Scale at doctor office way different than home?!

anglynn935
anglynn935 Posts: 8
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok so I have been seriously dieting and doing a great job for over a month I have not cheated ONCE! at home I have a digital scale that I just bought when I started this. It was not expensive but not the cheapest. According to my scale at home I have lost 14.5 pounds. I always weigh in the morning. When I went back to the doctor for my follow up, according to their scale, which is that sliding bar type.... It's showing only 9 pounds lost!! That's a huge difference and it depressed me cuz u thought I lost 14!! Which do I go by which is right?? Help thanks!!

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Did you have an original weight at the Dr office and lost 9 lbs from that or are you comparing your start weight from your scale and the Dr office?
    If you are going just by your own scale's starting weight, chances are you still lost the same amount as the Dr's scale would have weighed you higher to start as well. It is not uncommon for scales to weigh differently, that is why it is good to stay consistent with one scale, unless there is an issue with your scale and it is not showing an accurate loss.

    Do you normally weigh yourself at different times? What time of the day did you weigh at the Dr office?

    My home scale is pretty much 5lbs off any other scale. I know that but it doesn't really matter, it still tells me how much I lost.
    I'm not too concerned with the actual number as much as the fact I am losing.
  • Noogynoogs
    Noogynoogs Posts: 1,028 Member
    My experience e is you weigh pounds heavier on them - embarrassing lol
  • Inittolozeit
    Inittolozeit Posts: 116 Member
    My doctors scale is the same way... It still. Shows the same loss, but says I'm 6lbs more than I am at home... I just go by my home scale.. I know it accurate I've tested it!
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    Umm, well since I generally weigh myself in the morning without any clothes on, I'd hope that the scale at the doctor's office is higher...
  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
    My drs scale is the same about a 6 lb differance. My dr told me that the scales in the office are off by this much to home scales
  • mandyneedtolose
    mandyneedtolose Posts: 398 Member
    Different scales will tell you different numbers. Also different places will give you different numbers. It's nothing to worry about or get depressed about. Go by one scale and only one scale and place. Everything else will fluctuate. Keep the scale in the same place, weigh at the same time. And always remember a scale spits out a random number dependent on gravity. Pay more attention to inches .. clothes fitting better ect! :)
  • yourpalsoap
    yourpalsoap Posts: 88
    My home scale is pretty much 5lbs off any other scale. I know that but it doesn't really matter, it still tells me how much I lost.
    I'm not too concerned with the actual number as much as the fact I am losing.

    yeh, this is really important. the number is arbitrary - it doesn't actually mean anything - if you weighed yourself with your scale to begin with then you've lost 14lbs. whether or not that number is the same as on other machines doesn't matter. if you get hung up on what the specific number is, you're going to be disappointed. plus, 5lbs isn't actually a huge difference. your weight fluctuates 2-4lbs per day based on how much food is in your system/how hydrated you are. add on the fact that you probably weigh yourself nude at home and wore clothes at the doctors, that's another 2-4lbs for clothing.
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    Home scales aren't always that accurate - I have the kind with a needle that goes up when you step on them, and they have a tendency to not quite go back to zero when I step off, meaning I have to adjust them each time. I'm sure my scales would be different from a doctor's scale or even a home digital set! However, with my scales I figure I get to weigh at the same time every weigh-day, without clothes on, and as long as I'm using the same scales every time I figure the weight loss should be representative, if not wholly accurate. As long the numbers are going down I don't really mind!!

    Your doctor's scales are likely to be more accurate, but don't compare the weight loss shown on your scale with the reading you get at the doctors - only compare like for like.

    Are your home scales on a hard, flat surface? When I lived with my mum she had her scales on the carpet and the reading was always all over the place - the cushioning of the carpet can affect weight distribution apparently.
  • kstand0053
    kstand0053 Posts: 15 Member
    Surprisingly, last week my doctor's scale said I have lost more!! LOL!! But I mean it was probably just water weight.. you could possibly of weighted more if it was a dr.'s app later in the day. Or check this out:
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/29567-normal-body-weight-fluctuation/
  • MomTo3Lovez
    MomTo3Lovez Posts: 800 Member
    Umm, well since I generally weigh myself in the morning without any clothes on, I'd hope that the scale at the doctor's office is higher...


