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New Scale - I am heavier

Posts: 1,365 Member
edited December 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have a mechanical scale in the bathroom. I had suspected that it was not that accurate but thought it might only be off by a pound or two.

I have a strong desire to run a bulk and cut cycle and wanted a scale that was more accurate and precise so that I could plot weight changes. So I ordered a scale from amazon and it arrived yesterday. YEAH! This morning I weighed myself on both scales. I am 6 pounds heavier on my new scale.

So on my old scale I typically weighed 100-102 pounds. I always felt like I was a couple of pounds away from trimming thigh fat to where I wanted it. I also just did not want to be under 100 pounds.

I am actually a little excited to find out that I weigh more than I thought! I am going to drop 2-3 pounds. Sit at maintenance for a month and than start a bulk.

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Replies

  • Posts: 500 Member
    I too had an old mechanical scale. It weighs about 6 pounds lighter.

    I prefer the digital one. I've got two now...one in each of my houses. They both weigh the same. I stay away from the mechanical one.....should just recycle it! :)
  • Posts: 1,267 Member
    Oh man....don't tell me this! LOL! I'm using a plain old analog scale and I like the number it's giving me!

    (((Sticks fingers in her ears)))
  • Posts: 16,049 Member
    Yep, I weighed around 5-6kgs more when I switched from a mechanical scale to a digital one. Can't say I was surprised as I didn't look the weight my old scale told me i was!

    @cnbbnc bite the bullet and switch to a digital scale. Yours might be spot on, or not... I'd prefer an accurate scale to a "maybe it's right" scale :wink:
  • Posts: 2,171 Member
    My switch put an unwelcome 10 lbs on me.
  • Posts: 1,267 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Yep, I weighed around 5-6kgs more when I switched from a mechanical scale to a digital one. Can't say I was surprised as I didn't look the weight my old scale told me i was!

    @cnbbnc bite the bullet and switch to a digital scale. Yours might be spot on, or not... I'd prefer an accurate scale to a "maybe it's right" scale :wink:

    Yeah....I will. I had a digital scale that never worked well, so when it broke I went back to a generic one. I'm thinking about bulking eventually too, so that'll force me to make the switch.

  • Posts: 13 Member
    Weigh yourself on all of the scales that you have, and take the average. If do that, you are being fair to your trusty scales and to your ego. Look at my username... Scale is Lying.
  • Posts: 1,365 Member
    @cnbbnc - this is the scale I purchased: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Premium-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B002MK6QKO

    A nice bonus - I don't need to have my glasses on to see how much I weigh now! :smile:
  • Posts: 19,809 Member
    There's no guarantee the new ones are accurate.
    I tested my expensive (£80) ones against a calibrated scale and it was 3lbs out.
    My inexpensive ones (£20) were spot on.

    Both digital.
  • Posts: 13,342 Member
    I was heavier on my old mechanical than my digital scale. I have my digital scale now around 3 years and that's all I use. Its a matter of sticking to the same set of scales imo.
  • Posts: 8,619 Member
    At home I have a cheaper mechanical scale, but at work and doctor's office, they have the same type of large digital scale; my mom has a very small glass top digital. My mechanical generally reads about 1-2lbs heavier and all of the digital scales seem about the same as each other. Of course, I don't ever use any of them on the same day, so I am just generalizing.
  • Posts: 2,646 Member
    I don't like digital scales! I bought one & took it right back to the store. I weighed myself 3 times in a row (suggested) but I got different weights every time. To ensure accuracy on my mechanical scale, I put one of my free weights on it before I get on. :-)
  • Posts: 9,151 Member
    When I changed over to a digital scale, it gave me 14#. Not the best thing to have happen at the start of long-term weight loss.
  • Posts: 16,157 Member
    Hi
    FWIW I trust the Old School Mechanical scale, It is a Health O Meter Balance Beam Scale that I check the Zeroing of every day before I adjust the weights to what I weighed the day before as a starting point. I set it back to 0 after every weighing per the manual so there is no problem checking for Zero :)

    Cheers
    Roger
  • Posts: 1,303 Member
    I see no evidence in this post that the new one is accurate or precise. You just like the number better.

    Also, every time someone complains that a scale isn't accurate because the number changes every time they step on, what they are really complaining about is precision. The scale could be accurate but imprecise.

    If you want to check the accuracy of the scale get a known weight and put it on the scale. If you want to check the precision check that same known weight multiple times.
  • Posts: 950 Member
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Its a matter of sticking to the same set of scales imo.

    I agree. I have an old mechanical scale. I weigh 6-7 lbs. lighter on my scale than my doctor's fancy digital scale. My scale is accurate in measuring losses and gains. The first time at this new doctor's office, I was in shock about the number on her scale. Now I know how many pounds to add to the weight on my scale so there are no more unpleasant surprises.

  • Posts: 380 Member
    edited June 2016
    If you had weights you could put them on the scale to test it's accuracy.
  • Posts: 380 Member
    edited June 2016
    I have a pretty old mechanical scale my grandparents gave me because they got a new one. It always weighed 5 lbs lighter until one day I did a little hop on in, has been accurate ever since lmao. I check it regularly.
  • Posts: 569 Member
    Place a 10lb weight on the scale and you can determine which is the real weight. After that use that scale and run with it.
  • Posts: 1,267 Member
    bioklutz wrote: »
    @cnbbnc - this is the scale I purchased: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Premium-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B002MK6QKO

    A nice bonus - I don't need to have my glasses on to see how much I weigh now! :smile:

    Thanks! And good luck with the bulk! :smile:
  • Posts: 1,365 Member
    I am sorry I did not include in my original post why I suspected that my old scale was inaccurate. It seems to have caused a little confusion.

    My husband sees a doctor every 3 months for medication management. They weigh him while he is there. He mentioned that he is heavier at the doctors office. Clothing and different conditions will of coarse lead to some variation. In any case I put 2 of my 15 pound dumbbells on our scale and it registered as 25 pounds. I also tried putting 2 of my 5 pound plates on the scale it it registered as 9 pounds. This scale also happens to be around 10 years old. I went with the assumption that the scale was not that accurate anymore and my weights were hopefully accurate.

    On the new scale I tried my dumbbells - I got 29.8 pounds. I tried the plates but they did not register. Just for kicks I put the dumbbell and the plates and got 40.2 pounds. All of these numbers are acceptable variations for me.
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