Problem with scales

megann120
megann120 Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, when you weigh yourself, do you ever repeat it? I just noticed that after a few seconds my scale shows 1.4 kg less! I never repeated it before and got a nice steady trend... Is it malfunctioning?

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    Maybe the battery is getting old, or the scale stands on a slightly uneven floor. I usually step on the scale with something heavy, get off and then immediately get on again without anything. That usually gives me a repeatable weight.
  • gothomson
    gothomson Posts: 215 Member
    Yeah, sounds like you either need a new battery, or a new set of scales - how long have you had them for? Also I only weigh myself once a week, but I do move the scale to three different spots to make sure its not on an uneven surface. But even doing that It still shows the same weight.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    All my scales would show different weight if I step a bit more to the front of the scale as opposed to a bit back or centre. Could this be the issue? What if you step several more times?
  • megann120
    megann120 Posts: 47 Member
    I got to the bottom of this. I don't know if I should feel silly that i was doing this or proud that I figured it out...
    I put my scale away in vertical position. The first measurement after i put it flat is higher. If it's flat and I repeat measurement it stays the same, if i stand it and put it down again it goes up. Very consistently
  • megann120
    megann120 Posts: 47 Member
    edited June 2016
    Suddenly turned out I am 1.4 kg lighter :)
    I am not gonna log it though, that would ruin my nice trend. It will be my sweet secret
  • akf2000
    akf2000 Posts: 278 Member
    That's weird that your scales have to settle before you can use them. Are they mechanical or digital?
  • megann120
    megann120 Posts: 47 Member
    Digital.
    Maybe it said somewhere in a long lost manual that I shouldn't put them in upright position... Anyway, they are really accurate, i checked no things up to 5 kg that I could weigh on my food scale and they are spot on. So I just have to measure twice.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    megann120 wrote: »
    Digital.
    Maybe it said somewhere in a long lost manual that I shouldn't put them in upright position... Anyway, they are really accurate, i checked no things up to 5 kg that I could weigh on my food scale and they are spot on. So I just have to measure twice.

    Accurate they may be, but reliable they are not. Follow the instructions and maybe replace the battery. Weighing yourself multiple times and averaging out is just a pain.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    The directions for the digital scales I have had have all indicated you should put a little weight on it and take it off (i.e., I press down with the ball of one foot and then remove it) and wait until the window reads 0 before you step on it to weigh yourself -- I think it's essentially taring itself, like a food scale. You're supposed to do that every time, even if you don't move it to store it.
  • musicalityrnb
    musicalityrnb Posts: 53 Member
    Interesting... I have the Fitbit Aria scale and I have to weigh myself several times before the weight steadies itself out - sometimes it'll take my significant other's weight as my own or vice versa. It never used to do that before so based off of the responses here, it seems like it might be the batteries are starting to give itself out.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Every time you move a digital scale it needs to calibrate itself by having you step on and off a couple of times. Should be in the manual. Might be able to find the information for your scale online if you know the make & model.
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    edited June 2016
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    Every time you move a digital scale it needs to calibrate itself by having you step on and off a couple of times. Should be in the manual. Might be able to find the information for your scale online if you know the make & model.

    Yes my Aria say's if it's stored on it's side you need to step on twice (I think) till you get 'sensing' appear. I hate that if it gets moved at ALL I get different readings!

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