Wow, I could have written this. I'm down 54 lbs as of this morning (220 to 166).

First, please check out r/loseit. There are wonderful people over there who absolutely excel at providing advice and support much better than me. You'll see thousands of stories of people just like you (and me) who have been where you are and who are still where you are.

As others have said, motivation fades and sheer determination is what will pull you through. Just take one small step every day. Today, just read a little on r/loseit. Next week, google TDEE and write down what you eat without trying to restrict.

Also - No zero days

You've got this and people are here to help!

EDIT: OK, now I'm on a computer and can type for real. I'm 35, female, 5' 5" tall (or 1.67 meters) and weighed 158 lbs at 10 yrs old. I've been there. I've been depressed. I've felt worthless. I won't pretend to understand exactly what you're going through, but I think I can relate.

First, let me say congrats on taking a step by posting here. You know you want to change and that's the first thing you have to do - make a decision. The second step is much harder...actually taking the step. You can plan forever and feel like you've accomplished something, but planning doesn't count without action.

Before I type out actual weight-loss advice. I want you to check on one thing - your medication. I'm absolutely not saying you need to go back on it, but please take a hard look at going off and if what you're feeling is related to that. Please, make sure you're working with a doctor to change/go off your medication. You may still be "coming down" from it. I truly don't know the specifics of these things, but I've seen the effects. I've seen too many people go off their medication because they "feel fine" not realizing that it's the medication that creating that feeling. Talk to your doctor, (s)he may say it's normal, maybe you need to try something different, maybe you don't need them any more, but please please please put some hard, rational thought into it. OK PSA over.

I know you're looking for motivation, but motivation fades. And it's not even determination that keeps you going. It's habit, making something so common, so boring, so regular that it feels weird to not be doing it. Measure your food (e.g., servings) until anything more than one serving that looks weird. Walk 15 minutes everyday at 4:45 PM until going a day without it feels weird. By the way, it took me maybe 3 months of dedication for these things to become habit. Make a chart. Do your habits 3 days next week. 4 days the week after that. Work up to 6 or 7. Give yourself gold stars. (No zero days...)

Ok, some concrete things. I'm going to offer a few universal pieces of advice, followed by a few things that worked for me. Take everything with a grain of salt. If I've learned anything, it's that everyone needs to figure out what works for them.

• Small steps - Please don't go from 2500 calories a day to 1200. You'll fail by dinner. This week, just weigh/measure and write down what you eat and look up the calories. Don't try to cut anything out yet. You need to get a baseline. Maybe all you need to do is cut out the daily Starbucks. Maybe you eat healthy, but too much - cut each serving by 1/4 cups. You won't know unless you figure out where to start.
  
• Don't set an "all or nothing" attitude - I'M NEVER EATING SUGAR AGAIN!!! The quickest way to get a stubborn asshole like me to do something (i.e., eat sugar) is to tell me I can't do it. I feel this is a universal issue.
  
• CICO - aka Calories in vs. calories out. This is the weight-loss guiding principle. Google and read about total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). The amount of calories you burn in a day. Using 5'5", 21 yrs old, and "sedentary lifestyle" you burn about 2,100 calories by simply sitting on the couch and breathing. To lose weight, you need to take in fewer calories than you burn (calories in vs. calories out - CICO). Period. That's it. A 500 calorie deficit per day = 1 lb lost per week. If you want to eat more, you're going to have to move more. I eat about 1800-2200 calories per day, but I make sure I move a lot too. If I didn't want to exercise so much, I would have to eat less.
  
• Be prepared - Have healthy snacks on hand. Have water on you at all times. Know when you're going to a party and may over-indulge (and that's ok). EXPECT THE SCALE TO GO UP AND DOWN. Get your mindset around that now. You will probably drop up to 5 lbs the first week you really go hard at this. That rate won't last, be mentally prepared for that. Here's my daily weigh-ins. Be mentally prepared to gain. lose, and plateau.
  
• Stick to it - This is the single most important thing you can do. You fucked up yesterday. It's going to happen. Ate a bowl of brownie batter crying alone in your bed with your cat while watching old Friends re-runs? (My husband is a lucky man). Ok. But this is something you're going to have to fight for a long time. It can't be all or nothing (see above). You have to find a way to pick yourself up and try again. So many times I've said, "well, fuck it. I ate the brownie batter yesterday. What's the point? Might as well just quit. But if you're in this for the long haul, the concept of giving up doesn't make sense. Give up what? My treadmill habit? What's the point.
  
  Ok some specifics that worked for me.
  
  
• Daily weigh-ins - most people will tell you to weigh yourself weekly or monthly. However, after doing that for years, I would always get discouraged when my weekly weight was higher. I started doing daily weigh-ins and learned to embrace the ups and downs. When you pull back on a year's worth of work it puts everything into perspective. It also helped keep me focused. 2 days up meant suck it up buttercup and put down the peanut buttercup.
  
• Take a few before pictures - Take more photos every 10 lbs you lose. I saw results in the photos before I saw them in the mirror.
  
• No cheats, just treats - There is no "off limit" food for me. I pretty much eat what I want. Having said that, what I want is to lose weight and what I want to eat is food that will help me do it. I have my treats, but maybe one cookie, not 12. We're going out to dinner tonight so I'm having a light lunch. I'm not "doing" Keto, paleo, vegan, whole30, weight watchers, Facebook milkshake diet. Props to those of you who do, but to me, those are not permanent. And anything that I "go off of" when I'm "done" = massive weight gain post-"diet" in my world.
  
• Pick a tracker (MyFitnessPal, FitBit, SparkPeople, excel, whatever) - Most people use MyFitnessPal to track food and weight. I use a combination of SparkPeople, Fitbit, and excel. I like excel. I'm both fat and a nerd (my husband is a lucky guy). Make tracking a habit. If you miss a day, start again tomorrow, MyFitnessPal doesn't care. I get excited to update my spreadsheet. Hell, I'll send it to you if you want (PM me).
  
• Start at home - It can be daunting starting something new, luckily we live in the internet age. No one cares if you can't do a 30-min YouTube work out in your basement. No one has to know. People get intimidated by the gym - I was. I still don't go to a gym. But there are millions of workout resources online. You don't need equipment or training or cute workout clothes. You just need 3-4 days per week to form a habit.
  
  I've become addicted to seeing results and, frankly, it's kinda fun at this point. People notice. I get compliments. I feel proud. You can do this.
  
  Today is Sunday. Pick one of these things and implement it tomorrow. Download MyFitnessPal. Buy a food scale. Set up a spreadsheet. Take your before photo. Or at least read No Zero Days.
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  EDIT 2: Several people have asked me for my spreadsheet, so here it is. I'm not going to lock cells so people can edit it as they like, but the idea is that you only type in the pink cells. I filled in the first row as an example. Everything else will fill in automatically. You'll need to fill in your goal too if you want it to appear on the table.
  
  It's up to you to track calories in and out. Like I said, I use my FitBit for this . I also have a cheap fat monitor and started tracking that when I started HIIT workouts and the weight loss slowed. Anyway, add columns, delete those you don't need, and most importantly keep with it!

Hey! Congrats on deciding to make a lifestyle change. I just did, too! About to finish week 2 of keto. I’ve lost weight already and feel really great about it! I haven’t followed a specific meal plan, but I have mapped out my grocery lists and stopped eating out at restaurants and strictly cooking my own food, with the exception of 1-2 meals at my restaurant job that I work several shifts a week at. This really helps me count my carbs and calories in the really helpful app Carb Manager.

I feel less bloated without gluten! It’s awesome. I made my first fathead pizza last night with my coworker and friend who went keto too! Having someone else who is willing to undergo the change with me has been more than helpful, especially since my spouse is still eating carbs and sugar in the same apartment as me!

Things that have helped me so far:
-buying a great food scale

-buying an awesome body weight and body fat scale ...this scale comes with an app that shows me statistics like bone density, water weight, body fat %, and weight. It also tracks my progress, shows me healthy/normal levels and percentiles, and more. I really like it. Almost as much as I like watching my weight decrease every few days from keto.

-having a friend or two who are new to keto as well. They have recommended different products to me like:

1. Skinny girl sweetner
   
2. Fiber supplements for when the cheese hits you hard
   
3. Tape measurers (simple and common item that won’t deceive you like the scale often can!)
   
   Personal mantras I remind myself to continue keto in a healthy way:
   -don’t obsess over the scale. NSV pop up daily and they’re sometimes even better than watching the number on the scale drop. It’s not healthy to let your mood rely on scale results. Once a week is enough moderation in terms of weighing yourself. (I’m struggling hard with following this direction myself)
   
   -make sure you hit your protein quotas! They’re important. You need protein for muscles, and so much more.
   
   -try not to eat sweets at all for the first few weeks. You need to give your body time to stop craving sugar (and it will happen!)
   
   -drink a fuck ton of water. It will help you feel less full at first, and you need it especially to keep healthy while your body transitions from eating carbs to eating fat. Water is your new bff.
   
   -listen to your body. Eat when you’re hungry. If you’re hungry, eat. Don’t starve yourself, you will begin to feel less hungry as you continue on tho. If your eat something that’s keto friendly, but it makes you feel funky, try to feel out different options. You want to feel your best in order to keep up the inspiration to continue!
   
   -last but not least: TAKE PROGRESS PICS!!! I lurk this sub/weight loss subs constantly and I always see ppl talk about regretting not taking more before pics! Once they reach the time to take after shots, they really wish they had a lot more to compare them to!
   
   Hope this helps :)
   

I have done natural cycle (so timed with OPKs, no monitoring/meds) IUI using frozen donor sperm! In my case, it's because I'm a woman married to a woman.

I started off using the cheaper OPKs that you can get online (a lot of people here use Wondfo, I happened to use Easy@Home). Those are nice because you can buy a ton of them for not much money. A lot of people tend to use them twice a day, and I did at first as well, but I quickly learned that I pretty much can only catch my LH surge between 4-6pm. Most people tend to surge in the late afternoon-early evening, but that's not always the case.

If you aren't comfortable with trying to interpret the cheaper OPKs (determining if the test line is the same color or darker than the control), then I highly recommend the Clearblue Digital OPK (specifically NOT the advanced version - that one will give you a bigger fertile window range which is not important/helpful when timing IUI). When you are having your LH surge, you get a smiley face. Simple but definitely much more expensive.

I definitely recommend supplementing the OPKs with temping. You can use a Mabis or any other basal body thermometer to take your temperature daily first thing in the morning and then put those numbers into a TTC app such as Fertility Friend. It won't tell you when you're ovulating before it happens, but it will tell you after the fact and then you will know if your IUI timing was good or not.

Also, you should check out the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It will give you a lot more information on charting and helping you to pinpoint your ovulation day.

I hope that helps a bit! Please feel free to ask me any other questions 🙂

I know it's hard to do but I really suggest ignoring the scale because weight by itself is useless as a measure of body fat. For example, Arnold Schwarzenegger weighed around 235 lbs in contest condition which would put him in the obese category according to standard weight charts even though his body fat was around 8% during competitions. BMI is similarly misleading as a measure of body fat because it also completely fails to take into account how weight is distributed between muscle and body fat. (Schwarzenegger's BMI was around 30% when he was in contest condition, which again puts him in the obese range.)

In other words, what you are really concerned about is not your weight per se but what percent of your weight is body fat. The simplest way to track body fat percentage is to just keep track of how your clothes are fitting, for example, is it becoming easier to button your pants, is bending over in pants that were tight before becoming easier and more comfortable, etc. You can also take photos of yourself in the mirror every two weeks or so in shorts and a crop t-shirt or sports bra to assess your fat mass loss. A simple tailor's measuring tape, e.g, this one from Amazon, can also be used to track belly fat (be careful to use the same location and tape tension/tightness each time).

