Where to go to check weight

healthfuljourney
healthfuljourney Posts: 2 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi everyone,

I recently went for an annual exam and found out that I am severely underweight (bmi of 16).

Some background information:
-Two years ago I was diagnosed with anorexia and had a bmi of 15…I went to an outpatient program but it did not help much and I have been gaining and losing weight ever since.
-I have amenorrhea for the past 3 months
-I have poor blood circulation causing my hands to turn blue and lose feeling occasionally
-Heart-beat feels irregular at times

I have a tight budget and cannot afford to see a specialist weekly.
My plan is to use this site to ensure that I am eating 2500-3000 calories a day (I usually overestimate calories in my head so the app helps a lot). If I am not able to find a suitable doctor by me, I was wondering if there are any pharmacy/supermarket chains that offer free scales for weigh-ins (similar to the blood pressure machines).
It is important to me to fully recover this time but I want to make sure I am on the right track without having to use a scale at home.

Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks!

Replies

  • blakedebo
    blakedebo Posts: 130 Member
    Most (if not all) doctors offices would let you use their scale to track your weight for free- especially if your doctor is a part of your medical team helping you gain weight.
  • culo97
    culo97 Posts: 256 Member
    If I am not able to find a suitable doctor by me, I was wondering if there are any pharmacy/supermarket chains that offer free scales for weigh-ins (similar to the blood pressure machines).
    It is important to me to fully recover this time but I want to make sure I am on the right track without having to use a scale at home.

    Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks!
    If there are any gyms close to where you live, call and ask to speak to the manager. Ask that person if you can occasionally come in to weigh yourself even though you aren't a member. If they give you a permission, offer to come down and get a note on the gym letterhead. That way, you have proof if the manager isn't on duty when you come in or they change jobs.

    You may have to re-get permission if the manager changes but it's worth the effort.

    Good Luck
  • arainiday1
    arainiday1 Posts: 1,763 Member
    i would ask the doctor who did your physical
  • arainiday1
    arainiday1 Posts: 1,763 Member
    or just buy one, its prob gonna cost you as much or more in gas in the long run. you can get one for 20 or 30 dollars at a Target or Walmart
  • arainiday1
    arainiday1 Posts: 1,763 Member
    sorry, one more thought.... we have Publix here in Central FL that has scales. I think Winn Dixie too. do you have either of those ?
  • CarolinkaCjj
    CarolinkaCjj Posts: 622 Member
    I go to my doctors office every Friday morning - they are finally getting used to seeing me. It is kind of awkward to knock on the door but it no longer freaks them out and I asked my dr if it was okay - she said no problem.
    Good luck to you - hope all goes well.
  • Apocalypz
    Apocalypz Posts: 155 Member
    Most (if not all) doctors offices would let you use their scale to track your weight for free- especially if your doctor is a part of your medical team helping you gain weight.
    Same thing with gyms. Walk in and ask, "May I use your scale for a quick weigh in?" They'll certainly say "ok" and you're done in 2 min. I've done this myself and never had a problem. Gyms are much more frequent when I'm walking around doing errands as well.
  • SolitudesMuse
    SolitudesMuse Posts: 67 Member
    I'm pretty sure places like CVS or Walgreens probably do.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I don't know where you are, but I can weight myself and take my blood pressure at Safeway, my local supermarket.
  • mooncath
    mooncath Posts: 31
    You can go wherever they sell scales and try them out. I actually go to Bed, Bath and Beyond every so often to weigh myself. I don't know how often you want to weigh yourself. I typically only go once a month at most. Otherwise I go by "do my non-stretch skinny jeans fit me still?"
  • akj_25
    akj_25 Posts: 244 Member
    any clinic or medical facility will let you use the scale - most gyms that have staff members on duty will typically allow it - or talk to your friend/ family if you stop at anybody's house on a fairly regular basis. --- or pick up a basic fairly inexpensive scale, it may not last for years and years but it would give you an idea if you are headed in the right direction.
  • healthfuljourney
    healthfuljourney Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks for the many suggestions! I've never thought of some of them and liked hearing people who have actually done it. I'm waiting for some blood-work to come back and then I'll decide whether to go the doctor check-up route or store/gym self-check route.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    First of all, congrats! Your on the road to recovery! :-)
    The only thing I'm worried about, is that different scales, give different weights sometimes. For example, the scale at my doctor says in weigh 133.8. The scale at home says 136.2, and the scale at my job says 134.6. So if you end up using different scales to weigh in, you may get several different readings. Don't let this upset you. Just try to use the same scale each time. So if your doctor will let you pop in for a quick weigh in, then just try to use one scale. It gets confusing if you use different ones, and I don't want you to become frustrated. Walmart had scales on sale for @11 one time, so maybe keep an eye out for a sale and try to buy your own scale. Then you can just stick to that one scale and record the readings. Where do you live? Is it rural or a city? If your in a city, there may be several places you could go to ask if you could come in a few times for a free weigh in. Or like what someone else said, maybe ask a friend or family member if you could come use their scale. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck!!!!! Let us know how it goes! :-)
  • maskedbelleza
    maskedbelleza Posts: 23 Member
    You can also check out some health food stores. For a loonie, one let me check my BMI and weight, as well as provide me with a suggestion for how many calories I'd need to be healthy. It might not be very accurate, but if you're really desperate, it's not a bad idea. (I checked it with my parents' scale, and they're within 3 lbs of each other.)
  • spacelump
    spacelump Posts: 233 Member
    or just buy one, its prob gonna cost you as much or more in gas in the long run. you can get one for 20 or 30 dollars at a Target or Walmart

    It would actually NOT be a good idea for OP, a recovering anorexic, to own a scale. OP, does where ever you live have state care available? More than needing access to a scale, you need access to health care which will set you up with the right team of professionals: doctors, nutritionists, therapists and so forth.
  • arainiday1
    arainiday1 Posts: 1,763 Member
    or just buy one, its prob gonna cost you as much or more in gas in the long run. you can get one for 20 or 30 dollars at a Target or Walmart

    It would actually NOT be a good idea for OP, a recovering anorexic, to own a scale. OP, does where ever you live have state care available? More than needing access to a scale, you need access to health care which will set you up with the right team of professionals: doctors, nutritionists, therapists and so forth.

    Ok, well thats fine.... OP's call.... she just said she had a tight budget.... which i totally understand . Hopefully she finds the help she needs. Good luck OP.... please keep up the good work!
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Is it possible for you to use a tape measure instead at home?

    Tape measures allow for progress tracking without the "noise" that scales tend to have, most day to day fluctuations are invisible to the tape measure.

    Of all easy methods of body tracking (scale, mirror, calipers, bia, tape), the tape is the most reliable and the least prone to mental distortion.

Categories