can’t find accurate, consistent body weight scales

7FitandHealthy7

Hello I bought a couple of body weight scales and both scales vary wildly when I stand on them. Are there any decent scales on the market right now? thanks

MsCzar

Pick one. If the numbers go in direction you want, it's good.

I have a 50 year old Krups spring scale and a newer whiz-bang digital. Since I started with the spring scale, that's the one I use to track my progress. The two scales can differ by as much as three lbs. in both directions. I don't care. The numbers on both have steadily fallen for more than a year now and I don't stress about the numbers as long as the trend continues downward.

yirara

No, there are no precise scales. All will show a trend over time though. Thus pick one and keep on using just this one. Make sure it stands on a hard, flat surface (no carpet or bendy wood) and that the feet are clean. Check battery every now and then.

cmriverside

The digital ones are all Special Snowflakes. They're erratic, have to be on the exact same spot every time, the readings can vary 5+ pounds in 10 seconds...I dunno, I bought mine 11 years ago and I'll use it till it breaks, but it's not a precision instrument. It does have the 0.2 variation of weight, if that's important. Not true of the older mechanical ones.

I agree with MsCzar, if it's going in the right direction over a period of time that's all I really care about.

DancingMoosie

I make sure mine is calibrated using dumbbells. Weigh yourself, weigh yourself with the dumbell...make sure the difference is what the dumbell should weigh. I've done the same with my puppy and then taken him to the vet...he weighed the same. I have a Conair WW glass digital scale from Walmart.

SnifterPug

Pick one. They can be capricious - I find it is often best to weigh twice and take the second reading. Or even three times (though I typically find that the weight changes from reading 1 to reading 2 and then stays the same for reading 3, so reading 3 becomes a waste of time)

corinasue1143

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

wunderkindking

The one that happened at the time of day you normally weigh yourself. People's weight changes through the day, sometimes by a lot. You're looking for a trend so pick a time of day and use that to weigh so you can follow it.

AnnPT77

corinasue1143 wrote: »

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

Right in a row? Mine is not that variable ** (nor does it exhibit the false consistency that comes from a memory in the scale). If I get variations when I'm basically stepping off the scale and back on, I go with the first reading that pops up twice: Close enough.

Over the course of a day, of course, it varies by several pounds because my weight varies by several pounds. A day or two ago, I did a couple of extra weigh-ins to check on hydration after exercise (it's been hot here, I sweat lots). I didn't log any but my standard-conditions first thing in AM weigh-in in Libra, but from memory I think I dropped 3 pounds over the course of the day; was back up to the same AM weight plus 1.6 pounds by next day. 🤷‍♀️

** FWIW, though I doubt it matters, it's a relatively inexpensive Beurer brand, electronic, with the goofy BIA body-composition estimates. It'll vary by a couple of tenths on bodyweight, rarely 4 tenths, in repeated readings, sometimes (it only does pounds/tenths in even tenths).

tcunbeliever

I have an old dial scale, it seems to measure the same.

yirara

tcunbeliever wrote: »

I have an old dial scale, it seems to measure the same.

It will likely still show various measurements at various ambient room temperatures due to the metal spring inside the scale expanding or contracting every so slightly.

corinasue1143

corinasue1143 wrote: »

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

wunderkindking wrote: »

The one that happened at the time of day you normally weigh yourself. People's weight changes through the day, sometimes by a lot. You're looking for a trend so pick a time of day and use that to weigh so you can follow it.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

corinasue1143 wrote: »

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

Right in a row? Mine is not that variable ** (nor does it exhibit the false consistency that comes from a memory in the scale). If I get variations when I'm basically stepping off the scale and back on, I go with the first reading that pops up twice: Close enough.

Over the course of a day, of course, it varies by several pounds because my weight varies by several pounds. A day or two ago, I did a couple of extra weigh-ins to check on hydration after exercise (it's been hot here, I sweat lots). I didn't log any but my standard-conditions first thing in AM weigh-in in Libra, but from memory I think I dropped 3 pounds over the course of the day; was back up to the same AM weight plus 1.6 pounds by next day. 🤷‍♀️

** FWIW, though I doubt it matters, it's a relatively inexpensive Beurer brand, electronic, with the goofy BIA body-composition estimates. It'll vary by a couple of tenths on bodyweight, rarely 4 tenths, in repeated readings, sometimes (it only does pounds/tenths in even tenths).

Right in a row. Healthometer from Walmart

zebasschick

corinasue1143 wrote: »

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

i had that happen last week. it turned out that's how my scale shows the battery is low. put in a freshly charged batter, and voila!

Pipsqueak1965

I line mine up with the same tile in the bathroom every time and stand in the same spot on the scales. They are very consistent used that way. Digital scales, cost about £20.

anneg50

I bought a HealthOMeter digital for under $20 and it is on the mark with my doctor's scale. Haven't had any problems with it.

