Scales?

I'm on my third scale. Is there anyone else that just wanted to take a sledge hammer to their digital scale? I can weigh 6 times in a row and get a different weight. I even bought a nice Weight Watchers digital scale. It drives me nuts. I replaced it with another but it does the same thing.

I ended up buying a cheapy dial one tonight just so I could get a more acurate weight. I'm so frustrated. I guess I'll save up for a really nice scale but I have no idea what to get.

Anyone have advise or want to scale vent with me? :)

Replies

  • i felt the same way.. i have 3 digital scales ^_^ ... they're not even cheap >.< but i always get different numbers.. like way off! This morning for example it said i weight 5 lbs less than yesterday, yes it made me feel good but no, it wasn't true lol
    so i also have just a dial scale that i'm sure is the most accurate
  • Dietz27
    Dietz27 Posts: 107
    I bought a Biggest Loser scale tonight. It's clear glass and was only $29. Seems nice so far.
  • FitBlitz
    FitBlitz Posts: 146
    Know what's cheaper and won't lie to you? ;D Measuring tape. I'd invest in one (like 2.00 from a local craft store if that) as a back-up to the scale.

    You can sometimes not lose any lbs, but lose inches. :)


    Have a great evening !
  • Dietz27
    Dietz27 Posts: 107
    Know what's cheaper and won't lie to you? ;D Measuring tape. I'd invest in one (like 2.00 from a local craft store if that) as a back-up to the scale.

    You can sometimes not lose any lbs, but lose inches. :)


    Have a great evening !
    Good point!!!
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    Know what's cheaper and won't lie to you? ;D Measuring tape. I'd invest in one (like 2.00 from a local craft store if that) as a back-up to the scale.

    You can sometimes not lose any lbs, but lose inches. :)


    Have a great evening !

    Great idea. I will do that!

    I know I'm losing weight or at least inches. My shorts slid down yesterday when I was cleaning house. LOL! Time to go shopping!
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    I bought a Biggest Loser scale tonight. It's clear glass and was only $29. Seems nice so far.

    I almost bought one tonight. I'm just digital shy now. Does it seem to be consistent?
  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
    I have found at my house I have to keep the scale in one area because of the floor being slightly uneven which gives me different numbers.
  • shunima
    shunima Posts: 13 Member
    I have good experiences with scales of this brand. Very consistent results and not really expensive if you go with the basic product line.

    http://www.amazon.com/Soehnle-63747-Digital-Scale-White/dp/B003MUJV82/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_6/179-4194709-4451235
  • nana6380__Chris
    nana6380__Chris Posts: 47 Member
    Biggest loser scales and a tape measure....
  • I gave my scales away a few weeks ago. Had major withdrawals at first, but now I don't miss them.
  • Michellerawrrr
    Michellerawrrr Posts: 310 Member
    Know what's cheaper and won't lie to you? ;D Measuring tape. I'd invest in one (like 2.00 from a local craft store if that) as a back-up to the scale.

    You can sometimes not lose any lbs, but lose inches. :)


    Have a great evening !

    This.....100%
  • MMarvelous
    MMarvelous Posts: 1,067 Member
    I will tell you NOT to purchase any of the TAYLOR brand scales...useless
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    I gave my scales away a few weeks ago. Had major withdrawals at first, but now I don't miss them.

    How do you track your progress or do you?
  • Make sure your scale is in the same spot, on a level surface. Weigh yourself only when you first get up in the morning. Don't weigh yourself in the morning one day and mid afternoon the next...it will be off. Also, remember the scale isn't telling you the whole story, if you are working out with weights you may actually gain weight at first. I agree with what someone said...get a tape measure its tells you a better story...And measure at the same spot each time. Ie. mid point of the thighs, or smallest point on waist (just above your navel). Hope this helps :)
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    Aha, I just read that if you move your scale before you weight you will get an inacurate weight. The parts inside will be moving and won't weigh you properly. It also said to put one foot on the scale to clear out the memory before you weigh. It said to put the scale in one place and never move it.

    That might be my issue. I do clear the memory but we store it and move it before weighing. I guess I need to find a new room to weigh in where my scale can be stablalized.
  • Nu_Mel
    Nu_Mel Posts: 48
    Know what's cheaper and won't lie to you? ;D Measuring tape. I'd invest in one (like 2.00 from a local craft store if that) as a back-up to the scale.

    You can sometimes not lose any lbs, but lose inches. :)


    Have a great evening !

    Agree with the above. Also only weigh yourself once a week/month whatever you decide. I weigh weekly for stats here, but my PT and I look at my weight over a month.
  • Kayley
    Kayley Posts: 327 Member
    Aha, I just read that if you move your scale before you weight you will get an inacurate weight. The parts inside will be moving and won't weigh you properly. It also said to put one foot on the scale to clear out the memory before you weigh. It said to put the scale in one place and never move it.

    That might be my issue. I do clear the memory but we store it and move it before weighing. I guess I need to find a new room to weigh in where my scale can be stablalized.

    This should work! Some other tips are to not have it up against a wall or on carpet. :wink:
  • miss_803
    miss_803 Posts: 6
    IF YOU ARE USING A DIGITAL SCALE TRY AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ON A FLAT FIRM SURFACE AT ALL TIMES. PREFERABLY SOMEWHERE WITH LIKE HARD TILE AS OPPOSED TO ON VINYL/CARPET. AND WHAT TIME OF DAY ARE YOU WEIGHING YOURSELF? I WEIGH MYSELF AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF BED AND USE THE RESTROOM.
  • larkiedeek
    larkiedeek Posts: 203 Member
    My digital scales were wierd. It said I had lost 5 lbs. It was consistant over 2 days as well.