If you want to be more precise about tracking your body fat %, you can try skinfold calipers, for example, these from Amazon are a bit over $6 and will be perfectly adequate for your purposes. Read the instructions thoroughly, practice a bit so you get the hang of using them, then use them every week or two.

Aside from checking how your clothes fit, try to limit yourself to using whatever other method(s) you use to track fat mass loss to once every week or two because day-to-day changes just aren't going to be measurable. Also keep in mind that it is common for people to gain muscle on a higher protein diet even without trying to do so. This is especially likely to happen if the prior diet was protein-deficient. As a result, weight gain doesn't necessarily mean an increase in fat mass, indeed, it could actually represent increased muscle mass which is a good thing. Again, ask yourself how your clothes are fitting, do you feel stronger and have more energy and stamina?

Anyway, I hope this is useful. Congratulations on getting off the antidepressant and good luck to you.

Hi there. I was formerly up to 470lbs with ankles bad enough to rule out most exercise. 11 months later I'm 388 and hitting the gym 5 days a week. Here's how I did it.

1. Diet: I got on keto, but a low-carbohydrate diet would work well too. Your mom needs to just restrict calories. The Mifflin-St Jeor calculation for base metabolic rate says she's burning around 2500 kcal per day if shes 5'7" or above. If she's at 500, she's burning 2900+ kcal per day. Basically, if she can restrict her diet to 2000 kcal per day, she'd lose at least 50lbs in her first year without any exercise at all.
   
   
2. Basic Exercise: I didn't immediately start heavy lifting followed by hard cardio or HIIT. When I first started losing weight, I could only do the stationary recumbent bike. Somewhat slowly. My ankles would ache just walking in the gym, and they would get swollen and I'd sprain them trying to even do the elliptical or treadmill, so I'd bike. For the public embarrassment, I highly recommend Planet Fitness. When I started working out I was super self-conscious about how I looked working out. The amount of other big people at Planet Fitness really takes the edge off. Once you've evolved to where Planet Fitness equipment doesn't suit your fitness goals, you're more confidant and other gyms don't seem so bad.
   
   
3. Positive Routine. Some things that helped were a good routine. As I said before, I started my fitness journey at Planet Fitness. I did the black card membership (only $20/month total) and every time I was done with a workout, I'd go get a hydro massage. The massage would help my back while giving me the positive reinforcement I needed to keep working out (I'm here for a massage, might as well bike for 20 minutes first). I think it goes without saying that this reward should NEVER be food. For milestones food can sometimes be a reward, but food shouldn't be a day-to-day reward.
   
   
4. Face the music: I've found that weighing in often helps me stick to my goals. I have my weight mapped out in a chart, and when I'm weighing in often, I tend to stick to my diet and workout schedules. My periods of plateaus or small gains usually have few data points in them. Get your mom a good scale that wont max out. I used one of these until I could get on a lower-max scale. Also, an app like myfitnesspal means its hard to cheat on the diet. Even on cheat days I log my food. Last weekend was the first cheat day of the year. I ate 4500 Calories. I didn't want to ignore it. I need to deal with the fact that I have more of a deficit to make up this week because of it. Self-accountability is good.
   
   
5. Get a partner: Working out and dieting with others that you have accountability to makes it easier to maintain and harder to cheat on either diet or workout. If your mom doesn't want to work out with you, she should reach out to a friend or relative. I work out with my fiancee and a friend from work, and it makes it hard to say no if one of them wants to go work out.
   
   TL;DR
   
   
6. Keep calories at 2000 or lower. Reduced sugar is best.
   
7. Find an exercise she can do. Recumbent bike worked for me while I couldn't do other exercises.
   
8. Add some positive non-food reward for staying true.
   
9. Self-accountability is required.
   
10. Accountability to friends/family is motivating.
    
    This last year I've accomplished more than I ever thought possible. It's changed who I am as a person. Last February I would have thought someone was joking if they told me I'd be 80lbs down, much stronger, and wearing much smaller clothing.
    
    Let me know if you want to talk privately. Hell, if you live near Tucson, AZ I could go do some cardio with your mom.

Hey girl! Congrats on losing the first 50lb! That's amazing!! Here are some notes for you, based on your post:

1. You cannot target any part of your body for fat loss. Carb cycling is no more helpful than any other method of weight loss in terms of reducing belly fat. Genetics is the only factor that determines where you will lose fat first, which, unfortunately, we have no control over.
   
   
2. In order to get a flat stomach, you will need to drop your total body fat %, and not necessarily your weight. (Many women actually end up gaining weight to get a flatter stomach, believe it or not!) This is because muscle weighs more than fat, meaning that 1 lb of fat takes up a lot more space (volume) than 1 lb of muscle. Because of this, I would highly recommend you stop weighing yourself. You can buy a BF% scanner on amazon for $30 if you want to track your numbers, but honestly, the best way to judge your progress is to take photos and go by how your clothes fit.
   
   
3. Diet is 80%. Exercise is 20%. Yes, I would recommend lifting heavy, and starting a workout program (see side bar). But more importantly, I would recommend cleaning up your diet. As in nixing processed food. As in, if the ingredients list has more than 10 items listed, or things you can't pronounce, then don't eat it. Flat stomachs are made in the kitchen.
   
   Best of luck! And again, congrats on your progress thus far.
   
   

> So, to start off, I downloaded MyFitnessPal.

Excellent! I like MFP, it's working well for me even with its quirks.

> it's been awhile since I've had access to a good scale for people of my weight

You are going to need some way to measure your progress, eventually! I had a poke about amazon and they're not hugely expensive:

eatsmart scale

this one measures %bodyfat and is on sale!

%bodyfat information is hugely valuable for accurately tracking your progress and adjusting your diet.


> Excersizing has always been hard for me, I have severely flat feet, even my specially made inserts don't do much to prevent masshive pain if I'm on my feet too long

Stationary bike is your friend!

If you can, start walking second daily/daily for 10-30 minutes.

> It asked how much weight I wanted to lose a week, it recommended 1 pound. Is going with 2 pounds a week that big a deal? Do you think it'll be harder?

If you are 5'10" and 360lb+, you should eventually aim for 2lb/week. You may want to start at 1 pound a week to see what it feels like though.

> White bread, frozen things such as chicken tenders, sandwhich meat, cheese, baked chicken, hamburgers.. I used to eat other less healthy things but I've cut a lot of food out due to my chronic acid reflux, I eat a lot of bread and drink a lot of milk because they're relatively safe for me. I also tend to drink two cans of pop a day, though I'm going to try cutting those out.

You can eat, what you can eat. That said, as you lose weight, your reflux may improve.

If you are having trouble working out what to eat, just start with what you already eat, but control the quantities with calorie counting. You will want to do a few initial days of just counting what your current intake level is, so you can slowly lower your intake.

The easiest way to generate meals is to start with some good lean protein, then add some vegetables to that, and some flavouring, but don't forget that sauces count as calories!

Frozen food has the useful benefit of having very detailed nutritional information on the side of the box, and snap frozen vegetables have high nutrient value.

> How do you guys go about snacks? I usually eat something, be it some chips or something microwavable every few hours.

Chips are generally not great, but if you need them, count their calories into your budget. There's definitely a range of microwave foods out there with decent nutritional value (good amount of protein and essential fats).

> Also, what do you do at night when you're trying to sleep but it feels like you're starving?

When you get your eating right, this may be less of a problem. The right balance of proteins and fat help with satiety, whereas not having enough of those in your dinner meal may leave you hungry as you go to sleep.

> it says that I should consume no more than 2290 calories a day. I've used other calculators online though and have seen anything from 2600-2900 calories a day.

You probably have relatively little muscle mass because of your issues with your flatfeet. The main determinant of how many calories you should have is muscle mass. (%bodyfat measurements will let you determine this far more accurately though).

2300 calories per day is probably a good eventual target. However, first you need to measure how much you are currently eating, then work down from there.

> a bit of weight training.

I would suggest with working towards bodyweight squats and lunges. You may or may not be able to do a full movement with your current size, but a few partial squats are safe and will start conditioning your knees and muscles.

Also, try to get your hands on some cheap dumbbells and learning what movements you can do at home. You don't need the gym to lift weight!

Overall it sounds like you have a good attitude and an openness to learning. With patience, time and the right feedback, you can definitely achieve not only your temporary goals, but more than you thought possible!

I too started losing recently (on my way down from 6'3" 313 to 270 now) Here are some things that are helping me:

I started doing a healthier/vegetarian rendition on this:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/detail.aspx

Plenty of leftovers too, so you won't have too cook for a while. Take leftovers of healthy meals as portable foods. As far as snacks go: 100 cal popcorn packs and almonds are favorites of mine. They have different flavored almonds in most supermarkets as well (wasabi soy are my favs) Also, fresh fruits and veggies cut up and in individual portion are great for quick on the go snacks. FiberOne bars are great and relatively healthy as well.

You can get an electronic scale at any big box store (e.g. target/walmart)

I also picked up a body fat calculator and a fabric measuring tape, which is a great way to track your progress. Sometimes your weight won't drop, but the inches and body fat percentage will:
http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK

I just graduated with a degree in engineering (and started in grad school) so i'm a HUGE numbers geek. I chart all of my progress, whether it is good or bad in a spreadsheet. I plot all of my numbers, by date, against a trend line (such as a weightloss goal of 2-3 lbs/week). I feel like it makes a huge difference in your outlook on things. Eventually you will get to the point where you are trying to get below that expected progress line. And whenever you are feeling like you have plateaued, just go to the progress and see how many inches/lbs you have lost.

Also, take pictures of yourself before you start. You don't have to show them to anyone or post them anywhere if you dont want to, but in 3-6 months when you have lost weight but you dont think you look any different, take more pictures and compare. Trust me, you wont regret it, and you will always have a reminder of where you started and where you don't want to be again.

Exercise: check out r/fitness and I would recommend a c25k or c210k program if you are interested in running.

Advice: Don't give up! Everyday that you make an effort to be healthier is a step in the right direction.

Also, if you need help with the spreadsheet, I can send you a template...

Good luck!

Step 1: count calories

Don't change a thing about your diet yet, just track. I use MyFitnessPal because it's easy. Haven't looked at alternatives yet.

Guesstimating is an anti patten, but you know what? It's honestly better than nothing at this point.

Personally I recommend leaving out steps any exercise sessions unless you're doing serious amounts of cardio.



Step 2: WAM (weigh and measure)
Cool, you've tracked for 2-4 weeks. Now, if you cook or meal prep , go on Amazon and buy a food scale. Learn what 4 ounces of chicken looks like. Learn what a tablespoon looks like. Your estimates from the past month will start being far more accurate.

FYI this is the food scale I use. No idea if it's the best, but it does the job: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Step 3: Weigh and measure yourself
Once a week, same time of day and situation. I do It after I poop on Monday morning.

Weight is one measurement, I also recommend a caliper. Depending on your situation, lean muscle mass gain might nullify fat loss. Caliper doesn't lie. Relatively simple so long as you are consistent. Measure multiple areas (chest, iliac crest, arms, thighs).

I bought this caliper: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G7YW74/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1



Step 4: Long haul
You're making a lifestyle change. This isn't "a diet", it's "your diet ". Diet meaning your day in, day out style of eating. Making one better decisions day could mean 500 calories a day. 500 * 7 = 3500, the calories in a pound of fat.

Make allowances

• eat garbage if you want to. Make it fit your macros.
  
• think weekly rather than daily, if you want to go out with coworkers and have some beers, swap out an item tomorrow for a lower calorie item. No big deal.
  
• don't be a fucking Nazi. Enjoy life. Long term his is an equation you can balance. Gain 5 - 10 lbs during a Thanksgiving, account for it and realize it'll take 5-10 we is after the new year to lose.
  
  Sidebar, if your female, account for your cycle and water retention, and a slower rate of fat loss.
  
