Doctor scale 5 lbs heavier than mine!
BAILEEMARIE
Posts: 12 Member
I was pretty bummed when I stepped on the doctor's scale only to find it weighing 5 more pounds than mine at home. I asked his skinny nurse if their scale needed re-callibrated or something only to hear her say that her scale weighs her the same on her scale at home. I am glad I found everyone here on this site. I guess I will be here for awhile! - yet another month before I reach goal weight 
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Next time you go, weigh yourself on your home scale in the clothing you are wearing to the doctor just before. That will give you a better idea how close the two actually are. If you went to the Dr. later in the day and weighed yourself in the morning, food and drink, plus you clothing , could easily add a few pounds.0
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Mine last week was between 5-10 different between the 3 different drs I saw last week. I don't really fret because even if theirs are right and mine is wrong it still shows me when I lose. Plus I was wearing layers of clothes, leg braces and shows which altogether why about 4-5 lbs.0
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When weighing it should be on the same scale, time and place. At home you might be nude, which I doubt occurred at the doctors office. Also, at home, one would weigh first thing in the a.m.. A month is nothing in the scheme of things.0
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I worked at a doctors office for two years. We never calibrated the scales-that should make you feel better.0
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The Dr's scales usually show an increase for me because ... (as others have mentioned)
-- I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning, but I'm at the Dr's office around lunchtime
-- I've usually eaten something and have drunk a 2 or 3 cups of coffee and maybe a glass of water by the time I get to the Dr's office
-- they usually weigh me while I'm wearing quite a bit of clothing. I've even had them weigh me in my shoes if I were wearing ballet flat type shoes. Not that they are particularly heavy but heavier than nothing.
The last time I went to the Dr, I didn't eat or drink much before I went, and I managed to remove enough clothes so I was down to a little skirt and light top before I was dragged off to the scale ... and the Dr's scale was actually pretty close to mine at home.0 -
I weighed 5 more at the doctor today too, because I had on jeans and rain boots. Don't worry about it.0
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What am I missing here ? why would you be bummed ? ( not being a smartass, just curious )0
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I weighed myself with clothing on just as I was heading out the door to my Doctors last time I went. Turns out that my scale is only 1/2 lb off from the doctor. In the long run, it doesn't matter as long as you use the same scale for your "official" weight but I was curious.0
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No two scales are ever going to match exactly. Besides, if you're at the doctor's office in the afternoon, you'll weigh more than you do first thing in the morning on your own scale. Also, at the doctor's office, you might be wearing clothes, versus weighing at home when most people tend to step on the scale naked.
Don't worry about it. The absolute might be different but the relative loss should be the same.0 -
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What am I missing here ? why would you be bummed ? ( not being a smartass, just curious )
suely its obvious? All things being equal she is 5lbs further away from target than she had hitherto believed. Progress is only one aspect, she's already reconciled to it being a longer journey.0 -
It's always that way for me too. >.> Meh, I'm not naked at the Doctor's office and just used the restroom usually lol.0
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Aside from the possible time factor involved, bear in mind your scales may work on a different system than your doctor's. The accuracy of the weight can be heavily dependent upon the TYPE of scales you use.
Do you have an 'old school' platform with an analog wheel and spring system? These can wear out rather quickly, especially if you live in an area with extreme seasonal temperatures. Temperature changes in the house can change the tension on the spring, the spring mechanism weakens, your scale is no longer accurate (they should be replaced probably once every six - eight years).
Are your scales electronic, digital scales? These, too, will eventually lose their accuracy, though not quite as quickly as the old wheel and spring system. The digital scale is not affected by temperature to the extent a spring system will be but repeated usage can make the reader 'sluggish' and throw off the reading.
The third possibility is a counter-weight/cross-bar system. The counter-weight system has calibrated weights on a bar which you can slide to various points/weight measures to find your weight. This is generally the most dependable but it, too, has its weaknesses and the accuracy can be thrown off by extreme temperatures. Also, being dependent upon a cable, it will, eventually, stretch slightly. The advantage here is that the cable can be adjusted. A good counter-weight scale should last anywhere from twenty-five to even fifty years under proper maintenance.
Your doctor's office may well have a combination digital/cable pulley system scale or simply an upright digital. These are fine but, given that they will be weighing many times every day, do need to be checked for accuracy at least on a semi-annual basis.