Xikaiden

I bought a bluetooth one from Healthkeep so it automatically transmits the measurements to its app and Samsung health so I'm less tempted to cheat by standing in certain ways to make it "seem better" was about $25 with a coupon and amazon reward points.. Just keep in mind your weight will have some inconsistencies throughout the day no matter what scale you buy (due to food/water weight/etc). So your best bet is to weigh daily and average out for the week.

mtaratoot

I have two relatively cheap scales. They read consistently about a pound apart. One of them was to replace the older one, but it started working again. The old one has BIA analysis, the new one is just mass.

I used to sometimes weigh myself, fully dressed, right before going to work, then weighing myself on the balance scale at work. They read different, but very consistently. Both my scales are made by Taylor and are branded by Weight Watchers if I recall.

Aside from battery issues and making sure the scale is on a flat and level surface, I found that if cat hair got built up on the little rubber feet, that would affect the reading. The cat hair would take some of the strain that the strain gauge would have otherwise read.

PSMeeker

Thanks for posting this question. I just completed a trial with new batteries, weigh, hold a 10# dumbell, weigh. It appears my gremlin of a scale is accurate. I have absolutely no idea how I can drop 2 lbs overnight, and then gain 3 lbs the next day. Must be my body fighting it's "set" point. I'm only 3 weeks into healthy eating...so we shall see what happens as the months go by.

DancingMoosie

PSMeeker wrote: »

Thanks for posting this question. I just completed a trial with new batteries, weigh, hold a 10# dumbell, weigh. It appears my gremlin of a scale is accurate. I have absolutely no idea how I can drop 2 lbs overnight, and then gain 3 lbs the next day. Must be my body fighting it's "set" point. I'm only 3 weeks into healthy eating...so we shall see what happens as the months go by.

This is totally normal, it's how your body works. You wake up dehydrated, hence the low morning weight. Eating and drinking...weight goes up again.. Sodium also holds water, so day after high sodium is usually a higher weight.

AnnPT77

PSMeeker wrote: »

Thanks for posting this question. I just completed a trial with new batteries, weigh, hold a 10# dumbell, weigh. It appears my gremlin of a scale is accurate. I have absolutely no idea how I can drop 2 lbs overnight, and then gain 3 lbs the next day. Must be my body fighting it's "set" point. I'm only 3 weeks into healthy eating...so we shall see what happens as the months go by.

@PSMeeker: Expanding on what DancingMoosie said, I think you'd get a lot of good info by reading this article:

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

Bodies are weird. That article is an easy-to-read, engaging intro to the what and why of some of the scale-weight weirdness. Understanding that makes weight loss IMO less stressful!

As a rule of thumb, big jumps over a day or few - sometimes up to a week or two! - tend to be about water weight or temporary digestive contents on their way to becoming waste. If you're standing on a scale with an apple in your hand, then eat the whole apple, your weight on the scale doesn't change, even though the apple doesn't have enough calories to make you gain its weight in fat. Drinking a couple cups of water will make you instantly gain a pound, and that for-sure isn't fat, and will leave your body pretty soon.

The only way to gain 1, 2, 3 pounds overnight is to eat 3500, 7000, or 10500 calories above maintenance calories, or move that much less. If you didn't do some combo of those two, the weight change can't be fat.

Fat loss tends to happen in tiny, nearly-invisible continuous increments (if we're in a calorie deficit), and show up on the scale over a period of weeks, playing peek-a-boo along the way with water-weight shifts. This is just how healthy bodies operate: Might as well understand it, figure out how to live with it without over-stressing.

Strudders67

I've had a dial one for years and was relatively happy throughout my weight loss. I couldn't tell if I'd lost a few grams, but I got the trend. Having just had my bathroom done and now got a bit of floor space where I can just place (and leave) a pair of scales, I recently bought a digital one (also a Conair WW slim glass one that was mentioned above). I weighed the same as I did when standing on my dial one. The key difference is that my digital one shows my weight to 0.x of a Kg whereas, on the dial one, all I knew previously is that I was somewhere between x and y kilos.

Scales varying wildly may be because you're not putting them in exactly the same place, on a tiled /solid wood floor.

Cheesy567

The error reading might mean the scale is at the end of its range, and my scale is less consistent near the end of its range. Mine is designed to weigh to 330 pounds (each scale is different, some go to 250, some up to 500). When I weighed 225-330, it would give me less consistent readings up to even 333 pounds, then flip to error. I’d step on and off a few times and take the most consistent weight or average them.

If that’s not the case, like other’s have said, check the batteries, and the placement so that it’s consistent and level. And check the “feet,” make sure you didn’t lose a little rubber tip that’s making it off-kilter a bit and wobbly.

JJordon

It was a bit pricey, but I'm now using the Withings Body+ and to be honest, well worth it.