Eyes vs Scale

[EasyEJL]

So I started a CKD last week, and since I did my weight has fluctuated wildly in a 3-4 pounds up/down range. I'm still a pound or so over my low from before I started BUT should I trust the digital hi tech self zeroing scale or the mirror?

(in Queensryche's words)
"I've always known that the mirror never lies"

cause honestly day by day in the mirror (and looking at vascularity, etc) I can see that I am still loosing fat. Its readily apparent in certain areas. Maybe I need to just take the longer term view and not pay attention to intermediate fluctuations (like with my 401k).

just wanted to share a source of my frustration

[OCCFan023]

Mirror all the way.

Not only is it a better tool for self accessment and gain but it is really a motivating factor (especially while cutting as I dont really like seeing the numbers go down [mentally] but when tightening up in the mirror its well worth it.)

I use scales probably once a week if at all and just to check it out, mirror daily (not in a lame guido way, Im just saying to track progress ya know... .)

[Wedgylx]

I feel your pain. I don't have a scale at home, but lately my vascularity and definition has been outstanding.

I went to the gym to check out how many lbs I've lost in the past month, and I'm actually +1-2lbs. I think I added some weight especially in my legs, which accounts for the difference (I have knee problems and just started working legs again in the past 1-1.5months and my legs look about 3X thier size from before then)

[EasyEJL]

I'm eating below maintenance calories, doing a good 1000 calories a day in the gym 7 days a week, and somehow its still at least short term going up again. Thats why its driving me nuts, but I do look better in the mirror.

I'm starting to think it may be water retention from creatine, plus water retention from eating too much salty bacon and sausage on the CKD

[bitterplacebo]

Sometimes with that kind of diet, it takes some up to the third or fourth week before things start to really kick in. I wouldn't go with just what the scale says. I just finished a diet of that kind that went for 12 weeks. The first week my scale weight dropped down dramatically, but I knew this was just the loss of gastrointestinal bulk from the diet change. Then from about the third to 9th weeks, I lost scale weight through mainly fat without having to ever having to lower my calories. Overall, minus thirty pounds, from ~14% to 5-6% bodyfat, and gained strength. You can also get some fat calipers pretty cheaply to add another dimension to measuring your progress. And measuring in the mornings might help eliminate water retention throwing off the readings.

[SatireWolf]

So I started a CKD last week, and since I did my weight has fluctuated wildly in a 3-4 pounds up/down range. I'm still a pound or so over my low from before I started BUT should I trust the digital hi tech self zeroing scale or the mirror?

(in Queensryche's words)
"I've always known that the mirror never lies"

cause honestly day by day in the mirror (and looking at vascularity, etc) I can see that I am still loosing fat. Its readily apparent in certain areas. Maybe I need to just take the longer term view and not pay attention to intermediate fluctuations (like with my 401k).

just wanted to share a source of my frustration

It depends on the scale... Most wal-mart grade scales are +-2-3 lbs. Tanita makes some 0.2 lbs accurate scales that are pretty good, but the vast majority of scales won't even read the same between 5 successive readings back to back. Much less 2. If you stand EXACTLY the same way every time on the scale, in exactly the same place then it's accurate. If not, see if your Gym or place of fitness that you go has one of those Dr. grade push the weight over scales. Those are pretty darn accurate. The cheap digital stuff (I have a 50 dollar walmart grade body fat scale that works, but like I said it's not THAT accurate) is just not very accurate.

You'll notice that REAL scales are very expensive. If you HAVE to go cheap cheap, at least get a decent analog scale.

[EasyEJL]

The cheap digital stuff (I have a 50 dollar walmart grade body fat scale that works, but like I said it's not THAT accurate) is just not very accurate.

I think i have the same scale as you My gym does have a drs scale, but by the time I get there i've probably had at least 48oz of water, plus supplements. thats at least +3 pounds, plus clothes

[somewhatgifted]

The GI tract is an evil mistress and can easily sway scale numbers. The mirror is marred my personal misconception, just keep workin.

[SatireWolf]

I think i have the same scale as you My gym does have a drs scale, but by the time I get there i've probably had at least 48oz of water, plus supplements. thats at least +3 pounds, plus clothes

Well even if you only weigh in at the gym, as long as most of the parameters are the same you can track the trend, not the beginning weight before you started loading up on supps and water. What I do is take 3 weigh in's a day at the same time, and plot them versus time on graph paper. Then after a week or so I draw a line average through the points. Somewhat of a weighted average line, gives you a good overview of your progress. You can do 2 weigh in's a day or 1, but graphing it gives you more of an overview as you can see high low trends, and see the overall weekly loss / gain. If you're pulsing your diet, you will fluctuate quite a bit anyways, but if you graph it, at least you'll see the 'bigger picture'.

<--- Physicist in me talking...

[WhatsaRoid?]

Well even if you only weigh in at the gym, as long as most of the parameters are the same you can track the trend, not the beginning weight before you started loading up on supps and water. What I do is take 3 weigh in's a day at the same time, and plot them versus time on graph paper. Then after a week or so I draw a line average through the points. Somewhat of a weighted average line, gives you a good overview of your progress. You can do 2 weigh in's a day or 1, but graphing it gives you more of an overview as you can see high low trends, and see the overall weekly loss / gain. If you're pulsing your diet, you will fluctuate quite a bit anyways, but if you graph it, at least you'll see the 'bigger picture'.

<--- Physicist in me talking...

Great post...ima start doing this. And my vote is for the mirror the scale is bull**** cuz of the water waight, shoes, pants etc.