Scale, why should I dump thee? Let me count the ways....
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Would we consider the scale at the doctor's office more accurate? My scale at home is very consistent with the readings and has a similar reading to the doctor's office type scales. I would be sad to learn if my scale is underestimating my weight by 5 lbs! But as far as day in and day out progress, because it is consistent I continue to use it.
The problem is that our body's aren't even accurate. Lol
Ok. They aren't consistent. That's where the problem is.
Truer words, ne'er spoken!
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Bümp for anyone (else) with a sh!ț for a scale.0
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anewlifeat40 wrote: »It's really just a measure of the pull of gravity in relation to your body mass... Not a reflection of one's worth.
AND gravity can change. Really.1 -
Bump up time, because this is an awesome thread.2
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Scale technology has not advanced conspicuously since flat-earth days....
(Instruction starts at 3:45)
https://youtu.be/yp_l5ntikaU?t=225 1 -
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6) You change depending at what time I weigh in, must I factor in the angle of gravity from the moon?2
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TravellerRay wrote: »6) You change depending at what time I weigh in, must I factor in the angle of gravity from the moon?
Yes! It's a known fact within the lunatic fringe of creatures with scales.4 -
I think the scale is a good gauge of overall progress, but as you get closer to your desired goal I think it becomes less reliable. I can swing 3-5lbs in a day, and now I know that it has to do with water retention & how long since certain body functions have occurred. I love the suggestion to get a tape measure ASAP, with or without the scale use. This is what we are looking for anyways, how good we look. Not so much what the scale says. I think overall the measurements & scale are indicators of how good we look at the end of the day. So I wont ditch my scale ever! As much as I use it to indicate the way down, I never want to relax and not see the trend the wrong way either.2
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I'm guessing you'd notice if you had to loosen your belt or switch to sweat pants for work
, but if the scale doesn't cause blood pressure spikes 3x daily before you step on it, no big deal! 1 -
I'm guessing you'd notice if you had to loosen your belt or switch to sweat pants for work, but if the scale doesn't cause blood pressure spikes 3x daily before you step on it, no big deal!
I get what you mean, but sometimes weight gain is gradual, and clothes naturally stretch over time. Also I dont like tight clothes so buy mine a little loose anyway - I can easily gain a whole size in pants before noticing - one day they will seem a little tight, so I go to buy new pants and have to go up a size. Check the scale and gained 10 pounds. I dont want to wait until I have to switch to sweat pants before I "notice" ! By then its a little late!
So I weigh every day. But I use a wifi scale that autorecords it for me, so I just jump on in the morning, glance at it and get in the shower and forget about it. once in a while I check the graph of the past few weeks to make sure it is not trending up.1 -
Would we consider the scale at the doctor's office more accurate? My scale at home is very consistent with the readings and has a similar reading to the doctor's office type scales. I would be sad to learn if my scale is underestimating my weight by 5 lbs! But as far as day in and day out progress, because it is consistent I continue to use it.
From a purely nerdy perspective, if I can't calibrate it, it's can not be precise. It may very well be accurate as far as repeating possibly wrong data, but most of what we are doing are estimates at best.
If we could, in general, step back from attaching so much importance to that number and just use it as a tool, so many would be happier with themselves.2 -
XavierNusum wrote: »Would we consider the scale at the doctor's office more accurate? My scale at home is very consistent with the readings and has a similar reading to the doctor's office type scales. I would be sad to learn if my scale is underestimating my weight by 5 lbs! But as far as day in and day out progress, because it is consistent I continue to use it.
It may very well be accurate as far as repeating possibly wrong data, but most of what we are doing are estimates at best.
Yep. The same goes for food values. We can be off by significant amounts - and that's assuming we measure accurately.
Just looking briefly through reports on supplements at Labdoor.com, even well-reputed companies can be off by 30% on the amount of active ingredient per serving....
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tcunbeliever wrote: »tomato is a vegetable according to the government as confirmed by the supreme court
stupid, but true
Intelligence is knowing the tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it onto a fruit salad....
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Vis-a-vis the original question of the thread, it reminds me of a programme I watched many years ago, on body function, health, and odd facts, and I distinctly remember them trying to work out a conundrum:
They introduced a guy who at the time, held the world record for eating 5kg of spaghetti in around 10 minutes, or something ridiculous like that....So: They weighed him before the eat-in. He ate, on stage, in front of a live studio audience, 5kg of pasta as fast as he could (but didn't break his own record) and even while he was chewing the last mouthful, he got back onto the scales.
He weighed just 1lb more than before eating 5kg of spaghetti.
W T actual F.....?!1 -
Would we consider the scale at the doctor's office more accurate? My scale at home is very consistent with the readings and has a similar reading to the doctor's office type scales. I would be sad to learn if my scale is underestimating my weight by 5 lbs! But as far as day in and day out progress, because it is consistent I continue to use it.
My scale used to be in a doctor's office and it is different from the scale in MY doctor's office.
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I have a fancy 'weight watchers' scale that has all the bells and whistles, but I don't use it any more because its accuracy is abysmal. The readout will confidently tell you down to 0.1 pounds what it thinks you weigh, but if you get on and off five times in a row you will get five different results. And they can very by several pounds each way.
It turns out that it was only accurate to with +/- 1 pound, for weights under 100 lbs. Over 100 lbs, it was worse than +/- 1%. So at 400 lbs, that's +/- 4lbs, or potentially an 8lb swing, every time you get on the thing.
What I use now is a commercial scale meant for measuring products. I got it on sale at Staples, and its accuracy is +/- 1 lb up to 400 lbs. I've found it is a lot more consistant and reliable / believable. The readout doesn't give 0.1 lb increments, it does 0.5lbs but if I fall on a .5 I round up, I only record whole numbers in my diary / log.
Even at that, I know the scale may not be terribly accurate because our bodies fluctuate daily and weekly. But it's a guideline, and it's numbers, and I do like numbers.
p.s. sorry if I've posted all that before, I am having deja-vu but I don't think I've posted in this thread before.
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AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »tcunbeliever wrote: »tomato is a vegetable according to the government as confirmed by the supreme court
stupid, but true
Intelligence is knowing the tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it onto a fruit salad....
Does this mean my fruit salad of zucchini, tomato and avocado is no good?1 -
cstehansen wrote: »AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »tcunbeliever wrote: »tomato is a vegetable according to the government as confirmed by the supreme court
stupid, but true
Intelligence is knowing the tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it onto a fruit salad....
Does this mean my fruit salad of zucchini, tomato and avocado is no good?
Just don't put ketchup on it...2 -
cstehansen wrote: »AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »tcunbeliever wrote: »tomato is a vegetable according to the government as confirmed by the supreme court
stupid, but true
Intelligence is knowing the tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it onto a fruit salad....
Does this mean my fruit salad of zucchini, tomato and avocado is no good?
Just don't put ketchup on it...
I never liked that red sugar sludge.1
