Confused about scales

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palmerig88
palmerig88 Posts: 623 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Should I weigh myself once a week or what. Can anyone recommend a good digital home scale that is affordable, accurate, etc. I don't care about bells and whistles I just want to track my progress. Mine at home is a cheapie it says 175 then doctor's with clothes mid morning said 180.8 then old fashioned one at the gym last night with clothes and jacket 183. I have MFP set at 178, I need to come up with a system. I still have a lot of weight to lose.

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  • junyr
    junyr Posts: 416 Member
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    IT doesn't matter, just be consistent on which scale you use. even if you get a new scale it will NOT coincide with all of the others.


    PIck a scale and stick with THAT scale as your official one.
  • Heather20646
    Heather20646 Posts: 19
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    I found one on Amazon that someone on MFP recommended. It's an EAT SMART scale. It was about $35, attractive and actually holds up to 400 lbs so it's a nice wide one (I'm pretty heavy). It's very accurate, gives me the same reading if I step on it ten times in a row!

    I weight once/week. It works best for me, but when I first got the scale I weighed every day just to test the scale. :)
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
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    The key is making sure you weigh yourself using the same scale in the same conditions each time you weigh yourself. The number on the scale isn't important. It's about being to able to measure your progress.
  • douglasmobbs
    douglasmobbs Posts: 563 Member
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    Also make sure the scales are in the same place each time. Certainly on the same type of floor.

    Yesterday I weighed myself 3 times, then turned the scale round by 90 degrees (so parallel to the flooring rather than perpendicular) and weighed myself 3 times again. The difference between the two scale locations was over 2lb
  • sunflower01
    sunflower01 Posts: 17
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    I personally prefer the digital ones because the one's that are spring operated tend to give an inconsistent reading due to how warmth and cold affect the actual spring itself. A cheapy digital one is fine, make sure you weigh yourself in the morning at about the same time every week.

    I normally weigh myself right before I get dressed in the morning. I do it daily because it really helps me stay motivated and I've learned to understand my body better in how it functions and how certain foods make me retain water, which may also change the number on the scale.

    Using a scale is a good reference tool, but I also like to base my progress on how my clothes are fitting. Sometimes, the number on the scale maynot have changed for about a week, but when I put on my clothes, it would be a bit more loose and comfortable fitting. Always remember that the number on the scale is just a number, don't depend too much on it. :)
  • jbjsbi
    jbjsbi Posts: 5 Member
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    I weigh myself every day, after waking up and using the bathroom. This is my lowest weight of the day. After even drinking my coffee the scale will go up. At night I weigh sometimes 5lbs more than I do in the am. That morning weight is the most reliable--and know that the amount of water (which is heavy!) will vary a lot throughout the day and throughout the month. Even if your morning weight has gone up or stayed the same and you think you're doing everything right, it is most likely that your body is hanging on to water. Keep going, it will release the water over time.
  • mchlsmit
    mchlsmit Posts: 13 Member
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    Your weight fluctuates during the week and even during the day. Weigh yourself once a week with an electronic scale on a non-carpeted floor. Go for a Saturday or Sunday morning before you eat and weigh yourself without clothes. Your clothes will add a few pounds and weighing yourself during the day will also add weight because you are dressed and have eaten. If you weigh yourself every day you will only end up discouraged as your numbers move up and down.

    Any weight watchers branded scales are fine but to be honest any scales with an electronic readout and body fat analyser will work fine.
  • Alarista
    Alarista Posts: 77 Member
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    I would say DO NOT get a Taylor brand scale. I got one and six months later it stopped working. First it told me I weighed 392.5 pounds (totally not right) then 3.5 pounds, then just stopped working. I would just recommend something basic because I've been told if when you stand on the scale your thighs touch then all that BMI measuring and stuff won't work.

    When the scale worked I weighed myself everyday, at the same time of my day (right after I got up and had done the morning restroom run). It reminded me, oh, I ate a bunch of crap yesterday, today needs to be more healthy! But weekly works better for some people. If you do daily, remember your weight fluctuates due to hormones and all kind of stuff so don't get too discouraged. I also measure myself too, because when that goes down it feels good too.
  • crazysquaw51
    crazysquaw51 Posts: 67
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    :smile: I gave up this week on using the digital scales, they never say the same thing, no matter which I try, cheap or expensive. I went out and got a 10.00 scale from walmart yesterday, the ole fashion kind with big numbers, my husband got on it and it was exaclty what the one in his doctors office said last week., so this is the one I'm keeeping, wish you luck
  • palmerig88
    palmerig88 Posts: 623 Member
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    thanks everyone. my problem with the cheap one is i was trying to see if it read the same as the doctors and it didn't but i can't just subtract a pound or whatever because if you lean the slightest bit it changes by like 3 pounds. I guess my plan will be to make sure the floor is level and buy a digital readout one. If it is even close to the 178 I have been basing my diet off of, I will update my weight, leave it in the same spot and trust it. Yeah my clothes are def. better. On my two separate doctor weigh ins with clothes on it said I lost 9.2 pounds. It's just I thought I had lost 12. IDK
  • rdsxgrl28
    rdsxgrl28 Posts: 165 Member
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    I bought this one and love it, plus it looks nice.

    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/Product.asp?SKU=13413312

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