Scale accuracy

Iragen
Iragen Posts: 61 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
Howdy all,

So I just did my weigh-in after ignoring the scale for what feels like months and my old glass electronic one said I was 250.5 and the new weight watchers one I bought a year or more ago (I thought my first one broke) changed between 247.6 and 249.5. The weight watchers one has two metal bars that I am supposed to step on vs the glass one is just black on the sides where I step but that one is like 10ish years old, but these numbers are a really big change from my usual. I would always float between 265 and 259 but to see a big drop would be cool but im skeptical.

Im thinking either 1: I haven't weighed myself properly lately 2: late eating the night before was what used to skew my numbers 3: changing my total calories from 2370 to 1760 is actually making a powerful impact or 4: I need a scale that actually has a disc with numbers that is strictly based on weight.

Thoughts? I feel like I did things properly this time and had my last meal at 8pm and went to the bathroom before weighing, but this is a bit crazy.

Replies

  • Unknown
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  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    How long have you been eating this number of calories? Assuming that you’re accurately weighing and logging your food, changing your calories from 2370 to 1760 would make a big difference over time.
  • Iragen
    Iragen Posts: 61 Member
    Only about 2 weeks I think. A contingency idea I had was that if trying to lose 1.5lbs a week was a struggle since I was in error/over my calorie limit by 20-40% on bad days then if I increase the restriction to 1760, losing 2lbs a week, then if I have fail days I would technically be near the limit I was supposed to be at when trying to just lose 1.5lbs.

    Regarding the scales I think the weight watchers one should be good for another 2yrs, but the glass one I never changed the battery on.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Iragen wrote: »
    Only about 2 weeks I think. A contingency idea I had was that if trying to lose 1.5lbs a week was a struggle since I was in error/over my calorie limit by 20-40% on bad days then if I increase the restriction to 1760, losing 2lbs a week, then if I have fail days I would technically be near the limit I was supposed to be at when trying to just lose 1.5lbs.

    Regarding the scales I think the weight watchers one should be good for another 2yrs, but the glass one I never changed the battery on.

    Some days you’re going to be over your calorie limit. That’s not a logging error; that’s just called being human. There’s no reason you have to set MFP to lose two pounds a week. You could just set it at 1.5 or even 1 pound per week . But why not use a food scale instead of trying to compensate for error in your logging? A food scale will allow you to log far more accurately.

    If you’ve only recently started trying to lose weight, you may also be seeing a considerable amount of water weight loss. That’s why it’s common for weight loss to happen quickly at first and then slow down.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Start with your scales. Clean them well and change the batteries. If you have canned air, blow out any dust that may have accumulated in spots you can't wipe off. Next, find the most level part of the floor and place the scale there and leave it. They need to recalibrate every time you move them so it is best to only move them when needed for stuff like cleaning the floor. Step on it and let it weigh you. Step off and let it turn off, then step on again. If those 2 weights do not match (within an ounce or two) weigh yourself a 3rd time. Once you get 2 weights in a row that match, you know your scale is calibrated.

    Decide which scale you like and use only that one. I prefer the thin glass scales that take CR2032 batteries. I need to change the batteries every 2 years or so (or after a long period of not using it). Your scale might be off a little, but if it is consistent don't worry about it.

    Late eating CAN skew your numbers but if you have a snack every night, it shouldn't make enough of a difference when you weigh yourself in the morning. One late night session of food and drink when you don't normally do it can give you a higher reading the next day. Best to either not weigh yourself daily or start using a weight trend app that shows your trend rather than just a single number.
  • Iragen
    Iragen Posts: 61 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    Iragen wrote: »
    Only about 2 weeks I think. A contingency idea I had was that if trying to lose 1.5lbs a week was a struggle since I was in error/over my calorie limit by 20-40% on bad days then if I increase the restriction to 1760, losing 2lbs a week, then if I have fail days I would technically be near the limit I was supposed to be at when trying to just lose 1.5lbs.

    Regarding the scales I think the weight watchers one should be good for another 2yrs, but the glass one I never changed the battery on.

