Two different weights on bathroom scale

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laytheaub
laytheaub Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
I normally weigh myself in the bathroom but when I move the scale to a different part of the bathroom, the weight goes down by 3-4lbs. Which one is my real weight? Why does this happen?

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  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Possibly your floor is uneven, or one of the times you had one of the feet of the scale on a crack between the tiles. Make sure your scale is even and steady.
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
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    Do you maybe have to recalibrate the scale after it's moved, or maybe the batteries are getting low?
  • salladeve
    salladeve Posts: 1,053 Member
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    My scale has to be in the same exact spot every time, and I have to step on to activate it, then when it shows 0 I can get on and weigh. Then I'll get on it and it is 3-4 lbs heavier then I know it should be, I move it an inch and try again then it shows what I expect. I don't leave my scale out, which is probably one of the reasons my is so whacky.
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
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    I put my scale away after every use mainly because I have 3 boys 6 & younger so I don't want them to mess with it. I have to step on it once to calibrate it. I actually step on it at least twice after that, making sure I have the same weight twice in a row. Once I get the same weight twice like that, I go with that weight. Hope what I typed makes sense, lol!!
  • laytheaub
    laytheaub Posts: 12
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    I actually got a new scale today. Once of those fancy glass ones lol. I am going to put it in the same spot everytime so there is never any confusion. This new scale you have to step on twice to get the right reading. Yeah, I think my floors may be uneven.
  • greenmonstergirl
    greenmonstergirl Posts: 619 Member
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    I normally weigh myself in the bathroom but when I move the scale to a different part of the bathroom, the weight goes down by 3-4lbs. Which one is my real weight? Why does this happen?

    your "real weight" doesn't matter. Progress is what matters. Where you put it might be uneven or at a different angel from parellel I weigh myself in the kitchen. I have a special tile (i know exactly where to put it) and i weigh myself.

    The doctor offices tells me i am 6lbs heavier, the gym told me i was 4lbs heavier. I don't care, it doesn't matter. If I lose 5lbs it will go down by 5lbs in ALL of them. So in the end, it doesn't matter.
    THIS^
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    My digital scale weighs me exactly the same if I move it around as long as I keep it on a hard surface. That is the current state of technology. It isn't top of the line, but not bargain basement either. If yours isn't reliable and that accuracy is important to you (it doesn't need to be, but that's another story), get a new scale and don't pay too little
  • laytheaub
    laytheaub Posts: 12
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    I totally agree with you. I really don't weigh myself that much. When I started getting serious about losing weight, I said I wasn't going to weigh myself. I didn't care so much about the number on the scale. I wanted to be happy with what I saw in the mirror and how I looked in my clothes.
  • Nicolette04
    Nicolette04 Posts: 82 Member
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    Yep. I have the same problem. I make sure to keep it the same spot and double check it twice before claiming that as my weight .lol. today I put it on the rug just to see the difference and it said I weighed 30lbs less than I should, and while I appreciated that number. .it wasn't real :( haha
  • Pink_turnip
    Pink_turnip Posts: 280 Member
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    I normally weigh myself in the bathroom but when I move the scale to a different part of the bathroom, the weight goes down by 3-4lbs. Which one is my real weight? Why does this happen?

    your "real weight" doesn't matter. Progress is what matters. Where you put it might be uneven or at a different angel from parellel I weigh myself in the kitchen. I have a special tile (i know exactly where to put it) and i weigh myself.

    The doctor offices tells me i am 6lbs heavier, the gym told me i was 4lbs heavier. I don't care, it doesn't matter. If I lose 5lbs it will go down by 5lbs in ALL of them. So in the end, it doesn't matter.

    This, however, the magic scale at the gym that says I'm 10lbs lighter than I really am sure makes me happy!
  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    One part of your bathroom has been affected differently by the pull of gravity due to a quantum polarity flux.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    If I weigh myself in my bedroom I weigh 78 lbs.

    Spoiler: I don't weigh 78 lbs. It's because the floor is uneven.
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
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    I weigh myself like anyone else, but I go off my measurements more than what my scale says. Don't get me wrong its really awesome when it reads a loss. But something that can fluctuate 5lbs up or down everyday is not something I will pay attention to, but measurements never change unless you really loose or gain :)
  • CrankMeUp
    CrankMeUp Posts: 2,860 Member
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    eff the scale...get a tape measure!!!
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I weigh myself like anyone else, but I go off my measurements more than what my scale says. Don't get me wrong its really awesome when it reads a loss. But something that can fluctuate 5lbs up or down everyday is not something I will pay attention to, but measurements never change unless you really loose or gain :)

    My favorite measure is belt holes. :happy: I have discarded 2 belts so far and I am now using one I was tempted to donate several times over the last few years. But I do weigh daily and sometimes more often out of curiosity because my scale is so accurate, to see how much I lose on a long run or how much I gain during a day when I know the calories were not that bad but the salt was a little high. The swings don't bother me because I see them. I see the posts from the weekly weigh in folks who are worried bout no loss or a small gain and wonder if they really know. Sometimes the early morning weigh in is not the lightest.
  • BoogeyBrat
    BoogeyBrat Posts: 212 Member
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    I weigh daily just because I like to, and my scale will read vary up to 5-6 lbs either way if it's moved even an inch from where I weigh in at. If I get a reading that seems 'off' by too much I'll make sure it's lined up perfectly with the tile line that I use to make sure it's in the right spot. That usually fixes it, but if I still get a crazy reading higher than it should be I start to suspect water weight. I also weigh twice, and go with that number like someone else mentioned. I also don't count a loss or gain unless it stayed fairly consistent over a few days.
  • sarah3333
    sarah3333 Posts: 222 Member
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    Go with the lower one :)
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
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    Make sure your scale is on a hard, even surface. Carpet takes about 3-4 lbs off your scale. If you're finding it hard to produce consistent measurements, get a 10lb dumbell put it on the scale and take the measurement. If it says 8lb, then stand on the scale holding the dumbell, and subtract 8. This eliminates the bias on the scale.
  • SkinnyMsFitness
    SkinnyMsFitness Posts: 389 Member
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    Hi! I'd stick to the weight you see at a 'particular' location and use that weight every time. While it could be incorrect, it'd be most accurate in the long run by going off of that weight...if you know what I mean. Scales seem finicky and I personally don't know which is right in my situation, but I stick to one scale.

    My situation: the scale at my house reads 4 lbs less than the one at my bf's house...and the scale at the doctor is a different weight altogether. I think the scale at my bf's house is the highest reading one, so hopefully I weigh less than I think I do. lol

    Good luck!

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