The tale of the dodgy scale

Friday, May 9, 2014 Permalink

I’ve often talked about the dire relationship I have with the voice of doom or scales of judgement. I’ve also however, talked about the fact that I realise the bathroom scale is a bloody inanimate object not worthy of such dread (and *ahem* revere – in equal parts!).

Because I’d stopped ‘dieting’ and weighing myself I threw away my old bathroom scale during my seachange 18 months ago.

However – unlike some people who quit dieting and become mindful and intuitive eaters before magically (albeit eventually) losing weight – that wasn’t the case for me and my realtively-recent 20ishkg weight gain is well-documented.

When I started Weight Watchers I had no choice but to get weighed. With some regularity. As it happens, I’d much prefer to not have to get on the scale once a week but – alas…

Initially I decided against getting my own bathroom scale and just visited my mother (who lives about 50km away) to use hers. However, it was a struggle to get there on the same day each week and within a month I realised I needed to bite the bullet and find an alternative. I considered options like public scales at local shopping centres, or using a friend’s but as my mother had been planning to get a new set she offered me hers (with whom which I now had a relationship of sorts). And I happily accepted.

Pic from a gazillion FB pages.

Pic from a gazillion FB pages.

However, they’ve become increasingly unstable. I did wonder if I was too close to the maximum weight level, causing them to struggle with accuracy but my mum recently tested them and fortunately they were just as variable for her.

I’ve since tried new batteries to no avail.

It’s a bit like The Biggest Loser – where the faux scale we see at judging is programmed to jump around markedly before settling on the correct weight. You know what I mean. Poor Alice gets on and the readings start leaping about: 157; 98; 132; 89…. before finally settling on somewhere in between.

Mine isn’t quite that bad, but almost. I tend to take solace in the fact that the range keeps peaking at a lower point – nevertheless, I’m forced most weeks to take an ‘average’.

You’d think this would actually be a bad thing, but I have to confess I kinda like it. Given my long history with the numbers on the scale and tendency for specificity, I’m glad I can approximate my weight. Of course, the fact that I’m on there at least once every day means that finding an average is pretty easy.

I vowed I wouldn’t weigh more than once a week but can’t help myself. Are you as bad?
Is your bathroom scale precise?

I’m flogging my blog With Some Grace today.

10 Comments
  • Char
    May 9, 2014

    My scales aren’t precise at all. But my jeans are precise and if I can get them up without undoing the zip I’m happy. Heaven knows what my real weight is.

    • Debbish
      May 9, 2014

      Most of my clothes are stretchy or really loose – I try not to buy anything fitting as I feel uncomfortable – so are no use at all!!! #alas

  • Sam Stone @ A Life on Venus
    May 9, 2014

    I am completely shocking. Once I even had to get rid of them. It was not good.

    • Debbish
      May 10, 2014

      Oh yes, I’ve done that a few times!

  • JM Peace
    May 9, 2014

    My scales and I have a love/hate relationship. I will only use them when I am actively losing weight. When my clothes get tighter, I avoid them or accuse them of lying 🙂

    • Debbish
      May 10, 2014

      Yes! And of course they DO lie! #bloodythings

  • EssentiallyJess
    May 12, 2014

    I went through an extreme stage of weighing myself constantly, but haven’t done it for a while now.
    Funny, that picture showed up in my son’s school reader the other day. In a book on old fashioned clothes. Wonder where it came from originally?

    • Debbish
      May 12, 2014

      It was on a heap of Facebook feeds recently. I shared it on my personal or DS page but it was shared from a share and so forth. Yes, I wonder what the original context was!

  • Jess
    May 13, 2014

    I haven’t used the scale in so long. I get obsessive over it too easily!

    • Debbish
      May 13, 2014

      Yes, me too (obviously). Mind you, NOT getting on the scale hasn’t worked too well for me in the past either! 🙂

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