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Conference rocks::weight_control

Title: Weight Loss and Maintenance
Notice:**PLEASE** enter notes in mixed case (CAPS ARE SHOUTING)!
Moderator:ASICS::LESLIE
Created:Tue Jul 10 1990
Last Modified:Tue Jun 03 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:933
Total number of notes:9931

115.0. "Scales is scales, NOT TRUE!" by NEBVAX::BELFORTI (Short Term = 6 down, 44 to go) Fri Sep 18 1987 17:49

    Just a word to the wise...................................
    
    		ALWAYS WEIGH YOURSELF ON THE SAME SCALE
    
    I was really bummed out today, at our WW meeting on Tuesday the
    scales said I had lost 6#.  Just for the heck of it, today I went
    in to the nurses office and used their scales.....  it says I have
    gained it all beck.  NO WAY!  This is only week 2, and I have been
    extra careful about what I put in my mouth.  My scales at home this
    morning said I was down a total of 11#.
    
    Next Tuesday, I will weigh at home and then with the WW scales,
    just to coordinate them, but I will only use mine as a guide (not
    the gospel).  
    
    I know I have not gained that weight back!  There is no doubt in
    my mind that the nurses scales are wrong, even if they did tell
    me that the scales are very accurate.  We'll see come Tuesday!
    
    Mary-Lynn

T.RTitleUserPersonal
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115.1QBUS::WOODLost in love...........Fri Sep 18 1987 20:1713
    
    Remember, all scales do not weigh the same.  
    
    Also, remember that for us who are female, our weight can
    fluctuate by 5 pounds very easily.  That is why my Dr. 
    suggested that I not weigh at all between office visits.
    It can be very discouraging!
    
    Hang in there...you'll make it! 
    
    		My
    

115.2WORDS::KRISTYWascally WoobieFri Sep 18 1987 20:4510
    Believe me Mary-Lynn, the nurse's scale in MK1 are NOT accurate.
     I have found them to be consistently 2-5 lbs heavier than what
    Weight Watchers scales weigh me at.  Fortunately, I don't have a
    scale at home, therefore I'm not tempted to weigh myself a lot during
    the week.  If you weigh yourself after lunch, you probably had an
    extra pound or so.  If you must weigh yourself between WW meetings,
    weigh yourself at approximately the same time of day each time.
    
    					*** Kristy ***

115.3confessions of a scale junkyTIGEMS::RYDERAl Ryder, aquatic sanitary engineerSun Sep 20 1987 09:50171
    There are several issues here:

        Your weight fluctuation over several:

          Hours, days, and weeks

          And for young women, during the month      and

        The variations of scales:

          both in repeatability	on the same scale, same session
    				with and without foot movement

          and in accuracy.

    The recommendation to not weigh frequently is tied to the emotional
    response of the subject.  Personally, I get weighed more than seven
    times per week; that has helped me understand the variation in
    weighings and it does no motivational harm to me.  The rest of this
    note shares my experiences and observations.  The last page is a graph
    of daily weighings over almost four months; it demonstrates both the
    plateaus and the day-to-day variations. 




    My reference scale is a bathroom scale, NSC model 22, by Novus
    Electronics.  The readout is at eye level in half-pound increments
    (switchable to kilogram readings).  Having checked it against DEC
    scales, a health club balance scale, and a doctor's scale, I am
    confident that the absolute error is no more than a pound.  The [weight
    distribution] repeatability is within a half pound.  When I stand on it
    in a ritualistic way, close my eyes, and concentrate on an even
    front/back weight distribution, the repeatability is almost always
    perfect.  As a body weight reference, it seems trustworthy. 

    Each morning I eat a rather standardized breakfast, exercise, attend to
    personal functions, then weigh myself.  The weighings are recorded. 

    Observations:
    -------------

    If the diet has normal variability, day-to-day weight variations will
    exceed a half pound and then some.  Hence my satisfaction with my
    scale. 

    Weighings at any other time of day will, at least for me, show severe
    instability.  The worst time is immediately after the evening meal.  My
    Weight Watcher weighings are about twenty minutes after my Thursday
    dinner, so I don't really pay much attention to their numbers.  For
    example, my dinner last Thursday was chili, and I had to drink a lot of
    water to counter the spices; my WW weight was up two pounds, but the
    data included below clearly denies the implication of that measurement.

    The DEC scale at MKO2 seems more accurate and repeatable than my home
    scale.  If you don't have an accurate scale at home, then weigh
    yourself right after arriving at work.  Try to standardize or correct
    for your clothing and accouterments, but don't be a fanatic --- your
    variation in pocket change will probably be less than two ounces. 

    The following graph is over 80 columns wide and has about 100 lines. 


