My scale keeps saying different things based on where it is.

I'm confused. I have my weighing scale in my bedroom but I brought it downstairs because my mother wanted to weigh. I apparently weigh nearly a stone less downstairs than upstairs :|:|:| I have carpet in my bedroom and wooden floor downstairs, would that make a difference? Which reading should I actually believe?
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Replies

  • JenniferIsLosingIt
    JenniferIsLosingIt Posts: 595 Member
    Never weigh on carpet :) it will distort your actual weight.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Use the hardest surface you have in your house.
  • KateSimpson17
    KateSimpson17 Posts: 282 Member
    yes, carpet will give you an inaccurate reading, a solid floor is much more reliable. My entire apartment is covered in carpet (for real, who carpets a bathroom or kitchen??) so I actually put my scale in the bathtub when I weigh.
  • Conspiracy19
    Conspiracy19 Posts: 36 Member
    Huh. So, I'm nearly a stone lighter than I thought? :') amazing :')
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    why are you moving your scale? if your mom wants to weigh herself, tell her to go to where ever you keep it and weigh herself.

    and dont put scales on carpet.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    Always on a flat floor-in the same spot.
    Calibrate it if you can-at least check it with a weight to make sure it's accurate. I have had some shotty scales that would give me a different readout every time i stepped on. It was worth the $30 to get one that is accurate.
  • bm1409
    bm1409 Posts: 1,715 Member
    Keep it on a hard floor. I have to recalibrate mine whenever I move it.
  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
    Yeah, like others have said, don't weigh on carpet. Looks like you might have a way to keep it on a hard surface, do that if you can. If you must keep it in your bedroom maybe get a hard flat piece of wood or something to put it on? I was trying to come up with ways to make carpet weighing work but then I moved out of my parents' house so I've got my own bathroom floor to cover in scales :smile:
  • tapirfrog
    tapirfrog Posts: 616 Member
    You weigh a whole stone less than you thought you did? AMAZING.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,081 Member
    Nice surprise for you.

    But yeah carpet, even Lino can distort the figures. Got to be hard, flat surface like tiles or concrete.
  • Khatastrophic
    Khatastrophic Posts: 81 Member
    For accuracy's sake, find the hardest floor surface and use the same spot everytime for the scales. I use a certain tile in the bathroom to line mine up, maybe you have a mark on the floor to use too?

    That being said, I also weigh myself on the carpet in my bedroom just to see the number sometimes. Instant 20lb weightloss! :D
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Buy a new one. I found out a month into my weight loss that my scale was off. It killed me to go back and have to add two pounds. YES 2 pounds was a lot back then!
  • lorengetsfit
    lorengetsfit Posts: 84 Member
    For accuracy, I use a 10 pound weight to make sure that my scale is correct.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
    How do you recalibrate a scale?
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
    For accuracy, I use a 10 pound weight to make sure that my scale is correct.
    Now, this is a good idea that I will be trying. :)

    Kind of hard to believe carpet vs hardwood is a 14 lb difference. What was the time frame between the upstairs weigh-in and downstairs weigh-in?
  • khhregister
    khhregister Posts: 229 Member
    I get as much as a 2 lb difference depending on where I set down the scale in my bathroom. My floor must be uneven. So I just make sure it's in the same place every morning.
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
    Always weigh on the hardest surface in the house.

    Keep the scale in one place and leave it there permanently if you can. Scales are finicky things and don't like being moved.

    I would also suggest finding a heavy-ish object you know the weight of and test your scales to see if they are accurate.
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
    When you moved the scale you probably caused the top and bottom shell to separate and then when you stepped on it something bound up inside. Anytime you move a scale or get weird reading you should step on and off it several times to make sure everything is settled properly.
  • Conspiracy19
    Conspiracy19 Posts: 36 Member
    tapirfrog wrote: »
    You weigh a whole stone less than you thought you did? AMAZING.
    Yep :') My boyfriend said a few days ago I didn't look the weight I thought I was. Happy mistake for me :P

  • nicola8989
    nicola8989 Posts: 381 Member
    woo that's great news bet you're chuffed! Oh my god - I just want to say thank you for sharing this - I move my scale and put it in a cupboard to stop myself weighing, then put it back when I weigh - and I haven't lost any weight even though I've lost inches. Maybe I need to recalibrate!!! Oh my god thank you!!

    Also another question - do floorboards make a difference? My floorboards are uneven and I weigh different things in different parts of the bathroom!