Does The Scale Lie?

I'm not really evil you know, apart from a baby I didn't put any weight on as had heartburn for almost the full nine months - I was even glugging gaviscon down in the delivery room. I'm glad to hear you're getting back ot normal now though. Wish I still had those jeans though, they wear out quicker than our bodies.

That is how I was with my first one. I only gained twenty pounds, and ten of that was in the last four weeks. I did not have morning sickness - I had all day, every day sickness, and the doctor was worried about my not gaining enough weight. For my little one, I was getting so violently ill that they prescribed anti-nausea medicine. Between the ani-nausea medicine and other complications that I did not have with my oldest, I gained more weight than I wanted. I thought that I wouldn't have much problem taking it off, but boy was I wrong! It really does feel good to be able to fit back into some of my old clothes. I am not where I want to be, but I am happy with the way that I look for the first time in a while.

Do you know that you are evil, Thea? It took three weeks but it was a great feeling to get back into them. - If only!! I had complications, though, so that is part of the reason that I was not able to lose the weight as quickly with my second one as I was with my first one. It really is a great feeling being able to wear these jeans again. I have now tried on some other clothes, and they fit me, too. I am starting to look like my old self again, which is wonderful, so I guess that I really am getting toned rather than putting on weight.

LOL... you are right. It's always telling something else.. So did you mange to gain some weight then?

LOL - that is funny! Unfortunately, I can totally relate to what she is saying. For a long time, I actually was trying to gain weight, because I was WAY too thin. It was pretty disgusting, because you not only could see my bones but could also count all my ribs. The scale did not want to co-operate with my then, either, because it refused to show that I had gained any weight. Now, it appears to be conspiring against me in the opposite direction. I think it is just an evil force that can read your mind and knows what you want to see, so it shows just the opposite. Alright, that really isn't what I think, but it does kind-of feel like that sometimes.

Yeah, I was really into weight-lifting for a long time, and it took a lot of hard work but I finally managed to gain weight, mostly through muscle mass. The down side of that was that I had to work even harder to maintain, since muscle burns more calories and I already had a high metabolism. Before I got pregnant with my little one, though, I was maintaining a good weight and was happy with my body. That is where I would like to be again someday, hopefully in the not too distant future.

Hi Purple, well that is different lol I did not realize you had been working out as you say you will have lost the Inches and that is wonderful I will still say well done

Thanks Gabs. I think my scale is pretty accurate, because I weighed the little one and it was right. I think that I might finally be getting the muscle tone that I have been working on for a while, which would account for the higher number on the scale but the loss of inches. It took me by surprise, and I didn't really think that was the case at first, because I have not been working out as much as I was over the summer. I think that all my hard work over the summer is finally paying off, though, so now I don't have to work quite so hard to see the results. Whatever it is, it is a wonderful feeling to be able to look in the mirror and like what I see.

Well, I wasn't exactly working out as much as being active. I did intend to lose not only weight but also inches, however that did not work so well in my previous attempts, so that was not my primary focus over the summer. I just tried to keep active and have fun, and that worked out really well. Once fall came and I returned home, though, I have not been as active, so it did not occur to me that I might still be getting thinner. It was a very pleasant surprise to realize that it happened.

Thanks Alice he is pretty excited about it. And purple yea I have clothes that fall off but I think mine really is just stretched out I haven't bought new clothes for myself in ages and well I only have about 1 or 2 shirts anymore that I can even wear in public LOL

I will go along with "the clothes don't lie", but again that is only to a certain extent. If you try on something fresh out of the dryer, then it might fit tight. After a couple of minutes of wearing it, though, it might fit normally again, because the dryer tends to shrink things a little. Obviously if something is falling off of you, though, then there is no question whatsoever that you have either lost quite a bit of weight or toned up a lot. I lost weight after I had the little one, but not enough to fit back into my normal clothes. Enough, though, so that my pregnancy clothes were way too big on me. I have been wearing baggy clothes for quite a while now, so I guess it was not as noticeable that they were getting baggier. I did notice that some things were literally falling off of me, but I just stopped wearing them. I actually thought that they had stretched out rather than that I had lost weight or toned-up. It sounds funny now, but since I wasn't really focusing on losing weight it seems to have come off quicker, so I wasn't really thinking that I was getting smaller.