        195       200       205       210       215       220       225       230
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  8/21   |         |        *|         |         |         |         |         |         |
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  8/23   |         |        *|         |         |         |         |         |         |
  8/24   |         |         |  *      |         |         |         |         |         |
  8/25   |         |         *         |         |         |         |         |         |
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  8/30   |         |  *      |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  8/31   |         |       * |         |         |         |         |         |         |
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  9/ 2   |         |  *      |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/ 3   |         | *       |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/ 4   |        *|         |         |         |         |         |         |         |
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  9/ 6   |         |   *     |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/ 7   |         |    *    |         |         |         |         |         |         |
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  9/ 9   |         |    *    |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/10   |         |  *      |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/11   |        *|         |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/12   +---------+--*------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+
  9/13   |         *         |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/14   |         |   *     |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/15   |         |  *      |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/16   |         | *       |         |         |         |         |         |         |
  9/17   |         |*        |         |         |         |         |         |         |
        *|         |         |         |         |         |         |         |         |
         +-*-------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+---------+

115.4I weigh dailyRSTS32::KASPERBeverly T KasperWed Nov 11 1987 16:0317
  I also prefer to weigh myself daily -- after going to the bathroom,
  before showering or eating *anything*.  The only variation is the
  weight of my nightgown!  This is the lowest weight of the day, and
  least subject to variance from other than hormonal/allergic water
  retention.
  
  I understand the emotional reasons against daily weight, but I don't
  share them.  If my weight is down, I'm not tempted to cheat -- It's
  Working!!  No problem to stick with it on those days!  If it's up
  or steady, well, I'll have to be super-careful to stay on-program.
  
  I don't really care if my scale is correct in an absolute sense.  I'm 
  enough overweight that I just care about the direction it's moving in.  
  And when I get to the vicinity of target, I'll worry about how I look
  and feel, not what some chart tells me I should weigh!
  

115.5butREGAL::ACKERMANFri Nov 20 1987 13:209
    We had a long discussion about scales in WW class the other night.
    The leader made some good points.  The first was that she suggested
    moving your scale around the floor from spot to spot.  At each spot
    you'll probably weigh differently.  EVen more important is the fact
    that most people keep the scale in the bathroom, where it soaks
    up humidity from your hot showers.  If you weigh yourself after
    a shower, the scale will weigh differently.  I would go crazy if
    I weighed myself every day and didn't allow for day-to-day variations.

115.6SUPER::HENDRICKSThe only way out is throughThu Dec 31 1987 20:549
    I keep the bathroom scales in the same place on the floor.
    
    When I get on I lean forward to make it go as low as I can (that's
    fun), and then lean backward for the high number.  I divide the
    2 for the daily weight.  Seems to match my friend's weighted scale
    pretty closely!
    
    About 3 times a week works for me.

115.7did I reply to this yet? :-)ARGUS::CORWINI don't care if I AM a lemmingMon Jan 04 1988 13:2716
I weigh myself every morning (that I'm home--being away for almost a week
at Christmas was real hard), wearing nothing, after going to the bathroom.
I also lean forwards and backwards, which don't vary more than a pound, and
take the "average".  I'm looking more for downward trends than absolute, so
I don't worry too much about it.

I've found that when I was losing weight, weighing in at the scale at
Weight Watchers before lunchtime and wearing my clothes agreed with my home
measurement.  Now there seems to be more of a skew.  maybe it's a different
scale?  Maybe my body just acts differently during the day now?

But it's the downward trend (or level trend, depending on my mood) that's
important to me.

Jill

115.8Take the following with a grain of salt :-)STAR::YANKOWSKASBe vewy quiet I'm hunting wabbitsMon Jan 04 1988 13:375
    I put the scale in five different positions on the floor, move around
    on the scale three times...and then take the lowest figure! :-)
    
    py

115.9know what I mean? :-)ARGUS::CORWINI don't care if I AM a lemmingWed Jan 13 1988 11:288

		Scales, scales, on the floor...
		Give me a reading that I'll adore!


				-from the comic section of my sister's paper

115.10relocated from another note; Jan.88WORDS::KRISTYThirty-three per cent less WoobieSat Mar 05 1988 22:27124
VLNVAX::CHEN                                         17 lines   4-JAN-1988 10:25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    	when you weight yourself, should you weight with the clothes on
    or off? before your meal or after?  I want to know exactly how much
    do I have to loss.  The difference between my clothes on and off
    are 3-5 lbs, depends on what kind of shoes I am wearing. And the
    difference between a meal is usually 2-5 lbs.  The chart shows that
    I should weight between 126-135 lbs.  I weight 135 lbs without clothes
    on and before meal, and I am FAT!!!!  I have a big donut around
    my waist and fat rear end and fat legs......  
        I have been trying to follow Jill's advice to eat less portion
    of food, but it is so hard to controll myself to eat less.  I can
    completly not eat anything at all, but once I start eating, it is
    hard to stop.
    	Anyway, I joined the WW at work starting Jan 6, I will try harder
    this time.
    
    Charlotte
================================================================================
Note 184.1                  How does the scale work?                      1 of 5
STAR::YANKOWSKAS "Be vewy quiet I'm hunting wabbits" 17 lines   4-JAN-1988 10:35
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    re .0:
                                                                 
    In tracking one's weightloss efforts on a home scale, the most
    important thing in my opinion is consistency.  If you're going to use a
    home scale on a regular basis (which BTW, WW discourages), it is best
    to weigh yourself at the same time of day and with the same approximate
    amount of clothing on each time.  This way, you get a truer picture of
    how your efforts are proceding than if you, say, weigh yourself first
    thing in morning naked one day and weigh yourself with shoes on after a
    heavy dinner two days later.  (FWIW, I weigh myself first thing
    in the morning without clothes.)
    
