fat gain or loss if you don't keep all these factors consistant. If it works for you...that's cool. But I see to many people crying over the scale weighing themselves in the morning and at the end of the day and wondering why they gained weight (hmmm? the diet must not work for them *sigh*) Others get all excited when they loose five pounds after two days doing the diet and they think they magically dropped 5 pounds of fat. Its a common misunderstanding that people need to keep in mind. Too many ignore the water factor.

I weigh myself everyday--it's a psychological thing I guess but I maintain my weight better that way. I record my weight each morning and if it goes up more than a lb, I check it against the week before or the beginning of the month. If it is up noticeably I check what I've eaten and make the needed changes. My weight is coming off slowly but I am down more than 21 lbs since the beginning of the year. That is good for me.

I recently pitched mine...it would say 176, 186, 196, 206, 216, every time I stepped on it (within a five minute span)it would increase 10 pounds! Yikes!

I bought the Tanita scale....same number every time I step on it (within five minutes).

Fortunately, I am able to keep all of these things in mind when weighing myself daily. For instance, if I don't drink much water for a couple of days, I will notice an increase in my weight. Weighing daily helps me to see how water intake (and many other factors) affect my total weight (my body weight plus the other things that increase my scale weight), which in turn can help me see how these things affect the way that I feel and the way that I look. Five pounds of water weight makes me look and feel puffy. I will see it in the mirror and feel it in my waist band as quickly as it shows up on the scale.

I do see how people can get discouraged by these fluctuations, and for people who find it to be detrimental and self-destructive, I'd say to skip the daily weighing. For me, I like to know what is happening with my weight all the time, and if there is a fluctuation I can usually figure out why. It does help me put the breaks on a problem early on, if I see right away how something is affecting me. If I find that I am getting depressed over the weighing at some point, I may have to change my habits. I may also find it useful to weigh less often later down the road when weightloss slows down.

I weighed daily too as I lost my weight. I found it highly useful to see the damage I did when I ate offplan or over ate legal foods. It helped me to learn how my body deals with certain types of foods and how long it takes my body to get rid of them again.

Its a tool....one that many do get overly emotional and obsessive.

Truth be told, when you work your plan, do your exercise and can see it as a tool to support your journey, it is wonderful.

But to each his own....if it makes you so upset that your days become all about the scale...that is a problem.