Well, I like any scale that says I've lost weight... If you do decide to get a new one, please pass the old one along.

As for determining if it's a goner, can you go to a store that sells scales and try them all out and see if the reading is similar?

Don't discount it. Metabolism is a funny thing. You can work and work and work and see very little change for weeks, then something just "clicks", and you lose very fast for a while. I had a week during my 4 month diet/exercise kick a couple years back where I lost a pound a day. After that point, the weight loss became much easier, at about 2-3 pounds a week. And it stayed off even after stopping my hardcore program.

Unfortunately, it doesn't last forever. I'm heavier than I've been in over 2 years, and Bunnystock is coming fast. Sigh.

Hey, mike, you aren't going to run bunnystock like a boot camp or something are you? All are welcome, right? I'm bringing Pasty Back.

Weight, especially for women, can vary as much as 3 pounds from day to day. It's more useful to track averages over time than a single day's weight. The body is constantly cycling fluid through it, and sometimes you catch yourself with more, sometimes with less, especially if your routines are off-kilter.

I actually took to tracking my weight daily. A few pounds in either direction is okay and tends to be stable when averaged over time, if my habits are the same. Anything more than that starts to show an increase over time, and that means I've been slipping on diet or exercise. But putting a lot of import on a single day's weight can make you crazy; it fluctuates normally a little bit.

Bunny Boot Camp! Ha, what an idea. But not for this time. This time I just want to lay around on the beach.

10 mile beach runs at 0430 each day.

*pictures a horde of tipsy bunnies who haven't been to bed yet, all charging en masse down the beach in the wee hours*

I like this idea. (Dunno about ten miles, though.)

One not very scientific test for your scale: weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding a five-pound bag of flour or sugar (or some other item of known weight, like a handweight).

If the scale measures the difference accurately, you can have somewhat more confidence in it. Not total confidence, but...

Here's another, less scientific, version of Elsa's procedure:

Weigh yourself, then weigh yourself holding an angry ferret. Stay on the scale. Give the ferret a bag of marshmallows to calm it down. Eat two pounds of mayonnaise, or twelve pages from your favorite math textbook. Color photos are not acceptable. Raise your hands above your head and hold them there for nine minutes. If the ferret decides to scratch or bite you, put up with it -- THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT -- or the ferret will cry and run away. One drop of ferret tears weighs almost as much as a 1997 Ford F150 pickup truck (SuperCab edition) and can throw off the entire procedure. Now, lower your hands and step off the scale. Kick the scale. Kick it again. Do not look at the scale -- THIS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT -- the scale is now booby-trapped and will explode and send an alarm through the Halls of Montezuma straight to the bread king, who Does Not Like Alarms. Spin around until you're dizzy, then spin the other way until the dizziness passes. You're finished. Now go to this site and type the name of your favorite actor/actress. Hit enter.

See? It worked!

Yeah. What Hugh says. That should work.

You're welcome!

Thanks! Maybe we should market a new workout plan. We'll release 1000 rabid bunnies to chase the fatty down the beach. Either s/he'll shed some pounds in a high-intesity cardiovascular workout, or s/he'll lose 'em in the hospital bed...

Soup for lunch... less carbs... no sugar.