anyone else have scale issues [revised] ???

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danielledimedio1985
danielledimedio1985 Posts: 54
in Introduce Yourself
I posted this topic earlier and I will provide an update below...


"hey everyone...question--do you use a digital scale to get weighed or do you use an old fashion doctor's scale? I have been using a digital scale that I've had since college (so about 4 years) and I thought it was working fine. However, my parents have the old fashion doctor scale and I weighed myself using that and it weighed me 15 pounds heavier!!! I wanted to die :( I know I've lost weight regardless because there's no way a number on a scale would go down if you weren't..but it's depressing to have been thinking I weigh a certain amount but really I'm 15 pounds heavier. Which do you think is more accurate? What brand of scale are you using (for instance, my digital is Taylor brand)? Any input would be helpful!"


UPDATE---when I got home I got two 10lb. weights and placed them on my digital scale, it read 19.6. I did it two more times, each time read 19.6. I then put the weights on my parent's old fashion doctor scale, it said 20 lbs. so each scale was accurate, give or take a few ounces. I then got onto my digital scale and weighed myself, it measured right around what I typically weigh. I did the same on my parents scale and 15 pounds heavier!!! how can that possibly be?! am I doing something wrong on my parent's scale? please help..this is going to drive me crazy!

Replies

  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    Digital scales suck... I take that back, ALL scales suck. Weight really shouldn't be the primary objective here. Measurements and body fat % are what really matter. If you feel better, your clothes fit better, and you look better, what does the weight matter? All it is is a crutch that society leans on and depends on. It's not about being thin, its about being fit.
  • almostfortysix
    almostfortysix Posts: 69
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    Scales are evil. We have the same issue becasue our house is old and the floors slant. We go all over the house looking for a flat surface.
  • oj123
    oj123 Posts: 1
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    Omg! Traumatizing ..... Yeah I usually use digital and depending where I place it on floor it can be about 2-5 lbs diffrence.. Just use the same scale all the time for you sanity ...
  • danielledimedio1985
    danielledimedio1985 Posts: 54
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    Digital scales suck... I take that back, ALL scales suck. Weight really shouldn't be the primary objective here. Measurements and body fat % are what really matter. If you feel better, your clothes fit better, and you look better, what does the weight matter? All it is is a crutch that society leans on and depends on. It's not about being thin, its about being fit.


    I agree with you completely...however, I haven't been taking my measurements all along nor do I know what my beginning body fat % was, so how am I supposed to gauge my progress from the beginning?
  • tmtolbert
    tmtolbert Posts: 59 Member
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    i don't know if this will make a difference, but did you step on the scale holding the weights or just lay them on the scale? i have a digital scale and i noticed that it is not accurate with things that are low weight. maybe try stepping on your scale while holding the weights and see if it weighs you 20lbs heavier than your regular weight. it also can definitely be a floor slant issue. this is why i weigh in and take measurements! lol digital scales are so sketchy!
  • scinamon1
    scinamon1 Posts: 158 Member
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    I have a scale question too... I got some new scales and used them for the first time this morning- they said weight was pretty much what I expected it to be, but they have body fat %, lean body weight %, water weight % etc. I'm no maths genius, but shouldn't these add up to 100? it said i was 70% water, 18%fat and 60% lean body weight... I know muscle has water in it, but WTF? :huh:
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
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    i don't know if this will make a difference, but did you step on the scale holding the weights or just lay them on the scale? i have a digital scale and i noticed that it is not accurate with things that are low weight. maybe try stepping on your scale while holding the weights and see if it weighs you 20lbs heavier than your regular weight. it also can definitely be a floor slant issue. this is why i weigh in and take measurements! lol digital scales are so sketchy!