  
  
  
  
  

this is highest on my list because I need it to help my husband and I to concieve a child together. I have PCOS which unfortunantly has left me infertile without the help of fertility drugs. I have 2 step children who I adore, but we would love to create a life together.
This is second on my list because I need to help me to lose weight so that I can possibly cure myself of PCOS (it's been done before).
This is 3rd on my list because it is for work and up there in importance.
And last but not least This I need due to the PCOS making my hair fall out. It creates high levels of testosterone which makes the hair go bye-bye. I have some bald spots I cover with my own hair.

Sorry if it sounds like a sob story lol But, these are the things I feel are a priority. Creating life, work, and fixing some problems with myself :) Thanks for the contest, you are VERY generous. <3 Sort my priorities :)

BMI is bullshit. I am a BMI of 31.1 and am much healthier than average. What you should be measuring is bodyfat percentage. Pick up a pair of these if you want a credible basis to begin your fat loss. If I had to guess, your bodyfat is around 25-35%. It should be much lower, high teens at the most.

Try cutting out foods that have the highest concentration of "empty calories" (ones that cannot be efficiently used for fuel and are stored as fat). These food are ones with very high sugar and simple carbs.

Stop consuming these foods, and slowly begin to introduce whole grains, vegetables, and lean meats into your diet. Don't buy any "weight loss pills", as these are a scam of epic proportions. The most you will see from these is rapid water loss (looks good on the scale), which is unhealthy. Eat a large breakfast, and try to eat frequent, healthful meals. Don't consume large ammounts of food at night or in the late afternoon.


Cheat days are going to be vital to keeping yourself on track. At first, you might need 2 or 3 meals a week but slowly change this to 1. You must not binge, try to keep to only consuming 1 unhealthy, moderately sized meal for your cheats.

I know your situation well, I love food myself. There are many healthy (and tasty) alternatives to your favorite foods. You just have to make an extra effort to include them into your diet.

I hope the advice helps, good luck and feel free to contact me if you wish to know more.

edit: damn this may be harder than I thought, you eat some pretty good food! :)
It seems like you eat out alot, so this may be of some help to you

I assume you're referring to a bathroom scale to weigh yourselves, instead of a kitchen scale to weigh your food. (Even then, kitchen scales are good things to have, you should get one if you don't have one already).

Also, are you in North America? You didn't specify.

Generally speaking, a digital scale is going to be better than a mechanical one in both precision and accuracy. I'd stick with digital. If you still can, return your current one. No point in keeping a product you're disappointed with.

Consumer Reports does reviews on bathroom scales. CR does good work. They refuse advertising from product manufacturers, to avoid the appearance of bias in their reviews. They've been around since the 1930s, and they're also behind The Consumerist blog. Their reviews aren't geared toward the enthusiast or high-end hobbyist, but they're great for general product reviews.

I bought a Taylor glass and chrome digital scale after seeing a favorable review of it in CR. I've been happy with it. Mind, CR may have changed or updated their product reviews since I purchased that scale.

In my opinion, checking Consumer Reports should be always be a component of the decision-making process before buying a product.

Two more things to keep in mind. First, your weight is going to fluctuate a lot over time. You probably already knew that. Just making sure. There was a post on Reddit, within the past few months, I think, of someone who weighed himself multiple times a day, for several days, and wrote down the numbers. The amount of variation was amazing. I wanted to find the post again and link you to it, but...I think the Reddit search function doesn't like me. Ever.

Secondly, while you're at it, get a skinfold caliper to measure your bodyfat percentage. That's the more important number. In terms of fitness, your weight without your body fat percentage is useless. The gold standard for finding your BF% is plethysmography--think the Bod Pod™. Minus that, a simple, US$5.00 skinfold caliper will get the job done. I've read that digital BF% meters, which use electrical current resistance, are not very reliable, especially because your level of hydration will skew the results. Skinfold calipers have their flaws, too, but if you learn how to use it well, and apply it consistently, it's best for tracking BF% changes over time.

I always recommend this scale. It's pretty cheap but it's a trusty digital model that connects to BlueTooth and syncs to Health and other apps (like Happy Scale, Fitbit and MFP). I weigh every day and never have to manually input my weight anywhere.

For fat loss, only a calorie deficit matters. Macros matter in the sense that fat and protein tend to be more filling for longer for a lot of people. And the more carbs, the more volatile water weight can be in the short term. But it really doesn't matter when you look at the bigger picture (and you should never, ever get hung up on one day's numbers anyway).

Eat in a healthy and sustainable manner, because a) it'll make the process a lot less torturous and b) you're setting up lifelong habits. If you're anything like me, nothing is going to change when you hit your goal weight except that you can eat slightly more calories. I still log in MFP, use a food scale, etc... it's all become rather second-nature, kinda like charging my phone or flossing, and staying mindful is the only way I'm successfully keeping off the weight.

Best of luck. You're welcome to ping me anytime if you have any other questions. :)

https://www.amazon.ca/Ozeri-Touch-Total-Scale-Black/dp/B003N4AVKE I have had this one forEVER! Okay like 5 years but I love, love it. Great on unstable ground too. Also has fun features like muscle, water, fat and bone - how accurate those are are debatable but I like seeing my fat % go down! Plus it has a tare function for weighing luggage (I travel a lot) so no more OHPing a suitcase to see the scale. Also kids or pets in your arms. I'm kind of in love with it.

I wish I had gotten my scale sooner... for the whole IF journey.

​

The data is from the Feelfit app (ios) that came with my Abyon scale... link to scale: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BJY6GTJ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

There are a lot of sub $30 scales on Amazon right now.

​

Here is a better rated model that I have seen recommend on this sub.

Link to Renpho scale:

https://www.amazon.com/RENPHO-Bluetooth-Body-Fat-Scale/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3SZXYAHOZ5XGC&keywords=renpho+bluetooth+smart+scale&qid=1552506618&s=hpc&sprefix=ren%2Chpc%2C128&sr=1-3

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Disclaimer... I'm not sure if I would trust the measurements coming from these scales implicitly, but as a point of reference the information is good to have.

​

I love having the data at hand for future reference, sharing and motivation.

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Cheers!



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> what thermometer are you using?

I use this easy@home one. It is a lot more expensive than a lot, but I absolutely love it. Plus, it came with a nice case that I use for all my TTC stuff.
> Where did you get it?

Amazon
> How long does it take to give you a result?

I'm not sure how long it takes to read, because I tend to pass out again until it beeps.

> Does it remember multiple readings?

It remembers up to 60 readings (including date and time) which is super helpful because I always forget to enter and just do so on a weekly basis.

>What do you like and dislike about yours?

Like: Big, backlit display, memory. Dislike: Almost 3x as expensive as alternatives.

>Should I go for one that gives two-decimal readings?

Absolutely.
>And does anyone prefer something else over FertilityFriend to chart temps?

I love the no-frills, analytical feel of FF.

You're not eating enough to build muscle. Building muscle will make you feel better about how you look. You can do muscle building activities like squats/situps/crunches without even using any weights.

You need to eat MORE healthy food. You will not get fat. You will get defined.

If you're nervous about eating more, just add a little tiny bit more per day for a week or two at first and see what happens.

Also I have a scale that measures body fat % and muscle mass % and that's super motivating to me, I care so much less about my "weight" now and care a lot more about how my body is built, it helps motivate me to eat healthy and work out.

Here's the scale I have.

Also if you use this scale and you ARE NOT eating enough you can really see how much that will cut into your muscle mass and you'll end up with a higher body fat percentage. I know that because I work a super active job and occasionally get really busy and don't eat enough, it really messes with my muscle mass. So I eat a lot more snacks than I used to like nuts, apples, protein bars.

> What thermometer are you using?

I use the Mabis one.

> Where did you get it?

Amazon

> How long does it take to give you a result?

One minute

> Does it remember multiple readings?

Nope, just the last one, but I enter the reading into my phone before I leave for work (or before I go to bed, if I've forgotten!).

> What do you like and dislike about yours?

Cheap, remembers the last reading (so I can temp half asleep and enter it into my phone later) and the beeps are fairly quiet, so I don't disturb my husband.

> Should I go for one that gives two-decimal readings?

Yep. The changes are so tiny that the more detail, the better!

> And does anyone prefer something else over FertilityFriend to chart temps?

Some people do, but stick with FF. I tried about six different apps when I started, but FF is SO clear. And all the extra analysis stuff is awesome.

Wow, yea don't be... it's like the #1 biological sign of fertility and sexiness in women. Something like 98% of cover models have your measurements, my girlfriend has those measurements and my friends are always like man your girl is sooooooo hot. Hahaha, you sound like me - I'm a 6'3 guy and i always used to be insecure about being "too tall" lol.... the things we tell ourselves. Enjoy!

----- Also side note, i saw your other post where you said your Dexa scan is 32% bodyfat. ZERO chance, you look great and those things are so inaccurate. I workout and eat amazing, have abs and my dexa came back as almost obese. Get one of these https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Handheld-Body-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1536171049&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=omron+bodyfat+tester

Test yourself every morning for a week when you first wake up, whatever the average is will probably be within 2% of your actual bodyfat.

Also, if you are trying to gain curves and get rid of fat you need to be lifting heavy weights. Deadlifts and Squats. If you eat at a deficit without lifting you will just get skinnyfat which is no fun.

​

Congratulations!

A good overall tip:
If you don't consume the calories, and you are exerting energy (working out), the energy has to come from somewhere (fat). Keep in mind though to stay healthy, we all need to consume a safe minimum number of calories.

Have you tried calculating your total body fat percentage/mass? It sounds like your body may just be burning the fat stores, which is good.

I recommend the caliper method. This is the one I have, and it works okay. The "click" sometimes does not work properly if you hold it incorrectly.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G7YW74/

I use the J/P4 method, although J/P7 can be a bit more accurate because if you get one measurement slightly wrong it will impact less.
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

I recommend having someone else help you to make the measurements, and take every measurement three times.

Also, this is a small note, I recommend weighing yourself on a mechanical scale (gyms normally have them), and take a "fasting measurement". In the morning, after bodily functions, before eating or drinking. Once per week should be fine. The critical component here is repeatability. Do it the same way every time.

I hope this helps!

Absolutely! Honestly, if you're not a little worried about bringing a person into the world, then you're probably not ready. That's the way I've always felt about it.

As for getting ready, now is the perfect time to pick up a copy of Taking Charge of Your Fertility, a Mabis basal body thermometer, and to find a good pre-natal vitamin and DHA supplement. I personally use a combination of Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal and Nordic Naturals DHA. They work well for me, and I got my period right when I expected to after getting my IUD taken out and have been regular as clockwork since.

I would also recommend signing up for FertilityFriend; it's the most common app we're all using, and does a great job of helping you keep track of your cycles. You don't have to go all in on temping (and if you choose not to, don't worry about the thermometer), but I've found it to be so helpful to keep my expectations in check rather than clinging to hope that "Maybe this period is just implantation bleeding".

But in terms of priority, I would highly recommend you pick up TCoYF, and getting started on a good pre-natal. Hope to see you around!

http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Premium-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B002MK6QKO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1319421275&sr=8-5

I've been using this one ever since I started my weight loss regimen. It's delightfully accurate - I weighed myself in the morning, went to the doctor's office, and had the same weight on his balance scale. It rounds off to the nearest .2, but I'm really happy with how it works. Be sure to read the instructions if you get it; you can calibrate each time you use it.

It might be a bit pricey, but with something as important in your life as weight (i.e. the little changes that keep you going), it's totally worth the money.

Additionally, it lets you clearly see the huge fluctuations caused by water weight if you weigh yourself on a daily basis. Again, though, read the directions to get the best use of it.