    
    Best of luck,
    Paul
    
                                    
================================================================================
Note 184.2                  How does the scale work?                      2 of 5
ARGUS::CORWIN "I don't care if I AM a lemming"       18 lines   4-JAN-1988 10:47
                       -< another vote for consistency! >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Charlotte,

I agree with Paul, the most important thing is consistency.  I, too, weigh
myself first thing in the morning and without clothes.  This is probably
the most "consistent" way to do it (if you're going to weigh yourself at home)
since wearing different clothes or eating different amounts of food will cause
fluctuation.

I'm really glad to hear you're joining WW; I'll probably see you there Weds.
WW does discourage between meeting weigh-in's, since weighing yourself more
often can discourage you into eating if you haven't lost, and can encourage
you into eating if you have lost!  Depends on the person, I think.  Our
instructor has several times asked "who weighs themselves every day?" and most
people admitted to it.  It's hard not to; I've found a lower weight usually
encourages me to lose more, and a higher weight encourages me to watch what
I'm doing more carefully.

Jill
================================================================================
Note 184.3                  How does the scale work?                      3 of 5
SRFSUP::GOLDSTEIN "Don Goldstein"                    10 lines   4-JAN-1988 15:31
                                  -< Me too >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    
    Yeah, I agree also!  Weigh yourself naked after waking up and before
    eating.  
    
    Have you considered an exercise program?  The hardest part is not
    starting, but rather keeping it up consistently.  My experience
    has been that eating plays a much larger role in weight control
    but exercise definitely makes the going easier.
    
    
================================================================================
Note 184.4                  How does the scale work?                      4 of 5
GERBIL::JAFFE "The Big Blue Buster from CMG"         13 lines   6-JAN-1988 08:24
                               -< Scale Shmale >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I am so tired of hearing about the almighty scale!! I agree with
    the prior replies about consistancy but---
    You should not live by the scale or the chart but rather on how
    you and I stress YOU look and feel as well as the advice of your
    doctor. If you see the donut around the middle and don't like it,
    get rid of it by any or all of the methods mentioned in this file.
    WW is great for losing and establishing control over weight. 
    
    WHAT IS WRONG WITH STEPPING ON THE SACRED PLATFORM ONCE A WEEK.
    
    I don't mean to be out of step- I am a long time WW and have a real
    problem but I personally do better without the scale on a daily
    basis and check for trends on a weekly basis.
================================================================================
Note 184.5                  How does the scale work?                      5 of 5
KAOFS::D_FORREST                                     16 lines   9-FEB-1988 01:41
                           -< Ideal Weight Depends >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Hi Charlotte,
    	I think the best way to find out how much you'd like to lose
    is to have a percent body fat analysis done.  The charts are very
    generalized.  I'm going to try to get to the chart range and then
    have my percent fat done again.  Right now I'm 33 percent.  I'd
    like to see how I feel at 16 percent ultimately.
    	Also did the chart you used separate ranges for Large, Medium,
    and Small frames?  And the chart I have specifies indoor clothing,
    and no shoes.
    	Louise has commented in other notes on the difference between
    body fat and Ideal chart weight.  And she put it alot better than
    I can, but hope this helps.  If you want I can look you up on the
    chart I have.
    
    Cheers
    	Debra

115.11Hearsay? No Way/Get the FactsESKIMO::BERNIERWed Dec 16 1992 18:1745


	I've been frustrated lately with my bathroom scale.  It
	is a digital type with the read out on the scale opposed
	to a remote digital display.  It varies up to six pounds
	at times.  I have no confidence in it and when seriously
	attemptting to lose weight it is discouraging to say the
	least.

	I decided to dig up some information from good old Consumer
	Reports.  There were two major factors that I am interested
	in.  Accuracy and repeatability.  Other concerns listed
	were price, type IE: platform, digital, speedometer dial
	type, stand up ect....  

	These are the basic results:

	Repeatability:  Some scales repeated readings within 1/2 lb.
	consistently throughout the entire range.  Some scales were 
	within 1 lb. under 200 lbs., but not over.  And some varied
	throughout the entire spectrum.

	Accuracy:  Some scales were accurate within 1 lb. throughout
	the ranges. Some were accurate within 1.5 lbs below 200 but 
	over 200 were off as much as 2.5 lbs.  Others varied up to 5 
	pounds below 200 and up to 10 pounds over 200.	

	I was surprised that the majority of scales on the market were 
	so unreliable.

	The best buy for the money is a Metro 9800.  It is $39.99 at  
	service merchandise and scored the highest in repeatability, 
	within 1 lb. throughout the spectrum and also within 1 lb. 
	accuracy.

    	A good scale should also be accurate on a rugged or bare floor
    
	Detailed information is available in Consumer Reports July 1989
	pages 461-465.  The library here at HLO had these.

	/andy