Say What? Scale Drama

I have a little story about a scale...these never end well.

 After my positive pregnancy test I ran out to buy a scale. Unlike most pregnant woman I was not using it to ensure my weight did not climb too high too quickly, rather I wanted to make sure my weight did climb and as quickly as it wanted. Of course while making the purchase a little detail about myself slipped from my mind- I hate scales!! Let me explain why.

So I know weight fluctuates. Your scale will read differently in the morning vs night, different days in your cycle (when your not pregnant), and sometimes just when it feels like throwing a different number at you to throw you off. So I told myself I would weight myself once a week just to ensure I was maintaining or gaining. Yeah, here is the issue. I pee 100 times a day. The scale is in the bathroom. On my way to pee I see the scale and think, Ooohh I should just jump on real quick for fun. So I do. Not the best choice. I do try to weigh myself around the same time each day (before the shower and before bed) besides all the other random times I jump on just for kicks. This would be great and all except my weight jumps around like crazy!!! Two nights ago my weight read 126lbs which is great! Last night it read 124lb which is a little low. Tonight...125lbs. I have read everything between 122lbs (say what?!) to 126.9lbs (woohoo) and everything in between during the course of this week and it is only Wednesday.

I am sure bloat comes into play, but how can I possibly know if I gained actual weight or not? I know, having a degree in nutrition (but any google search would tell you the same thing. So much for 4 years of college), that a pound is the equivalent to 3,500 calories. Meaning to gain you need an excess of 3,500 cals and to lose you need a deficit of the same amount. Also, pregnancy in the 1st trimester uses only about 300 cals/day. So in order for me to gain 1lb I need to consume an excess of 3,800 extra calories. Wow! To lose I need a deficit of 3,200 cals. Again, Wow! There is no way I am losing/gaining that many calories in the matter of 24 hours! Impossible!! So how do I know how much I have gained and how much is my crazy scale (which is pretty consistent when weighing my husband) and how much is bloat? I don't. So for now I curse when I see my scale and refuse to even tap it with my toe...until I wonder if maybe, just maybe I gained a little weight and jump on. It usually ends with me staring dumbfounded at the numbers glowing on the display screen and walking away scratching my head.

Currently, all I can say is I may have lost 3lbs since becoming pregnant or I may have stayed the same or I may have gained 2 pounds or well...hell your guess is as good as mine!!