Did I lose six pounds or does my scale lie?

Deke wrote:
On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 20:17:37 -0500, Jbuch wrote:


Ann in Houston wrote:

I'll never know unless I get a better scale. I knew better than to buy this
crummy one. This is one time that DH bought junk. I used to have a super
accurate balance scale but it was a pain to use. I wish I could get one
that was easier to use than that one, but was accurate.



By all means, go get a better scale.

I had a cheapo ($7) and hated it for inaccuracy, lack of resolution and
just distrust and junky feel.

I bought an electronic scale with 0.5 pound resolution ($13). It would
weigh the same if I stood on it five or so times in a row.

I got to dislike the half pound resolution ,,, no weight loss and then a
half down and then maybe pretty quick a full pound down.

It broke. I said "hurrah" and went to fix my error in being cheap. I
bought a scale with 0.2 pounds resolution($22). I was happy. But after a
while, I began to wish that I had spent $5 or $10 more for a 0.1 pound
resolution scale.

I wanted to be able to weigh other stuff by weighing myself and then
weighing myself holding the object. The 0.2 pound resolution scale gives
an inaccuracy of up to 0.4 pounds in the weight of the object by
successive holding and not holding the object weighings.

The 0.1 pound resolution scale cuts that inaccuracy of the weighted
object in half.

You can get obsessive compulsive with too much resolution in your scale.
You can weigh a body elimination process, or you can weigh the dinner
you just ate. Or you can not drink water all afternoon and by weighing
yourself you can measure your insensible perspiration rate.

Just junk the old one and get a pretty good electronic model.

You can pick the weight resolution you want and be as obsessive as you
desire or use common sense and not get trapped in those games.

Just go solve the problem. And resolve it, if you didn't do the right thing.

Good luck.


We have two scales in our bath and the new one was bought when I
started Atkins and was more expensive ($40) and more accurate.
Unfortunately, it must be wrong because it shows me weighing two more
pounds than the old one so I refused to use it for the first year.

Today, I weighed (on the new scale) and weighed 172.0 three times in
a row. I went back to bed for two hours and got up again. This
time, before I weighed, I used some old Golden Globes boxing tricks I
had used some 50 years ago. I spat until my mouth was dry. I took
off my clothes. I removed my watch. I removed my glasses. I spat
some more. I got on the scales and weighed again. 171.5 Again, I
weighed and it wonderfully registered 171.5. I am happy.

Sure, it is an obsession. But it is an extremely healthy obsession.

I am eating less and therefore feel I must eat healthy. Everything
counts and I only have a limited quantity of food to eat so I choose
very carefully after reading all the latest research.



Sounds like you are enjoying your scale.

Deke wrote:
:: On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 20:17:37 -0500, Jbuch wrote:
::
::: Ann in Houston wrote:
:::: I'll never know unless I get a better scale. I knew better than
:::: to buy this crummy one. This is one time that DH bought junk. I
:::: used to have a super accurate balance scale but it was a pain to
:::: use. I wish I could get one that was easier to use than that one,
:::: but was accurate.
::::
::::
:::
::: By all means, go get a better scale.
:::
::: I had a cheapo ($7) and hated it for inaccuracy, lack of resolution
::: and just distrust and junky feel.
:::
::: I bought an electronic scale with 0.5 pound resolution ($13). It
::: would weigh the same if I stood on it five or so times in a row.
:::
::: I got to dislike the half pound resolution ,,, no weight loss and
::: then a half down and then maybe pretty quick a full pound down.
:::
::: It broke. I said "hurrah" and went to fix my error in being cheap.
::: I bought a scale with 0.2 pounds resolution($22). I was happy. But
::: after a while, I began to wish that I had spent $5 or $10 more for
::: a 0.1 pound resolution scale.
:::
::: I wanted to be able to weigh other stuff by weighing myself and then
::: weighing myself holding the object. The 0.2 pound resolution scale
::: gives
::: an inaccuracy of up to 0.4 pounds in the weight of the object by
::: successive holding and not holding the object weighings.
:::
::: The 0.1 pound resolution scale cuts that inaccuracy of the weighted
::: object in half.
:::
::: You can get obsessive compulsive with too much resolution in your
::: scale. You can weigh a body elimination process, or you can weigh
::: the dinner
::: you just ate. Or you can not drink water all afternoon and by
::: weighing yourself you can measure your insensible perspiration rate.
:::
::: Just junk the old one and get a pretty good electronic model.
:::
::: You can pick the weight resolution you want and be as obsessive as
::: you desire or use common sense and not get trapped in those games.
:::
::: Just go solve the problem. And resolve it, if you didn't do the
::: right thing.
:::
::: Good luck.
::
:: We have two scales in our bath and the new one was bought when I
:: started Atkins and was more expensive ($40) and more accurate.
:: Unfortunately, it must be wrong because it shows me weighing two more
:: pounds than the old one so I refused to use it for the first year.
::
:: Today, I weighed (on the new scale) and weighed 172.0 three times in
:: a row. I went back to bed for two hours and got up again. This
:: time, before I weighed, I used some old Golden Globes boxing tricks I
:: had used some 50 years ago. I spat until my mouth was dry. I took
:: off my clothes. I removed my watch. I removed my glasses. I spat
:: some more. I got on the scales and weighed again. 171.5 Again, I
:: weighed and it wonderfully registered 171.5. I am happy.
::
:: Sure, it is an obsession. But it is an extremely healthy obsession.
::

I'm not so sure of that paragraph above indicates a healthy obsession.


:: I am eating less and therefore feel I must eat healthy. Everything
:: counts and I only have a limited quantity of food to eat so I choose
:: very carefully after reading all the latest research.

