My home scale was off and I didn't know it! :(

KristinaMarieOH
KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
in Health and Weight Loss
I was at the mall yesterday with my daughter and we decided to pay a quarter to weigh ourselves on a scale in the bathroom that said it's the most accurate scale in town. It said I weigh 6 pounds more than my home scale. My husband weighed himself at the Y yesterday and said our home scale is weighing us 6 pounds less. Is there a way for me to change my starting weight in MFP? I don't want to change my current weight on here if I can't change the starting weight.
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Replies

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Go Here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker/home

    Select update your weight data.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Go Here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker/home

    Select update your weight data.

    Thanks shadow2soul! :smile:
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.

    That's true. I was able to remove my sandals but had jeans on which I would never have on at home and it was the evening and I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning. Hmmm... :indifferent:
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    At least it's consistently 6 lbs under, mine can vary a few pounds depending on where I put it owing to none of the floors in my 140-year-old house being quite even.
  • chelseascounter
    chelseascounter Posts: 1,283 Member
    Yeah to make sure weigh something on it like 10 lbs weights or a laptop(my laptop is 5.1 lbs) it said 5 lbs on the scale. Something like that.
  • calibriintx
    calibriintx Posts: 1,741 Member
    I'd hold off on making any changes. Maybe get a new scale or see if you can calibrate yours. You want to weigh yourself under normal circumstances before you go making changes.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    I was at the mall yesterday with my daughter and we decided to pay a quarter to weigh ourselves on a scale in the bathroom that said it's the most accurate scale in town.

    Some of those bathrooms have cologne that claims it can attract women for just $0.50. All lies. Once I saw a number with a message that said I could call and have a good time. It didn't work out and the lady on the other end was anything but a good time. She sounded really cranky.

    I'm starting to believe that anything I read in a bathroom is the opposite of true.
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.

    That's true. I was able to remove my sandals but had jeans on which I would never have on at home and it was the evening and I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning. Hmmm... :indifferent:

    Jeans plus morning/evening differential is easily 4 lbs.

    But .. does it matter? as long as the number is moving down, it's kind of irrelevant what the number is. The number and unit is a somewhat arbitrary designation.
  • Laurayinz
    Laurayinz Posts: 930 Member
    are you going to keep going back to the mall for your weigh-ins? because otherwise you'll have to remember to do the math if you keep using your scale. I know my scale goes up about 4lbs at the end of the day, so if you were using your scale in the morning, then theirs later on, that could account for some of the difference, in addition to your wardrobe.

    You can test yours with a known weight, like a gallon of milk or water (8lbs) or a 10lb bag of potatoes or flour, and see what it says.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.

    That's true. I was able to remove my sandals but had jeans on which I would never have on at home and it was the evening and I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning. Hmmm... :indifferent:
    There you go then. Your weight can easily to fluctuate by that much through the day, and your clothes definitely add some. Regardless, don't let that number define you. The scale is a great tool to measure progress, but that little number is not the be-all and end-all of everything. Who cares what the mall scale says? If your home scale says you've lost weight (or maintained, or whatever your goal) and you're making progress, then that's what matters. Use it to measure progress, that's all.
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    I was at the mall yesterday with my daughter and we decided to pay a quarter to weigh ourselves on a scale in the bathroom that said it's the most accurate scale in town.

    Some of those bathrooms have cologne that claims it can attract women for just $0.50. All lies. Once I saw a number with a message that said I could call and have a good time. It didn't work out and the lady on the other end was anything but a good time. She sounded really cranky.

    I'm starting to believe that anything I read in a bathroom is the opposite of true.

    Lol :laugh:
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    are you going to keep going back to the mall for your weigh-ins? because otherwise you'll have to remember to do the math if you keep using your scale. I know my scale goes up about 4lbs at the end of the day, so if you were using your scale in the morning, then theirs later on, that could account for some of the difference, in addition to your wardrobe.

    You can test yours with a known weight, like a gallon of milk or water (8lbs) or a 10lb bag of potatoes or flour, and see what it says.

    No, but like I said, my husband went to the Y yesterday as well and weighed himself and the Y scale was also weighing 6 pounds heavier. Our scale at home is an old cheap one so I knew it was probably off.
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.

    That's true. I was able to remove my sandals but had jeans on which I would never have on at home and it was the evening and I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning. Hmmm... :indifferent:

    Jeans plus morning/evening differential is easily 4 lbs.

    But .. does it matter? as long as the number is moving down, it's kind of irrelevant what the number is. The number and unit is a somewhat arbitrary designation.

    I think the number is bothering me because now according to the BMI Chart, I am considered "overweight". I know I need to get over it but it was just a bummer to find out I weigh more than I thought.
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.

    That's true. I was able to remove my sandals but had jeans on which I would never have on at home and it was the evening and I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning. Hmmm... :indifferent:
    There you go then. Your weight can easily to fluctuate by that much through the day, and your clothes definitely add some. Regardless, don't let that number define you. The scale is a great tool to measure progress, but that little number is not the be-all and end-all of everything. Who cares what the mall scale says? If your home scale says you've lost weight (or maintained, or whatever your goal) and you're making progress, then that's what matters. Use it to measure progress, that's all.

    Great way to look at it. Thanks! :flowerforyou:
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
    was the one at the Y before or after a workout?

