Unexpected weight! what is going onnnnn?longish story, sorry:(

Ok, so I went away for the holidays. I took a vacation from mid december to mid january, I went to my mom's house, and I ate horribly... I guess a combo of the hoidays plus family anxiety etc. Either way, I gained 5 pounds in that month. Very upset by this, when I returned home I went back on my diet. there have been a few little slips throughout the month but definitely nothing major, and I'm definitely eating way better and way less then I was at my mom's.
When I returned home my scale was broken, I have no idea what happened to it while I was gone but it was totally dented and said I weighed 25 pounds (haha). So I bought a new ,pretty cheap scale at the dollar store. I was too afraid to weigh myself because I knew about the 5 pound gain from my trustworthy scale at my mom's ( I've been weighing myself on that scale for years...and it always seems to match up corretly). Today i Finally get the courage to weigh myself on the new scale and after a month of detoxing and working harder, it says I've gained 3 pounds! I know muscle weighs more than fat...but I seriously doubt I've gained muscle since basically I've just been dieting and walking 3 miles each day. Could this new scale just be wrong? is that possible, or is that just wishful thinking? I hate the idea that maybe I'm just continuing to gain for no reason. is THAT possible?
panicking here! thanks!

Tue. Feb 27, 9:40am

Unfortunately that's the problem with hiding from your weight. Instead of facing the truth in the face and working from there you've been hiding. Now you don't even have a baseline because your scale broke. Possibly you gained more than you thought originally, possibly you haven't lost that much, or possibly the scale isn't the most accurate.

It's impossible for us to say. How far away is you mom's. Could you visit for the weekend and check her scale to see what it says? That would at least tell you where you are at for sure.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 9:51 AM

you write that you hate the idea of gaining for no reason, but your whole post outlines many reasons that you may be gaining. stop trying to figure out that which you cannot figure out and get back on track. your new scale may not be accurate, but it will probably help you calculate future weight gain/loss. chalk it up as a lesson learned and move forward, adhering to your "diet" a bit more in the future so you won't put yourself through this again. you can do it!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 9:57 AM

This is a cautionary tale about not buying scales from the Dollar Store.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 10:09 AM

i think it's more of a cautionary tale about sticking to eating well no matter who you are with or where you are. that is, if you get anxious after gaining weight when you change your eating habits for the worse...it seems obvious that there is a bit of self-sabotage going on with the OP-pretty much a classic case, blaming everything but her/him self. not to be mean, just real.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 10:18 AM

I upgraded my scale a year ago and "gained" 5 lbs. I've had other group members experience new-scale variations in both directions.

And a dollar-store scale is a real waste of a dollar. Do you think the manufacturer cares if it's calibrated at all? For someone focused on losing weight, a decent scale is worth the investment (and I'm talking about $30, not $300).

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 11:47 AM

I don't know why anyone would freak out over gaining 3 lbs. How snug are your clothes? If they're getting tighter, workout more/eat better. If you haven't noticed a change in your size, chill out. Stress often leqads to weight gain, and your panicking is likely to make you gain weight.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 1:39 PM

OY! Never ever buy a scale at a dollar store. Go into a store where there are several scales and get on each one a few times. Go with the one that says the same thing each time and is closest to one other scale.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007, 9:32 PM

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