Should I buy a new scale or does it not matter?

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patriciahutchinson89
patriciahutchinson89 Posts: 89 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I brought my scale years ago, I have to step on it 3 times for it to get me my true reading. It's always off the first time and I check it twice. I was told whatever scale you start with you stick with because each scale reads differently. A friend of mine has one that checks how dehydrated you are and I found one that calculates muscle mass and fat loss.

I am so tempted to buy but once when I was losing weight my friend scale made me bigger than what my scale projected. My scale said I loss 15 pounds where her's said it was about 7. If I get a new scale and it reads I'm close to where I started I might just lose it.

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  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    Stick with the one you have. I took the plunge and bought a tanita scale (measures BF%) about 5 years ago.... so not accurate. Stick with the old fashioned kind so you don't have to start over with your "beginning" figure... and no sense buying one that is only guessing on your BF% anyway.
  • lilred806
    lilred806 Posts: 195 Member
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    I am having the same problem with my scale. The reason I am not changing is because I don't want to spend money on one right now. If I was to get a new one and if told me I weighed more it would have nothing to do with what I accomplished I would assume it was calibrated differently. I use the gyms old fashioned scale occasionally and I weigh more there but it consistently goes down the same lbs as my scale.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    If yours seems consistent once you get to the third read, I'd probably stick with it.

    If you do buy a new one, don't bother with one that measures your fat and muscle. They're pretty inaccurate and cause more confusion than they provide answers, not worth the money at all.

    You can check your scale by using something of a known weight, like a dumbbell or a 5lb (full, unopened) bag of sugar. You weigh yourself, step off, hold the known weight and get back on the scale. If the scale reads the correct amount more, then your scale is ok. If not, buy a new scale.
  • eryquem
    eryquem Posts: 66 Member
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    I would get the new one. If the number on a scale matters to you, than an inconsistent scale is only going to bring frustration in the long term. So what if this scale gives you a number higher than your current one. That doesn't mean you've lost less weight, just that according to your friend's scale, your starting weight was higher. you've still lost the same 15 pounds.

    So get a scale that isn't loopy, and then start fresh from there.

    And while I agree that the bio-impedance style BF measurement on these kind of scales is not so accurate, it can at least give you some trending data, so they're not entirely worthless.
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    I agree stick wih the one you have and also go by the way your clothes fit.
  • patriciahutchinson89
    patriciahutchinson89 Posts: 89 Member
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    If yours seems consistent once you get to the third read, I'd probably stick with it.

    If you do buy a new one, don't bother with one that measures your fat and muscle. They're pretty inaccurate and cause more confusion than they provide answers, not worth the money at all.

    You can check your scale by using something of a known weight, like a dumbbell or a 5lb (full, unopened) bag of sugar. You weigh yourself, step off, hold the known weight and get back on the scale. If the scale reads the correct amount more, then your scale is ok. If not, buy a new scale.

    That is an awesome idea!!!!
  • Rolande55
    Rolande55 Posts: 52 Member
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    I've read that we shouldn't really rely on a scale anyway. It's how our clothes feel and measurements that will be the best way to determine how you're doing. Besides when you exercise you build muscle that weighs more than fat and that is scary to see. I made myself a cover for the scale reading showing what I want to weigh instead lol! You know to better visualize my goal.
  • patriciahutchinson89
    patriciahutchinson89 Posts: 89 Member
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    I've read that we shouldn't really rely on a scale anyway. It's how our clothes feel and measurements that will be the best way to determine how you're doing. Besides when you exercise you build muscle that weighs more than fat and that is scary to see. I made myself a cover for the scale reading showing what I want to weigh instead lol! You know to better visualize my goal.


    I am trying to avoid muscle gain as much as I can and I honestly don't care what the "experts" say. I don't want a misreading and since it's best to tone AFTER you loss the weight whats the point and doing it now. It burns more calories blah blah blah so does eating right and exercising like I'm doing so muscles can wait. All my clothes have been replaced to accommodate my bigger size. I have 2 goal shirts I have to dig out somewhere but I am leery about buying anything new to try to fit in it. My BMI is 159 for normal but I was told that is different for a woman of color so I may never be a size medium and healthy and then again I might so I rather wait to see if that is obtainable before buying a medium shirt I can't fit or a large shirt that will one day be to big.

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