    Truly, does it matter??? its about consistency. If you're consistently going down, if its off a couple pounds does it Really matter? My scale changes if its more humid or not. (before vs after shower) I've gotten off and on 3 times and had different readings. not All the time, but at times. Its a guage. as long as its consistent, don't let it bother you
  • TinaBean007
    TinaBean007 Posts: 273 Member
    To answer your actual question, you can go to "Check-In" then "Edit Previous Entries" then you would have to delete the date of the entry you want to change and re-add it.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    You're going to want to go by the scales you use most often for consistency.
  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    I was at the mall yesterday with my daughter and we decided to pay a quarter to weigh ourselves on a scale in the bathroom that said it's the most accurate scale in town. It said I weigh 6 pounds more than my home scale. My husband weighed himself at the Y yesterday and said our home scale is weighing us 6 pounds less. Is there a way for me to change my starting weight in MFP? I don't want to change my current weight on here if I can't change the starting weight.

    If it makes you feel any better, I had a scale that I weighed on for several years. I was just a couple of pounds above my goal weight and I am one of those to weigh every single day to make sure I don't gain. One day I got on the scale and I was up 11 lbs! I thought that couldn't be right. So I bought a new scale, which weighed me 14 lbs heavier. Then I got on my old scale and was back down within a pound or two of what I thought I weighed. So I bought ANOTHER scale. LOL. End of story, I had gained almost 14 lbs over a couple of months without thinking I was gaining weight. I just thought my pants were a bit tighter because I wasn't hitting the gym as much and had softened up some.

    Sigh.
  • cranberrycat
    cranberrycat Posts: 233 Member
    I don't really care what the actual number on the scale is. I only care that it goes down. In addition, keeping track of other measurements is sometimes more meaningful than the actual scale weight. There is a lot of fluctuation from the scale depending on hydration, time of day, etc. But, if you lose an inch off of your hips, that is not likely going to fluctuate!
  • monjacq1964
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
    how do you know "the most accurate scale in town" wasn't wrong?
    To me, the actual numbers don't matter, just the downward or upward trend.
    my advice? weigh yourself on the same scale, all the time, and you'll get a better sense of what's going on. Are you going to put your money into that one, every time you want to weigh yourself?
  • gc_tweety
    gc_tweety Posts: 205 Member
    I would use the weight your scale tells you unless you plan on weighing in at the mall each week. (Good excuse to go shopping :bigsmile: but not practical.) You'll still see losses or gains from the weight you initially input. And remember, nothing changed. You did not magically gain those pounds, although I think the clothes thing did have something to do with it. I hope you don't sweat it too much. Take care and keep up the good work!!
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    If you are consistantly using your scale at home it would not matter weather it was off or not for your weightloss. I assume that you are not going to pay a quarter every week to weigh in at the mall, so I would just forget about what the mall says and keep with what your home scale says.
  • CatMcCheesey
    CatMcCheesey Posts: 143
    Go Here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker/home

    Select update your weight data.

    I had the same problem. I started off with an old scale at home, and when I weighed myself at the gym, I found that it was off by several pounds. I bought a new body analysis scale but hadn't updated my info. I'm updated now - Thanks for the link!
  • ash8184
    ash8184 Posts: 701 Member
    Keep in mind though, your weight won't be the same at different times during the day, and I'm guessing you had clothes and shoes on. Your scale might still be off, but not necessarily by the same number.

    Yep... this is probably why it was off 6lbs! Jeans/clothes + your daily fluctuation could easily equal 6lbs.
  • oX_Vanessa_Xo
    oX_Vanessa_Xo Posts: 478
    I'd hold off on making any changes. Maybe get a new scale or see if you can calibrate yours. You want to weigh yourself under normal circumstances before you go making changes.

    Your profile pic... at first I was like Damn! And then I was like....oh....
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    To answer your actual question, you can go to "Check-In" then "Edit Previous Entries" then you would have to delete the date of the entry you want to change and re-add it.

    Thank you!
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    I was at the mall yesterday with my daughter and we decided to pay a quarter to weigh ourselves on a scale in the bathroom that said it's the most accurate scale in town. It said I weigh 6 pounds more than my home scale. My husband weighed himself at the Y yesterday and said our home scale is weighing us 6 pounds less. Is there a way for me to change my starting weight in MFP? I don't want to change my current weight on here if I can't change the starting weight.

    If it makes you feel any better, I had a scale that I weighed on for several years. I was just a couple of pounds above my goal weight and I am one of those to weigh every single day to make sure I don't gain. One day I got on the scale and I was up 11 lbs! I thought that couldn't be right. So I bought a new scale, which weighed me 14 lbs heavier. Then I got on my old scale and was back down within a pound or two of what I thought I weighed. So I bought ANOTHER scale. LOL. End of story, I had gained almost 14 lbs over a couple of months without thinking I was gaining weight. I just thought my pants were a bit tighter because I wasn't hitting the gym as much and had softened up some.

    Sigh.

    Hilarious! Sounds like my life story! :wink:
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Go Here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker/home

    Select update your weight data.

    I had the same problem. I started off with an old scale at home, and when I weighed myself at the gym, I found that it was off by several pounds. I bought a new body analysis scale but hadn't updated my info. I'm updated now - Thanks for the link!

    I think I need to invest in a body analysis scale. :wink:
  • KristinaMarieOH
    KristinaMarieOH Posts: 121
    Thanks everyone! I need to decide how I'm going to handle this. I will probably change my MFP numbers just for accuracy. I know weight fluctuates but my scale at home is most definitely wrong. I'm okay though and won't let this bring me down. I will invest in a better scale just to know the number. I'm not a scale addict by any means. I only weigh-in every couple weeks and am more concerned with feeling healthy and how my clothes fit. :smile:

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