two scales two weights????

rebekahstrachan3
rebekahstrachan3 Posts: 30 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
I just bought my first electronic scale and there is a weight difference of 8lb compared to my old scales. I'm a bit miffed to have gained 8lbs in seconds, lol. which do I trust??

Replies

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Chances are your new scales are the ones that are right, or closest, but in reality most scales will weigh differently unless they're in a situation where they are calibrated regularly. Yeah, it sucks, but you've still lost what you've lost, and you actually haven't 'gained'.
  • kayeiam
    kayeiam Posts: 215 Member
    Best way to know which one is closer is get weight at your doctor's. My home scale is off by 1 lb from my doctors
  • rebekahstrachan3
    rebekahstrachan3 Posts: 30 Member
    I'll maybe try the scales at boots and see which is closer.
  • ArkMom35
    ArkMom35 Posts: 225 Member
    Do you have something that you know the weight off that you can test on both? A big bag of dog food?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    My dad had me pull out his old analog scale to compare it to mine that's a year old. Mine read five pounds less than his. But yeah, test them out with a weight or a bag of sugar.
  • ejdp254
    ejdp254 Posts: 342 Member
    I have two scales, they weigh 600 grams difference. If i check with the Boots scale, the lower one is nearly always accurate, so i go with that and then double check with Boots one in a while. Also until recently, even though they say they can weigh up to about 120kg or whatever it is, they were usually really far out, like 4-6lbs. But no matter which scales you use they will show you your lossess if you only use those scale's.
  • Kelly79L
    Kelly79L Posts: 12 Member
    I have the same problem, old analogue scales weigh me 3lb less than new digital scales so I'm now just focusing on lbs lost not the actual number
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    It strikes me funny that so many people on threads like this say to weigh something with a "known weight" and then mention a bag of sugar or dog food - when in other threads they're the same people that say "oh but manufacturers can be off as much 20% on package sizes so you really have to weigh everything."

    Do you really think that every 5-lb bag of sugar is going to be exactly 5 pounds????? The chance is really, really slim. And dog food is probably even further off.

    If you want to weigh something that you are (more) sure the weight of, a dumbbell is a good bet and reasonably cheap to buy; you could even return it after your testing if you have no intention of using it for other purposes.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    thats why you should use the SAME scale in the same place to measure your weight EVERY TIME. it may be inaccurate, but the loss is still real.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    I NEVER weigh myself. It sets me up for a miserable day/night if I am not where I think I should be. I go by clothes and their fit. Also, how strong and healthy I feel. Simple.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Phrick wrote: »
    It strikes me funny that so many people on threads like this say to weigh something with a "known weight" and then mention a bag of sugar or dog food - when in other threads they're the same people that say "oh but manufacturers can be off as much 20% on package sizes so you really have to weigh everything."

    Do you really think that every 5-lb bag of sugar is going to be exactly 5 pounds????? The chance is really, really slim. And dog food is probably even further off.

    If you want to weigh something that you are (more) sure the weight of, a dumbbell is a good bet and reasonably cheap to buy; you could even return it after your testing if you have no intention of using it for other purposes.

    Seems funny to me too.
  • cdcllcga01
    cdcllcga01 Posts: 71 Member
    It's like having two clocks - you are never quite sure what time it is.
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
    Trust both although obviously one or maybe both are wrong.

    The number isn't important, the progress is what you look at.

    Pick one and use only that one.
  • jlahorn
    jlahorn Posts: 377 Member
    It's better and easier to test your scales with something small that you genuinely know the weight of. For example, a gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds. Step on the scale carrying a gallon of water and check the reading. Put the water down. Did the number go down by ~8 lbs? Then your scale is probably pretty accurate. (You can weigh the water jug empty on a food scale if you want to get obsessive about it.)
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    cdcllcga01 wrote: »
    It's like having two clocks - you are never quite sure what time it is.

    I like that analogy...

    Clocks give you a rough estimate of what time it actually is. In the grand scheme does it really matter if it's 2:14 or 2:17? However, they do a pretty dang good job of measuring the passage of time.

    Think of scales the same way...they'll give you a rough guess of your weight, but the exact number is relatively immaterial. They are pretty good though at measuring the change in weight...and that's what's most important.
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  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    What everyone else said- find something with a known weight, weigh it on both scales and see what happens. Generally, the item has to weigh at least a few lbs. If you have a dumbbell, that would be ideal, but bags of flour, dog food bags, bags of potatoes (that you weighed at the grocery store), gallons of water, etc. will all work.
  • overlook237
    overlook237 Posts: 160 Member
    I'm a numbers person so when the two scales I have in my house didn't match, it drove me crazy. I finally decided to just pick one (the one with the lower weight on it, of course ;) ) and stick with it. I try to stay consistent with when I weigh myself and where I put the scale (old house, somewhat crooked floors). The loss/change in weight is more important than the actual number in the long run.
  • spoonyspork
    spoonyspork Posts: 238 Member
    We have two scales. According to one, I lost like a lb a day week before then it all shot back up to only .5 lbs lost for the week and shows me losing *nothing* last week and this week, while the other had me losing nothing week before or last week, but today is 3 lbs lower than two weeks ago (putting me at a healthy weight!). Both always show a 3 lb weight as 3 lbs... so... yeah. I just figure the trend is generally down so it's all good... that or gravity affects me - and not the 3 lb weight - different in the 1 ft space between the scales! XD
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
    The digital scale is probably the more accurate one. Before I had a digital scale, my normal ones marker would hover above 0 and I would have to manually readjust it every time I stepped on it - annoying and inaccurate. Although, my digital one started borking out on me recently and giving me different readings every time I stepped on it. Replacing the battery fixed that though.
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Your progress is the same. Who cares what the real actual number is?
  • desmondsdoll
    desmondsdoll Posts: 7
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    thats why you should use the SAME scale in the same place to measure your weight EVERY TIME. it may be inaccurate, but the loss is still real.

    Totally agree with you - I found that depending on where the scales are in the room, I could gain lbs instantly so now I always use the exact same scales in the exact same spot (due a possibly slightly uneven floor) and I always weigh myself at the same time each morning after I've been to the bathroom but before I eat or drink anything at all - also avoid weighing yourself multiple times per day as your weight can fluctuate by around 4lbs during the day.
  • rebekahstrachan3
    rebekahstrachan3 Posts: 30 Member
    Update-- so I used a 12kg kettle bell to test the scales. the analogue was -5lb off and the digital was +3lbs off. They have now been reset to the correct weights. Thank you for the idea of weighing something.
  • NaturallyOlivia
    NaturallyOlivia Posts: 496 Member
    I had a similar issue. My doctor's old timey t-shaped move the the weight inch by inch scale said I was 5 lbs more than my digital scale at home. I'm glad I went home and weighed myself afterwards or I would've had a vey bad day! Haha
  • rebekahstrachan3
    rebekahstrachan3 Posts: 30 Member
    It's crazy how off scales can be!! I feel they really should be accurate to 2lbs.
  • Cryptonomnomicon
    Cryptonomnomicon Posts: 848 Member
    GuitarJerry wrote: »
    Only weigh on one scale only ever. They are all slightly different. You don't need accuracy, just consistency. I wish people understood this very simple concept.

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  • MORECHABLIS2
    MORECHABLIS2 Posts: 11 Member
    Your average home scales will not to that accurate, I've had the same thing scales at gym (home type) make me around 4lb heavier, then when I visit a friends I'm 2 lb lighter than my scales at home. Basically, I think it more important to keep to using the 'same scales', at least then you know if you are losing weight...
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