Calibrating Analog Scale (Help)

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ai965
ai965 Posts: 118
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so it's been about a week for me active on MFP, so I thought it was time to weigh in. I don't really trust my analog scale that much, so I calibrated it using a 5 pound bag of flour. It was spot on, so I hopped on and it read 5 pounds less than I put my starting weight! Should I trust that number, or do I need to calibrate the scale with something heavier than five pounds?

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  • ai965
    ai965 Posts: 118
    BTW I just guessed for my start weight because I thought my scale was off before, and I went by what a scale in a museum said.
  • wwhite94
    wwhite94 Posts: 176 Member
    i would go with your scale and add it the first week most ppls lose water weight. Its all a starting point we wont hold it against you if you put in the wrong starting weight. lol
  • abellante_0205
    abellante_0205 Posts: 368 Member
    maybe u lost 5 lbs. or maybe the museum scale wasn't right. Only use one scale and stick with it... You were probably 5 less than the museum scale really said. As long as u stick with ONE scale, just go by that scale number...
  • James_1954
    James_1954 Posts: 187 Member
    What is the resolution of your analog scale? Or, to put it differently, you described its performance with a five-pound bag of flour as "spot on." What did it actually report as the bag's weight: 5 lb, or 5.0 lb, or 5.00 lb, etc?

    I ask because your ticker suggests that you're a 125 lb person. Supposing that you can read your scale to the nearest half-pound, that means the uncertainty with which you weighed the flour is something like half the resolution -- let's say a quarter of a pound. That's ±5%. The corresponding uncertainty in measuring your body weight of 125 lb would be ±6.3 lb.

    Whether that's bad or not depends on whether you're interested mostly in your absolute body weight, or in the amount of weight you lose. Again, your ticker indicates that you're wanting to shed 25 lb. Your flour-calibrated scale will measure your loss with an uncertainty of only ±1.3 lb. But, under those circumstances, when your scale reports a loss of 25 lb, your weight may have decreased from about 131 lb to 106 lb, or from 119 lb to 94 lb.

    If I were you, I'd care more about the change in weight than the absolute weight, and I'd simply use your analog scale without further calibration. Sometime when you're around a scale you consider trustworthy (doctor's office or wherever), you can get a pretty good idea of an offset to apply to your home scale's readings.

    Best of luck and success to you!
  • Sumo813
    Sumo813 Posts: 566 Member
    I use an analog scale too. I found that it has an error rate that gets higher with the more weight. I use a Taylor "Professional" model. It is a 400lbs limit and has a dial to adjust it to zero. I found that if I placed my select tech weights on there with 25-30 lbs, it's spot on. But if I put 90 lbs on, it's off by a lb or 2. But at the same time, I don't trust digital scales either. But have been thinking of trying to find a good one just for giggles. Of course, I'd have to reset my starting and current weight if I do that.
  • Sumo813
    Sumo813 Posts: 566 Member
    maybe u lost 5 lbs. or maybe the museum scale wasn't right. Only use one scale and stick with it... You were probably 5 less than the museum scale really said. As long as u stick with ONE scale, just go by that scale number...

    And of course when you're weighing yourself anywhere but at home, you've got on added weight with clothes and shoes, and anything else. For me, I weigh in first thing in the morning before anything else, in my shorts. I've noticed that throughout the day, with clothes on and a full belly, I can fluctuate as much as 10 lbs.
  • ai965
    ai965 Posts: 118
    Okay, thanks everyone. Because I'm already in a "healthy" BMI range, I'll just trust this scale from now on. I could have lost water weight, considering my sodium is way lower than before. Thanks again! I'm putting it in as a loss, and the next time I see a doctor I'll put that weight in.
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