I’m with you!! I’m a pretty normal-sized 5’4.5” person, but I weigh 145. I keep comparing myself to the size I was when I got married at 22 (125lbs), and I tend to be on the higher BMI side. But I’m very strong for being a woman/my size so I try to remember that :)

This is the scale I have! I’ve had it for two years and I like it a lot. The app is pretty good and of course it connects to health kit if you’re and apple person.

do you think it could possibly have to do anything with the fact that hes ...well a he? I saw a male doctor in my practice, which is made up of 2 males and 4 females, and he kept telling me I couldnt possibly be feeling the things I was feeling. And I'm not talking about symptom spotting or anything Im talking about pre-TTC pain I was having and terrible periods. I was like seriously? Any of the female doctors took my concerns seriously though. Maybe try this; make a phone call and ask the receptionist to have him give you a call back. When he does just say 'hey I know you dont want to do anything invasive TTC wise but can you just send me for bloodwork?'. If he says no then you should see another doctor. You can also try your primary doctor who should be able to send you for bloodwork no problem. Or just do yourself a favor and try out a different gyn

as far as temping goes this is the thermometer I use and love it. I also have two apps (free on iphone), one is ovia and one is fertility friend. I prefer fertility friend for charting but ovia is easier to keep track of symptoms such as cramping and things like that. These are also the OPKs I use. They inexpensive and I can use 2 a day if I think I'm going to be getting a surge soon. At least if you use those two you can go to your next appointment with some info.

I'm happy to chat whenever or if you have any more questions

Noodles! Happy birthday to your little one!! Here's a picture of my dog that cheers me up! I recently got a little rat from ikea for my dog and she immediately loved it!

https://imgur.com/gallery/e7wsR4F


RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale Smart BMI Scale Digital Bathroom Wireless Weight Scale, Body Composition Analyzer with Smartphone App 396 lbs - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_NkgDCbAGY4E46

I'd really like to keep up with my weight better now that I'm working out and eating better. I've never had a digital scale and heard they're more accurate. The scale now I have was my grandmothers scale.

I use an eatsmart scale (specifically this one: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Capacity-Recognition-Technology/dp/B004L6NTHU/ although the "body fat %, body measurement calculators" are to be taken with a grain of salt as they are seldomly very accurate but could be good for consistency measuring purposes). It's a great scale to track weight and I tried "fooling" it like you did (stepping on, stepping off, letting it reset, then stepping on again) and it always gave me the exact same reading...even if i waited like 5 minutes.

So personally, I can vouch for that one but reading the reviews on Amazon, any of the eatsmart scales (there are 3-4 of them..$50 being the most expensive) should be good.

Sure!

These are the calipers I bought. Overall I like them and that they come with a guide. They can just be a little difficult to use by yourself so heads up. If I bought again I’d probably get something a little easier to use.

Slim Guide Skinfold Caliper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NN9SDO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_uLtSAbPHHH0D5


On that note, this is the website I use for my calculations. Considering that it seems to match the machines I’ve used, I trust it’s accuracy.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/body-fat-calculator/


And for what it’s worth, Scooby Werkstatt is awesome. If you feel like kicking around his website he has tons of no-nonsense fitness and dieting guides for free. He doesn’t sell anything and is all about helping people.

Cool, sounds like you have a good nutrition game plan.

I use an Omron Fat Loss Monitor to track my bf%. It initially showed an unrealistically low bf% for me but it is very consistent. I used a tape measure and a bf calculating website to figure up the difference then used that number as my offset. i.e. Omron says 12% tape measure method says 20% so your offset is 8.

The benefit to doing it this way is the Omron is easy and quick where the tape measure pretty much requires my wife to help do it accurately. I try to measure every week or two. After 6 months or so do another tape measure check to ensure your offset hasn't changed. Mine changed by 2 over the course of a year.

Take this advise with a grain of salt, I concocted this method after reading many articles and /r/fitness posts about bf%. It seems reasonable to me.

A lot of people here use the MABIS thermometer and really like it. I just got a cheap one from Target and it works just fine. As far as OPKs, the Wondfo brand/other internet cheapies are really popular and super cheap compared to some of the digital ones (Clearblue, etc). It depends on your preference, though. My first time around I used the Clear Blue digital OPKs and I liked that they were cut and dry with their negative/positive response. This time I'm using Wondfos because they're much cheaper, although there is more room for interpretation with the negative/positive. You can check out /r/TFABLinePorn to see what pictures of positive/negative cheap OPKs look like. You can also get cheap HPTs bundles, too. Happy shopping!

MABIS Basal Thermometer, Digital BBT Thermometer, Basal Body Temperature Thermometer... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O6YCZY/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_mdyrzbBGK3WVV

Wondfo Combo 50 LH Ovulation & 20 HCG Pregnancy Test Strips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RY8UBNC/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_blyrzbS8T1B71

Clearblue Advanced Digital Ovulation Test, 20 Ovulation Tests https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AOJ5R8W/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_ZlyrzbKCE31EJ

There are several different ways to do it but most all require special gizmos. The usual cheap method is using calipers like these, but from what I've heard that can be pretty inaccurate and inconsistent unless you really know what you're doing. I use this little guy, it's pretty consistent though I'm not completely sure how accurate it is because I have nothing to verify it against other than the fact that it seems to be in the right ballpark. Then there's fancy water-dunking type tests you can get done but they are expensive.

I think I've heard other people on here say that some gyms will have the calipers or a digital thingamabob like mine that they can measure you with so you could ask at your gym if you're curious.

• A redditor put together this site to use for visual body fat percentage estimates. It's not super well populated, but I think it's better than the other visual estimate site that normally gets referenced.
  
• There are a variety of websites that will estimate your body fat according to your measurements. I like IIFYM because they've got a great TDEE calculator, too.
  
• You can use a hand-held bioelectric impedance tool to estimate your body fat, or there are bathroom scales that use the same method.
  
• Josh-j mentioned calipers, but these can be tricky to use alone and consistently.
  
  That gets me to my last point: no matter what home method you use to estimate your body fat, be consistent. These are estimates and you might find that you get a different reading from your scale, your calipers, and the internet on the very same day. Body fat % a great way to track trends in your body composition, and you won't see those as effectively if you just back and forth between measurement methods. Unless you want to get a DEXA scan every week, the very precise number is less important than seeing trends.

I got this one from Amazon. The Easy@home one. Somewhere in this sub someone mentioned it before, and I saved it in my wishlist... and then it was price reduced and I ordered it. So far I've been using it for a little over two weeks, and it seems to be doing great. There was one morning I wasn't sure if it cut off or not, but I think I just fell back asleep and couldn't judge time lol. There have also been a couple of consecutive mornings where the temp was the same, so I tested later in the day to make sure it would give me a different reading, and it did. So I feel like it's pretty accurate. Also easy to use :)

BF is what percentage of your body (as an estimate) is made of as fat as opposed to muscle, etc. Muscle is more dense, so for people that lift weight BMI doesn't work (for example, probably ALL NFL athletes are "overweight" to "obese" including wide receivers, quarterbacks, etc according to BMI scale because they "weigh" a lot, however most of that is muscle).

160 is probably the "proper" weight (according to BMI) for someone 5'11" that may not have as much muscle on their body, but is in no way even close to overweight.

There are a couple ways to get the most accurate measurement for BF%: Link

It's kind of an inexact science to detect body fat composition because SO MANY factors change it (your hydration level, heart rate [I think], food in your stomach, and so on) that quick and easy ways don't always work well (calipers test I'm told is pretty inaccurate).

I got my estimate from this thing from Amazon, which got favorable reviews: Link

It is however an estimate, so you can't just use something like that and go "well, there you go, that's for sure my BF%"

2nd this. I've had this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032TNPOE/ref=cm_sw_su_dp for about 8 months & I love it. My parents bought one too.

I initially thought the massive # of reviews was a bit weird (I think there were exactly 1200 when I bought mine), but they actively encourage customers to do an Amazon review. In fact, there was a "Please Review!" note in the box when I got mine, and I did (which is rare for me) because it is a great scale for a really reasonable price.

I started it around the same time I got a bioimpedance fat loss monitor, which was in April. According to it, I've lost almost 10% body fat since then. I don't know how much I trust the monitor but honestly, I love the E/C stack for its appetite suppression. I cycle on it for 8 weeks and off it for 2 weeks. I can tell the difference when I'm off it, hunger wise.

It's nothing crazy but when I'm on the E/C stack, I have to set an alarm to remember to eat when my feeding window opens up. That's pretty useful. I could live without it but the appetite suppression + fat burning makes it pretty worth it.

It makes some people jittery but I have no adverse reactions personally.

Hi!!! So my son has been exclusively breastfed (aside from introducing solids at 6 mos.) and my period came back at 4.5 months postpartum. Every woman is different in regards to breastfeeding/fertility. I've had 3 cycles since they first came back, but I just started temping this month so I can see if i'm actually ovulating. We don't want a big age gap so we are trying, but haven't had any luck. Breastfeeding can cause short luteal phases, but since you're done breastfeeding then this might not be an issue for you. My advice; get some cheap OPKs. Get a mabis basal body thermometer and start temping. Track your temps with Fertility Friend. This will hopefully give you some clarity so you can start to understand what's going on with your body! Good luck :)

Do you have a body fat% scale? I have one (and granted they're all a little inaccurate) and it shows my body fat and muscle mass % which really motivates me. I know it's not 100% accurate but the percentages changing over time IS accurate. Mine was pretty cheap too and gets great reviews on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Capacity-Recognition-Technology/dp/B004L6NTHU/

There are different ones on there too.

I also just bought a garmin vivofit band to count my steps and I love it.

No such thing. Use a cheap white plastic caliper, it's honestly the best thing you can use for yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1426946909&sr=8-2&keywords=body+fat

It's a single measurement, and while it's not perfect it is excellent for self-tracking. I've used it and it's pretty much been right on.

I also have top of the line Harpendens that cost $350, which I use for multisite analysis. I have a pretty good basis for comparison, I'd say.

For what you want, the $6 dollar thing I linked to is just fine and infinitely more accurate than the scale.

1. This blanket because I'm a tiny bit obsessed with Harry Potter.
   
   
2. This scale because it gives a lot more information than just weight which is more helpful in the weightless process. It would be helpful to know how my body fat/muscle/water weight/etc. is being impacted when my weight doesn't seem to be moving the way I'd like.
   
   
3. This artwork because I'm also a little obsessed with The Legend of Zelda.
   
   
4. This dress because it's perfect for valentine's day.
   
   
5. This because it looks cute and comfy.
   
   Your boss sounds great, and you do too. Thanks for hosting this :)

It's true that weight doesn't matter on its own. It's just a tool that we use to track fat loss. But depending on how quickly you're losing weight, it would be very difficult to put on muscle at the same rate, especially from cardio, as opposed to weight training. Muscle growth caps out around a couple pounds per month for most people. The world's strongest man may be around 400 lbs, but he can also deadlift over 1,000 pounds. It's just important to keep some perspective on that, because none of us are on his level.

It sounds like the psoriasis could play a role in the fat percent reading. You could try to use one of the impedance testers that goes through your hands (like this one). But I think the bigger factor is that the impedance fat percent testing just isn't that accurate to begin with. It can be influenced by all kinds of thing. When I test mine at night versus the following morning, it can easily differ by 4 or 5%. So I don't really trust it. The calipers are a good alternative, as long as you're careful to use them correctly, and the same each time.

I've been lifting heavily for some time now (while eating on a deficit), and muscle growth has certainly happened, but not quickly enough to stop weight loss. I find it's a lot harder to track getting healthy without being able to put some numbers to it. To each his own, though.

The daily chat is likely winding down at this time of night (at least in north america)! So, most people recommend either the mabis or the easy@home. I like the MABIS - quiet beeps, temperature recall, no backlighting. Lots of people like the easy@home for the backlighting.

Most of us use fertility friend - it does the best job at using your data in predicting future cycles. Wanna help people do science and get a free VIP subscription? Join the BU presto study. You might want to take the free course they offer to get started on how to temp.

