Throwing away my crappy scale

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  • littleancientheart
    littleancientheart Posts: 18 Member
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    Someone mentioned about using your mother's scale -- what they're trying to say is that unless you weigh yourself on the same scale every time you weigh, its hard to know how accurate the weight loss of 1 pound is, since every scale is different.

    Hypothetical: You may have been 150 on your scale yesterday and 149 on her scale today, but you also might have been 149 on her scale yesterday, if you had used it, which would mean you did not lose a pound. Its because home scales are so different model to model.

    For what its worth, I say take the weight loss for granted as true. Motivation.

    I hate my scale, but its not terribly varied. It's some Taylor digital body fat analyzer scale that I bought at Target a number of years ago. It doesn't read different weights if I take my weight a few times in a row. I don't know how accurate the body fat readings are...it is an interesting feature but in retrospect not worth the extra few dollars because if you're dehydrated that day, who knows how accurate the body fat reading is? It also give me suggestions about my basal metabolic rate, etc. based on height and age stats that are saved in a profile. I am sure they still have similar models available four around $40, which is what I think I paid.

    I have used the analog scales in the past and they're definitely less expensive. I don't think you should spend a lot on an analog scale since they wear out (they use springs. Just like your digi one that's giving you trouble, they get to the end of their life and start doing readings all over the place.) And they do need to be calibrated often too, but its simple enough - just turn the little wheel until the scale gets to 0 before you step on. If its a really cheap scale it can be hard to get it calibrated to 0 :-/
  • stephgas
    stephgas Posts: 159 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback everyone. All I know is my starting weight and what the scale read today. I know weight isn't everything, but I really want to be out of the Obese BMI. The only way of knowing my progress towards that is by weighing myself. I am an anxious person so weighing 1x a week would send me over the edge. I know weight fluctuates daily as well. I am just trying to get a number and go with it. If its off by a pound or two either lost or gained, so be it. But what matters to me is that I see a number that is consistent every time I step on the scale (obviously within seconds not hours as you put on weight throughout the day from food and such). I doubt I have gained any weight. My doctor has me on a strict diet and I exercise 1-2x a day. I don't eat my exercise calories. It's hard for me to even make it to my goal calorie intake. I will be off to the store to purchase a new scale today. Hopefully it reads close to what my mom's read. The reason I don't want to share is I wake up before her and I like to weigh right away and I cant go in her room to her bathroom to weigh. I just like having my own scale.

    i have the same kind of scale your mom has - the old fashioned, non-digital type. i've never, ever, ever had luck with the fancy bells and whistles on the digital scales. i keep it in the bathroom and put it on the same part of the floor every time i weigh myself. i weigh myself probably four or five times in a row to make sure they're all reading about the same (eh, it wiggles back and forth a bit sometimes). the worst part about the non digital scale is that i can't 'lose' portions of a pound like others on the site do. i've really been considering getting a digital scale for that, but on the other hand i'm also obese so the portions of pounds probably don't make that much of a difference right now.

    i also weigh myself daily, but i only record when i've lost a pound. and i always weigh in the morning at the same time (well, within a 20 minute window). i fight any urges to step on the scale outside of that time frame because it's pointless.
  • JGonzo82
    JGonzo82 Posts: 167 Member
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    I have a bowflex digital which not only weighs you, but measures body fat%, water%, and muscle%.

    I have a doctor's appointment every month, and get weighed there, as well, and the scale always agrees with my home scale.

