Why do Brits still use stone as a measurement?

Espressocycle

This is for you Brits. Please explain why you guys are always posting about weight loss in stone. I mean, one stone is 14 lbs! That's a huge unit of measurement to use when talking about weight loss. It would be like measuring cocaine in pounds. I'm not trying to be insulting, just genuinely confused about how it works when one stone could be two clothing sizes.

JenniDaisy

This is a pretty daft question, It's just the unit of measure.
Why do we still measure beer in pints? 568mls is stupid, why not 500mls all the time? Because, that's why.

JazzFischer1989

I don't think that's something they can answer, lol. It's just the way it is. Why do we use inches and feet instead of meters and centimeters like the rest of the world?

Elsie_Brownraisin

What about you yanks and your bloody cups, that change according to the substance you are measuring!?!

I don't know why I'm being defensive, I'm of the age that I was only taught metric weights at school. I use kilos and grammes and had a rather embarrassing conversation with a butcher some years ago when I asked for 100 gm of mince.

We only decimalised our currency in 1971. You can't expect people to change so quickly - Google the 'metric martyrs' if you don't believe me.

'My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it'

Sued0nim

We use KG too officially

But we grew up on lbs and stones, it's what our scales are set to so continually reinforced...babies are weighed in kilograms...and then we convert it to Lbs

We also use cm, metres, inches, miles, pints

Consider it part of our charm

But I always use lbs on here for ease of comprehension

ninerbuff

Lol, the English system of weights and measures have us all screwed up. We ALL should have converted to the metric system years ago. It's so much easier to figure out on a 10's system then inches or ounces or pounds. Personally I'm going to work more on conversion to metric this year.

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leggup

Brits don't JUST go by stones. The remainder is still expressed in pounds. So someone who weighs 200 lbs = "14 stone 4" or "14 stone 4 lbs." The origin comes from the use of stones as a measuring tool before standardization. Apparently England had a lot of stones that weighed about 14 lbs. I think that it's still kept because there would be some confusing about currency. Hearing "stone" immediately indicates that you're talking about human weight.

LivingtheLeanDream

We should actually be using Metric, we use both, I was taught both, our younger ones know only metric, some of us use stone/lbs although since MFP I think in pounds now, my weight loss sounds better that way :-D but I have also got acquainted with my metric stats and I like that too! duh! indecisive.
Everywhere should be metric across the world, it makes sense.

Stuart107

Not all "Brits" do... I use Kg (and grams for food weight) but my wife only ever thinks in stones.

Why? Tradition! We do have a rather mixed up weights and measurements system. On the roads distances are in miles/yards but bridge heights in metres. Petrol is sole in litres but consumption measured in miles-per-gallon. Temperatures are in Celsius - unless it gets really hot when people switch to Fahrenheit (98F sounds so much warmer). For (food) energy we use kCal rather than kJoules but at least we get the values per 100g rather than a nebulous serving size!

The metric system is becoming increasingly pervasive and, to me, is much easier to use. It's been taught exclusively in schools for 40+ years so maybe we'll see the demise of the stone as a unit of measurement.

MoHousdon

Elsie_Brownraisin wrote: »

What about you yanks and your bloody cups, that change according to the substance you are measuring!?!

I don't know why I'm being defensive, I'm of the age that I was only taught metric weights at school. I use kilos and grammes and had a rather embarrassing conversation with a butcher some years ago when I asked for 100 gm of mince.

We only decimalised our currency in 1971. You can't expect people to change so quickly - Google the 'metric martyrs' if you don't believe me.

'My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it'

I totally read this in an English (British) accent. I couldn't help myself.

grantevans11

I'm a Brit and always go off grams and kilograms - but stones and pounds definitely makes more sense than cups!

lishie_rebooted

Elsie_Brownraisin wrote: »

What about you yanks and your bloody cups, that change according to the substance you are measuring!?!

I don't know why I'm being defensive, I'm of the age that I was only taught metric weights at school. I use kilos and grammes and had a rather embarrassing conversation with a butcher some years ago when I asked for 100 gm of mince.

We only decimalised our currency in 1971. You can't expect people to change so quickly - Google the 'metric martyrs' if you don't believe me.

'My car gets 40 rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it'

Why would you ask a butcher for only 100g of meat?
That's less than 4ounces, tinsy amount!

Elsie_Brownraisin

It might also be a marked reluctance to use a system of measurement invented by the French.

carlosjenno

And what about quarts? A quart of milk is two pints? Oh, a quarter of a gallon? Why?!?! And a fifth of liqor? A fifth of what?!?!?!

Some of the measurements used over the years are ridiculous. I try and stick with kgs for weight loss and kms for running/cycling (Velominati rules, very important!), but still look at the st/lb on the scales!

Just don't ask me what a furlong is. Why do we still use furlongs? Bloody horses.

I'm going for a lie down now.

flumi_f

Maybe because stones roll off better

LivingtheLeanDream

[/quote]

Why would you ask a butcher for only 100g of meat?
That's less than 4ounces, tinsy amount![/quote]



100g IS 4oz and its a reasonable amount for 1 person.

Noogynoogs

Does matter what the measurements are has long as you are losing :-)

williams969

I'm just a simple Yankee, yet it doesn't bother me one bit to learn how to convert/easily visualize other measurement systems. Kilos, pounds, stones--it just a measurement.

And as an American, I do find our "fluid ounces" and "ounces" measurements some of the most confusingly named measurements of all time.

hamoncan

Its all about what you're used to - Canada has been metric for decades but we're still used to ft+inches for height and lbs for weight, 6ft-2 and 200 lbs is instantly understood to your mental frame of references but if I say I'm 188 cm and 91 kg you'll probably have very little frame of reference to decide if that's big or small, tall or short unless you convert to the old commonly understood measures

Sabine_Stroehm

Not *just "Brits", btw.

Elsie_Brownraisin

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

Why would you ask a butcher for only 100g of meat?
That's less than 4ounces, tinsy amount![/quote]



100g IS 4oz and its a reasonable amount for 1 person.[/quote]

It wasn't just for one person, haha!

And he's a proper old stereotypical fashioned farmer and butcher - stout, red cheeked, bloody white coat and very northern. I don't think he approves of new fangled things such as the metric system. He did very patiently explain pounds and ounces to me though. I didn't do inches or ounces or anything like that at school. After school, I went to live in Belgium for a bit too.

I don't weigh myself in stones. However I do think of my running and swimming in miles....