Lots of people use OPKs - most people buy wondfo brand OPKs and HPTs so we can piss on something if the wind blows. OPKs are useful for timing sex. HPTs are useful if you want to have a drink on 10DPO but you're a little worried. At least, that's the only use I've found for them. :)

Lots of people take prenatals - a multivitamin that has 400 mg of folic acid should have you covered, but y'know. Talk to your doctor. I'm guessing if you're in the WTT crowd you got this covered.

You'll also find that we have a stickied thread at the top of the subreddit that goes over the sub's rules, and has additional information. Searching the subreddit will also often find you the answers you seek, in a more timely fashion.

1. Wet shaving Edwin Jagger razor blade, because Edwin Jagger is a company in England that produces products for wet shaving, which normally wouldn't be used unless you're either 1. A hobbyist, or 2. A old school 70+ fellow. default wishlist
   
   
2. Hello Kitty wheel cover, because it's a product primarily made for young teenage women. <20 list
   
   
3. Phallic item I'm... not jealous....of its length...not at all.. default wishlist
   
   
4. Geekiest gaming headset, my list is primarily composed of geeky items, but this is probably the geekiest. default wl
   
   
5. Bath scale , it has a body fat % option as well, which is what I'm more focused on rather than weight. default wl
   
   
6. Search and rescue knife would be best for a deserted island. default WL

Truthfully, I'm not sure, but I would imagine the more money you spend on them, the better quality and finer results..? That being said, I went with a super-cheap pair with lots of high reviews on Amazon.

I got these ones here: (assuming it's okay to post links?) And they also came with a tape measure =)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000G7YW74/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1495153866&sr=8-3&keywords=body+calipers

Otherwise, I used bodybuilding.com for the learns:

https://www.google.com/amp/www.bodybuilding.com/amp-content/how-to-measure-your-body-fat.html

And this is one of the places I used for the calculations =)


http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

Welcome! At 2 months, you have absolutely no reason to worry that you won't be able to do this. It can take a healthy couple up to a full year to conceive.

Do you temp? Use OPKs? My suggestions:

Buy and read Taking Charge of your Fertility. This is going to show you things about your body that you never knew. It really is eye opening.

Buy a Basal Body Thermometer. You can take your temperature vaginally or orally, as long as you do it the same way every day. You want to take your temperature after at least 3 hours of solid sleep. Don't get up, don't move around. Wake up to your alarm, take the temp and go back to sleep. I believe the one I linked has a 'history' so you can read it in the morning.

Enter your temperature daily in Fertility Friend This is free and will help you track your ovulation. You should have a drastic dip and then a pretty drastic rise. This indicates that you have in fact ovulated.

Temping is only good in retrospect. You can see that you have ovulated, not that you are going to. That's where [Ovulation Predictor Kids] (http://www.amazon.com/Combo-Ovulation-Pregnancy-Test-Strips/dp/B001E1Y1X6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1404993367&sr=8-3&keywords=wondfo) come in handy. You use these in the afternoon (when most women will have a surge of Lutenizing (sp?) Hormone. This indicates that you are gearing up to ovulate. And yes, it's true that it's possible that you don't ovulate every time you surge. That's why you want to temp to actually confirm it.

Combining these 3 things will give you a really clear picture of what's going on each cycle. For some women, it can really stress them out. For me, it makes me feel empowered. Let me know if you have any more questions!

Buy a new scale and keep it in one spot. You're already all over the map when you move it around, so I think your (not ridiculous) fear of the electric one is valid, but misguided. Scales actually read better when they stay in one spot and don't move around a lot. Also, the floor material can change the scale. Don't weigh on carpets, try to make sure the floor is level.

FWIW, I was also terrified about this when I just purchased my new scale which I absolutely love. I was weighing at the gym with one of those sliding balance ones and was convinced there was a five pound difference. Turned out to be half a pound, and easily attributed to user error. Because your scale is all over the map, think about the peace of mind you'll have once you get a digital scale that you will leave in one place to make sure it stays accurate. You got this!!!

The one I've got (Omron BP 652) is supposed to be one of the more accurate ones. It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Series-Wrist-Pressure-Monitor/dp/B004D9P1A8

Overall, I would recommend it... but you have to babysit it a bit to get an accurate reading. More on that in a second.

There is a reviewer on that Amazon page who claims that the proper way to use the cuff is to hold your wrist away from your chest, completely unsupported. As far as I can tell (from the manual and from watching some of Omron's promotional material demonstrating how to use the cuff), this is not true, and will in fact elevate a reading. (If you think about it, she's asking you to essentially perform isometric exercise, which would undoubtedly affect BP to some degree.)

Another thing about wrist cuffs: you have to be careful of the protruding wrist bone at the tip of your ulna (same side as your pinky). If you put the cuff over that part, it'll artificially lower the result. So in order to get the proper reading, you need to slide the entire cuff down about an inch.

Oh, one last thing: taking an accurate reading with a wrist cuff also depends on elevation relative to your heart. (the stat is that 1 inch higher than heart level is 8 mmhg lower [diastolic], while 1 inch lower than heart level is 8mmhg higher) Omron's cuff does an okay job of this, but it'll let you cheat a little if you're not paying attention. It gives you a blue light when you're supposedly in range, and an orange light when you're not. But be sure to check independently of that.

Oh, and be sure to check it against your doctor's arm cuff if possible. It's not unheard of for these things to be poorly calibrated straight from the factory.

It's a little over $50, but I love my scale.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_lyPEybA9040SV

the really cheap scales I've had in the past weren't as accurate, and broke quickly. I've only had this one a couple weeks but so far it's great! I really like having all my info added to my tablet automatically because I like data, and am usually rushing around in the mornings.

Yyou might consider changing the batteries before buying a new one. I know my scale goes stupid when the batteries are low. Which happens way more often than it should because apparently I have a ghost who likes to try to weigh in frequently too.

I have a weight watchers scale that I got through my credit card rewards program, I don't think the particular model is made anymore, but I've heard good things about the other weight watchers models too.

When I get a new one, I'm probably going to get this or another by the same brand. My mother has had one of that brand for ages and it still works great and she loves it. Also no waiting for it to be ready to use - it's just step on.

I'd suggest purchasing a Bio Impedance scale to help keep track of your body fat percentage. It's not perfect in that it can be off from time-to-time, but as long as you measure at the same time of day each week you'll get a roughly consistent measurement. This way you can eat more and know if you're gaining muscle or just gaining more fat (at least to a degree).


Below is the one I purchased a few years ago but seems like there's a lot of options now so you may want to do some research.


https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L6NTHU


I've gotten official DEXA scans which is the most accurate way to measure BF% according to many but costs $45 each time. The scale above was off by about 0.6% BF when compared to my DEXA scan. Eg. My scale said I was 10%, but the DEXA reflected 10.6%. No food or water before either measurement.


Outside of that, make sure you're getting enough protein (many studies suggest between 0.82g of protein per pound of body weight is the max your body can utilize, but some prefer to go by 1.0g per pound of body weight).


Hope this helps.

This is the link of the scale I got. It's fairly cheap. So far, I like it. You can customize the weight settings, goals, stuff like that. I also think it can interface with things like the Apple fitness and Samsung health. But I'm happy with it for the price and ease of use.
Bluetooth Body Fat Scale, FITINDEX Smart Wireless Digital Bathroom Weight Scale Body Composition Analyzer Health Monitor with IOS and Android APP for https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078HW8BPY?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

Here

I strongly suggest using a scale. Ignorance may be blissful, but awareness is successful.

The scale has a cool app, synchs with Google Fit, which can then synch with Cronometer. I'm sure there are other apps it works with, but that's just how I use it.

Haven't been disappointed and can only blame any inconsistencies on my own behavior. ;)

I second the EatSmart Scale but I got a slightly different one. Great scale, wide base, and excellent customer service.

Also, it's slim enough that my bathroom door opens overtop of it so I have more flexibility in where I place it. High weight limit, too!

The first thing I did was buy this body fat measurer and a good scale. My initial tracking was simple:

Get out of bed, take a piss, then weigh myself, take my body fat, and write it with dry-erase on my bathroom mirror, along with the date. When the mirror fills up, transcribe it all onto an Excel spreadsheet.

Takes 30 seconds out of my morning, but enables me to track over time what's happening to my body.

-------
Did I start lifting more and gain some weight? No biggie, body fat has gone down, I know it's just muscle.

Did I go off the lifting/eating routine for awhile? Suddenly my BF% is hitting a number I'm not comfortable with, and finding the time to start lifting again is much easier.

Not to mention the fact that I'm catching my weight gain/loss of fitness much more quickly than I otherwise would have.

-------

Make sense? The issue with logging everything is that it can be tedious and time-consuming, the key is to find ways to make logging easy

I recently stalled out, I mean stopped losing according to the scale completely. It hasn't moved in 4-5 weeks. Eventually I stopped looking at the scale and now I don't weigh myself every day like I used to. I am seeing much more progress in strength gains and physical NSVs such as clothes fitting better and more muscle definition. If you want to take fat% measurements I wouldn't suggest using a scale but rather either calipers as they are the most accurate but also the most work or if you have just a regular scale and know how much you weigh then you can do a handheld electrical impedance unit such as this one. The electrical ones wont be nearly as accurate as the calipers but are more work because you will need to do more math and maybe have someone help take measurements.

As for preventing losing muscle mass is to work out more and specifically focus on doing more resistance and strength training. Who knows maybe working out more will help to stimulate your appetite more.

>decrease my BMI (for a more supple frame)

Oh gosh, please don't focus on BMI, it's just a terrible measurement, especially for this population.

BMI only considers body mass (kgs), and conveys nothing about body composition (e.g., % body fat & % lean mass).

As such, the same BMI value can represent many different body shapes, and many different states of metabolic health!

BMI has a place in epidemiology, but body composition is what individuals should focus on, and is easy to track these days. Healthy cis-females on average have significantly more body fat than their healthy cis-male counterparts, and progress in this area for MtF folks won't be reflected well by BMI.

I own this scale from Amazon. It's less than $30 and I've had it for two months now. Beyond its body fat readings, which I'm not sure of the accuracy of most scales, the Bluetooth feature is really helpful for recording results to your phone in apps like Apple Health or My Fitness Pal. The scale also has a phone app that is pretty decent by itself; again, like any piece of technology, it will not be 100% accurate but if you're measuring yourself as well as weighing yourself consistently it can certainly help with organizing your data trends wirelessly.

I think this might be what you are referring to...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FYZMYK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=timscheblo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000FYZMYK

Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, Black

I bought one myself, and I am pretty happy with it. I think that the measurements might a little on the low side, but still pretty nice tool, and very easy to use.

How scary! I'm so glad you are here. I had my PE a little over a year ago. Massive bilateral, no known cause (maybe birth control). I don't know what the future holds, so I can't tell you that the worst is over, but I can say that you are getting treatment, so bad things are very unlikely to happen right now. I'm guessing that your doctor will have you on anticoagulants for life. That can be both good and bad. Coping is hard. Research about clotting helps me a lot. Contributing to this board helps. You have every right to be scared. Fear is normal, especially at first. You have gone through something terrible. Trust me when I say that I really do understand. You may want to look into getting yourself a pulse ox for those times that you are afraid. you can check to see that your oxygen is ok. That you are really breathing. I know that has helped me. You may also want to look into genetic testing for your children. If they are factor V also, it would be good to know early. Your daughter is likely at least heterozygous (a carrier).

Did your doctors find any clots in your legs? Were you sick at all before this? You really will be ok. You have a loving family to support you through this. You will get better. Feel free to ask us any questions or make any comments you need to!

I use a basic digital scale by EatSmart. It's relatively cheap, easy to use, attractive looking, and so far seems really accurate. I love it and their customer service seems amazing so I'm not too worried about it breaking anytime soon.

Here's a link to my scale on Amazon

I found caliper to be the more precise of all way of measuring, I have a couple of model, but they are kind of hard to use in a consistent way.

