The FastDay Forum

Not sure if this is discussed before

on another thread.. 5-2-diet-chat-f6/for-daily-weighers-what-is-your-10-day-weight-range-t9212.html we were discussing how peoples range of weight can be as high as 1.5kg in a 10 day period. and in a thread where @TheFrog suggested a new low weigh was not her true weight it got me thinking

"what is our true weight".

so if someone asks you your weight do we say

- lowest in last 7,10 or 30 days
- median weight in a given period and if so which period
- highest youv'e recorded in week, 10 days or month?

with such ups and downs if someone asks im tempted to say the lowest weight i registered in last 10 days as it a heap better than an avge

whats the official weight your supposed to give?

I say my lowest! This week I didn't fast before my usual weigh in day and waited until today, after a fast, to do my official weigh in because I knew it would be lower! It was a whole 5 pounds lower.

That is the very highest it has fluctuated because it's the time of the month, but it's can be anywhere between 2 on the lowest end and 5 on the highest.

I am reading though "Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition" 6th edition by Whitney, Cotaldo and Rolfes (they are up to the 9th edition (I think)) but I only have the 6th edition at home. There is no definition for weight per se. There is a chapter on "Defining Healthy Body Weight" which reflects on weight:height, BMI etc but there is no explanation of when one should weigh.

So is stepping on a scale the day after fasting reflect my true weight when I know that if I step on the scale tonight (after our weekly family dinner, think of a big dinner, all the trimmings, dessert) that it will no longer show 59.5kg?

Also if I woke up this morning and instead of first going to the bathroom and then weighing myself I drank two litres of water and then weighed myself this would reflect on the scales with an additional 2kg.

So it is a very interesting question that you pose @Juliana.Rivers

On top of all this I also think about not just my scales (that are ancient) but all scales are to some degree inaccurate. I was googling reviews for scales and I have noticed that some people say that some manufacturers are programming their scales to show the same weight if you step on and off twice in quick succession, the scale was programmed to show the same weight.

One person claims that they stepped on their scales and recorded their weight, they then stepped off and quickly picked up two kilos of flour and stepped back on the scales their scales showed the same weight as the first weigh in even though they were holding two extra kilos. It's just something else to consider. Our weighing machines aren't 100% accurate anyway.

So maybe it is a question for the philosophers I think ultimately I will go back to the monthly weigh in on the 6th of the month (my fastiversary date) and aim to see a general downward trend. In the meantime for the Christmas Club activities I shall do the daily weigh in and aim to be in 50-something as much as possible so I can say good bye to the 60's. Given my scales are not accurate and for the most part I just want to get on with my life albeit a healthier, slimmer life I think for me it will be the most appropriate option.

Thanks for posting such a thought provoking question.

I use Libra trend weight, smoothed over 10 days, measured after getting up in the morning and using the bathroom. Vital for maintenance! I too had spotted the scales repeating the last figure suspiciously confidently...

I live in an old farmhouse with uneven floors. Scales are wildly inaccurate! I can see I have lost weight. I refuse to go back to being ruled by what the scales say, a gain would make me binge. This has not happened since I started 5:2. I am now naturally eating less and with two fast days each week surely weight will come off? I am visiting family in the UK next week so will check on their scales in their modern house!

I use Libra trend weight, smoothed over 10 days, measured after getting up in the morning and using the bathroom. Vital for maintenance! I too had spotted the scales repeating the last figure suspiciously confidently...

Do you know the algorith for the smoothing on Libra trend weight CreakyPete

the repetition on previous weights is interesting. never thought of that. whats "quick succession". 1 minute, 10 seconds?

I live in an old farmhouse with uneven floors. Scales are wildly inaccurate! I can see I have lost weight. I refuse to go back to being ruled by what the scales say, a gain would make me binge. This has not happened since I started 5:2. I am now naturally eating less and with two fast days each week surely weight will come off? I am visiting family in the UK next week so will check on their scales in their modern house!

Think i mentioned it before somewhere. I weigh on a tiled floor and if i turn the scales 45 degrees i get a different weight so i make sure its on the same set of tiles and same direction. i just realised that i weigh myself on one tile
do it again. move the scales about a foot to the next tile and weigh myself again. am i going quietly crazy about all of this?

I do the same as Pete. I would say my trend weight over 10 days but I tend to be vague if asked...

So variable, there is no right answer.

I weigh myself every day but I only record and 'count' my weight on a Monday which is the start of my fasting week as that was the day I weighed myself before I began so I think gives a true measure of weight lost. My weight is about 2lb lower on Thursday morning after my second fast which I think is due to loss of water associated with depletion of glycogen stores and which is quickly replenished when eating normally. On the last 2 Thursdays my weight has dipped below 12 stone but I won't count myself as being in the '11s' until I see it on a Monday which will hopefully be in 2-3 weeks

Think i mentioned it before somewhere. I weigh on a tiled floor and if i turn the scales 45 degrees i get a different weight so i make sure its on the same set of tiles and same direction. i just realised that i weigh myself on one tile
do it again. move the scales about a foot to ext tile and weigh myself again. am i going quietly crazy about all of this?

I thought it was just me doing that with the scales! I weigh less on certain tiles than others hahaha and yes, floor is level.

I record lowest weight and say lowest too but have always thought it was wrong and I should really use the median. But I see the highest weight imprinted in my mind LOL

[carorees]

I do the same as Pete. I would say my trend weight over 10 days but I tend to be vague if asked...

So variable, there is no right answer.

True. That.

I usually say how much I have lost- my actual weight is between me and the scales, nobody else's business!

Juliana. - @kencc is the spreadsheet/trend smoothing expert, maybe his posts would be a good place to find out. Also the hackers diet website apparently gives a description of the algorithm but I have not been there to check..

I weigh myself every day but I only record and 'count' my weight on a Monday which is the start of my fasting week as that was the day I weighed myself before I began so I think gives a true measure of weight lost. My weight is about 2lb lower on Thursday morning after my second fast which I think is due to loss of water associated with depletion of glycogen stores and which is quickly replenished when eating normally. On the last 2 Thursdays my weight has dipped below 12 stone but I won't count myself as being in the '11s' until I see it on a Monday which will hopefully be in 2-3 weeks

This is exactly the system I use

Firstly I have to say that the only time anyone has ever asked me my weight has been when hiring skis, and then I give a rough answer usually rounded down as the ajustment is in 5 kilo increments anyway.
I guess if someone asked me I wouldn't be very precise, I wouldn't say 63.5, 63.8 or 63.2 which are the high/low/average readings this week, I would probably just say around 63kg.