What scale do you use?

MzCara148

I had a fitbit aria that I used for years and it was OK but as I got bigger the scale got smaller. At my heaviest I was standing on it kind of kittycorner if you know what I mean. So when it broke I bought a Renpho XL. Not a smart scale - you just stand on it and it tells you what you weigh. The size is wonderful. It seemed to be very consistent, I could jump on and off and the number was always the same (my fitbit always had some variability).

So this morning was weigh day. I'm going to overshare here but I have some serious GI problems so I don't wait to weigh until I have taken care of business in the bathroom. Sometimes that would be days. So I weighed this morning and sat down and had half a cup of coffee and realized I had to go the bathroom. It had been about 3 days so I figured even though I had some coffee I'd weigh again. Well I got the EXACT same number. That didn't seem likely so I had my husband get on the scale and then I got on it again. That time it said I was down about a pound from my initial weigh in. Just to double check I got off and on and it jumped up three pounds!! After that I got off and on many times and no 2 weights were the same.

So now I don't trust my scale. Anyone have a scale they love that will go up to at least 330 or so and has a wide enough platform that I'll fit on it? Recommendations in the main forums are useless because they are for "regular" bathroom scales.

cwrisbeck

We use the Weight Watchers scale - i'm not sure what the exact name or model # is, but I can find out. It has all sorts of bells and whistles (that I honestly don't use) like bmi calculator, etc. and stores information for up to 4 people. It seems to be pretty consistent. I will move it around to different parts of the floor/room and it always gives me same weight. It's a digital glass scale (that I was afraid I would break, but I haven't) and is really sturdy. I think the weight capacity is like 400 lbs. If I remember correctly I think we paid like $25 for it. You can find it at Target, Bed, Bath and Beyond, etc.

Since my wife and I have started the weigh to health class at the hospital I have noticed that I am consistently 4 lbs lighter (to the ounce) than what I weigh at the hospital, but I weigh at home in the morning, and class isn't until 6:00 p.m. so it's possible.

bmeadows380

I've got the same scale as cwrisbeck that I got at Walmart. I actually have 2 of them; the older one is a plain basic scale, the other has the same bells and whistles (that I don't use either). Both will jump around on me sometimes, though I think the cold floor sometimes has something to do with that, but they are usually within a lb or two when they do jump. I had the old one and it started getting fairly erratic, so I bought the new one, then finally got a decent battery for the old one and it straightened up mostly. The two scales run anywhere from 1 to 5 lbs apart at the exact same time. I actually weigh in on both of them and will usually use the difference between the two. If they are widely different, I'll try them again and usually they come in closer.

amy_kee

I used to have a Weight Watchers scale from Wal-Mart that was inconsistent, I got aggregated with it and looked online for a more reliable scale.

I found, and still have, a Bow flex glass, 330 pound limit, large enough base scale. I'm a big female, 5'11 witb size 13 feet. With all my weight, i can't put my feet together either. I have room to stand on this reliable scale. If I remember right, I think it cost about $50. It weighs accurately from 324 lbs and less.

MzCara148

@amy_kee I'll have to check that one out. I looked at the WW ones from Wal-Mart but they have multiple models, not sure which ones people have had good results with. I have just been only getting on the scale once and figuring even if it isn't accurate I should be able to get a trend from it. Such a pain.

cnavarro002

@MzCara148 If you have a Bed, Bath and Beyond near you they actually have the scales out that you can try out and use to see if you like them.

PloddingTurtle

I'm adding food scale and bathroom scale to my shopping list right now.

I've been getting by weighing myself at my parents' home once a week. They have one of those old fashioned doctor's office scale with the weights that slide across at chest height.

It's the food scale that is the most critical, I think. I have an very old inaccurate spring action scale, and I've been eye-balling and using measuring spoons and cups. After reading posts on the the MFP community and watching a few eye-opening youtube videos, I'm now convinced I need a digital food scale pronto. All my hard work may be horribly sabotaged by inaccurate measuring.

cnavarro002

@PloddingTurtle I agree! We don't have a food scale, and need one so bad! Every time I guess how much of a serving size I'm eating and see the low calories, I know I am just fooling myself. Food scale is definitely next on my list. I have seen so many different kinds, it's kinda overwhelming to choose.

PloddingTurtle

@cnavarro002,

I'm going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond this weekend to see what they have for both types of scales.

PloddingTurtle

I picked up a new weigh scale today, and I recorded a 2.9 lb loss with my first weigh in, so I think this is a really positive sign. I'm looking forward to many happy results.

I also picked up a digital food scale -- Holy Hannah, there are a lot of brands to choose from! -- and I went with the Cuisinart model because that is a brand name for which I'm familiar with the quality expectations. It came with a 1-year guarantee from BBB and a 3-year guarantee from Cuisinart, which I thought sounded good for a $40 scale.

I recorded my first Dang it! moment with the scale this afternoon while pre-measuring next week's breakfasts and lunches. I weighed the dry cereal I've chosen to eat next week. The package says that a 30-gram serving is approximately 2/3 cup. Not true! It turns out that 2/3 cup is equal to 40 grams, a serving that is 33% bigger and, obviously, 33% higher in calories. The breakfast serving is really piddly, I've got to say, right up there with the portions provided to poor Oliver Twist in the workhouse. On a positive note, maybe with accurate food servings I will lose weight a little faster and become SpeedyTurtle.

MzCara148

@PloddingTurtle - I'm glad at least the weight scale was kind to you. It really is amazing what a difference weighing your food makes. Turns out I am awful at guesstimates.

PloddingTurtle

How could we hope to be good at estimating when the food packaging details are so incorrect. Just for the record, when it comes to things I don't like to eat, I'm still going to guesstimate on the low side. Yup, that looks like 6 oz of fish to me...not!

bmeadows380

There are some things that you can get by just using the measuring cups, things that aren't very calorie dense to begin with. But when it comes to calorie dense foods like nuts, definitely weigh them! My sister about died the first time I showed her what a true serving size of cashews looked like versus the "1/4 cup" on the package. When a single serving of nuts is 170 calories, being off by several grams can push that to well over 200 calories!

One of hte first things I told my sister when she started calorie counting is that breakfast cereal really isn't worth it. A true serving is so small that it doesn't even being to hold me, especially as most breakfast cereals have practically no protein to them, either. I'll eat oats or cocoa wheats. My sister has found, though, that a serving of mini wheats still hold her pretty well.

Another thing that irritates me is how packaged items have lost bulk over the years, and they'll be labeled "about" so many servings. For instance: a can of beans will be labeled "about 3 1/2 servings" but when you weigh it out, its more like just barely over 3 servings. And yet you are paying what you used to pay for 4 servings!