Where should I keep my scales?

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carsaintfly
carsaintfly Posts: 36 Member
in Getting Started
Hi all :) Tearing my hair out a bit here.. :D

I have a set of digital scales that also measure bf% accurate to a 10th of a pound..

I live in an old tenement flat which basically means it’s impossible to find a flat piece of floor to keep them on! I also have a galley style bathroom so it’s too narrow to keep them in the same place. I’ve been moving them each morning I weigh myself to a roughly flat place on the floor then tucking them back under the sink but I know this is rife with innacuracy.

I could keep them in the kitchen/hallway but again I have wonky floors everywhere and can’t seem to get a consistent reading. I also have a flatmate and while she wouldn’t mind, having a pair of scales in the middle of the floor may be a bit intrusive for her.

Ideally I’d be able to keep them in my bedroom but I have a thick carpet, is there any kind of box or similar I could put them on? Or does anyone have any tips for my wonky floor? Open to give anything a go!

Thanks in advance for your help and for reading my essay :)
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Replies

  • carsaintfly
    carsaintfly Posts: 36 Member
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    TavistockToad thanks for your reply but the bodyfat reading is the least of my worries to be honest!
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    edited January 2018
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    You could try standing them on a piece of very rigid board (maybe a piece of worktop) on your carpet, see if that works?
    I suspect you'd need a bolt or something in each corner to reach through the carpet to solid floor underneath but it might work.

    If not, maybe that board would give a more level surface on your wonky floors, it may be OK if you use them in the same spot each time.
    Mine live tucked away, so every morning I have to "calibrate" them on the one piece of level floor in the kitchen with an initial weighing, which can be 5lbs off, disregard that then go with the 2nd reading. After that, it gives the same result every time.
  • LW3380
    LW3380 Posts: 118 Member
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    carsaintfly wrote: »
    TavistockToad thanks for your reply but the bodyfat reading is the least of my worries to be honest!

    I have no input here at all other than your reply did make me chuckle :D
  • PikaJoyJoy
    PikaJoyJoy Posts: 280 Member
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    Well if you're still concerned that something might be inaccurate because you have to keep putting the scale away, if you go to a gym maybe rely on their scale more than the one you use at home? If you don't go to a gym, perhaps rely more on measurements over the scale?
  • carsaintfly
    carsaintfly Posts: 36 Member
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    CM_73 wrote: »
    You could try standing them on a piece of very rigid board (maybe a piece of worktop) on your carpet, see if that works?
    I suspect you'd need a bolt or something in each corner to reach through the carpet to solid floor underneath but it might work.

    If not, maybe that board would give a more level surface on your wonky floors, it may be OK if you use them in the same spot each time.
    Mine live tucked away, so every morning I have to "calibrate" them on the one piece of level floor in the kitchen with an initial weighing, which can be 5lbs off, disregard that then go with the 2nd reading. After that, it gives the same result every time.

    Thanks for your suggestions! I figured I would probably need a board of some sort. Also glad to know I’m not the only one who has to keep them tucked away!

    Curiosity got the better of me and I just went and weighed myself in the communal staircase outside my flat which is concrete and level - did what you suggested and read multiple times until it was consistent and it’s only 0.4lbs off of what the normal place in my bathroom says so I think I can live with that.

    Thanks for the calibration tip! I hadn’t been doing that and it makes a big difference.

  • louie_bluey
    louie_bluey Posts: 2 Member
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    In the bin! (joking) I test mine by weighing something of a fixed heavy weight a few times before I weigh myself, as I have a wonky floor too.
  • carsaintfly
    carsaintfly Posts: 36 Member
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    LW3380 wrote: »
    carsaintfly wrote: »
    TavistockToad thanks for your reply but the bodyfat reading is the least of my worries to be honest!

    I have no input here at all other than your reply did make me chuckle :D

    That was the polite version of the reply in my head ;)
  • carsaintfly
    carsaintfly Posts: 36 Member
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    PikaJoyJoy wrote: »
    Well if you're still concerned that something might be inaccurate because you have to keep putting the scale away, if you go to a gym maybe rely on their scale more than the one you use at home? If you don't go to a gym, perhaps rely more on measurements over the scale?

    Good idea thank you - I don’t go to the gym but I should be relying more on measurements anyway so this is a good reason to get into a better habit around that!

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    carsaintfly wrote: »
    LW3380 wrote: »
    carsaintfly wrote: »
    TavistockToad thanks for your reply but the bodyfat reading is the least of my worries to be honest!

    I have no input here at all other than your reply did make me chuckle :D

    That was the polite version of the reply in my head ;)

    charming! :huh:
  • tcaley4
    tcaley4 Posts: 416 Member
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    I would keep them someplace close to the bathroom so you can weigh after your morning wee.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    Well first, you'll want to sister your floor joists, then remove all flooring and replace the subflooring with new OSB, and apply self-leveling cement if there is still excessive unevenness... oh wait, this isn't a home reno question...

    I would go with the recommendation above, get a square of plywood that you can place down and put the scale on top of that. It should allow you to get a reasonably level surface.
  • h1udd
    h1udd Posts: 623 Member
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    tcaley4 wrote: »
    I would keep them someplace close to the bathroom so you can weigh after your morning wee.


    and before your wee .... nothing is more fun than knowing how many mls you can hold ... its like a mini goal of the week ... ooooh 360ml
  • paulbrttn
    paulbrttn Posts: 72 Member
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    Are you able to put a couple of small pieces of tape on a hard surface floor? You can then put the feet of the scales on the tape square so that you know it is in the same place each time, might not be completely accurate if the floors aren't level but it will at least be out by the same amount each time. It matters more that your weight is trending downwards than the number showing.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    We have solid concrete floors at home and still get a few bad spots. Once we identify a flat spot, the scales sit there for weeks and everyone uses them in that location.

    The biggest downside is privacy, as we have 4 people from 3 different bedrooms sneaking around trying to weigh naked without being seen.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
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    try setting it on a thick piece of scrap wood on the carpet. Home depot or Lowe's usually has a bin in the back that has reduced price scrap.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I keep my scale in my dining room. (I weigh in my pjs every time.)
    For storage I just turn it upright and slide it behind a cabinet.
    I put it on the same spot of wood floor every time. I step on and off it 3-4 times and record the reading if it has been the same 3 times in a row.
    I have tested it with a weight. It is accurate enough.
    There is a suggestion from an old thread of building a stand to weigh in a carpeted room that you might try:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10206337/how-to-get-an-accurate-reading-from-your-scale-on-carpet
  • kitbag101
    kitbag101 Posts: 15 Member
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    i think with weighing in we can focus on that day when we should look at trends over time, if you look at the latter then day 2 day fluctuations dont really count. look at long term and the scales being moved wont make much difference a trend of loosing weight over a month is a better target
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
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    My bathroom is also small with no spot for a scale. I keep it in the hallway closet and get it out when I need it and then put it back away. If you can’t find a flat spot on your floor I don’t know, you could try getting a piece of plywood or something for your bedroom but I personally wouldn’t want to keep that in my bedroom.
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
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    hesn92 wrote: »
    My bathroom is also small with no spot for a scale. I keep it in the hallway closet and get it out when I need it and then put it back away. If you can’t find a flat spot on your floor I don’t know, you could try getting a piece of plywood or something for your bedroom but I personally wouldn’t want to keep that in my bedroom.

    I do the same thing, and make sure when I put it down to weigh, I put it in the exact same place.

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