My scale keeps saying different things based on where it is.
Conspiracy19
Posts: 36 Member
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?
I have carpet in my bedroom and wooden floor downstairs, would that make a difference? Which reading should I actually believe? 0
Replies
-
Never weigh on carpet
it will distort your actual weight. 0 -
Use the hardest surface you have in your house.0
-
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.0
-
Huh. So, I'm nearly a stone lighter than I thought? :') amazing :')0
-
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.0 -
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.0 -
Keep it on a hard floor. I have to recalibrate mine whenever I move it.0
-
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 0
-
You weigh a whole stone less than you thought you did? AMAZING.0
-
Nice surprise for you.
But yeah carpet, even Lino can distort the figures. Got to be hard, flat surface like tiles or concrete.
0 -
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!
0 -
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!0
-
For accuracy, I use a 10 pound weight to make sure that my scale is correct.0
-
How do you recalibrate a scale?0
-
Now, this is a good idea that I will be trying.lorengetsfit wrote: »For accuracy, I use a 10 pound weight to make sure that my scale is correct.
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?
0 -
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.0
-
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.0 -
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.0
-
-
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!0 -
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.
Mine does this. =( It's a weight watchers scale too so I thought it would be accurate, but I spend about 10 minutes each morning trying to get an average out of all the weights. It's usually a 2 pound different from the highest and lowest weights, all which happened seconds/minutes apart. I need a new one.
Anyway, congrats OP on the new low weight!0 -
I have my scale in the laundry room. It is a hard surface and I don't ever have to move it to get it out of the way. I found that moving it gives me a weigh or two that are off.0
-
Not just a hard surface--a hard, level surface. Natural tiles like slate that have an uneven surface can also cause inaccuracy.
And you should probably use a mechanical beam scale (the kind at a doctor's office) as a benchmark weight (since they are generally more accurate), but a home scale is fine for measuring losses/gains.0 -
I get a more accurate weigh in if I first get on the scale with something heavy (at least 2lbs) in my hands. Then get back on and weigh. There is something about the scale that doesn't pick up a smaller amount of weight loss. I will just remember the number from the last time I weighed.0
-
i have the same problem, my scale doesn't read the same thing dependig on where we place it. We have a ceramic tiles floor in the bathroom, and even just changing the direction in which the scale is facing changes the reading! (faing the door vs facing the bath etc)
I assume it's also a matter of gravity, elevation etc, if your house's floor isn't strictly flat and straight. I know ours isn't.
Since i don't like stepping up on the scale twice and getting two different results, which is obviously super confusing, i just move all the way to the kitchen (wooden floor). it seems to be working better there.0 -
pumpkinpocalypse wrote: »i have the same problem, my scale doesn't read the same thing dependig on where we place it. We have a ceramic tiles floor in the bathroom, and even just changing the direction in which the scale is facing changes the reading! (faing the door vs facing the bath etc)
I assume it's also a matter of gravity, elevation etc, if your house's floor isn't strictly flat and straight. I know ours isn't.
Since i don't like stepping up on the scale twice and getting two different results, which is obviously super confusing, i just move all the way to the kitchen (wooden floor). it seems to be working better there.
I had this problem, then I got this scale and it's the most consistent scale I've used. Also it comes with a cool retracting looper tape measure for taking body measurements.
Purchased a Withings WiFi scale which is on the way, I am hoping it can be as accurate.0 -
As everybody has said use a hard floor. Carpets are evil for scales. My whole house is carpeted so I have to put it in the bath as it's the only flat surface. My kitchen floor seems somehow uneven and affects the readings depending on where in the kitchen it is placed.
As an idea you could weigh in a pharmacists to get a good representation of your weight and then move the scales around to find where it shows your true weight at home.0 -
Conspiracy19 wrote: »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?
Oh yes scales do not work on soft surfaces. They should always be placed on a solid surface for accuracy.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions