can’t find accurate, consistent body weight scales

Pick one. If the numbers go in direction you want, it's good.

I have a 50 year old Krups spring scale and a newer whiz-bang digital. Since I started with the spring scale, that's the one I use to track my progress. The two scales can differ by as much as three lbs. in both directions. I don't care. The numbers on both have steadily fallen for more than a year now and I don't stress about the numbers as long as the trend continues downward.

The digital ones are all Special Snowflakes. They're erratic, have to be on the exact same spot every time, the readings can vary 5+ pounds in 10 seconds...I dunno, I bought mine 11 years ago and I'll use it till it breaks, but it's not a precision instrument. It does have the 0.2 variation of weight, if that's important. Not true of the older mechanical ones.

I agree with MsCzar, if it's going in the right direction over a period of time that's all I really care about.

Pick one. They can be capricious - I find it is often best to weigh twice and take the second reading. Or even three times (though I typically find that the weight changes from reading 1 to reading 2 and then stays the same for reading 3, so reading 3 becomes a waste of time)

The one that happened at the time of day you normally weigh yourself. People's weight changes through the day, sometimes by a lot. You're looking for a trend so pick a time of day and use that to weigh so you can follow it.

I have an old dial scale, it seems to measure the same.

corinasue1143 wrote: »

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

wunderkindking wrote: »

The one that happened at the time of day you normally weigh yourself. People's weight changes through the day, sometimes by a lot. You're looking for a trend so pick a time of day and use that to weigh so you can follow it.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

corinasue1143 wrote: »

I weighed 6 times the other day, out of frustration. Weighed(not in order) x, x+3, x+4, x+5, and error 2 times. Which weight should I use?

Right in a row? Mine is not that variable ** (nor does it exhibit the false consistency that comes from a memory in the scale). If I get variations when I'm basically stepping off the scale and back on, I go with the first reading that pops up twice: Close enough.

Over the course of a day, of course, it varies by several pounds because my weight varies by several pounds. A day or two ago, I did a couple of extra weigh-ins to check on hydration after exercise (it's been hot here, I sweat lots). I didn't log any but my standard-conditions first thing in AM weigh-in in Libra, but from memory I think I dropped 3 pounds over the course of the day; was back up to the same AM weight plus 1.6 pounds by next day. 🤷‍♀️

** FWIW, though I doubt it matters, it's a relatively inexpensive Beurer brand, electronic, with the goofy BIA body-composition estimates. It'll vary by a couple of tenths on bodyweight, rarely 4 tenths, in repeated readings, sometimes (it only does pounds/tenths in even tenths).

Right in a row. Healthometer from Walmart

I line mine up with the same tile in the bathroom every time and stand in the same spot on the scales. They are very consistent used that way. Digital scales, cost about £20.

I bought a bluetooth one from Healthkeep so it automatically transmits the measurements to its app and Samsung health so I'm less tempted to cheat by standing in certain ways to make it "seem better" was about $25 with a coupon and amazon reward points.. Just keep in mind your weight will have some inconsistencies throughout the day no matter what scale you buy (due to food/water weight/etc). So your best bet is to weigh daily and average out for the week.

Thanks for posting this question. I just completed a trial with new batteries, weigh, hold a 10# dumbell, weigh. It appears my gremlin of a scale is accurate. I have absolutely no idea how I can drop 2 lbs overnight, and then gain 3 lbs the next day. Must be my body fighting it's "set" point. I'm only 3 weeks into healthy eating...so we shall see what happens as the months go by.

PSMeeker wrote: »

Thanks for posting this question. I just completed a trial with new batteries, weigh, hold a 10# dumbell, weigh. It appears my gremlin of a scale is accurate. I have absolutely no idea how I can drop 2 lbs overnight, and then gain 3 lbs the next day. Must be my body fighting it's "set" point. I'm only 3 weeks into healthy eating...so we shall see what happens as the months go by.

@PSMeeker: Expanding on what DancingMoosie said, I think you'd get a lot of good info by reading this article:

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

Bodies are weird. That article is an easy-to-read, engaging intro to the what and why of some of the scale-weight weirdness. Understanding that makes weight loss IMO less stressful!

As a rule of thumb, big jumps over a day or few - sometimes up to a week or two! - tend to be about water weight or temporary digestive contents on their way to becoming waste. If you're standing on a scale with an apple in your hand, then eat the whole apple, your weight on the scale doesn't change, even though the apple doesn't have enough calories to make you gain its weight in fat. Drinking a couple cups of water will make you instantly gain a pound, and that for-sure isn't fat, and will leave your body pretty soon.

The only way to gain 1, 2, 3 pounds overnight is to eat 3500, 7000, or 10500 calories above maintenance calories, or move that much less. If you didn't do some combo of those two, the weight change can't be fat.

Fat loss tends to happen in tiny, nearly-invisible continuous increments (if we're in a calorie deficit), and show up on the scale over a period of weeks, playing peek-a-boo along the way with water-weight shifts. This is just how healthy bodies operate: Might as well understand it, figure out how to live with it without over-stressing.