With all of this being said, you should, by now, have come to the realization that no scales is going to be 100% accurate 100% of the time. In fact, you can weigh on the same scales at various times throughout the day and you will weigh differently each time. The reason for that is two-fold. Your body is adjusting to a number of factors in your environment: What you have eaten; Whether you have eliminated urine; Whether you have exercised and lost a lot of sweat... The ubiquitous water weight. Also, the gravitational pull/push of/on the Earth fluctuates throughout the day. That's the same gravity that 'programs' your weight. But I would suggest you just stick to one scale for your own maintenance and record keeping. Your doctor's scale can register weight loss from its own point but, if you use yours, at home, to judge your progress, stick with that one and don't worry about the one in your doctor's office.0 -
What am I missing here ? why would you be bummed ? ( not being a smartass, just curious )
suely its obvious? All things being equal she is 5lbs further away from target than she had hitherto believed. Progress is only one aspect, she's already reconciled to it being a longer journey.
Only if she chose her goal weight by her starting weight on the doctor's scale.
If she is like many people, she chose it with her (presumed) starting weight on the home scale.
Her absolute weight loss is still the same. Nothing has changed.
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I'm ALWAYS 5 pounds heavier on the Drs scale. Doesn't matter what I'm wearing, the time of day, what I've eaten, or if it's even the same Doctors office...never fails, lol.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »What am I missing here ? why would you be bummed ? ( not being a smartass, just curious )
suely its obvious? All things being equal she is 5lbs further away from target than she had hitherto believed. Progress is only one aspect, she's already reconciled to it being a longer journey.
Only if she chose her goal weight by her starting weight on the doctor's scale.
If she is like many people, she chose it with her (presumed) starting weight on the home scale.
Her absolute weight loss is still the same. Nothing has changed.
Ofc her absolute weight is the same she just believed it was 5lb less based on the home scale and has now found the home scale maybe wrong (clothes aside). Im mystified why you cant empathise why she might have been a little disappointed about the scales being inaccurate. So yes something has changed and thats her understanding of what her weight is. Its the mistaken belief that has left her pretty bummed as she says, even if her absolute weight is the same before and after the Drs.
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Always heavier at the Drs. What I do now is weigh myself at night for a few days and use that weight as a comparison.0
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To much variance to let it get you down. You had more clothes on, it was later in the day. You probably had food and drink in you. So yeah you could be 5lbs heavier, but don't sweat it. Just know what you have done. Even if it's true and the lbs are dropping on your scale it means you are still losing and that's what counts. Don't let the small stuff derail your success.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »What am I missing here ? why would you be bummed ? ( not being a smartass, just curious )
suely its obvious? All things being equal she is 5lbs further away from target than she had hitherto believed. Progress is only one aspect, she's already reconciled to it being a longer journey.
Only if she chose her goal weight by her starting weight on the doctor's scale.
If she is like many people, she chose it with her (presumed) starting weight on the home scale.
Her absolute weight loss is still the same. Nothing has changed.
Ofc her absolute weight is the same she just believed it was 5lb less based on the home scale and has now found the home scale maybe wrong (clothes aside). Im mystified why you cant empathise why she might have been a little disappointed about the scales being inaccurate. So yes something has changed and thats her understanding of what her weight is. Its the mistaken belief that has left her pretty bummed as she says, even if her absolute weight is the same before and after the Drs.
I have empathy, I just don't think it's a meaningful difference. I can have empathy for how someone feels while still understanding that logically nothing has changed.0 -
I have empathy, too, but Baileemarie, by your ticker, you're two pounds from your goal. (great job, by the way!) And since you're two pounds from your goal and haven't decided to change that goal, you're probably pretty happy with your results. If you'd gotten on the doctor's scale and you were five pounds less than you thought, would you think, 'Oh crap! I've got to gain three pounds?' If not, then there's no reason to think you need to lose seven more instead of two.
Now's as good a time as any to understand that the exact number on the scale is quite meaningless, and can fluctuate for a variety of reasons.0 -
I see why you'd be a little bummed but it really doesn't matter at all. If you thought you were 5 lbs from your goal and then the doctor's scale was 5 lbs lighter (so at your goal) would you have said "mission accomplished" and considered the goal to have been reached? You would look exactly the same. Your clothes would fit exactly the same. If you weren't happy with where you were before seeing the doctor's scale number why would you be happy with it after seeing it? Conversely, if you were happy with your progress (from the mirror and the change in weight on your scale) before stepping on the doctor's scale why would you be unhappy with it now?
There's nothing magical about the number on the scale. You don't walk around with that number written on your forehead. No one but you knows what the scale said. Everyone knows how you look and that doesn't change by stepping on a different scale.0
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