Food Scale Inaccuracies

LittleChipin

I just noticed something with my scale. Based on where you place your bowl the weight is different. Higher up is lower weight and lower down is heavier weight. How the heck am I supposed to know where to put the bowl?! I usually put it as close to the middle as possible but discovering this makes me worry my calories have been way off. Its a little black digital scale from Walmart I got for like 14 bucks

RelCanonical

Yeah, you want to center it as much as possible. My scale actually has an indicator if it's off balance. I find I have an easier time with a scale whose plate is lifted higher above the indicator (like this) because it doesn't have to worry about working around the display.

AnnPT77

Be consistent. That's really more important than being 100% accurate, when it comes down to it.

What I mean: If you carefully weigh your food, and are consistently 10% low, your weight loss will be slower (maybe). After a period of weeks, you'll notice this weight loss rate issue, and adjust your intake accordingly.

Monitoring body weight compared with targeted weight loss (over multi weeks), then adjusting, is always important for many reasons. The fact that it turns consistent estimates/measurements into useful ones is only one of those.

Or, buy a better scale.

Best wishes!