Which scale to believe so sick of this

iceycoldhot
iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have traditional scale that weighed me in today at 139 pounds. I went on my sisters digital and it weighs me at 144 pounds. I didn't eat anything before hand. EVERY time I weight myself on a digital scale it weighs me more than a traditional one. I don't get it. Why do digital scales always say i weigh more than regular scales even at the same time of day ? I don't know which one to believe.
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Replies

  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
    Don't believe either

    Talk to the tape measure
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    All scales will give a slightly different measurement. They aren't perfect.

    For sanity's sake, choose ONE and only record your weight on that scale.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Doesn't matter. Just pick one and stick with it. The ultimate number doesn't matter much. Go by what you see in the mirror instead.
  • fullersun35
    fullersun35 Posts: 162 Member
    Not all scales are created equal. Just stick to the same one for each weigh-in. Same time of day, same clothing (or none at all), same scale.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,903 Member
    Does it matter? As long as you use the same scale consistently over time, then it should be fine.

    If I really think about it, my goal weight is sort of arbitrary. I'm much more concerned without how I look and feel at the end of it, along with what clothes I can fit into.

    So don't believe either one. Pick one and use it to record trends over time.
  • bloodofareptile
    bloodofareptile Posts: 47 Member
    Every scale will measure you differently - digital or otherwise.

    The only thing to do is pick one and stick with it and judge your weight by the trends on that scale (weighing at the same time of the day under the same conditions).
  • RatherBeFishing
    RatherBeFishing Posts: 61 Member
    The one that is calibrated.. The tape is a lot better though.
  • shellypaints
    shellypaints Posts: 49 Member
    Scales, even digital ones should be calibrated from time to time to insure accuracy. One or the other or both could be off.

    Best way to check is to get an item like a 10lb bag of flour that is weight regulated to check.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    If I were to have a scale, which I won't, I would stick with the old fashioned kind. I don't think the digital scales are accurate.
  • Smoofalz
    Smoofalz Posts: 36 Member
    Stick to using the same scale every time. The amount of weight you are losing will be the same. Every scale seems to be a tad different, and even if its off by just a little bit it can be discouraging...
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    Take the average.
  • JSPictures
    JSPictures Posts: 13
    I agree with all the above posters. I ended up getting an old school type scale, I feel that it gives me a more accurate reading. Plus it will never run out of batteries and other such technological nonsense... :glasses:

    Hang in there!
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
    I only weigh myself once a week I am not obsessive about it. I've gone to walmart before months ago to weigh myself on multiple scales and used a dumbbell for accuracy. Every time the digitals weighed me more than traditional. Sometimes 10 POUNDS more than the regular scales. It's weird.
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  • triciabh1
    triciabh1 Posts: 126 Member
    This is the reason I only weigh myself in the morning using my scale and even then my weight will fluctuate due to water retention and such. I know my normal fluctuations and measurements so it doesn't bother me.
  • Lil40
    Lil40 Posts: 9 Member
    ALWAYS stick with the same scale and then just see whether you've gained or lost on THAT scale!

    I never weigh myself on anything else than on my old analog scale it would be too depressing lol!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    If I were to have a scale, which I won't, I would stick with the old fashioned kind. I don't think the digital scales are accurate.
    Based on...?

    "Analog scales look cool, but the fact is, you can get a precise digital scale for a lot less than a serviceable analog one. What’s more, digital scales stay precise — Consumer Reports found that when tested against their calibrated lab scale, analog models were consistently inaccurate, while digital models held true throughout their testing procedures."

    http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-bathroom-scales/
  • Jodsmission
    Jodsmission Posts: 130 Member
    I only weigh myself once a week I am not obsessive about it. I've gone to walmart before months ago to weigh myself on multiple scales and used a dumbbell for accuracy. Every time the digitals weighed me more than traditional. Sometimes 10 POUNDS more than the regular scales. It's weird.
    I am so tempted to go get a a regular scale after reading this.:noway:
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
    I only weigh myself once a week I am not obsessive about it. I've gone to walmart before months ago to weigh myself on multiple scales and used a dumbbell for accuracy. Every time the digitals weighed me more than traditional. Sometimes 10 POUNDS more than the regular scales. It's weird.