Alice, you are definitely right about it being much easier to lose weight when you are working, especially if your job keeps you moving or even just too busy to snack. Angie, I think that you have probably lost weight but just don't realize it. I thought that mine were just stretched out, too, but it turns out that they really were just getting big on me. I can relate to only having one or two shirts that you can wear in public. I have several shirts, but I only have about two pairs of pants that are even remotely respectable. The rest have patches on their patches.

i'm going in to summer here, long as you are happy with the way you feel. i find it can take a while before you see results, better. keep up the good work.

Thanks Weasel. We are in fall here, so that is the time when most people gain weight. Spring and Summer tend to be the seasons that people lose the most weight. It might have to do with wanting to look good on the beach or it might be that they are able to get outside and be more active in the nice weather. Either way, you are right that it takes a while to see results, but they are definitely worth it in the long run.

I should get the tape measure out and take my measurements. I was doing that in the spring, but I got frustrated because I was not seeing the results very quickly. I am not sure where the paper with the measurements is, but I guess I should try to find it. I am not in a hurry to take the measurements, just in case I am disappointed, but since I am finally liking what I see when I look in the mirror, I guess that I shouldn't be too upset with whatever the measurements are. It sounds like you are losing weight or at least inches right now, too. Congratulations! This is usually the time of year when people gain weight, so I guess that we are doing something right.

Yeah, I thought that it might be off, even though it is supposed to be a self-adjusting one. When I weighed the little one, though, it was right. I was feeling pretty good about being able to fit into these jeans, however, until you reminded me that things shift and you can put on weight in different places. I think that I am pretty much losing inches right now, though, and they seem to be coming off in the right places at the moment. I had noticed before as I was losing weight that it was coming off my face and upper abdomen, but my lower abdomen still had a lot of the baby pouch. Now, I can't see the pouch when I put on my jeans, and it doesn't show in my sweatpants, either, unless I move just right and accentuate it. Overall, I am really happy with the progress that I am making, but it does still bother me a little that the number on the scale is not getting smaller as quickly as I would like.

You'll get there, especially now that I've taken the brownies back. :-)

Hey wait! Those are my top-secret weight loss brownies. I could never have dropped the inches without them, as they keep me from getting frustrated and allow me to chase the rainbows and shiny objects. Bingo - that is what it is! I have lost the weight from chasing all those shiny objects ... and here my husband said it was from all the "exercising" that we have been doing since I came back home.

That is a really great idea, Anne. I should try weighing something that I know the exact weight of on my scale. Mine is supposed to be a self-adjusting scale, and when I weighed the little one on it, the right weight displayed. This would be a great way to double-check it, though. I think that in my instance, it is just a case of "muscle weighs more than fat". I have tried on several things that I have not been able to wear since I was pregnant, and most of the items have fit. There are some things that are still too snug to wear, but most of them fit nicely. I have not been exercising as much as I did over the summer, so I was not really expecting to have lost inches. I think that all the work that I did over the summer is finally showing, though, and maybe I do not have to work as hard now to see results.

First, I am sorry that it took me so long to respond to you. I didn't notice that I had another response here, since it got buried under my other discussions and I have a very bad habit of not checking my e-mail for notifiers. I do go back through my discussions now and then to make sure that I haven't missed anybody, which is how I found this comment. You are right that there are a lot of factors that can affect your weight, like the time of day, whether or not you have eaten or drank anything and how much, the "time of month" for women, etc. That is one of the reasons that I waited until the next morning when I woke up to weigh myself instead of doing it when I realized that I could fit into the jeans that I could not previously wear. Unfortunately, the scale has remained steadfast in its weight, only fluctuating really during those "expected" times. I am not as concerned as I was before, though, because I have decided that the exercising that I have been doing is finally paying off in muscle tone and muscle mass, which can make you thinner but still weigh a couple of pounds more. Now, I am just trying to stay motivated during the winter, so that I do not lose the progress that I have finally made. So, do you have any of these issues? Do you weigh yourself or just go by the way your clothes fit or are you not even concerned about it at all? I remember the time before my last little one when I was not concerned about my weight or the way my clothes fit. Ahhh ... those were the days!

