Scales- which weight to use?

thegreatestthing
thegreatestthing Posts: 16 Member
in Getting Started
Quick question on scaling in- my doctor's scale shows a weight MUCH different than my home scale. Most days its about 10lbs over what I measure at home. Which scale do I use to keep track of how much weight I'm losing?

Replies

  • Tykk
    Tykk Posts: 153 Member
    It's probably good to stick with the home weight for consistency. At the doctors, it may be different times of the day, your clothes may be different, you may have eaten differently before you get there, so you may have big differences every visit. It's not the absolute number that matters so much, more about tracking how much you're losing.
  • thegreatestthing
    thegreatestthing Posts: 16 Member
    It's probably good to stick with the home weight for consistency. At the doctors, it may be different times of the day, your clothes may be different, you may have eaten differently before you get there, so you may have big differences every visit. It's not the absolute number that matters so much, more about tracking how much you're losing.

    Thanks!
  • gmthisfeller
    gmthisfeller Posts: 779 Member
    Quick question on scaling in- my doctor's scale shows a weight MUCH different than my home scale. Most days its about 10lbs over what I measure at home. Which scale do I use to keep track of how much weight I'm losing?

    You are, if you are like me, more interested in how much you *lose* than in how much you might actually weigh. Your home scale will show the difference; your doc's scale might be more accurate in showing your current weight.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    What Tykk said. If you're losing at home, you should also see a loss at the doctor's office over time. The difference in the weights has to do with what you're wearing, what food/drink is in your digestive system at the time, etc.
  • Liss_Bee
    Liss_Bee Posts: 187 Member
    10 pounds is an awful lot though? My advice would be to make sure your scale at home is on a level base. I could see maybe a few pounds difference but 10 is a really big number. I usually add 2 pounds for jeans, shirt and shoes and depending on the time of day a few pounds if needed... at the MOST 5 pound difference possibly see from my doctors scale though.
  • ChaplainHeavin
    ChaplainHeavin Posts: 426 Member
    To check the accuracy of my scales I put two ten pound weights on them and as mentioned, make sure the floor is level
  • jennycina93
    jennycina93 Posts: 127 Member
    What I have done in the past to check scale accuracy is to put something on the scale that you know how much it weights (such as a 10 lb dumbbell). If it weighs high, then just deduct that amount off of your weight every time you weigh in.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    What everyone has said so far, and also I'll add something:
    I prefer electronic scales as well. I think that the old fashioned ones that use weights, or non-electric home scales can be inaccurate. My old scale used to glitch and was off by 10lbs because it wasn't calibrated correctly anymore. I've found I can be more confident in the electronic one, especially because it can give me decimal results and seems more accurate.
  • Fit_in_Folsom
    Fit_in_Folsom Posts: 220 Member
    In my more fit days, I purchased this scale. I still have it 7 years later and it is the best thing I have ever used. It is worth the money in my opinion: http://www.amazon.com/Tanita-BC-549-Ironman-Composition-Monitor/sim/B003IQDPYG/2
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I weigh 5 lb less on my mom's scale than I do at home. I use the higher weight, although I'm only 3 lb away from onederland at my mom's house so it's super tempting to believe her scale instead of my own ;-)
  • Tykk
    Tykk Posts: 153 Member
    I also have Tanita scales - not that exact model, but similar - and also swear by them.
  • tristaj90
    tristaj90 Posts: 330 Member
    Guess I'm fortunate that my scale vs the drs scale shows only a 4 lb at best difference. I weigh naked at home and have clothes on at the dr and the other difference is I weigh myself RIGHT after getting ready for work and at the dr it's usually afternoon/early evening when I weigh there and that makes a difference too.

    If you're tracking how much you're losing then use your scale, same scale, same clothes, same time of day, same day of the week (for weekly weigh-ins)...I weigh daily at the same time of day. :)
  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
    I work in a doctors office and I hear this day in and day out. "my scale at home says..." I'd normally say go by your home scale, but honestly if there is a 10 lb difrference, your scale at home is probably wrong. Doctors office scales are calibrated every year as party of yearly quality maintance.

    I agree with the idea of getting a 10 lb hand weight and seeing what that weighs on your scale.
  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
    You are, if you are like me, more interested in how much you *lose* than in how much you might actually weigh. Your home scale will show the difference; your doc's scale might be more accurate in showing your current weight.

    THIS!! Exactly this!!!
  • 319Sara
    319Sara Posts: 302 Member
    After being weighed at the doctor's office, go directly home, no eats. no bathroom stops, and weigh at home in the same clothes, etc. The difference in the two weights will be the amount your home scale is "off". Adjust the home scale, or just remember the difference if you can't.
  • F00LofaT00K
    F00LofaT00K Posts: 688 Member
    I weigh myself naked when I'm at home... but I'm wearing clothes and shoes at the doctor. My difference is usually around 10lbs.
  • _NAUTILUS_
    _NAUTILUS_ Posts: 239 Member
    When it comes to scales I generally use the one that shows the lowest weight.
  • smelius22
    smelius22 Posts: 334 Member
    I had this same problem between the scale at the gym and my home.. i bought a digital scale for home and weigh myself first thing in the morning (before adding clothes and food and drinks to my body) and haven't used the gym scale any more.
  • Fitfully_me
    Fitfully_me Posts: 647 Member
    Umm. It doesn't matter which scale you use. Weight loss will reflect on any scale. If you lose 10 lbs, each scale will show 10 lbs less than the previous weight.

    If you weigh 120lbs on your scale at home, and you weigh 130lbs on the scale at your doctor's office and you lose 10 lbs, you should weigh 110lbs on your scale at home and 120lbs on the scale at your doctor's office.

    Weight loss/weight gain refers to the difference, not an arbitrary number.
  • ayalowich
    ayalowich Posts: 242 Member
    10 pounds is an awful lot though? My advice would be to make sure your scale at home is on a level base. I could see maybe a few pounds difference but 10 is a really big number. I usually add 2 pounds for jeans, shirt and shoes and depending on the time of day a few pounds if needed... at the MOST 5 pound difference possibly see from my doctors scale though.

    Not sure about others, but at the doctors office they weigh me with shoes on, clothes on, keys in my pocket, cell phone etc. I may even have a sport coat or jacket with me. The clothes and shoes probably weigh 4 lbs, other stuff probably another 1-2. At home suffice to say I wear nothing or next to it. And I know my scale at home is 3 lbs low b/c I've tested it. So it wouldn't be that hard to see a 8-10 lb difference.

    But essentially, I use the scale at home. It may be 1-2% low, but its relatively consistent.
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    Weigh yourself in the morning, at home, naked, after you pee. That's going to be the lightest you're going to weigh all day. If you do it every day and track what you eat every day you'll notice trends in weight loss/gain and correlate it with what you ate or how you exercised the day before. IMO that's the true value of a scale.

    Also, on the topic of scales...

    Just as important is a food scale. Accuracy is key in knowing what you ate.

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