    Who's to say the dumbbell is accurate?

    Precision is all that really matters, not accuracy.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    My digital scale always has me about 5 lbs more than my needle scale. When I get weighed at the doctor's, I'm usually closer to the digital weight, so I use that scale as my reference. I used to weigh myself on both scales, but I was driving myself crazy, so now I only use the digital scale.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    It's not the number on the scale on any given day. It's the trend that's important (hopefully going in the direction you want). Pick one scale and stick to it.
  • TiffieLand
    TiffieLand Posts: 159
    Both type of scale can be wrong. You just have to find the one that is right.... You shouldn't expect precise but accurate enough as in up to 5% error is deem to be acceptable ( in science anyway) just look for consistency and a good scale. Although I do think some scales are better than others, less % of error.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    It's not the number on the scale on any given day. It's the trend that's important (hopefully going in the direction you want). Pick one scale and stick to it.

    ^^ This...and bolded for extra emphasis
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Weight is relative. As long as you weigh yourself around the same time of day using the same scale it is irrelevant if your scale doesn't agree with someone elses scale. You should care about the trend over time, not about the number itself. How many apples worth of weight your body pushes that ground with (Newtons of force) is not really that important.

    What does "wrong" even mean with regards to weight. "Wrong" relative to what?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Wrong relative to a scale calibrated to (or measuring closer to) an official standard.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Wrong relative to a scale calibrated to (or measuring closer to) an official standard.

    Well yes okay fair enough that is true but the point I was trying to get across is that it doesn't really matter. If one scale is closer to the standard of measure locked away in France somewhere for the kilogram is that really more informative than the scale that is further away from that for the purpose of health? The standard measure is agreed upon but also rather arbitrary. I think we all get to fixated on the number and worry that the number might be somehow "wrong".

    My scale very well might be off by 4 pounds when compared to the standard of weights and measures locked in a vault somewhere in France, can't say I care that much though as long as it is self-consistent because what I care about is whether or not I am gaining or losing weight over time.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    were you wearing the same clothes when you weighed at home and later at your sister's? compared to when i'm undressed, my lightweight workout clothes add a pound and a bit, with shoes 2 1/2 pounds. my jeans and boots and a t-shirt adds 9 pounds, my shorts and a shirt and sneakers add around 3 to 4 pounds depending on which ones i'm wearing.

    if your scale gives you the same result when you step on it again or again, i'd stick to it. even if it's a little off, you'll still see what you're losing or gaining. btw, my experience with non-digital scales is that unless they're beam scales, they tend to be pretty inaccurate.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    true, but if you move most digital scales, you have to calibrate them or they'll give inaccurate results. luckily with most digital scales, all you have to do is step on them, let them take the weight and turn off, then step on them again.
    I would trust the digital scales, as long as they're fairly new or in good condition. Traditional scales get out of calibration very easily from being jostled around. I invested in new, high-quality scales recently, and my old digital scales showed me at the exact same weight - and they're more than 10 years old. Just wanted to replace them because they only weighed in 1-lb increments (nothing smaller).
  • curlygirl513
    curlygirl513 Posts: 199 Member
    If you have 5 or 10 pounds of anything, (I use some 5 pound weights in the garage, set those on the scale and see which one works. I do that for my scale and I can tell when it is accurate. All scales need to adjusted some times.

    Or pick one and stick to it.
  • iceycoldhot
    iceycoldhot Posts: 72 Member
    true, but if you move most digital scales, you have to calibrate them or they'll give inaccurate results. luckily with most digital scales, all you have to do is step on them, let them take the weight and turn off, then step on them again.
    I would trust the digital scales, as long as they're fairly new or in good condition. Traditional scales get out of calibration very easily from being jostled around. I invested in new, high-quality scales recently, and my old digital scales showed me at the exact same weight - and they're more than 10 years old. Just wanted to replace them because they only weighed in 1-lb increments (nothing smaller).

    I've been reading about digitals being more inaccurate because everything from the temperature to the battery life has an effect on how the scale reads.

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