Which scale to believe so sick of this

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  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    It's not the number on the scale on any given day. It's the trend that's important (hopefully going in the direction you want). Pick one scale and stick to it.
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
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    Both type of scale can be wrong. You just have to find the one that is right.... You shouldn't expect precise but accurate enough as in up to 5% error is deem to be acceptable ( in science anyway) just look for consistency and a good scale. Although I do think some scales are better than others, less % of error.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    It's not the number on the scale on any given day. It's the trend that's important (hopefully going in the direction you want). Pick one scale and stick to it.

    ^^ This...and bolded for extra emphasis
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Weight is relative. As long as you weigh yourself around the same time of day using the same scale it is irrelevant if your scale doesn't agree with someone elses scale. You should care about the trend over time, not about the number itself. How many apples worth of weight your body pushes that ground with (Newtons of force) is not really that important.

    What does "wrong" even mean with regards to weight. "Wrong" relative to what?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Wrong relative to a scale calibrated to (or measuring closer to) an official standard.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Wrong relative to a scale calibrated to (or measuring closer to) an official standard.

    Well yes okay fair enough that is true but the point I was trying to get across is that it doesn't really matter. If one scale is closer to the standard of measure locked away in France somewhere for the kilogram is that really more informative than the scale that is further away from that for the purpose of health? The standard measure is agreed upon but also rather arbitrary. I think we all get to fixated on the number and worry that the number might be somehow "wrong".

    My scale very well might be off by 4 pounds when compared to the standard of weights and measures locked in a vault somewhere in France, can't say I care that much though as long as it is self-consistent because what I care about is whether or not I am gaining or losing weight over time.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    were you wearing the same clothes when you weighed at home and later at your sister's? compared to when i'm undressed, my lightweight workout clothes add a pound and a bit, with shoes 2 1/2 pounds. my jeans and boots and a t-shirt adds 9 pounds, my shorts and a shirt and sneakers add around 3 to 4 pounds depending on which ones i'm wearing.

    if your scale gives you the same result when you step on it again or again, i'd stick to it. even if it's a little off, you'll still see what you're losing or gaining. btw, my experience with non-digital scales is that unless they're beam scales, they tend to be pretty inaccurate.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    true, but if you move most digital scales, you have to calibrate them or they'll give inaccurate results. luckily with most digital scales, all you have to do is step on them, let them take the weight and turn off, then step on them again.
    I would trust the digital scales, as long as they're fairly new or in good condition. Traditional scales get out of calibration very easily from being jostled around. I invested in new, high-quality scales recently, and my old digital scales showed me at the exact same weight - and they're more than 10 years old. Just wanted to replace them because they only weighed in 1-lb increments (nothing smaller).
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
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    If you have 5 or 10 pounds of anything, (I use some 5 pound weights in the garage, set those on the scale and see which one works. I do that for my scale and I can tell when it is accurate. All scales need to adjusted some times.

    Or pick one and stick to it.
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
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    true, but if you move most digital scales, you have to calibrate them or they'll give inaccurate results. luckily with most digital scales, all you have to do is step on them, let them take the weight and turn off, then step on them again.
    I would trust the digital scales, as long as they're fairly new or in good condition. Traditional scales get out of calibration very easily from being jostled around. I invested in new, high-quality scales recently, and my old digital scales showed me at the exact same weight - and they're more than 10 years old. Just wanted to replace them because they only weighed in 1-lb increments (nothing smaller).

    I've been reading about digitals being more inaccurate because everything from the temperature to the battery life has an effect on how the scale reads.
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
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    So I went out and bought a new cheap dial scale and it weighed me 5 lbs more than my old one. But I'd step on it again and it would read something different almost every time. I returned it. That's what happens when you buy a scale for 7 dollars from Walmart. My old one is years old but I always make sure it's calibrated right by putting a dumbbell on both before and after I stepped on it to make sure it's accurate.

    So you guys were right. I returned my new scale and will just stick to the one I have been using all along. Because I AM seeing progress on it every week. It is just weird that 2 dial scales side by side even weigh me different weights! But I'm over it. Sticking with my old scale and that's that.
  • sabolfitwife
    sabolfitwife Posts: 424 Member
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    I agree, Pick ONE and stick with that for your weigh ins. Don't go back and forth because you will get frustrated. And measurements are a much better way to look at things. I suggest taking them monthly, along with progress pictures monthly (or weekly) so you can physically SEE the difference. At the end of the day, it's not about the number. It's about how your clothes fit and how you feel.

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