    Even if the weight is extremely accurate, digital scales are NOT reliable when it comes to bodyfat %, etc; they typically put me anywhere from 26-32% bodyfat (which is WAY off base).
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback everyone. All I know is my starting weight and what the scale read today. I know weight isn't everything, but I really want to be out of the Obese BMI. The only way of knowing my progress towards that is by weighing myself. I am an anxious person so weighing 1x a week would send me over the edge. I know weight fluctuates daily as well. I am just trying to get a number and go with it. If its off by a pound or two either lost or gained, so be it. But what matters to me is that I see a number that is consistent every time I step on the scale (obviously within seconds not hours as you put on weight throughout the day from food and such). I doubt I have gained any weight. My doctor has me on a strict diet and I exercise 1-2x a day. I don't eat my exercise calories. It's hard for me to even make it to my goal calorie intake. I will be off to the store to purchase a new scale today. Hopefully it reads close to what my mom's read. The reason I don't want to share is I wake up before her and I like to weigh right away and I cant go in her room to her bathroom to weigh. I just like having my own scale.

    i have the same kind of scale your mom has - the old fashioned, non-digital type. i've never, ever, ever had luck with the fancy bells and whistles on the digital scales. i keep it in the bathroom and put it on the same part of the floor every time i weigh myself. i weigh myself probably four or five times in a row to make sure they're all reading about the same (eh, it wiggles back and forth a bit sometimes). the worst part about the non digital scale is that i can't 'lose' portions of a pound like others on the site do. i've really been considering getting a digital scale for that, but on the other hand i'm also obese so the portions of pounds probably don't make that much of a difference right now.

    i also weigh myself daily, but i only record when i've lost a pound. and i always weigh in the morning at the same time (well, within a 20 minute window). i fight any urges to step on the scale outside of that time frame because it's pointless.

    If portion of a pound will motivate you, the digital scales do to for about 25 bucks on Amazon, especially if you're not looking for bells and whistles. I just wanted a beautiful scale that measured my weight and almost makes me smile to step on it :)

    Mine is a BalanceFrom:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A8SLH8I?ie=UTF8&at=&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links
  • doctorregenerated
    doctorregenerated Posts: 188 Member
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    Haven't seen it recommended yet on the thread - digital scales start to get unpredictable when the batteries get low. Try changing them out. :)
  • skittle316
    skittle316 Posts: 128 Member
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    Stop weighing yourself!!!!! No offense but it already seems like you have an obsession. Weight is a **** factor for determining bosy mass. I gain 5lbs every morning from the food I eat, for the last month I have hovered 185lbs, but have dropped 2 pant sizes in the process. I bought goal jeans and shorts, a month ago they were tight and gave me major muffin top. Now I need a belt, I bought these XL jeans i got from Urban Outfiters, i tried when they couldn't fit past my upper knee, now they are loose on me. month ago my calves touched when i put my feet together, now they don't. I started the 2 week no scale challenge, I started on Wednesday and plan on going until the 20th of august. Don't rely on the scale, would you rather see a number and be happy, or look at your body and be happy.
  • rachelr0875
    rachelr0875 Posts: 13
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    Stop weighing yourself!!!!! No offense but it already seems like you have an obsession. Weight is a **** factor for determining bosy mass. I gain 5lbs every morning from the food I eat, for the last month I have hovered 185lbs, but have dropped 2 pant sizes in the process. I bought goal jeans and shorts, a month ago they were tight and gave me major muffin top. Now I need a belt,a month ago my calves touched when i put my feet together, now they don't. I started the 2 week no scale challenge, I started on Wednesday and plan on going until the 20th of august. Don't rely on the scale, would you rather see a number and be happy, or look at your body and be happy.

    Like I said before, I need the numbers so I can track my BMI. Plus it motivates me.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    Stop weighing yourself!!!!! No offense but it already seems like you have an obsession. Weight is a **** factor for determining bosy mass. I gain 5lbs every morning from the food I eat, for the last month I have hovered 185lbs, but have dropped 2 pant sizes in the process. I bought goal jeans and shorts, a month ago they were tight and gave me major muffin top. Now I need a belt,a month ago my calves touched when i put my feet together, now they don't. I started the 2 week no scale challenge, I started on Wednesday and plan on going until the 20th of august. Don't rely on the scale, would you rather see a number and be happy, or look at your body and be happy.

    Like I said before, I need the numbers so I can track my BMI. Plus it motivates me.

    And the "Sexy Pants" author would agree with you:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    "4) Establishing Proper metrics:

    I believe that multiple metrics should be established from day one so that you are creating the most opportunity to receive what hopefully is positive reinforcement because this can increase motivation and adherence.

    a) The scale.

    Weight is a great metric because you can basically get short term feedback on this metric whereas with photographs, bodyfat analysis, and body-part measurements, the changes occur at a slower pace and so you can't get this short-term feedback. The disadvantage is that weight is a sensitive metric that can bounce around a bit due to fluid variance, food volume, etc. "
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 603 Member
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    So when my mom woke up I borrowed her good scale and saw I had lost a pound since yesterday.

    You only lost a pound IF you used your moms scales yesterday too!!

    What do you mean? My scale was working yesterday. Today it broke. So I used hers.
    You have no idea how much you lost because it is not likely that your scale and your moms are exactly in sync. If you want to continue using your moms, that's great, but it's important to weigh yourself on the same scale every time (and at the same time).
  • whovian67
    whovian67 Posts: 608 Member
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    I used the scale at my MD office. Its new and fancy smancy. I have a weight watchers scale at home but it fluctaute 4-6 # in 10 minutes (supposedly cuz my tile in unlevel). Have a Big Boy scale at my office...but its on carpet so not accurate.
  • skittle316
    skittle316 Posts: 128 Member
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    scale vs being happy with your body
    You don't need to weigh yourself more than a month to track your BMI. It's not a motivation because anything you loose could be water or muscle, not actual fat. If you want a number to be what motivates you to be healthy, be my guest. But body dis morphia and the scale are hand in hand. If you feel you HAVE TO weigh yourself, take a break . I went to the YMCA and stepped on their scale it said something completely different to what my scale, my friends scale and my cousins scale. I got so paranoid "no no no I can't be this weight, the scale is wrong,i know i weigh less" blahh. I started becoming obsessed with the scale, most weighing myself 4-5 times a day. It didn't make sense. it takes a month to see the full results on weight loss, why want to see a small change in a day or a huge change in a month? That's just me preaching though, do what you want. If you ever get to where you want to be, remember what's actually making you happy, what you're seeing or the number.
  • FireStorm1972
    FireStorm1972 Posts: 1,142 Member
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    I weigh daily to see my water retention relative to my daily sodium intake. Just make sure you weigh yourself in the same manner every day. For me its naked and after using the bathroom 8). But my weight fluctuates 3lbs daily due to water retention.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
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    I use my Wii Fit. I checked it against my old fashioned non-digital scale and it seems accurate. Plus...I get to do balance games and who doesn't like that?
  • bangbangchoochootrain
    bangbangchoochootrain Posts: 118 Member
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    I second the Eat Smart scale recommendation. It's a basic digital scale, and I have had zero problems with it as of now. It was about 30 bucks, and as a special came with a tape measure as well.
  • Shropshire1959
    Shropshire1959 Posts: 982 Member
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    I weigh daily to see my water retention relative to my daily sodium intake. Just make sure you weigh yourself in the same manner every day. For me its naked and after using the bathroom 8). But my weight fluctuates 3lbs daily due to water retention.

    BTW, Sodium is not the only thing that affects water weight .....
  • rachelr0875
    rachelr0875 Posts: 13
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    I bought a new scale. Its by weightgurus. It allows me to see my percentage of body fat, water weight, and muscle. I LOVE IT. It had me weighing the EXACT SAME as my moms. I step on it multiple times and its always the same number. I weighed on a non digital scale and it had me weighing the EXACT SAME as my moms. So I think I am going to believe that this is my weight.
  • MsValerieAnne
    MsValerieAnne Posts: 90 Member
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    I also have a Weight Gurus Scale. I didn't get the bluetooth version because I like the 'weightless' feature and wanted that. It's not available with the bluetooth version, so I have to use my phone to take photos/sync it with the application. I'm fine with that though as it saved me $40 (half) for all the features the bluetooth (minus bluetooth obviously) plus the weigthtless option. The one I have also doesn't have BMI, but I can easily figure that out on my own, if/when I want to know it. =) It's been quite accurate (compared to my mother's scale).

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