AnalogRead - readings are erratic

I've never heard that before? So depending on the weight I have on the scale will adjust my reading when I change the gain?

That's what the stain gauge is doing - varying it's output resistance which varies the analog voltage.
You need to adjust the gain with maximum weight (max voltage) to set the full scale reading.
Otherwise, you're adjusting full scale reading with 0 gram (minimum voltage).