Like you, I want to monitor my progress, especially monitoring that I am not loosing muscle or a minimum amount while cutting fat. In the past, I did loose a lot of muscle while loosing the last 20 pounds, so this time I just want to be sure this is in check.

Unfortunately, using caliper is kinda a pain in the ass to use and the slight variation in pitching the fat, or the emplacement and the measurement is off and hard to compare.

Personally, I am using this body fat scale:

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01N1UX8RW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

It measure your weight and you body fat, your lean body mass, etc and it sync with your phone automatically. Bio Impedance is not reliable if you want to know your true bodyfat percentage (can be off by +- 4%), but to track your progress it is awesome if you use it in the same circumstance. I weight in the morning at the same time every morning after I wake up and pee. On the other hand, in my case, the bodyfat this scale is estimating me is the same as what I measured using my calipers. So for me, it is pretty accurate while being very cheap and very very convenient.

Want to be 99% sure you're healthy during a trip?

http://www.amazon.com/Omron-UltraSilent-Wrist-Pressure-Monitor/dp/B004D9P1A8

$45. Accuracy is very close to what doctors use. Sit down near a table or other flat surface, slip it on, press start, and it does all the work for you.

If your resting blood pressure and heart rate are reasonable (blood pressure below ~140/85, heart rate below 140), then you know you're fine and can carry on safely. Do it about 5 times on a normal sober day to know your usual levels.

It's normal for many drugs to raise blood pressure and heart rate though, so don't be too paranoid about it. You'd only have to really worry about it if blood pressure is starting to rise over 155/100 for more than a few minutes. If that happens and you start feeling very light-headed and unable to think, then you know it's time to get help.

Same goes for if it's less than 90/60, especially if your usual blood pressure is much higher.

I've gotten this scale about a month ago and have liked it. Pretty reasonably priced, and I don't put a huge amount of faith in the body fat %age, but all you have to do is have the app open when you step on the scale, and it'll log all the stats. i like to have the stats sent to my fitbit account because i prefer its graphing feature and bc it aggregates from other things I like to keep track of too. Hope that's what you're looking for

This is the one I have. I've gone through a few scales, but this one has been working for at least three to four years now. It's still absurdly accurate, and is hardy enough to exist in humid places like the bathroom.

Greatest purchase I've ever made.

I would stay away from ones that measure stuff other than body weight. It's not worth the extra money just to have all of those crazy inaccurate sensors. Get one that measures weight extremely well. You want all the money to be put into that.

I cannot speak to accuracy because I haven't used any other method of body fat measurement, although definitely am considering getting a DEXA once I'm at goal weight to help with designing my recomp, so if and when I do that, I'll let you know.

But as far as scale stuff goes, I have the Bluetooth Smart Scale by Greater Goods ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N9ENKDI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). I've only been using it since February 15th. It shows muscle, water, fat, and bone mass as percentages, and those numbers do not add up to 100%. I assume that's because it's double counting water, so I just pay attention to the fat and muscle masses, since that's really what I care about. According to the scale, I've lost 13.4 lbs, 9.9 lbs of which has been fat and 1.3 lbs of which has been muscle. I have it calculate a running percentage, and it seems that 74-77% of the weight that I lose is fat, which seems reasonable to me.

We have similar stats, I'm 5'2.5" and 150.6 lbs. As of today, I'm at 29.2% muscle and 31.2% fat, which seem like reasonable numbers to me, given my body type.

An interesting sidenote: I donated blood a few weeks ago and my weight was significantly down the next day, which I attributed to dehydration, and it took me two weeks to get "back" to that number on the scale. But the body fat/muscle mass/water percentages were almost exactly the same those two times, and according to those numbers, I wasn't dehydrated at all.

Are you taking your temperature to confirm ovulation? A positive opk doesn't guarantee ovulation. Seeing your temp charts could help save $$ before going to the RE for blood tests to confirm ovulation. You can get one on Amazon for about $8. I like the Mabis that saves your temp until you take a new one. But make sure if you order one you get one. BBT are a common scam on Amazon. If you get a different brand than you bought, report it and Amazon will send you a new one. This is mine: MABIS Basal Thermometer, Digital BBT Thermometer, Basal Body Temperature Thermometer For Natural Family Planning, White and Pink https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O6YCZY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IgG3BbW8ZHE1M

It is important to temp at roughly the same time every morning. I wake up at 5:30 for work and on days when I'm not working, I still set an alarm for 5:30 to temp, but I just keep the thermometer next to my phone so I can grab it without looking when I turn off the alarm, turn it on, temp, and just turn it off when it beeps. My thermometer has a memory function so I can check the temperature later when I'm more awake.

After nine years of temping for both contraception and TTC, I've decided that this is my favorite thermometer. It has a large display and a backlight so I can see the reading in the dark without turning on a lamp. It has a memory function AND a clock/date setting, so I can double-check that the temperature I'm reading is for the right day. It's large enough and the buttons are big enough that I can find it and push the right buttons to turn it on without looking at it. And you can easily replace the battery when it dies. I also feel like it doesn't "like" certain temperatures the way some thermometers do.

Unfortunately, it looks like my favorite thermometer has been discontinued. This one looks like the closest replacement, but I can't vouch for it personally.

Cutting/Female/5'6"/136lbs: I finally got back to my completion weight, so I can say I'm back on track. I also bought some skin calipers off amazon. SO MUCH FRIGGEN CHEAPER THAN OTHER BODY FAT MEASURES. My body fat is about 23.5%. Prior to the competition it was 24.3% (based on an electrical impedance scale so take that for whatever it's worth). It's really motivating to see the change. I love me some data.

Of course now I'm online trying to find some examples of what 24%, 23%, and 22% body fat looks like on women. Strangely enough, I mainly get pictures which are either 20-21% or 25% guesstimates. Not much in between.

Oh well. I should take more progress pictures.

EDIT: It's this one: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Health-6575XXXX-Skinfold-Caliper/dp/B000NN9SDO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1526929211&sr=8-4&keywords=skin+calipers+body+fat

This one is super highly rated. Lots of great features. Omron over all is great, if you want an upper arm cuff instead.

got this one which i'm loving. i guess i don't really know if they're "more accurate" but i like that i can take my temp twice back to back and get the same reading.

it also takes a lot longer to take my temp. idk if that means anything really, but i feel like i trust it more.

Yeah, I definitely am not taking that measurement as gospel, but using the calipers is a pain and I haven't had any other really good way of doing it, so I'm just glad to have something to track. Percentage has been slowly going down from day to day, so I'm trying to pay most of my attention to that.

But here ya go, it works, integrates with fitbit/google fit, and it's pretty cheap. You will need a smartphone, though.

I know y'all were on the edge of your seats for this information and I apologize for the delay.

BREAKING NEWS

I decided to do PPL bro splits during my cut (the other 2-3 days are MMA practice) instead of UL bro split. My work capacity is pretty low it feels like but I think it's because of my meal times.

EDIT: Also, how does this scale look

I'd also like to welcome our newest member of the 2p8 Benchpress Club: /u/stephenfish. Happy for you babe.

What calipers do you have? This have markings and instructions on them to make it super simple. Does yours have markings?

If not there is still a way but it may be less accurate since it'll depend on you making more measurements so the possibility of making a mistake is higher.. This came up doing a quick Google search, you may want to search more.

progress look good, congrats!

To piggyback this comment, if you can afford one (they're pretty cheap), you should invest in a smart scale. They give you more metrics to track besides just overall weight. They provide a solid estimate of your total body fat percentage, subcutaneous fat, fat-free body mass, etc. Obviously they're not as accurate as something like a DEXA scan but they're the next best thing, IMO.

They're a million times more useful than a standard scale if you're bulking and cutting.

Always been pretty slim. When I wrestled in high school (103 lbs). I got down to 2%. (we had something like this http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK )

I felt very fast is best way to say it. Everything was really easy to move, and to move quickly.

This is what I got off of Amazon and use... http://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306C-Loss-Monitor-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1312908998&sr=8-4

It's pretty simple to use...you turn it on, press start and hold it straight out in front of you with your thumbs on top. And it helps if you do it at almost a similar time everyday considering not using the restroom/showering/eating directly before or the day after drinking lots of booze. But it's also nice the first couple days you use it to use it at different times of the day to see the huge variation it gives (then stick to a schedule)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1UX8RW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I'm sure there is a lot of marketing BS in here. I don't know how it could track everything it claims it can. But, I was interested in the app that would easily record and track my progress and the body fat % measurement. I do know from experience that scales can measure body fat %, so as long as it does those things I'm happy.

its not so much about if i can afford it but what I want to spend my money on....i think this kinda purchase is the hardest haha

but thanks for your help im just gonna research around. just so im clear this is the one youre talking about right?

No, you should do whatever works for you.

Leangains worked great for me, and for a lot of other people too. But it doesn't work for everyone. Some people do better with many smaller meals.

You need to experiment and figure out what type of diet works best for you and fits in with the rest of your life. Which foods work well for you and which foods trigger binges. You have to plan in some fun food that you can eat with your friends. You have to have some heavy lifting to preserve you muscles, but not so much that you can't recover.

Keep a journal and buy some fat calipers. They really help to figure out what works for you and what does not.

I just went on Amazon and wound up getting the nicest one that was under $50, which is this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N9ENKDI?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf (sorry I'm on mobile so I can't make that look nicer >.< ) Sometimes the app is buggy but the scale seems pretty accurate, not too far off from the doctor's last I went. Really though you just need something to help you track the trend: is your weight generally going up or down kind of thing. A lot of times (and I'm sure you've heard this already) you'll lose inches before you lose weight, so in that respect no scale is an accurate measure of how much fat is on your body. And you can get a little tape measure from Walmart for less than $2 lol.

I got a scale on amazon from a company called Renpho. It is bluetooth and it gives you: weight, BMI, Body Fat %, Fat-free Body Weight, Body Water %, Skeletal Muscle %, Muscle Mass %, Bone Mass %, and your BMR.

It was like $30. Even if it's not 100% accurate, at least you get see the fluctuation over time. I've had it about 5 months now and I really like it. There's an app on my phone and it pings once it had all the info it needs. Super easy to use.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N1UX8RW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Started at 380, but I think the same theories still apply.

1. I don't have a good answer for this one. I think a lot of it depends on budget and how accurate you need it to be. The My Weigh XL-550 seems to have solid (if not spectacular reviews), a low price point, and looks like a good fit. I can't really vouch for it though.
   
   
2. Good question. In my opinion, when you get to 350, 400, 450+ pounds, everything gets cut at once. I have a few reasons for this
   
   -People (like you and I) don't get to that weight due to a single bad habit. I don't think anyone can realistically eat enough cake, or drink enough soda, to account for that drastic a weight gain. Cutting out Coca Cola or Ice Cream will have good effects, but it's often either one of many problems, or the symptom of a greater, overarching problem. Don't treat the symptom, treat the cause.
   
   -I think the psychology behind it turns out poorly either way. Let's say you gave up cake for a month. If you lose 5 pounds, you may attribute it to the cake and may not want to give anything else up. If you don't lose 5 pounds, it feels like you sacrificed a food you love for nothing.
   
   -I think "cutting out" is a bad way to look at it. When I started, I did cut out everything, and then eventually re-added it at smaller, realistic portions. But ideally, you will be able to live a lifestyle where you can occasionally have the foods you really like. If you get to a point where you cut out pie, you will miss it, and you may want to return to it. Occasionally having a slice of pie isn't a death knell and may be better, once in a while, than letting the pie consume your mind.
   
   As I said, once you get above three bills, your diet should be a lifestyle change. Someone who's 5 pounds overweight can say "OK, let's cut out soda". Someone who's 100+ pounds overweight needs more drastic, core changes and adopting a new lifestyle is important to that. If you cut out soda, it's not going to change much if you get your sugar and carbs from other sources. Drastically cutting down on sugar and carbs will get you places (for instance).
   
