scales have displayed 4 different readings 🤨🤨

i weighed myself today i did it twice the first time and weighed 10 stone 9lbs

i let the scales go off and then went on it again twice more it read 10 stone 7

and then 10 stone 2 🤨🤨 and then 10 stone 6lbs

how am i supposed to know which is accurate and should i get new scales? saying that the batteries hasn’t been changed in like a year

Replies

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,552 Member
    How flexible is your floor? Is your scale on carpet? Vinyl? Underlay?
  • LisaGetsMoving
    LisaGetsMoving Posts: 664 Member
    Change the batteries and make sure the scale stays in the same place where the floor isn't uneven. Has it always done this?
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    Several things to consider

    1. Check scales are on a solid surface not carpet or soft vinyl.

    2. Check scales are weighing properly. I use a 5kg dumbbell to check accuracy. If they are off you will need to recalibrate or replace batteries.

    3. Only weigh once per day, naked, first thing in the morning. Getting on and off during the day only shows water weight gained/lost food intake or waste elimination.

    4. Buy better scales

    Good luck
  • trulyhealy
    trulyhealy Posts: 240 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Aren't you in England? Isn't it midnight-ish there? Do you work nightshift and you just woke up? Otherwise what is the point of weighing yourself after a day's food and drink consumption?

    who said i weighed myself at night and i’m not english i’m Scottish
  • trinafitzgerald2844
    trinafitzgerald2844 Posts: 10 Member
    My scale was doing the same thing. I changed the batteries and all was good afterwards. Funnily, it was after this change that I started showing a consistent loss via the scales. Prior to that my weight bounced all over the place.
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    Several things to consider

    1. Check scales are on a solid surface not carpet or soft vinyl.

    2. Check scales are weighing properly. I use a 5kg dumbbell to check accuracy. If they are off you will need to recalibrate or replace batteries.

    3. Only weigh once per day, naked, first thing in the morning. Getting on and off during the day only shows water weight gained/lost food intake or waste elimination.

    4. Buy better scales

    Good luck

    Absolutely this.

    Scales also do not like to be moved and must be on a flat, hard level surface. If you do need to move your scales (I do) then step on and off first to calibrate them before taking your true reading.
    If you're doing the above, with fresh batteries and still getting erratic readings then it's time for a new set.
  • trulyhealy
    trulyhealy Posts: 240 Member
    CM_73 wrote: »
    Several things to consider

    1. Check scales are on a solid surface not carpet or soft vinyl.

    2. Check scales are weighing properly. I use a 5kg dumbbell to check accuracy. If they are off you will need to recalibrate or replace batteries.

    3. Only weigh once per day, naked, first thing in the morning. Getting on and off during the day only shows water weight gained/lost food intake or waste elimination.

    4. Buy better scales

    Good luck

    Absolutely this.

    Scales also do not like to be moved and must be on a flat, hard level surface. If you do need to move your scales (I do) then step on and off first to calibrate them before taking your true reading.
    If you're doing the above, with fresh batteries and still getting erratic readings then it's time for a new set.

    i live in uni halls and my bathroom is tiny and not level but when i weigh myself i do it on the same spots but like i move it around on the same spots to see if the number is consistent which it normally is.

    should i weigh myself in the kitchen where the floor is flat? but that means that i can’t weigh myself naked
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Change the batteries first. Mine freaks out when batteries are low.
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    CM_73 wrote: »
    Several things to consider

    1. Check scales are on a solid surface not carpet or soft vinyl.

    2. Check scales are weighing properly. I use a 5kg dumbbell to check accuracy. If they are off you will need to recalibrate or replace batteries.

    3. Only weigh once per day, naked, first thing in the morning. Getting on and off during the day only shows water weight gained/lost food intake or waste elimination.

    4. Buy better scales

    Good luck

    Absolutely this.

    Scales also do not like to be moved and must be on a flat, hard level surface. If you do need to move your scales (I do) then step on and off first to calibrate them before taking your true reading.
    If you're doing the above, with fresh batteries and still getting erratic readings then it's time for a new set.

    i live in uni halls and my bathroom is tiny and not level but when i weigh myself i do it on the same spots but like i move it around on the same spots to see if the number is consistent which it normally is.

    should i weigh myself in the kitchen where the floor is flat? but that means that i can’t weigh myself naked

    Your best bet is to use a hard, flat floor and use the same spot each time. Sometimes the first reading is off even so - I always weigh at least twice and three times if the first and second readings differ. If the first 2 are the same then I take that as the reading.