    I changed the batteries and the weight came back. I now think that calories live in batteries!
  • GennetteD
    GennetteD Posts: 33
    Totally! I feel like I haven't lost anything in like forever. I just want to throw the scale out the window. Then replace it since it isn't my scale.
  • runnercheryl
    runnercheryl Posts: 1,314 Member
    I have Salter scales.

    These ones:
    image2_934_detail.jpg

    They're great. I've been using them for a year and a half and they're always reliable.

    They do have a glitch, but they get over it quickly. Most days, they'll weigh about 4lbs heavy on the first go. Then, I set them again and they flash and come up with an error. On the third go, I always get my accurate weight. Not sure what goes wrong the first two times, but I'm happy to stand and re-set a few times for my accurate weight when it seems to many people don't have scales that are accurate at all!
  • Dch2012
    Dch2012 Posts: 19
    All scales have a certain amount of error. Precision is the ability to reproduce the same result over and over, and accuracy is how close the value is to the true weight of the object. here is some info you may find useful

    You can get a fairly good idea of its precision by stepping on and off of it several times , and looking at the variation between measurements. If the measured weight varies between 149 and 151 pounds, for example, the precision is about one pound. The accuracy cannot be any better than this, but it can certainly be worse, particularly if the scale has not been calibrated recently. If the scale is linear, a plot of the actual weight vs. the weight as measured by the scale (the calibration curve) will be a straight line, and can be determined by establishing two calibration points. For convenience, the first reference weight is usually zero, though it need not be.

    The first step in calibrating the scale, therefore, is to adjust the scale to read zero when there is nothing on it. The second step is to see what it reads with a known weight on it. This second calibration point should be as far from the first as feasible, to establish an accurate calibration curve. This known weight could be obtained by weighing yourself on a scale known to be highly accurate (in a doctor's office, for example), and then immediately weighing yourself on the bathroom scale. Suppose that the true weight is known to be 160 pounds, and the scale reading averages 150 pounds. Some instruments have a range adjustment to correct this error, but bathroom scales generally don't. Instead, you would note that the true weight is 6.7% higher than what the scale reads, and the calibration would be complete. If the scale read 75 pounds, you'd know that the true weight was 80 pounds, and so forth.

    If the scale was not linear, you would have to use many different calibration weights to produce a well-defined calibration curve. Not surprisingly, engineers use linear measurement equipment whenever possible. Even if the scale were somewhat nonlinear, you could still get good accuracy in the region of your weight with only two calibration points. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you could calibrate the scale at 155 and 165 pounds, and be reasonably certain that the slope of the calibration curve would not change significantly over a 10 lb. interval. Far outside that interval, though, the scale could be quite inaccurate.

    This info taken from https://courses.cit.cornell.edu/virtual_lab/LabZero/Minimizing_Systematic_Error.shtml
  • hazelsmrf
    hazelsmrf Posts: 96 Member
    I can highly highly recommend the EatSmart scale... I was going crazy too with scales that gave wildly inaccurate weights, it's so discouraging. I've had this scale for over a year though and it's never bounced around and given me different weights, it's always accurate... if I step on with a 1 pound handweight, it shows the weight +1. If I stand on with a 5 pound weight it shows 5 pounds more. There's no tricking it! 5500 reviews on Amazon too!

    http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Bathroom-Technology/dp/B001KXZ808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335100194&sr=8-1
  • bhaktinstella
    bhaktinstella Posts: 51 Member
    Know what's cheaper and won't lie to you? ;D Measuring tape. I'd invest in one (like 2.00 from a local craft store if that) as a back-up to the scale.

    You can sometimes not lose any lbs, but lose inches. :)


    Have a great evening !

    i keep a measuring tape hanging on the towel rack - it not only shows my progress once a week, but it is a daily motivator just to see it every morning! i have stuck around 148 now for 4 weeks, but i have lost inches in that same time and my clothes fit better!!
  • Thena81
    Thena81 Posts: 1,265 Member
    Weight does vary but idk bout that much. Ive had the same weight watchers one for evs!! It works well. Is anyone playing with it, like kids or something? Could be off in that sense. Can u callibrate it?
  • roachhaley
    roachhaley Posts: 978 Member
    I have a cheapo dial scale and it seems pretty consistant.

    Also if youre measuring at different times of day youll get vasty different readings due to water, food etc.

    A liter of water weighs a lot. I think 1.5 pounds not sure. I drink at least 2 a day so thats around 3 pounds gained.

    I weigh myself ONLY in the morning after I pee and I wear only my underwear. Sometimes I weigh myself later in the day compulsively but I know that number isn't right.



    TLDR: get a measuring tape lol. same rules apply though: only in the morning after youve urinated.
  • I have had the Weight Watchers digital scale for a few years now and it is dead on accurate. Do you have the scale on a hard, flat, even surface? New battery? I like this scale because it gives me body fat%, and keeps track of my last weight, etc. Good luck.
  • nono1951
    nono1951 Posts: 2
    I totally agree!LOL!:laugh:
  • JessieArt
    JessieArt Posts: 275 Member
    Weight does vary but idk bout that much. Ive had the same weight watchers one for evs!! It works well. Is anyone playing with it, like kids or something? Could be off in that sense. Can u callibrate it?

    Can't calibrate it. But, I moved it downstairs. I think it's more level. Started weighing something else before I get on it to clear the memory. Seems to have helped!