   
3. For me, I lost my first 100-ish pounds by diet and daily walking (our campus had hills). I didn't set foot in a gym until I was 280-290, and still, most of my exercise is cardio (and honestly, it means very little unless you're eating correctly. I've lost 30 pounds in the past 3 months and worked out less in those months than in the ones where I kept my weight).

I bought this scale recently. It's reasonably priced and I'm very happy with it:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032TNPOE?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf



It would be best to weigh yourself at least once a week consistently to follow a trend of weight loss and make adjustments as you go along. Good luck!

I usually do two weighs just to be sure. If I get the same thing twice I stick with it. I just got a new scale from the hubs for Christmas and I tested it with hand weights to make sure it was accurate. It syncs with an app on my phone which is pretty cool. With my old scale if I thought it was acting up I would take the battery out and put it back in to reset. I don't know if that worked or not, but it put my mind at ease. My old one was just a digital one from Walmart. My new one that I really like so far is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Connected-Backlit-Greater-Goods/dp/B00N9ENKDI

I bought one of the cheaper smart scales of Amazon two months ago and I've been really happy with it.

Easy enough to set up, and I literally just opened the app on my phone and stand on the thing.

One downside: the companion app is super basic (The apparently it does integrate with several of the bigger health apps)

• can't remember the name of the company off the top of my head, but I'm happy to PM you later*
  
  Edit: WeightGURUS scale is the one I bought. dis one

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032TNPOE/
Got it off amazon a few months ago. Big blue screen, wide platform for big feet. Pretty happy with it. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for something simple. $36.95 and prime eligible.

I have this scale. Love it, always been accurate, fast readings and lot of other info like body fat %, muscle %, etc.

I also use LoseIt.com on my iPhone for tracking everything I eat. It's free and even gives the option to track nutrients and I really like their graphs and charts.

Also for those wondering, I highly recommend this Bluetooth Body fat scale I found on amazon. It's very user friendly, has tons of data that I feel would be useful to track your progress during the keto diet. Bluetooth Body Fat Scale by FitIndex

Yeah :( thats the bad side. I really love my EatSmart Precision GetFit Digital Body Fat Scale and its on sale with free shipping at amazon, but its $55...which is a great deal, but over your budget :( Maybe ask for it for christmas?

Also since you are doing keto (which I am also doing) it is an awesome way of making sure you are not losing muscle mass too quickly...I had to up my protein (thus my calories) because I felt I was losing muscle too quickly. Now my muscle is much more stable, but my fat loss is still moving along.

I've been using this one for about two weeks now, and really like it. The backlight makes it easy to operate in the dark. It dims during the measurement, then brightens again when the measurement is done. Stores date and time of 60 measurements, and the alarm feature is really handy.

I had been using my phone with an alarm about half an hour before my normal wake-up time (because it had to be different for me to remember the new habit), but even then, it was difficult to remember and sometimes difficult to find the thermometer. With this one, I've got the alarm feature enabled, which makes it both super clear why I'm being awoken and super easy to find the darn thing.

How about exercise? How much do you do?

For scales, I've seen these exact ones in my doctor's office before (alongside the proper ones). Out of like 12,000 reviews, a 4.6/5 score is damn good. Regardless of some problems, it should be a good scale if your luck isn't completely terrible. But with all glass scales: Make sure they're on a flat surface. I personally use the smaller one with a max of 400lbs.

What I can recommend to you is this:

You should speak with your doctor about what's going on. Perhaps they have more insight. If they hadn't done a hormone blood test, they probably would.

As with most "Help, I'm not losing weight" posts, if there's no problem with you counting calories or with your body, then it's down to either: Eating less calories. Or, exercising more. 2000 calories at your weight is quite the cut (at my 6' 233lbs, 2200 calories and that's deep for me). Because of that I'd recommend exercising more. If you're not walking (on top of normal activity) everyday, do so everyday. At least thirty minutes, and an hour is great. More than an hour depends on how you feel.

There are a lot of ways to measure body fat:

• Fat Calipers: https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Body-Caliper/dp/B000G7YW74
  
• Body scale: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-514C-Composition-Monitor-Indicators/dp/B007W82AZ6/ref=sr_1_18?crid=2ZSK9P0FX7IPV&keywords=omron+body+composition+monitor+with+scale&qid=1573130589&sprefix=omron+body%2Caps%2C264&sr=8-18
  
  Note that either method will not give you a very good absolute value, more of an approximation.
  
  In the end what is more important is:
  
  
• how you feel about yourself, if you like what you see in the mirror then you are at your optimal weight
  
• how healthy you are, if your have problems with your knees or you blood work then maybe it would be a good idea to lose some weight

Seriously, I don't know how i used to eat so much either. It's insane to think about the portions I used to have.

I wouldn't worry about small fluctuations like 204-206. Sometimes people post saying they never adjusted after losing 40lbs, and that makes quite a difference.

I use this one.

There are many ways, all vary in accuracy, but I think it's over hyped. Just use the same measuring method every time, since what you want is to see progress.

The method I use is as follows (Only the right side of the body):

1. measure the skin between the nipple and the arm pit (diagonal)
   
2. measure the skin by pinching belly button and to one side (horizontal)
   
3. measure the skin in the middle of my thigh (vertically)
   
   To measure, you just grab skin with your right hand and pinch, place the caliper about 1/2 inch away from your pinch, and close it till it pops into place. Add up the 3 measurements and plug it in to a calculator and you get your BF%.
   
   The one in the link actually comes with a little chart, so you could use their method also.
   
   As for portions, I caved and bought a scale. They are like $18 on amazon. It's kind of a pain, but I just measure everything that I make and then I know for sure. For eating out I just guestimate portion size, but I don't do that often anyway.
   
   And if you're an excel nerd, you can totally geek out so that all you have to do is plug in the number of grams of each item and it will calculate your total consumption automagically.
   
   EDIT: Tape measure works too, but measure both biceps, both thighs, waist at belly button and hips and take the total and track that, since you'll get some variation in specific areas. I quit the tape measure because I felt like my stength was going up and my fat was going down so the measure wasn't changing all that much.
   

Thanks for your reply. I'm 5 foot 8.5 inches. I'm still 2 pounds overweight and, yes, I'm sure I'd benefit from more fat loss. My end goal is 155, which I estimate would equate to 9% body fat. I've heard that at a low enough body fat the skin starts to kind of grab on to the muscle, but THIS amount of skin is just sort of hard to picture ever tightening.

I guess in an ideal world I'd get my body fat measured in one of those water tanks, but failing that I'm not sure where I'd find a better measurement option than BIA. I imagine calipers would be utterly worthless on my body given how much skin I'm able to pinch. I use this device which is pretty accurate from what I can tell. When I follow the instructions the reading is pretty consistent, and I've had a few buddies try it out, and they've all gotten readings that agreed with earlier measurements (and also just seemed to make sense visually). And for what it's worth, the Amazon reviews are glowing.

Then maybe a better idea is to grab a pair of calipers like these. That's really the best way to do it. It sounds like you just have some bloating going on.

I knew about the heart rate sensor, but mind blown with the SpO2 sensor. I just wonder how accurate it is. The heart rate censor isn't very accurate.

Source: I wear an actual heart rate monitor

My Mabis works great. If I'm sleeping in that day I'll take my temp and look at it and put it in FF, but it does keep the last temp if you want to look later. It's not backlit which I know some people like, but it has never bothered me much..my phone is always handy and the screen easily lights it.

Here's mine: (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O6YCZY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1)

Snake diet guru

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1onQ0nxgWFM

As far as the app, it’s pretty good and works well with $24 scale from amazon ( much better than the $100 Fitbit scale I had)

https://www.amazon.com/RENPHO-Bluetooth-Body-Fat-Scale/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=scale+renpho&qid=1554946205&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Mine are consistently below 97 pre-o. I've been told it doesn't really matter as long as there's a shift. Like you, my normal temp at the doctor is around 97.5 ish. No need to freak out about that, but you really should invest in a BBT thermometer for the sake of accuracy. The mabis thermometer is pretty popular around here.

Edit: it's cheap, too :)

Don't know about the scales, but the newer hand held units are pretty good and affordable:

Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor

There are rules to ensure a more accurate reading, ie no readings after meals, when you first wake up etc.

You can do it manually with a caliper like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74

Or you can do it manually with your measurements, google "body fat percentage calculator" you'll need a tape measure.

Or electrically with a device.

Several options if you go this route: There is a handheld device like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Body-Fat-Analyzer/dp/B00A1ODX9A/ref=sr_1_5_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1524511317&sr=1-5&keywords=electronic+body+fat+measure

Or I have a smart scale that does it that I love:
https://www.amazon.com/Yunmai-Bluetooth-Smart-Scale-Monitor/dp/B01B8LEELA

As far as something new goes, I'd definitely recommend trying out Starting Strength, or a similar program which you can find at stronglifts.com (the SL 5x5).

I mostly follow Starting Strength except I do barbell/dumbbell rows instead of cleans. Earlier this year I was doing the SL 5x5 before switching it up.

You should look into getting a fat caliper (about $6 on Amazon), and have your fiance take your measurements!

I've been using the same meter the whole time, so I guess I'm not really sure what my actual % is, but I have been assuming that it's been accurate relative to the last measurement (meaning if I actually started at 30% I am now down to 23%).

I've been checking with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Omron-HBF-306CN-Fat-Loss-Monitor/dp/B000FYZMYK

Ideally I would like to actually be below 20% but because the super accurate measurements are expensive, the one I've got will have to do for now. It's just a mental goal I set when I started and I am so close but have now stalled.

My 4 tips:

• Count your calories (apps websites etc.)
  
  
• Get a small scale and weight your food
  
  
• Get a large scale and weight yourself
  
  
• Measure your body fat because you might not be losing weight but putting on muscle.
  
  Bonus tips!:
  
  
• Take some before photos!
  
  
• Take the info from my above tips, and put them in a spreadsheet. You can track all that stuff and you can graph your progress.

I bought this scale for weighing myself around February of last year. Works great, super quick, and dirt cheap.

I've also bought this food scale in May and it's also been working great for food, tea, and coffee measurements. Being very cheap also helped. It's smaller than it looks though and so may not work for you.

I've been using a scale I got from 'Etekcity' on amazon for $15 (currently at $18) and it's been working wonderful! Definitely one of my more favorite scales, especially for it being so cheap.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3J9G1W/ref=s9_al_bw_g121_i2

One of the other TTC forums I frequent always strongly recommends the Mabis BBT so I got that one. I figured that worst case scenario I don't like something about it and I'm only out 7$.

So far I've been very happy with it. Although, if you temp vaginally (or plan to temp vaginally) you probably won't like it because when it beeps to let you know it's done the beeping is pretty quiet. Personally, I temp orally and usually before DH wakes up so I appreciate the quiet beeping so I don't wake up DH and turn him into a grumpy bear. It also isn't back-lit. Again, I'm usually trying not to wake up DH so this is fine with me. I was using another thermometer before that had a bright back-light and it frequently woke up DH. I always immediately enter my temp into my FF phone app so I just use my phone to see the display on the BBT.

Even basic measurements with a flexible tape (aka tailor's tape, found in sewing stores or departments) will help. Basically, the idea is to track something other than total weight so you can see your biceps get bigger, waist smaller, etc. It's a more quantified approach than using clothing fit changes.

I use these $5 calipers and this calculating site, because electronic ones, even handheld, are still just approximating through electrical conductivity.

The best method is whatever one you use consistently, because then you can track progress rather than have a number.

[This] (https://www.amazon.com/My-Weigh-XL-550-Talking-Bathroom/dp/B0014ZQH84/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1497014749&sr=8-1&keywords=xl-550+scale) scale is what beast_underneath uses. And [this] (https://www.amazon.com/My-Weigh-SCMXL700T-Talking-Bathroom/dp/B00MQ8A5UY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497014970&sr=8-1&keywords=xl+700+scale) scale is wht the_walking_joey uses. I follow both on Instagram.

