How is it possible that both scales are showing a completely different number?

johnnyr24
johnnyr24 Posts: 90 Member
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
I went to my doctors office today for my appointment and they weighed me in at 201 lbs. This is not possible considering the fact that my bathroom scale says I weigh 190 lbs. The scale at the doctors office was off by 11 lbs. I asked the assistant if the scale was accurate or perhaps not working properly but she said it was working just fine. When I get back home about an hour later and I weigh myself it is back down to 190 that I go.

I usually don't weigh myself except for in the morning time but this was an exception I had to know if the doctors scale was right and how it could be that it was off by 11 lbs. How does that happen? I can assure you my bathroom scale is on a flat level hard surface and is not broken I have been using it this entire time throughout my weight loss journey with no problems.

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    scales aren't always calibrated, but they can be consistent.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    I would expect the doctor's scale to be more accurate than yours, but it is unlikely to be different by 11 lbs. Did you weigh while wearing the same clothes?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    FYI Tim - my doctor's scale is 14# off the DXA scan I had the same day which was more precise and accurate.
  • johnnyr24
    johnnyr24 Posts: 90 Member
    Usually when I weigh myself i am wearing my gym shorts and a tshirt. At the doctors office I had on a pair of jeans and a tshirt. No matter when or where I weigh I always weigh with no shoes on. But I highly doubt my jeans and tshirt weigh 11 lbs. I mean I could understand if the scale added a pound or two for my jeans and clothing but to weigh 11 lbs more? That doesn't make sense to me. Here I thought I was losing weight not gaining it.
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
    If you've been losing weight, tracking on your scale, then you are losing weight. Don't be put off by the doctors scale. If you started recording your weight from week to week on your doctors scale since you started tracking, you would notice a loss on that scale too. My doctors scale if different from mine by 8lbs and that only 15 mins after I weighed myself at home.
  • glowgirl14
    glowgirl14 Posts: 200 Member
    I doubt you will find any 2 scales that agree exactly on what you weigh...if you are trying to monitor your weight, its best to only look at one. The numer itself matters les than whether that number is going up or down. It is extremely frustrating to thinkyou weigh something, and then se a muhhigher number on another scale...but if yours says you lost five pounds, then your weight isgoing down.

    Side note...we went to a Halloween party last year, and stayed at my BF's brothers that night. I was a little scared of the scale after all th booze. I went to the party with my scale saying I weighed117lbs. The next morning, their scale showed 102. Even hungover, I hopped on that thing about 12 times, giggling....but, as I supected, my own scale showed about 119 with the extra water weight.
  • johnnyr24
    johnnyr24 Posts: 90 Member
    I guess the question is what would cause 2 scales to be completely off in my case by 11 lbs? I could understand if it was a few lbs like 2 or 3 but 11? Well that threw me for a curve ball because here I am thinking how closer I am to my 140 lbs goal weight and then I see the doctors scale and realized I'm farther behind then I thought I was assuming of course that his scale was accurate or more accurate then my own. But it is good to know I am not the only one who has encountered this same problem I guess I can go back and stick to using my scale and not worrying about it so much.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    johnnyr24 wrote: »
    I guess the question is what would cause 2 scales to be completely off in my case by 11 lbs?
    What causes it is one or both scales is incorrect. It happens. Bathroom scales aren't really precision instruments.

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,342 Member
    Had you eaten, drank? a litre of water weighs 2.2lbs whether it is in a bottle or in your belly. A combination of clothes, food and drink and a minor variation between the scale could easily explain it.
  • AestheticStar
    AestheticStar Posts: 447 Member
    My doctors scale always says I weight more, but I'm fully dressed, shoes & all when I get weighed. And that stuff can usually add a little bit. When I weigh myself at home, it's right in the morning & I usually take off my PJ pants & top so it's more accurate. I'm sure bathroom scales aren't always accurate, & mine is old, so I usually add about 6 pounds 'cause that's the number difference between my scale & the doctors.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    johnnyr24 wrote: »
    I guess the question is what would cause 2 scales to be completely off in my case by 11 lbs? I could understand if it was a few lbs like 2 or 3 but 11? Well that threw me for a curve ball because here I am thinking how closer I am to my 140 lbs goal weight and then I see the doctors scale and realized I'm farther behind then I thought I was assuming of course that his scale was accurate or more accurate then my own. But it is good to know I am not the only one who has encountered this same problem I guess I can go back and stick to using my scale and not worrying about it so much.

