Scale malfunction....please read!

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DJJW
DJJW Posts: 519 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, so I talked myself into going out and getting a digital scale with decimals, so I wouldn't be staring at the same pound for a week and a half before seeing a difference. So my problem is, this new scale weighs me like 3 lbs different! When I brought it home, it weighed me AND my family about 1.5lb heavier, this morning it weighs everyone 3 lbs heavier. So I got out my weights and yes the new scale is dead on! So know that I know I'm 3 lbs heavier, do I change all my tickers and stuff. Hello, thats showing a weight gain! Its not like I've gained that weight, I just thought it was a different number. So discouraged on what to do. Yesterday I weighed in at 150!!! Huge progress for me, am I supposed to change it back to 153? What should I do?

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  • PattyTheUndefeated
    PattyTheUndefeated Posts: 302 Member
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    I despise digital scales. You'd think a fancy digital display would mean more accuracy but NOPE, they're awful and inconsistent no matter how much they cost. I've bought about three or four since I started my weight loss journey and have returned them all back to the store I got them from . I'd weigh myself once, then weigh myself again just a minute later for it give me a completely different reading. Analog scales work best for accuracy in my opnion. I currently use a Salter analog scale, it's huge and is pretty darn consistent. :-)
  • wocm15
    wocm15 Posts: 81
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    It's disheartening, I know.. But you can always go into your settings on MFP and change your starting weight to 165, and then change your current weight to 153. Just try and take a deep breath and go ahead and do it. In a couple weeks you'll have forgotten about it and won't need to keep track of pluses of minuses. :drinker:

    *Edit* I forgot to mention that this was from experience... I was weighing myself at the gym, but then realized that I couldn't get a consistent weigh in because I would have just exercised, eaten, not same time of day, etc., so I had to start using my home scale. It was a couple pounds higher than the gym scale, but oh well. As long as I saw a loss every week, it didn't bother me that I had to backtrack!
  • teetee1281
    teetee1281 Posts: 1,076 Member
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    Since you old scale was 3 pounds off, you can go and change your original starting weight to reflect the 3lbs increase. So then when you weigh yourself with your new scale, you are accurately logging your actual weight.
  • Arlene2
    Arlene2 Posts: 1
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    In the grand scheme of things...you know you've gone down...so I would just continue forward on your journey. I found mine weighed me heavier too; but so did the Doctor's so I think the digital scale is more accurate.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    The only scale I use for my official weigh ins is my Wii Fit! It seems to be the most accurate scale I've used, besides the big digital ones at the doctor's office or my grandma's livestock scale, which is the same as the one at the doctor's, just a bigger weighing area.
  • RodgerBuckley
    RodgerBuckley Posts: 48 Member
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    If scales are such an issue for you, then perhaps you should forget all about weighing at home and go into the local Pharmacy to get weighed. It only costs a few pennies but at least the scales are calibrated so you'll KNOW what you weigh!

    Most people know that you should use the same scales at around the same time of day to get a better idea of your actual weight, and most people also accept that home scales aren't accurate or consistent, but if accuracy is your thing, then it really does have to be calibrated scales IMHO.
  • DJJW
    DJJW Posts: 519 Member
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    Thanks guys. I didn't know I could change my starting weight!! Well thats what I'll do. That way my ticker can still stay the same. Thanks.
  • taletreader
    taletreader Posts: 377 Member
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    Pretty much the same happened to me, too. I was weighing myself with 4 different scales at the gym (several locations), one of which was 3-4 kg above the others, which were consistent enough within day-to-day fluctuations. Unfortunately the one that was off was a doctor's office style device with mechanical counterweight that the coach used during my induction meeting... and it had showed a shocking 104 kg. Same day, the lockerroom scales said 100 kg, which I found a LOT more acceptable and had based my tracking here on.

    Now that I bought my own bathroom scales, I find they are now consistent with the counterweight scales -- this morning was 89.6 kg naked on my own, and 90.0 kg on the counterweight gym scales (measured in gym clothes without shoes after cycling to the gym). Close enough. So I reset my ticker and am now counting 103 kg as my starting weight (subtracting 1 kg for clothes because I weigh myself naked at home). Bummer, as I had been below 88 kg already on ALL the other scales.

    It makes me wonder if gym lockerroom scales are affected by vanity weight.

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