Scale Out of Calibration?

tnloser1970
tnloser1970 Posts: 42
in Health and Weight Loss
There may not be a solid answer for this question. I understand that. However, I was wondering if anyone had experienced this. I weighed on my scales at home this morning and it said I had lost 17 pounds. However, I am in a program at my health club that requires me to weigh in there every other Friday. So, I did that around 2 PM and it says I have only lost 9 pounds.

Now, I expected it to show less since I have drank water throughout the day as well as ate. Plus, at home I weigh in my underwear where at the gym I weigh in shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes. She did subtract 2 pounds for clothes.

My question is do you think my scales at home could be that far out of calibration to show a 8 pound difference? It is a digital scale and the battery was replaced maybe a month ago. I am not sure if my scale even has a calibration setting on it as I am at work.

Replies

  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    From my experience, most scales weigh differently due to calibration issues. I'd track your starting weight at home on your home scale, and use a separate tracking for the gym scale. Essentially compare your starting point and current point for each scale independently. That will be the most accurate (unless someone recalibrates the gym scale randomly).
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
    You can put a known weight on the scale to check if it's accurate. My guess is both scales are probably off. I don't trust cheap electronic scales. I've weighed myself twice back to back and gotten different readings. Even the expensive one at my gym if I don't stand perfectly still will give me different weights.

    Edit: My solution was to buy a beam scale out of a doctors office and then check it for accuracy. Now that's the only one I use.
  • cnelson1974
    cnelson1974 Posts: 235 Member
    It definally could be off. I'd like to throw it out there that I weigh more in the afternoon then when I first get up . . . sometimes as much as 4lbs. I try to only weigh first thing in the morning now (it makes me feel better, lol).
  • joannathechef
    joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
    I just bought a new home scale with Body fat and other goodies - this said almost 10lb different (higher) to my old one - I figured what the hell and just put in the new weight - I just took the hit....I am going down anyway so it is all relative in the scheme of things. LOL
  • tnloser1970
    tnloser1970 Posts: 42
    Thanks. I have a new scale at the house that I haven't unboxed yet. So, I am going to compare them when I get home tonight. I hate to weigh in the middle of the day. But, I have to wait for the trainer over the program to be there and she isn't there until 2 PM. I guess I was feeling bummed because it was such a big difference. I went in thinking that it would say I lost at least 15 pounds and find out they tell me 9. But, the truth is I am going down. So, I am happy about that lol.
  • jvbrooks
    jvbrooks Posts: 82 Member
    Recently had a weight loss competition at work. I weighed in at home at around 6:30AM and then weighed in at work at about 7:30. The difference was typically 2 lbs, even accounting for clothing. So I would keep two separate journals. Alas, that might be the best option.
  • gypsy7sd
    gypsy7sd Posts: 2
    I do believe a lot of scales do that. I just had a dr's appointment the other day and I know for a fact theirs was messed up....that and the nurse wasn't too qualified for her job. She said I was 3 inches shorter than I am, and 22lbs heavier....I kinda laughed and just said ok when she told me I needed to cut back on calories because my BMI was getting a little high.

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