Good luck!

I'm with you, I wanna know........I've worked too hard to get this weight
off and where I'd love to lose about 20 more lbs, I'm smart enough to know
that I may never reach that. But since I've gone from 350 to 192, I'm happy
with that:-)

Carol j

"Jo Anne" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 15:39:34 -0600, "Carol J"
wrote:

But I weigh every morning around the same time of day, after the
bathroom visit, naked and before I've had anything at all to drink or eat.
It's the most accurate in my opinion.

That's how I do it, too.

I rarely miss my morning weighing in, but if it happens that I forget,
I don't make up for it by going and weighing myself later. Too much
food and coffee in the gut.

I find that weighing myself daily keeps me on the straight and narrow.
I'm not so much into weight loss right now - more maintenance than
anything - but if it starts to creep up I want to know right away, so
I can do something about it in a couple of days.

Jo Anne

Why do you not trust your scale?

Take what you can get!

It's very inconsistent. It changes from moment to moment

Ann in Houston wrote:
Why do you not trust your scale?

Take what you can get!


It's very inconsistent. It changes from moment to moment



Is that a truly feminine scale then?

On Mar 25, 12:40 pm, deke wrote:
On 25 Mar 2007 08:55:01 -0700, "





wrote:
On Mar 25, 10:06 am, "Cubit" wrote:
I would pay for obsessively tighter resolutions than even .1. This morning
was 2 tenths better than yesterday. I know it is meaningless, but I wanna
see it.

"Jbuch" wrote in message

...

Ann in Houston wrote:
I'll never know unless I get a better scale. I knew better than to buy
this crummy one. This is one time that DH bought junk. I used to have a
super accurate balance scale but it was a pain to use. I wish I could
get one that was easier to use than that one, but was accurate.

By all means, go get a better scale.

I had a cheapo ($7) and hated it for inaccuracy, lack of resolution and
just distrust and junky feel.

I bought an electronic scale with 0.5 pound resolution ($13). It would
weigh the same if I stood on it five or so times in a row.

I got to dislike the half pound resolution ,,, no weight loss and then a
half down and then maybe pretty quick a full pound down.

It broke. I said "hurrah" and went to fix my error in being cheap. I
bought a scale with 0.2 pounds resolution($22). I was happy. But after a
while, I began to wish that I had spent $5 or $10 more for a 0.1 pound
resolution scale.

I wanted to be able to weigh other stuff by weighing myself and then
weighing myself holding the object. The 0.2 pound resolution scale gives
an inaccuracy of up to 0.4 pounds in the weight of the object by
successive holding and not holding the object weighings.

The 0.1 pound resolution scale cuts that inaccuracy of the weighted object
in half.

You can get obsessive compulsive with too much resolution in your scale.
You can weigh a body elimination process, or you can weigh the dinner you
just ate. Or you can not drink water all afternoon and by weighing
yourself you can measure your insensible perspiration rate.

Just junk the old one and get a pretty good electronic model.

You can pick the weight resolution you want and be as obsessive as you
desire or use common sense and not get trapped in those games.

Just go solve the problem. And resolve it, if you didn't do the right
thing.

Good luck.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

In addition to resolution, there is the issue of accuracy. I'll bet
if you look at a bathroom scale with .1lb resolution you'll find that
it's accuracy is less than that.

Accuracy is not important at all.
Consistency is what you want. All that is required is that you
know the scale is showing x and that it is .1 less than y. - Hide quoted text -


Consistency is part of accuracy. That is to say, if place 200lbs on
a bathroom scale at one time and then again later, do I get the same
reading, whether it
reads 199.8 or 200.3 etc. In all these
modest cost bathroom scales that I have seen, it's not unusal for them
to vary .2 to .4lbs
between the first time you step on it, the second time you step on it,
etc. The point is
these aren't precision instruments that would cost a lot more to make,
but cheap mass
market electronics. You aren't going to get .05% accuracy/
repeatibility in a cheap bathroom scale

It's very inconsistent. It changes from moment to moment



Is that a truly feminine scale then?

Well, it doesn't seem to bother DH. Does that mean it's feminine?

Ann in Houston wrote:
::: Why do you not trust your scale?
:::
::: Take what you can get!
:::
:: It's very inconsistent. It changes from moment to moment

It changes by 6 lbs from moment to moment? Don't get too focused on scale.
You don't need super precision on a scale and you really can't be sure how
accurate they are. Consistency is a nice feature, though, but you'll know
if you've lost 6 lbs unless you really have a lot to lose. I don't think
that's the case for you.

"Ann in Houston" wrote:

Why do you not trust your scale?

It's very inconsistent. It changes from moment to moment

Then don't do that. Pretty simple how that works.

Stepping on the scale daily *if and only if* you don't get emotional
about it is fine. It's real use is to take that reading and average
across the previous week.

Stepping on the scale more than once per day never seems to do
anything for anyone but make them frustrated. Don't do it. Step
on it a few times the first day you own the scale to know how much
inaccuracy there is to it, then never-ever step on the scale more than
once per day.

The time scale for fat loss is month to month no matter how not one
dieter in history has disliked the fact. But disliking a fact does
not
make it false. Stepping on the scale daily can show a new low as
long as you can acheive emotional detachment. Stepping on the
scale more than once per day can't possibly give any new information
about fat loss during the loss phases.

On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 00:06:05 -0500, "Ann in Houston"
wrote:



Why do you not trust your scale?

Take what you can get!

It's very inconsistent. It changes from moment to moment


Yeah, my old scale does that. That was why I bought a new one.