    Some days you’re going to be over your calorie limit. That’s not a logging error; that’s just called being human. There’s no reason you have to set MFP to lose two pounds a week. You could just set it at 1.5 or even 1 pound per week . But why not use a food scale instead of trying to compensate for error in your logging? A food scale will allow you to log far more accurately.

    If you’ve only recently started trying to lose weight, you may also be seeing a considerable amount of water weight loss. That’s why it’s common for weight loss to happen quickly at first and then slow down.

    I've been struggling at this for several years now. Was at 205lbs then blew up to 260lbs and have floated there for the past 2yrs. I figured I start aggressively for the first 30ish pounds via low calorie diet, watching sugar and carb intake and getting 3-5 workouts a week in then shift to a slower weight drop like you mentioned for the last 25lbs and to lower my body fat percentage.

    I have a good month where I got my food planned out well, portions are already known and i get 1-3 weeks of decent dieting. Not starving myself, but being satiated, but then something happens and I fall off the wagon and its months of starving myself some days or late night eating and hoping my exercises minimize the damage lol but I need to prioritize weighing my portions and being mindful of them because I really slack on that.
  • Iragen
    Iragen Posts: 61 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Start with your scales. Clean them well and change the batteries. If you have canned air, blow out any dust that may have accumulated in spots you can't wipe off. Next, find the most level part of the floor and place the scale there and leave it. They need to recalibrate every time you move them so it is best to only move them when needed for stuff like cleaning the floor. Step on it and let it weigh you. Step off and let it turn off, then step on again. If those 2 weights do not match (within an ounce or two) weigh yourself a 3rd time. Once you get 2 weights in a row that match, you know your scale is calibrated.

    Decide which scale you like and use only that one. I prefer the thin glass scales that take CR2032 batteries. I need to change the batteries every 2 years or so (or after a long period of not using it). Your scale might be off a little, but if it is consistent don't worry about it.

    Late eating CAN skew your numbers but if you have a snack every night, it shouldn't make enough of a difference when you weigh yourself in the morning. One late night session of food and drink when you don't normally do it can give you a higher reading the next day. Best to either not weigh yourself daily or start using a weight trend app that shows your trend rather than just a single number.

    My late eating is unfortunately more like late mindless or stress eating. My dad ordered food and its there whenbI get home or I didnt eat all day because of work issues and make food mistakes due to hunger/impatience with thinking of a healthy choice. I definitely have to build my discipline on that front. I'll also try calibrating my scales today to see how the numbers change. MFP sends me a notice to weigh in weekly so I've been trying to get better at that.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Different scales will weigh you slightly differently under the same circumstances at the same moment. My trainer's scale was 2 lbs higher even when I brought mine in and we used them side by side. Pick one scale, be sure you are using it correctly, and stick with it. Many electronic scales must be calibrated each time they're used, lightly touch them with your toe until it resets to 0. If you don't do that, you can get wacky numbers.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    You could check each scale by putting some thing on it that you know has a specific weight. I use a 6kg dumbbell.
  • bemyyfriend0918
    bemyyfriend0918 Posts: 241 Member
    edited October 2018
    I have two scales. One is a newer, nicer glass one, and the other is an old WW scale that was 20$ ten years ago. The glass one usually has me at about 3 lbs heavier than the WW one. I think if your using the same scale to weigh yourself every time, then the actual number wont matter as much, as it will still accurately reflect the loss. Which one did you use to weigh yourself when you started your plan? That's the one I would stick with. I also second the weight checking using dumbbells! I did that before.

    I use the WW one. Also, neither scale is accurate to what I weigh when I go to the doctors. More than likely because I've already eaten/had water when I go, and I still have clothes on.

    The first few weeks of any plan usually results in a larger drop because of water weight and bloating. It is extremely possible you did lose 12-13lbs.
  • ata1anta
    ata1anta Posts: 115 Member
    1. Pick a scale and stick with it. I have 3 at home (one Tanita that is 10+ years old, a Health-o-Meter or some such (doesn't take batteries) that I got when I surpassed 300, and a Yunmai that I've been using the past 2 years).
    2. If you're a daily weigher, fine. Try to stick with the same time of day - I do first thing in the morning
    3. Your weight is going to go up and down on a day to day basis. You want to look at the trend line. Mine for the past year looks like a seismograph but the trend line goes down.
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