    It sounds like the kitchen is your best bet - suggest you allocate a pair of PJs for the purpose and live with the fact they will add minimal ounces. I assume, though, that you will not want your scales to live in the kitchen. If you are carrying them in there each time then you will need to take at least 2 weights because I have found scales generally don't like to be moved around and the first reading is likely to be off.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,552 Member
    Large, level, inflexible piece of tile you buy (or get as sample from home reno store)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    CM_73 wrote: »
    Several things to consider

    1. Check scales are on a solid surface not carpet or soft vinyl.

    2. Check scales are weighing properly. I use a 5kg dumbbell to check accuracy. If they are off you will need to recalibrate or replace batteries.

    3. Only weigh once per day, naked, first thing in the morning. Getting on and off during the day only shows water weight gained/lost food intake or waste elimination.

    4. Buy better scales

    Good luck

    Absolutely this.

    Scales also do not like to be moved and must be on a flat, hard level surface. If you do need to move your scales (I do) then step on and off first to calibrate them before taking your true reading.
    If you're doing the above, with fresh batteries and still getting erratic readings then it's time for a new set.

    i live in uni halls and my bathroom is tiny and not level but when i weigh myself i do it on the same spots but like i move it around on the same spots to see if the number is consistent which it normally is.

    should i weigh myself in the kitchen where the floor is flat? but that means that i can’t weigh myself naked

    You're getting a lot of good advice. If you do go down this road, wear the same clothes every time so it's consistent. 🙂
  • Beverly2Hansen
    Beverly2Hansen Posts: 378 Member
    My scale and most electric show 2 seperate weights if you get on and step off twice. The second weight is more acurate than the first weight and most manuals tell you to step on part weight and step off then let the scale hit zero before fully stepping on. In doing this assuming you're on flat hard flooring you'll get more accuracy. If it's still off you'll want to change the batteries.
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    CM_73 wrote: »
    Several things to consider

    1. Check scales are on a solid surface not carpet or soft vinyl.

    2. Check scales are weighing properly. I use a 5kg dumbbell to check accuracy. If they are off you will need to recalibrate or replace batteries.

    3. Only weigh once per day, naked, first thing in the morning. Getting on and off during the day only shows water weight gained/lost food intake or waste elimination.

    4. Buy better scales

    Good luck

    Absolutely this.

    Scales also do not like to be moved and must be on a flat, hard level surface. If you do need to move your scales (I do) then step on and off first to calibrate them before taking your true reading.
    If you're doing the above, with fresh batteries and still getting erratic readings then it's time for a new set.

    i live in uni halls and my bathroom is tiny and not level but when i weigh myself i do it on the same spots but like i move it around on the same spots to see if the number is consistent which it normally is.

    should i weigh myself in the kitchen where the floor is flat? but that means that i can’t weigh myself naked

    I weigh in the kitchen, the floor is uneven but I've found a spot where the scale sits steady and level, just test it by making sure it doesn't rock at all.
    The kitchen sounds a better bet for you, I don't weigh naked, just in a T shirt and undercrackers. Yes, there will be some tiny variations from day to day but I can't imagine it would be enough to show on the scale.
    It's a good idea to have clothing that you use just for weighing if you can't get away with just a nightie or whatever, it would be too much faff for me personally though.
    You could always get an idea of the weight difference by finding a decent spot in your bathroom with consistent weighing's and then just holding the different items of clothing you might be weighing in to see if a difference does show.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    @trulyhealy I have two digital scales and one is consistently 2 lbs higher than the other one. I found the sweet spot on the kitchen floor. I also have a balance beam scale with sliding weights. That thing is off more than the digitals. Change your batteries and report back. Happy Spring, @trulyhealy
  • owieprone
    owieprone Posts: 217 Member
    how your feet are pronated and where your weight is on your feet (heels/toes) will also affect the reading. try and stand the same way each time, you'll still have some fluctuations though. i'm guessing you use a digital scale and have never stood on a mechanical set (or haven't in a long time) getting the needle to sit still was part of the fun, as well as moving yourself around to see how heavy and light you could make yourself. Just cos it's digital doesn't mean how you stand doesn't affect it.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,002 Member
    pick one scale and decide if you are going to track your weight on the first step-on or second! i know that i will weigh less if i step off then back on. i just go with the lighter one 🤪 i also know i will weigh a tad more at my OBGYN. but for the sake of tracking, i use second step-on, weight at home
  • mmnv79
    mmnv79 Posts: 538 Member
    Do you have a Boots pharmacy near you? Most of them have a body composition scale. It gives you a slip of paper with your weight, height and BMI displayed. It used to be 70p just.