Is my scale broken?

suzievv
suzievv Posts: 410 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So this is kind of a dumb post. And maybe a little bit TMI. But I'm curious to see what people would say. Monday is my weekly weigh day. I got up this morning and weighed: 141.6. Then I stepped off and got on again just to make sure: 141.6. Then I lolligagged around for 15 minutes or so (didn't eat or drink or change clothes), went to the bathroom and had a bowel movement, and just out of curiosity, weighed again. That time it said 142. OK, so if you figure in the bowel movement, this is a difference of a 1/2 pound or more, I would think. And, in the opposite direction from what I would have guessed. Is the battery dying? Is it just normal for the scale to have a margin of error? Is it how I'm positioning it on the floor? (I do move it every single time because the bathroom is really small and I put it away.) Is this a really stupid thing to even worry about? I don't want to obsess. But I would like to be sure that I have a reliable measurement to go by every week. Maybe it's a sign the battery is dying?? When I get down to the last 5-10 pounds, I know that 1/2 pound will be a bigger deal.

Replies

  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    It could be the positioning of the scale. To prevent this sort of obsession (which I'm also prone to), I try to only weigh once. Stick with that first reading.
  • alexreyn13
    alexreyn13 Posts: 52 Member
    edited September 2016
    I think a 0.4 pound difference is well within margin of error. Scales show different readings all the time, my scale can show a 1-2 pound difference if I've moved it even slightly.
  • oolou
    oolou Posts: 765 Member
    Yes, it's probably the positioning of the scale. I can move my scale an inch to the left/right and get a different reading. I would recommend using a trend graph to log your daily weigh ins as this will help even out the inaccuracies of daily weigh ins due to factors other than fat loss, by showing you the overall trend over time.
  • leejoyce31
    leejoyce31 Posts: 794 Member
    edited September 2016
    suzievv wrote: »
    So this is kind of a dumb post. And maybe a little bit TMI. But I'm curious to see what people would say. Monday is my weekly weigh day. I got up this morning and weighed: 141.6. Then I stepped off and got on again just to make sure: 141.6. Then I lolligagged around for 15 minutes or so (didn't eat or drink or change clothes), went to the bathroom and had a bowel movement, and just out of curiosity, weighed again. That time it said 142. OK, so if you figure in the bowel movement, this is a difference of a 1/2 pound or more, I would think. And, in the opposite direction from what I would have guessed. Is the battery dying? Is it just normal for the scale to have a margin of error? Is it how I'm positioning it on the floor? (I do move it every single time because the bathroom is really small and I put it away.) Is this a really stupid thing to even worry about? I don't want to obsess. But I would like to be sure that I have a reliable measurement to go by every week. Maybe it's a sign the battery is dying?? When I get down to the last 5-10 pounds, I know that 1/2 pound will be a bigger deal.

    I may be a special snowflake, but sometimes I actually weigh a little more after a bowel movement. Go figure! It's weird. :)

    I never move my scale. I also check the accuracy with dumbbells. I don't worry about it though. I just wanted you to know that this may be an anomaly but it happens.
  • suzievv
    suzievv Posts: 410 Member
    Thanks, All!! I bet it is just the positioning of the scale.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 669 Member
    sllm1 wrote: »
    It could be the positioning of the scale. To prevent this sort of obsession (which I'm also prone to), I try to only weigh once. Stick with that first reading.


    This.
    My OCD behavior with the scale has got to stop!!
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