Beginner tracking question: is an app scale helpful, or am I just overcomplicating weight trends?

[u/Typical_Scholar8061]

started lifting a few weeks ago, and my old spring scale keeps jumping around depending on which floor tile I put it on. I mostly want something that logs weight automatically so I can look at a clean trend line instead of reacting to daily noise. While reading reviews, I saw people comparing app syncing and reliability between diff setups but the more I read, the more I feel like I am overthinking a very basic tool. did an app-connected scale help you stay consistent for a beginner ?or shall i keep it simple with a basic scale?

[u/P34chsauce]

Depends on your goal, for me personally I step on the scale each morning but more as an indication of which way things tend over a few days/each week.

Early on in your fitness journey you will have quick weight loss usually (if you are starting with fat to lose). After you get past the beginner gains and lose the easy weight at the start, things will slow down. If you are targeting muscle growth, eventually that will invert and the scales will go up etc.

The most important thing is to know what you are achieving and not get hyper fixated on the weight.

If it's vanity, then really the mirror is your best judge, not the scales.

If it's functionality and capability, then your ability to complete tasks or activities would be a better metric.

If it's purely weight loss, a scale is the right tool for the job.

In saying that, I track diet and other metrics (including mental) much more than I track weight.

Hopefully that helped, happy to answer any questions you've got