Scale: Digital vs Standard

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NyxDominique
NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I found out several months ago that the scale you weigh yourself does matter. My gym offers a scale like the ones you find at a doctors office with a slider. I have also recently learned that my home scale (which is digital) is completely off.

(before you ask same day only 30 mins apart didn't work out because I notice the other day how off it seemed)

Gym says I weigh: 182

Home scale says I weight: 187


That is a very large difference. The digital scale I have at the house is quite old, even though we have changed out of the batteries. Due to the fact I haven't been going to the gym alot and I would like to be able to monitor my weight at home. I feel that I need to pick up a new scale.

I was looking for feedback from people who use scales at home.

Which do you prefer digital or standard?
Any brand in particular?

Replies

  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I have a very basic, very inexpensive analog scale. I've found too much discrepancy with a digital scale. My only complaint about my analog one? The numbers are too small. Wish I would have noticed that BEFORE I bought it - not after. If I struggle to read it - I bring one of my kids in and have them read it. LOL.
  • misslyssa319
    misslyssa319 Posts: 186 Member
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    i had an older digital scale that was perfectly matched to my dial scale. it was dropped and stopped working so i bought a new one. then new digital was a full 5 pounds off from the dial one all the time and randomly 2-4 pounds from that! . thought it was a flike so i got a different brand and that one was off about 2 pounds. :mad:
  • FatDadSlim
    FatDadSlim Posts: 497 Member
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    I'm not worried about the accuracy, just the consistency. as long as the scale is consistently inaccurate is all that matters for seeing results.
  • TC41
    TC41 Posts: 5
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    I found out that it does not matter what scale you use, as long as you use the same one all the time. It kind of made since so I quit worring, and just used the same scale all the time. I weigh myself once a month, and If you have one of those slider scales you can make sure it is accurate, by sliding all the sliders to one end, and make sure that the pointer is in the middle if not it will need adjusting as well. Just letting you know.
  • MsCandyLynn
    MsCandyLynn Posts: 123
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    I would assume that digital or standard would work just fine as long as you are weighing yourself ont he the same scale everytime you weigh. one scale may have different numbers than the other scale but if you weight on digital at 150 and standard at 145 then a week later digital at 147 and standard at 142 then you have still lost 3 lbs regardless of what scale you are on..IMO
  • mrk34
    mrk34 Posts: 227 Member
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    Definitely digital.
  • katherines2230
    katherines2230 Posts: 276 Member
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    I prefer digital only because my eyes are bad and I see every single line so I have to guess. Just ditched my old one for a digital last week and I am in LOVE!! Got it from walmart around $40 bucks, have to use it bare foot and it tells you your BMI, body fat % and your hydration level and some other stuff. I weigh both at the gym and at home and there's usually a 5lb difference with the scale at the gym being higher.
  • NyxDominique
    NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
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    I found out that it does not matter what scale you use, as long as you use the same one all the time.

    Yep that is why I have been only using the one at the gym because I trust it.

    Now, I am just wondering how people feel about digital and analog before I go out a buy one to start using that full time.

    Thank you for the insight tho
  • misslyssa319
    misslyssa319 Posts: 186 Member
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    i understand 5lbs lost is 5lbs even if the scale is off but i don't want to look at any scale and see a number i said i would never see again. if i you worked hard to get to a weight milestone that extra 5lbs staring you in the face is no bueno even if you know it's wrong.
  • FatDadSlim
    FatDadSlim Posts: 497 Member
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    i understand 5lbs lost is 5lbs even if the scale is off but i don't want to look at any scale and see a number i said i would never see again. if i you worked hard to get to a weight milestone that extra 5lbs staring you in the face is no bueno even if you know it's wrong.

    I disagree, The way i see it is a scale is just a tool for tracking your results. The number it returns is just that, a number. i don't really care if that number is 5Lbs different to a doctors scale i just want to see that what i am doing is working or if it isnt then i can change something to make it work.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I bought an analogue scale earlier this year, but if I was going to get one again, I would go digital.
    Mostly because analogue moves around too much, whereas digital gives you a number and stays there.
    I also find that I can't see small changes on my analogue - so I use my phone to take a photo (or several) and enlarge that to see the numbers!

    In terms of accuracy, I suspect that as long as you consistently use the same scale, you will see changes, which is the important thing, not the actual number.
  • erinkeely4
    erinkeely4 Posts: 408 Member
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    I use an analog scale. I have noticed that every scale is a little different! I just use mine to really track :)

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