    Yep ^^THIS I always weigh myself first thing in the morning after the bathroom and shower with no clothes on and before eating. So I know I will show a higher weight at the doctors due to the fact that I have eaten 1-2 meals depending on the appt time and I am fully dressed sneakers and all, so yeah it'll be higher at the doctors office, as long as it is showing that I have lost the same amount of weight give or take a pound I don't let the number at the doctors office bother me. I go with what I weigh at home.
  • yourpalsoap
    yourpalsoap Posts: 88

    Are your home scales on a hard, flat surface? When I lived with my mum she had her scales on the carpet and the reading was always all over the place - the cushioning of the carpet can affect weight distribution apparently.

    oh, and this too! if I put my scales on the carpet I miraculously ~lose~ 1.5 stone rofl.
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
    I have a digital scale that I just bought when I started this.
    So you bought a scale a weighed yourself as a starting point. You have a reference point on that particular scale for measuring your progress.
    When I went back to the doctor for my follow up, according to their scale, which is that sliding bar type.... It's showing only 9 pounds lost!!
    Showing 9 pounds lost relative to what? Relative to your scale? It's rare that 2 scales will show the same result.

    You have still lost the weight, don't worry about the minor difference between the scales. Pick one scale to measure your progress and move on.
  • Tiffa0909
    Tiffa0909 Posts: 191 Member
    Your original starting weight would have been probably higher on that scale too. That's why I only use one scale and if I change scales I adjust my weight to the new one even if I didn't actually gain anything.
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  • Monstermunch82
    Monstermunch82 Posts: 4
    I'd say that Doctors scales are accurate however, if you're really not sure get a third result using another set of scales perhaps at your local health centre, gym or even borrow a friends/relatives' scales. Overall I wouldn't let what the scales say determine your happiness, generally if you feel like you're getting lighter and your clothes are feeling a little looser then you're on the right track regardless. Good luck! :)
  • volsgurl86
    volsgurl86 Posts: 4
    Did you have an original weight at the Dr office and lost 9 lbs from that or are you comparing your start weight from your scale and the Dr office?
    If you are going just by your own scale's starting weight, chances are you still lost the same amount as the Dr's scale would have weighed you higher to start as well. It is not uncommon for scales to weigh differently, that is why it is good to stay consistent with one scale, unless there is an issue with your scale and it is not showing an accurate loss.

    Do you normally weigh yourself at different times? What time of the day did you weigh at the Dr office?

    My home scale is pretty much 5lbs off any other scale. I know that but it doesn't really matter, it still tells me how much I lost.
    I'm not too concerned with the actual number as much as the fact I am losing.

    This is true and great advice! I am a medical assistant and I hear "my scale is different and your scale is wrong" 50 or more times a day, every day. The scale at a doctor's office or even a gym hase to be calibrated often because it is used so much therefore it is leikely more acurate then what you use at home. Most offices uses a weighted scale (the kind that slides). Do not be discoraged because wieght lossed is all that matters. You have to compare the doctor's numbers to eachother and the home numbers to eachother. Do not become discouraged.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I have been to doctor's offices where they weigh you in shoes and clothes. That can easily be a few pounds!

    Of course, it is also possible that your scale is off by a bit. My mom and I both own the same kind of scale (even purchased at the same time) and hers always weighs me about 4 lb lower than my scale at home.
  • BrokenSomething
    BrokenSomething Posts: 11 Member
    A) Scales vary. That's just the way it is.

    B) If you're anything like me, you probably weigh yourself in the morning before breakfast. Food and especially water add up quickly when it comes to weight. When I spend some timing working on something at my desk and constantly drink tea/water while I do so, the scale usually goes up by 1-2kg (~3.5 pounds, and yeah, procrastination taught me). Add in some food and variation between scales, and you could easily end up with a variation of around 5 pound.

    So it doesn't necessarily mean that you lost less weight, everything is good :smile:
  • anglynn935
    anglynn935 Posts: 8
    Yes I weigh at home the same day and time every week. Tuesday morning when I get up after I pee. Always put the scale on the bathroom floor and wear my undies and night shirt. And yes the doc scale showed 9 pounds from what it originally was at the dr office. I did not take my scale figure from their scale figure.
    Sucks! Was just depressing but from now on I'm only going by mine... Thanks everyone
  • ksuh999
    ksuh999 Posts: 543 Member
    Most home scales are terrible unfortunately. But there are some good models - do internet check.

    Beam balance scales are very accurate. This one gym I go to, they have an electronic scale and a beam balance next to each other. I always thought the electronic one was inaccurate (it always says I weigh less than the one I have at home), but the two scales match each other exactly.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    I wouldn't even compare the two... you will weigh more by the time you get to the doctor's office and you weigh yourself using a different scale. Like someone else said, I would stick to just using the one scale and do so unless there is something wrong (e.g. low battery if it's not a dial style scale)
  • crys_aintgivingup
    crys_aintgivingup Posts: 115 Member
    Thanks for this thread - I am in a very similar situation as the OP - my home scale and the gym scale (sliding bar type) vary around 5 lbs and I was very disheartened as well. Seeing all the responses in this thread has really helped a lot.

    So if I have measured myself for 3 mornings in a row on my home scale, and each time it says 129 lbs (I started from 135 according to that same scale), I HAVE lost 6 lbs, right?

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