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    Monday, September 01, 2008

    Weekly Weight Report (Riiight!)

    You remember when I was all amazed and excited about shedding weight a time back, right?

    Weekly reports on how much I was loosing, commentary on the losses, gains, stalled moments and all, it was a fun ride, and we shared it together for a while.

    Until I discovered that my scale was terribly inaccurate.

    Not that the weight lost wasn't accurate, just the numbers the scale was spitting out. The amount lost was still the same, as it was inaccurate to the same degree each time.

    I have yet to be able to afford a new scale, as there is so much else that is so much more important to pay for at the moment, and I kind of feel bad for not keeping up with the weekly thing anyway, but I'd also feel bad for giving you false numbers.

    I think you see where I'm going here, don't you?

    So, last time I weighed myself, about a month ago, the scale at our house said I weighed only 145lbs, and had 10lbs to go to my goal weight. With much joy and exuberance, I told you;

    Me:
    Starting weight (August 2007): 245lbs
    Last Week's Weight: 153lbs
    Current Weight: 145lbs
    Shed Weight: 8lbs
    Total drop to date: 100lbs
    Weight Goal: 135
    Pounds to Loose: 10

    I weighed myself on that rickety old liar of a scale again a week or so ago, and it said I had reached my goal! So the incorrect scale says I've lost that final ten pounds, and all the weight I planned to, but there's a problem.

    The scale is wrong, terribly, horribly wrong!

    Sure, I look like I did back in 200o, and that's great! I've effectively shed 8 years worth of consistent weight gain in a single year!

    Woohoo!

    But anyway, the scale reads low. If it wasn't for me knowing that I was nearly 200lbs back in 2000 that told me it was off, my friends weighing themselves on it would have convinced me for sure.

    They said they adored my scale, and it was great for motivation, but not much else, and I agree.

    So I have a little task ahead of me. I need to get a new (or at least new-to-me, and accurate) scale in the house, and find out how much I weigh now. I'll also have to find out what I topped off at, at my peak heaviness.

    I have a searing dread that I was over 300 pounds at my peak, and I'm honestly a little afraid to find out what I weighed back then, or what I weigh now for that matter. Looks like its time for a trip to the doctor, or at least the scale aisle in my local shopping center. *sigh*

    On the other hand, I was walking to the store the other day, and got wolf-whistled by three college boys in a pickup truck, so I know I'm looking lots better than I used to, even if the mirror didn't say so (and it does, loudly). *smile*

    Have you ever been a little happy to be deluded, even after you found out about it?

    7 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    You could recalibrate your scale. Most of them have a dial on them somewhere that you set it to the correct weight when you put a known mass upon it. A gallon of milk weighs a specific amount, for example (though I can't remember it right offhand).

    lovelife said...

    weight loss sucks at times/ At the start of summer I had storm get a new scale for the house in hopes that it would weigh me. it just goes up to a point and will not weigh you if you are over that point. well I had been to the dr the day b4 so I had the weight I was saved in my head.
    well as of last week I can weigh my self on the scale in the house have droped 36 lbs so far this summer and its going to be alot more I hope.
    Hope to get down 100 lbs by next summer but it not Its ok.
    So very good job on your end.

    Karen

    Todd said...

    *HUGS* May you find a scale that won't lie to you!

    As for being a little happy about a delusion... can't think of anything off the top of my head.

    Todd

    TheyDHD said...

    Maurkus,
    We'd just been recalibrating it to zero when it shifts!

    I hadn't even thought of recalibrating it using a known weighted object! I think you just saved me $25!

    Thanks! *grin*

    TheyDHD said...

    Lovelife,

    Congrats on your weight loss, and keep up the great work!

    I'm cheering for you!

    Anonymous said...

    Zero on a scale is not always zero. If the scale's a little off, then the real zero may actually be at one or two pounds above zero. Resetting it to zero thus doesn't always give an accurate reading. But if you put a known weight on it, and calibrate it for that, you've offset by the difference in zeros by making it display an accurate reading.

    TheyDHD said...

    Nope, from my best estimate, my scale is off by at least 20 pounds from what friends have said, but as soon as I recalibrate it, we'll know for sure! Shouldn't be more than a few days before that happens.