Please don't be embarrassed. You should be proud. You are awesome!
*Edit to add where I got the information from.

I posted it an earlier thread, but this one has remained consistent for over a year now for me! They have great customer support if you do notice an issue too.

https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Connected-Solution-including-Backlit/dp/B00N9ENKDI

This is the greatest scale I have ever owned. Flawlessly accurate. The company is solid as well. I highly recommend it.

Eh, my work is pretty cheap and bought a ton of $20 ones to give to us… that way if we lose it we have to pay to replace in the future… they work pretty well, actually. They take a bit longer if the patient keeps flicking their finger or moving it up and down to try and look at it themselves.

http://www.amazon.com/50-DL-Pulse-Oximeter-Neck-Wrist/dp/B004BJT9OE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420650946&sr=8-1&keywords=pulse+ox

that what we use… comes with a nifty little pouch, two separate lanyards for the device and the pouch, a loop on the pouch to attach to your belt (my favorite) or wherever.. and the display has little bars to show the strength of the pulse by pulsing up and down. about the same quality as the $60 ones I see RNs use.

Thanks fam, I greatly appreciate it!

My buddy, who is slightly shorter than me did the same route that I did from 230-ish to 180 (which is my end goal), and he ended up using this bluetooth scale and app called FIT-INDEX which he recommended to me and I'm using now.

The scale is here if you're interested: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078HW8BPY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The convenient thing is that it connects with fitbit, myfitnesspal, and apple health, so I never have to touch those three apps and manually update my weight. I just pop on the scale and have it update all the platforms.

One thing to note, don't have your phone in your hand because it will throw the weight off. I weighed myself one day and found out I was 0.5 lbs heavier and got upset. Turned out my phone weighs 0.5 lbs.

I've been using the Easy@Home thermometer for the past year and a half and I love it. It doesn't look like it's available anymore, but this one is identical except for the color and company name. It has its own alarm, and 60 memory spots, so if you do temp multiple times throughout the night, you don't have to record any of them until you feel like it. Maybe it would help you get better sleep!

I was in a position to be looking for these a while back.

Avoid the watches that measure from your wrist - they are not reliable. Use one that relies on a chest strap. Here is one that I use and LOVE. The battery on the watch lasts for friggin' ever, and the strap is rather comfortable as far as these things typically go. You an also download the data to get an accurate idea of how your heartrate fluctuates.

Alternatively, just get one of these, if you aren't moving your finger too much or just want to check intermittently. It gives you info not only on heartrate, but on blood oxygen level, which may give you a better idea of when you are close to fainting.

(I admit that I just read the TL;DR)

As previous respondent notes, they're fairly flawed, but maybe the best one is this model, which uses handgrips as well as the foot plate to measure a small current running through your body.

Will be more accurate than most. Assume it can be found on Amazon.co.uk as well.

This has been awesome. I set the alarm for 5, wakes me up--take the temp and fall back asleep. Sometimes I won't even input my temps into my apps right away and will do it when I go to bed because I can recall the past few days. Seems pretty darn accurate. Takes over a minute to get the temp, but I am all for accuracy so that is ok with me. Good price too. See information below:
Easy@Home Digital Oral Basal Thermometer, backlit LCD display, 1/100th of a degree precision,
by Easy@Home
Link: http://amzn.com/B013CVQ476

I'd say somewhere between 20-23%. I bought a scale on Amazon that gives all sorts of data, including bf%. It had pretty good reviews including one comparing the scale readings to fancy pants hospital scales. It seems pretty accurate so far.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ZeaYAbSSRCD1K

I use this one I picked up on Amazon. I find it to be pretty accurate and easy to use. I work in a hospital and have weighed myself here a few times and find the two measurements to be nearly the same. Also, when it's time to change out the batteries, it takes normal AAA's, which I find pretty convenient.

The most consistent scales are the doctor's office style balance scales like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Healthometer-402KL-Physician-Scale-Height/dp/B0009MFUZY

One nice thing about this type of scale is that you can leave the slider at your previous weight. As soon as you step on, you'll know if you gained or lost without having to adjust the slider since the indicator arm will tilt up or down (or stay the same if your weight hasn't changed).

These are much pricier than the spring or strain gauge scales, but more accurate and more consistent.

For digital bathroom scales, I've found that this one matches my balance scale results fairly well:

http://www.amazon.com/Eatsmart-Precision-Bathroom-Technology-440-Pounds/dp/B0032TNPOE

Bonus is that it handles up to 440 pounds.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: pulse ox


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|India|www.amazon.in||




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

I love this scale. I've had it for a few years and it connects to the app on my phone with a bunch of cool info. It's pretty too!

Congrats on yours! My brother has this caliper. It's very accurate. Also, have someone besides yourself do it in the 4 areas, and do it 2-3 times and see what comes up. I have a little loose skin on my lower belly, but that's about it, as far as I can tell.

I'm pretty active, so that plays a part too. I walk 2-3 mi per day, do Battle Rope HIIT 3-4x's/wk, and run a PPLPPLr workout routine.

Keep up the good work!

How big are you? I was well over 400, so I had to buy a special scale. I got this XL 550 from Amazon. It works great.

Calculators are never very accurate. I would recommend getting a body fat percentage caliper, they're much more accurate. You could also try an electronic device although my fitness trainer friend recommends the calipers as more accurate. You want to focus more on trends rather than the daily number.

I use the RENPHO digital scale and have been really impressed. I went through a couple different ones and this is the only one that I have found to be accurate with my doctor’s scale. You can find it here:

RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale - FDA Approved - Smart BMI Scale Digital Bathroom Wireless Weight Scale, Body Composition Analyzer with Smartphone App, 396 lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_MUEZAb775CYWK

I was looking for a scale that worked with Apple Health and this does the trick. It’s much cheaper than a lot of others out there so maybe it’s worth a shot.

You want to look at body fat %, not BMI or bodyweight.

Cut to 10-12%, Bulk to 15-17%, repeat.

If you haven't built much muscle, you might want to change that range to 15-20% until you have built some. But bulking above 20% is pretty much a no-no unless you only care about getting stronger above all else (& don't fear a long & grueling weight loss period in your future).

A fat caliper is < $10 on amazon.com. I would recommend buying one & getting used to using it. Plus it will tell you if the 22-23% figure predicted below is accurate or not.

Basic Info | |
--------- | :---------: |
Gender | Male |
Age | 30 |
Height | 5'11" |
Weight | 190 lbs |

• | - |
  BMI | 26.5 |
  BMI Categorization | Overweight (25 - 29.99) |
  
• | - |
  Estimated Body Fat % | 22.5% |
  Estimated Fat Free Mass | 147 lbs |
  *Estimated Fat Mass | 43 lbs |
  
• | - |
  Estimated Goal Weight @ 20% BF | 184 lbs |
  Estimated Goal Weight @ 15% BF | 173 lbs |
  *Estimated Goal Weight @ 10% BF | 164 lbs |
  
• | - |
  Estimated Weight Change for 10% | 26 lbs |
  Estimated Time @ 1 lb/Week | 6.5 months |
  *Estimated Goal Date | 11/11/2016 |
  
• | - |
  BMR (Calorie burn per day at rest) | 1844 |
  Exercise Frequency | 3x / week |
  | BMR 1.375 |
  TDEE (Calorie burn per day w/ exercise) | 2535 |
  Estimates more accurate for untrained individuals. Use a caliper for actual values.
  
  Macros - Male (3x / week) | Calories | Protein (.8g/lb) | Fat (.35g/lb) | Carb | Fiber | lbs / Week |
  --------- | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: | :---------: |
  Lose Weight / 20% Deficit | 2028 | 152g | 67g | 205g | 28g | -1.01 |
  Lose Weight / 15% Deficit | 2155 | 152g | 67g | 237g | 30g | -0.76 |
  
• | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  Maintain Weight | 2535 | 152g | 67g | 332g | 35g | 0.00 |
  
• | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  Gain Weight / 5% Surplus | 2662 | 152g | 67g | 364g | 37g | 0.25 |
  Gain Weight / 10% Surplus | 2789 | 152g | 67g | 396g | 39g | 0.51 |
  

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Digital-Bathroom-Technology-Included/dp/B00F3J9G1W/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=scale&qid=1554146914&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/RENPHO-Bluetooth-Body-Fat-Scale/dp/B01N1UX8RW/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=scale&qid=1554146914&s=gateway&sr=8-4&th=1

​

These two scales are really good for the price. I own the second one myself and its useful to track your progress with an app. Doesn't cost too much also.

I have read from several respected fitness bloggers/writers that a body fat caliper would be a good, affordable option. I got myself one months ago and use it to measure my body fat percentage once every week.

This is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-Personal-Caliper-Measurement/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=acu-measure&qid=1554464345&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2UDNPGKURPVSY

Because I log my measurements once every week, I am able to see the numbers drop, which is, frankly, seriously exciting and eye-opening.

Even if it is not accurate to the decimal point, it is still an easy and cheap way for you to self-test and it would be obvious on the caliper if there is, say, a 2mm drop from the last time you measured.

​

​

I use the Easy@Home one and it's been great so far. It also has memory and holds up to 60 temps, so you can fall back asleep after temping :) I recommend just getting a 250 pack or so of alcohol wipes for cleaning.

thought i would update:

i ended up goin with this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G7YW74/ref=oss_product">Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester</a> for $11, shipped. Calipers seems like the way to go and will try out the plastic junk before investing in a long term metal one.

thanks everyone for sharing!

i just bought this one. i feel like it could be used to help construct the deathstar. so far, it's awesome.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0020MMCDE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

Sounds like we might have the same scale! I have the EatSmart something or other... let me find it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032TNPOE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's good to know. I'm looking forward to being under 330 as that's the weight limit for the WiiFit scale and I always found that to be pretty accurate when I used it before.

I have this FitIndex scale I bought on sale from Amazon in July and I really like it. I think I've just changed the batteries once (from the ones that it came with) and I've never had any issues with it. I enjoy the look of the app and the product has a lot of good reviews.

May 8th I weighed 186.2lbs and stepped onto this scale below. Last year I reached my highest weight at 196 lbs. I'm getting married in September and decided that the most important thing is to be healthy inside and out regardless of my size. So I started tracking my habits and moods with the app Daylio. The scale and the app track your weight. I saw that one soda would consistently make me add 1 lb. or my depressed days I would binge eat and gain weight. I've switched to diet soda or sparkling water and had to listen to pod casts and other people's stories. I decided that it was a privilege to feel hunger and that I can't eat my negative feelings away. If I deal with them that very second my binge urge goes away. I've made my calorie intake reflect my activity amount and on Friday I weighed 176.6 lbs.

I found a dress that made me look past my insecurities because I look beautiful. I went in looking for something with sleeves because I wanted to hide my arms. I bought a v-neck, sleeveless dress and didn't even consider hiding any part of myself in that dress.

You will have all kinds of feelings through this process. My experience taught me that you don't have to do the standard weight loss practices or wear the standard dress. Everyone has their own personal journey and you can use other people's experiences to try new things and find what will work for you.




FITINDEX Bluetooth Body Fat Scale, Smart Wireless Digital Bathroom Weight Scale Body Composition Monitor Health Analyzer with Smartphone App for Body Weight, Fat, Water, BMI, Muscle Mass - White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078HW8BPY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_19onDbB2F705Z

(I'm not sure that all the other body stats are accurate but it makes it really easy to track your progress)

Thanks so much unbelievable I really appreciate it!

Correct, I weighed in the first couple times at the hospital scale until I got this scale Its awesome (tho not SUPER accurate) but if a scale for those kind of numbers is needed this is the one to get hands down

Thanks again!