Has there ever been a discrepancy between your scale and the one at the Dr?

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Most scales aren't calibrated so there can be a discrepancy. You can't compare the weight between one scale and another.
I always knew my home scale was 5lbs off. It doesn't really matter what the number is, it shows whether my weight is going up or down.

Pick one scale, stick to it. Or if you know there is a 6-7 lb difference at your doctor's, factor that in.

Yes, your weight can fluctuate dramatically during the day. You could always bring your scale to the doctor's so that you are weighing yourself under the same conditions and see what the difference is.

See also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYMNPP2ZR1U

Yep, all the time. I don't worry about it since there are so many variables that are different.

I'm always a little lighter at the Doctor's! I like their scale best

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thereshegoesagain wrote: »

The way to calibrate your scale to your Dr's is to weigh yourself at home right before you go out the door to your dr's. office. Don't eat or drink anything and don't use the bathroom. As soon as you get there, ask the nurse if you can use their scale. Then you can figure out the difference.
When I did this, I weighed exactly the same both at home and at the office.

I did this too, each time I went, which was monthly for a while because I was receiving treatment, and my doctor's scale has been consistently 1/2 lb. higher than my home scale. Close enough for me! (and I love the consistency)

Beyond what you ate for breakfast or whether or not you had a bowel movement before going to the doctor's office, there are so many possible reasons for two scales to weigh differently. Elevation for one. Is your bathroom scale at home on a ground floor? The doctor's office, maybe, on an upper floor in an office building? That can make a difference. Is one a "spring loaded" scale and the other a digital? If they are both digital, is one, perhaps, a platform and the other a cross-beam?

And... Lastly... If you are not weighing at the same time for each scale - at least within a very short time range - even weighing on the same scales you can register a variance of as much as 3 to 5 pounds in a day.

Which is why it's a good reason not to stress too much over a pound here or there unless you are consistently showing the scales moving in the 'wrong' direction. Don't weigh every day. Don't even weigh every other day. Once a week is usually more than enough (even if our heads want us to step on that danged thing every time we get out of the shower!)

My weight is the lowest in the morning, right after I pee, and nekkid. My doctor is not allowed in my bathroom. lol BUT if he were, he'd see..........

Clothing, time of day, did I mention blue jeans?

kristenlynn09 wrote: »

I was 7 lbs heavier at the doctor than on my scale at home! But I figure in that 1) I had a full bladder and 2) I was fully dressed and wearing boots. But like a previous poster said, the direction of the scale is what really matters!

How much do your boots weigh? I was shocked to weigh shoes(the food scale weighs many items) ours we're a pound each. That shocked me, two pounds of shoes.

OP scales can change in readings I can sometimes gain or lose .6 pounds in 5 seconds by re-weighing myself right away. As folks have said your body weighs different and different scales can measure different. yourscale+yourweightgoesdown=☺

Has there ever been a discrepancy between your scale and the one at the Dr?

Always.

Why? Because I'm wearing clothes. Because I visit the Dr later in the day. Because I've usually eaten or had something to drink before going to the Dr and food/beverages have weight. Because the Dr's scale is likely slightly more accurate.

But it doesn't matter. What matters is that I continue to weigh myself at the same time each day, on the same scale, under the same circumstances.

samgamgee wrote: »

Definitely clothes and time of day! Also this is a bit off topic but I haven't been weighed at the doctor's for years, although they do ask me my weight and update it on their system. Is it normal to get weighed every time you go even if you aren't specifically there for weight related stuff? Maybe my GP and nurses are just always super busy...

If I'm there for a specific thing, they may or may not weigh me.

If I'm there for an annual check-up, they definitely weigh me.

And if I ask, they will weigh me.


I went for my annual check-up last December. My Dr suggested I could probably lose 10 kg, and that would likely lower my blood pressure and cholesterol a little bit, both of which were kind of borderline high, but not high enough to worry about medication or anything.

In late May, I returned to the Dr for a pre-travel visit and also requested that she weigh me, check my blood pressure and send me for a cholesterol test. She was happy to do that, and was so excited to discover I had lost 10 kg, my blood pressure was slightly low, and she rang me at work a few days later to tell me that my cholesterol had dropped significantly.

a nurse at my doctor's office once told me their scale was 6 pounds higher than any home scale. another nurse at the same office told me the scale was calibrated every morning so was accurate. As everyone says, clothes and time of day make a difference. using the same scale all the time seems to be the key.

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

I'm always a little lighter at the Doctor's! I like their scale best

Me too! Even though I'm clothed and have eaten as it's usually not first thing. Makes no sense.

A few weeks ago the doctor's scale said I was 30lbs heavier. I know it wasn't right. I was starting to fit into clothes I hadn't been able to in years.