    Already answered in my previous post.

    It's a calibration issue.
  • ceruleanmuse
    ceruleanmuse Posts: 60 Member
    Hundreds of people step on the doctor's office scale a day. The last time it's been calibrated is probably when it was installed however many decades ago. Much more likely that your doctor's is off.
  • jmeister92
    jmeister92 Posts: 5
    The scale at the doctor's office always puts me 6-8lbs above what my bathroom scale says. Three things can be contributing to this for me personally.

    1) I always weigh first thing in the morning after a bowel movement and bladder voiding; basically at my emptiest. Furthermore, at home, I'm wearing just underwear on the scale. 2.) Before heading out to the doctors, I'll usually would've had a meal or two depending on the appointment time 3) At the doctor's I'm wearing jeans, belt, shoes and a jacket.

    Clothes add up and so does any meal(s) and fluids you had. 10lb is a big difference IMO, but can be explained by those things. Just average out the doctor's scale weight and your bathroom weight. So that would be about 195. Consider that your average weight.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    If you want to be accurate, go to a feed store and use their grain scale. Since they use those for commerce, the government will check those for accuracy on a regular basis.

    But usually, the reason people weigh more on a doctor's scale is because they have extra stuff in their pockets, they ate before they went to the doctor, etc. A balance beam scale should be more accurate because it doesn't rely on the resistance of springs. For a balance beam scale to lose accuracy, the weights would have to change in weight from the time they were made.
  • moremuffins
    moremuffins Posts: 46 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    johnnyr24 wrote: »
    I guess the question is what would cause 2 scales to be completely off in my case by 11 lbs? I could understand if it was a few lbs like 2 or 3 but 11? Well that threw me for a curve ball because here I am thinking how closer I am to my 140 lbs goal weight and then I see the doctors scale and realized I'm farther behind then I thought I was assuming of course that his scale was accurate or more accurate then my own. But it is good to know I am not the only one who has encountered this same problem I guess I can go back and stick to using my scale and not worrying about it so much.

    Already answered in my previous post.

    It's a calibration issue.

    ^This.

    Also, unless you dished out the money on a high quality one, bathroom scales are notorious for weighing a bit light.
  • Torontonius
    Torontonius Posts: 245 Member
    Don't worry about your absolute weight on one scale vs. another. Focus on a downward trend using the same scale, in the same location, at the same time every time you do check it.

    I like to check every 3-4 days, first thing in the morning after I wake up, right after I've gone to the washroom. That kind of consistency helps when trying to determine if you are headed in the right direction.
  • 13shark77
    13shark77 Posts: 65 Member
    I have to agree, I paid a little over 50 for glass electronic scale. Its one of my fav best investments I made! Not only does is shows, weight, but other factors like BMI. When your looseing your BMI. Body Mass Index. Your clothes really starts to fall off!
  • donna710
    donna710 Posts: 91 Member
    that happened to me recently..... doctors scale said 167lbs....my home scale said 156.5. That's a huge difference. I'm liking what my home one said better!
  • SLHysell
    SLHysell Posts: 247 Member
    dbmata wrote: »
    johnnyr24 wrote: »
    I guess the question is what would cause 2 scales to be completely off in my case by 11 lbs? I could understand if it was a few lbs like 2 or 3 but 11? Well that threw me for a curve ball because here I am thinking how closer I am to my 140 lbs goal weight and then I see the doctors scale and realized I'm farther behind then I thought I was assuming of course that his scale was accurate or more accurate then my own. But it is good to know I am not the only one who has encountered this same problem I guess I can go back and stick to using my scale and not worrying about it so much.

    Already answered in my previous post.

    It's a calibration issue.

    It was not "already answered". Your answer (although correct) was not complete enough to be useful unless you already knew it before asking. Other posts have more thoroughly answered the OP in the wake of your quick short response.
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  • 13shark77
    13shark77 Posts: 65 Member
    scales do get old over time. One with springs just gets worn out.
This discussion has been closed.

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