Let's talk scales

[bellabill 253]

Let's talk about scales. I hate my scale cause it's not honest with me. Every time I go to the doctor's or get the weigh in it's a different number. Of course I weigh less at home! I have Health meter Digital scale(nothing fancy)...which eventually is going into the trash! Anyone have a good scale they can rely on? Btw, I brought this thing in Walmart.< /p>

[jjinWA 511]

Every scale is different. I think the secret is just stick with one and follow the trail down as you lose weight! I personally use the Aria scale. It is a digital scale that ties to my Fitbit app and tracks the weight for me directly on the computer. I have heard the digital scales are not always accurate but again, it is the only one I use, so regardless of what the most accurate weight is, I follow this one daily. I enjoy keeping track of my steps, my food intake, and my weight all in one app ( Fitbit tracks back to my fitness pal also)

[2muchfun 8,927]

They're just numbers. As long as they keep going down why worry? If your Doctor's office scale is 5 lbs less, just deduct 5 lbs from your scale?

[labwalker 1,177]

I bought a fairly decent digital scale. One thing I've learned is that these can be very fussy about the surface they are set on. Even a thin rug with cause inaccuracies. They need to be placed on a hard and level surface.

I've been keeping track of my doctor office visits, and comparing them to the scale reading at home... pretty close.

The most important thing for me is to have a scale that is consistent. I use the scale to keep myself honest. If I see a problem that shows after a month or so, I have to step back and ask myself what I am doing different. I'd look at the reviews on Amazon or other sites before buying a new scale. Price isn't always the best gauge for value.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

I went from weighing daily to weighing weekly. My attitude improved immensely. I have a cheap digital scale which is within a half pound of my surgeon's office. I weigh on the bathroom tile level floor.

[Judy_c 0]

I used to check the scale once a week before starting my new diet. Now I check the scale everyday because of the excitement I get from actually losing weight. I just started my journey to lose weight about a month and a half ago. I lost 18 pounds in one month and 5 more pounds after without much exercise and it's been a life changer. I'm a little embarrassed to post my before and after photos here but if anyone actually cares to hear what I've been doing then I'd be happy to help in any way. Just shoot me an email at judycanton@gmail.com and I'll show you my before and after photos, and tell you about how things are going for me with the stuff I've tried. I wish someone would have helped me out when I was struggling to find a solution so if I can help you then it would make my day.

[TheCurvyJones 721]

Always go by the scale you're used to using. Your doc's scale is always going to be different. So is the scale at your best friend's house and the scale in your neighbor's house. Go by YOUR scale.

And if you don't trust the number, get a better scale.

[OCSlim 63]

Hi Bellabill,

Remember that if you are weighing unclothed and first thing in the morning at home, your body likely picks up a pound or two as the day goes on and you eat hydrate and are exposed to heat, move about, etc. additionally, your clothes will add a little weight, too.

[TheCurvyJones 721]

Also, I weighed every single day during my weight loss phase. I was never the type to be swayed by whatever that number was. I need to know the number when I start the day, whether it's what I want to see or not. If you're not the kind of person that can handle seeing that number every day, I'd put that scale in a place where it's inconvenient to get on it all the time. Otherwise you can always plug that number into other stuff you're tracking (like inch loss and clothing size) and use that data to get a more well rounded number.

The scale can be a very useful tool in measuring your day to day performance-- I find it to be great feedback on how I did the day before. I think if the scale is consistently showing you numbers you don't like/agree with, the answer is NOT to ignore that data but to dig into why it is displayed that way. Is the scale broken? Are you more dense (muscular) and so you weigh heavier? Or maybe a scale that tells you more info like body fat % and BMI would be more helpful. Are you eating more/eating a ratio that doesn't work for you? (i.e. high fat, low carb works fine for me, but low fat low carb works better)

THe most annoying answer to me, EVER, is 'get off the scale'. That doesn't solve my problem.

Edited September 24, 2014 by TheCurvyJones

[labwalker 1,177]

I notice my weight varies from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I'm anal enough to track both weights and record them, but what is important is to graph the weight over a month's average to see any significant trends. I could weigh myself weekly, but then I risk recording an exceptionally low weight weight, followed by an unusually high weight. That would depress me. My daily weight can change by up to four pounds during a week, and that is even being careful to time the measurements to ensure the most accurate readings.

[AvaFern 3,516]

I use two scales and both are within a pound of the doctor's office scale. A few days a week I use an Ironman scale which was super expensive and it has a lot of fun measurements that it can do (bone density, fat%, Water %, and about 7 other things). The other few days a week when I am somewhere else in the mornings I use the BalanceFrom scale that I bought on Amazon for $25. I actually like the cheap scale better because it doesn't change your weight by a few ounces if you weigh yourself a few times around the same time. I weigh myself once a day, first thing in the morning, and write it down in a calendar so I can see the trends over the months.

Ultimately, as long as you're using the same scale, you should be able to tell how much you're losing regardless of what the doctor's office scale says. If you go from 200 to 195 on the doc's scale or 195 to 190 on your scale, you're still down 5 pounds.

[Rogofulm 2,440]

Hate to admit it, but I weigh myself several times a day. I'm still in the weight loss phase so haven't received any really bad news so far. My scale has one odd quirk, though. It will give me exactly the same weight (to the 10th of a pound) all day long. Don't know if this is by design, or a defect. So I have to trick it into thinking I'm someone else. You're gonna love this.... After I get on the scale, I clear it, then get on again using a crutch to make me lighter. Then I clear it again and get back on to get my actual new weight. It's a little game the scale and I play with each other. One other weird thing... I weigh myself when I first wake up, then again after I shower and shave, and my hair is dry. Believe it or not, I typically lose 0.2 pounds after my shower. Don't know why. I shower every day, so it's not greasy hair or dead skin cells. It's just a happy mystery for now.

[lisacaron 5,075]

I have odd issues with the scales in my house also. My house does not have the most "level" of floors so at different area's in the house the scale might say something different. I have a couple of scales and the Aria, is fickle with where I place it. One minute I can be 2 pounds lighter and in another minute 2 pounds heavier.

So I check it against the analog scale and the one closest wins! I try NOT to weight myself at home too often for this reason and the numbers I use are the ones the Dr. gives me every 5-6 weeks.

The scale at my PCP is totally wonky...I think my floors are uneven over there you can feel yourself sitting on a slant. I don't know how they can use those old scales with any degree of accuracy so I just disregard them and tell them my weight

[Kitt3000 757]

I swear the docs office adds 5 to their scales !

[par1959 470]

Agreed Doc's scale has added lead.