Different scales different weight?

DLDzioba

So I bought myself a home scale at the beginning of the year so I could weigh in in the mornings before I've eaten anything for the day. It's a pretty cheap one, the kind with a dial instead of a digital display (I'm on a budget). I calibrated it as the instructions told me to and base my check ins on that scale.

There is a scale at the gym, the kind you see at doctor's offices with the little weights on the top. I consistently weigh 5-10 pounds more there than when I weigh in at home. Is it normal to have that big a difference between scales?

I do go to the gym in the afternoon after work and I've heard that our weight fluctuates naturally, but that seems like an awful lot.


I'm going to start going to a weight loss specialist with my mother soon, so I suppose I will do a monthly weigh-in there, but I'm scared all go there are see that I've not lost nearly as much as I think I have.

jeffarthur

same thing with me. I just use the home scale adn do the 3X rule. i will move the scale (fyi...electronic scales are HORRIBLE) around the floor to different place 3X's to see what weight is consistent. I cna move my scale and get a 2lb difference literally 15 seconds later....HAH

good luck and keep with it. I just use the scale at home as a constant. the one i started on.

DLDzioba

I guess we'll see what I get when I go to the doctor.

Kelly_S

You know even though he's a doctor his scales may need correcting too you never know he may be making errors and be pleased to know! I would suggest going to a chemist and getting a third opinion to compare. That's what I was doing while my scales were out of action!

DLDzioba

Chemist?

kazike

The scale I have at home is much more friendly (lol) than the one I have in my apartment in college. I first weighed myself at the scale at my apartment, so I just use that one as a constant even though the one at home will show me a prettier number.

lrd2010

Chemist?

UK -> US translation mode activated:

Drug store

they might have a scale you could try

leilasam

I got a weight watchers digital scale and it is off sometimes too. but i would get on it a few times after on another to make sur it's the same. Then that's weight is what i go by. I'm pleased with my cale

shirleyisblessed

My scale at home is a regular scale and shows a 5 pound weight difference than the one at the gym, which is digital. What I did was to get on a friend of mine's digital scale to see if my weight would vary on his as well, but his scale showed the same weight that the gym scale showed. That didn't make me happy because that meant I am 5 pounds heavier, instead of 5 pounds lighter.

ansonrinesmith

5-10lbs is not a lot to gain over the course of a day.
Make sure the scale is zeroed before you weigh. When set to zero, the scale should balance with no weight on it.
They key is to be consistent.

TeaBea

Don't worry about it too much. Just stick with one scale & do your weigh ins that way. Measurements are a great equalizer here. If you lost inches (but not pounds) ...... hey, you're doing good no matter what the stupid machine says.

My bathroom scale sits on carpet - If I put it on a tile floor WHOA! Also, you could be weighing at different times of the day. I weigh the SAME time everyday (first thing in the AM after I pee). That way I'm wearing basically the same (amount) of clothing.