Hatley, I did know that your weight can fluctuate a couple of pounds over the course of the day, which is why I waited until the next morning to weigh myself. When I weigh myself, I do it when I first get up in the morning, as this produces more accurate results. I also knew that exercise firms up muscles, and muscles weigh more than fat. I just didn't think that I had been doing enough lately for this to be the case. As you pointed out, though, I obviously am becoming slimmer, since I can now fit into these jeans again. I guess it might have just taken time to slim down from the exercising that I have been doing, especially since it has not been as much lately as it was over the summer. Maybe you are right and now I am just building muscles, which takes longer but also burns more calories. Thanks for the encouragement and the reminder that I should just focus on the fact that I am now able to wear my "skinnier" clothes.

Yes, the way your doctor recommends is obviously the proper way to do it. We had to monitor the little one for quite a while, so I am pretty careful about doing it the right way. That is why I waited until the next morning to weigh myself instead of getting on the scale as soon as I realized that I could fit into the jeans. You do the Wii Fit, too? We borrowed one for a while, and it was wonderful. It not only tracks your weight but also your balance and fitness level. I was doing it every day and really enjoying it. As soon as we can afford it, my husband and I are going to buy one as a joint Christmas present, because we both liked it. There are two player things, but we also take turns and try to beat each others scores at games. It is a fun and competitive way to lose weight while increasing muscle tone and flexibility.

Yes, that is definitely true, and it is an easy concept to understand. I have not been exercising as much lately as I was over the summer, though, so I did not think that this would be the case. I guess that my efforts have slowly caught up with me, however, and the muscle mass is gradually replacing the fat, so I am finally starting to see the results. I guess it just surprised me that it is happening now instead of over the summer, which is when I would have expected it to happen, so I did not jump to that conclusion right away.

Yes, you brought up a great point about weight varying, especially at different times of the month for women. I read somewhere that during that time of the month, although you might feel bloated and uncomfortable, that is actually the best time to exercise, because you burn more calories. It is related to your hormone levels, etc. I try to remember to exercise more at that time, but sometimes I just don't feel like moving. Thank you so much, English, for that vote of confidence! It really is a victory, and it feels wonderful. I was out with my husband yesterday, and we saw some guys that he used to work with. I haven't seen them in about three months, and they noticed that I lost weight. They said I look great, so I guess it is noticeable, especially if guys are noticing and commenting on it.

That is weird that both your scales say that you weigh different, especially in such a short amount of time. I know that you can gain or lose a pound or two over the course of a day, which is why you are supposed to weigh yourself at the same time each day - preferably in the morning before you eat or drink anything. They should not fluctuate in such a short amount of time, though. I know that the best determination of whether you have gained or lost weight is how your clothes fit. Unfortunately, it takes a lot longer to see results that way, although it does tend to be more accurate. If you can see the number on the scale going down, though, it tends to positively reinforce what you have been doing until the clothes can confirm that you are moving in the right direction. I guess that I don't have enough patience, especially if there is a chance that I could be putting on weight rather than taking it off. I really am trying to focus on the positive aspect of fitting into my "skinnier jeans", but I still have to admit that I am a little disappointed that the scale does not confirm that I am losing weight. As Hatley pointed out, however, the exercising that I have been doing might finally be turning into muscle mass, which would be wonderful news.

I have the digital scale and the regular one. They both say different things. I agree with Hatley. You are probably building body mass and muscle tone since you're working out. I hope you reach your target before Christmas :-)

That makes more sense, because the scales are different kinds. Overall, I think that the digital scales are more accurate, but that is not always the case. I think that you and Hatley are right about the muscle mass and muscle toning theory being the right one, in my case anyways. I was out today and someone that I haven't seen for two or three months commented on how great I look and how much weight I have lost and how I look more toned, so I guess that it is definitely noticeable.

Soybeans, you are entirely correct not only about scales but also about how weight can fluctuate over the course of a day. That is why I waited until the next morning to weigh myself and double-checked the accuracy by weighing my little one. Unfortunately, I think the scale was accurate. It is not all bad, though. I have found that I can fit into more of my former clothes than I had originally thought. I have a "brand new" wardrobe without having to spend a penny on it. Apparently, the weight loss is more noticeable to other people, too, because I have gotten comments about it since I have started wearing my "new" old clothes. I guess that it is hard to tell that someone is losing weight and toning up when they only wear extremely baggy clothes that hide their shape. It feels good to have a figure again.