    I did this... I was worried that my scale was lying to me so I grabbed my boyfriends weights, weighed myself.. then weighed myself holdings weights. Accurate =) I'm not gonna stress any more than that or else my head will explode =p
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Well... if your scale is telling you 19.6 -- it is not accurate, is it? That is .4 pounds on 20 pounds -- not necessarily .4 pounds off all weight. The more weight put on the scale, it's likely the higher the inaccuracy. I'd buy a new scale.
  • hollyNhollywood
    hollyNhollywood Posts: 426 Member
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    I have had something similar happen to me. With my digital Taylor scale. I put 8 lbs on it and it only registered 3.5 lbs. Then I hopped on the scale with my weights. And it only registered an extra pound. So obviously my scale is messed up and I more than likely weigh more than I thought. I have ordered a new scale and am anxiously awaiting it (it hasn't even shipped yet! and its been a few days)
    Regarding your scale discrepancy. It does sound like your parents is the most accurate. Sounds like yours is at least shaving .2lb off every 10 lbs.
  • tjr61
    tjr61 Posts: 3
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    Your parents scale is no longer working the way it is supposed to. The more more weight placed on it the more it will be off. At 20 pounds it reads .4 pounds off but as the weight increases the error increases. Think of it like long two strings placed side by side, and almost parallel. At the point nearest you they almost touch but the further away from you they are the further apart they go.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    Your parents scale is no longer working the way it is supposed to. The more more weight placed on it the more it will be off. At 20 pounds it reads .4 pounds off but as the weight increases the error increases. Think of it like long two strings placed side by side, and almost parallel. At the point nearest you they almost touch but the further away from you they are the further apart they go.

    It was her parents' scale that read the weight correctly -- it is her scale that is off. But I agree with you, the more weight increases the error.
  • PrfctGdess
    PrfctGdess Posts: 257
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    19.4 out of 20 is off by 3%. So if you weighed, say, 160 lbs, it would read 3% less than that, or about 155 lbs. At a weight of, say, 200 lbs, you'd actually read only 194. And that's IF the inaccuracy is linear; a lot of scales are more accurate at smaller weights but less accurate at higher ones (or vice versa).
  • AussieRachG
    AussieRachG Posts: 43 Member
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    Find whichever scales say you weigh the least and stick with those ;-) We don't need know-it-all old codger scales to get us depressed and make us lose our mojo!
  • amyram
    amyram Posts: 108 Member
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    I think most instruments including scales are most accurate in the middle of their range, so if your scale will work from zero to 300 lbs, it isn't going to be as accurate at the high and low end of that range. If you weight 150 lbs and weigh yourself holding those two 10 lb weights that should be 170 lbs, in the middle range will be where the scale is accurate. Then do the same on your parents and see if weights are 20 lbs difference that will tell you which is more accurate.
  • BeSophisticate
    BeSophisticate Posts: 132
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    Well... if your scale is telling you 19.6 -- it is not accurate, is it? That is .4 pounds on 20 pounds -- not necessarily .4 pounds off all weight. The more weight put on the scale, it's likely the higher the inaccuracy. I'd buy a new scale.

    I agree with this. The 'error' could increase with an increase in weight and, even if it is just .1 pound for every 5 pounds, that can still add up to a very noticeable difference, depending on how much you weigh. I never trust digital scales because I've had them get less and less acurate over time. And I don't mean over decades type time, but over months.

    HOWEVER, it's always just a number and not a particularly great measure of success/progress anyway. You'd have a really hard time finding two scales that agree and unless you're willing to hand out a large cash sum to buy a scale, you're probably going to get one that gives nothing more than a close estimate.

    As long as you're weighing yourself with the same scale every time, you should be fine.
  • danielledimedio1985
    danielledimedio1985 Posts: 54
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    bump
  • treetpflyer
    treetpflyer Posts: 184 Member
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    If you're using a scale pick one scale and stick with it becuase they all have a margin of error. I like to use both a scale and the way my clothes fit. If your clothes fit comfortably you are probably good to go!
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
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    Digital scales suck... I take that back, ALL scales suck. Weight really shouldn't be the primary objective here. Measurements and body fat % are what really matter. If you feel better, your clothes fit better, and you look better, what does the weight matter? All it is is a crutch that society leans on and depends on. It's not about being thin, its about being fit.


    I agree with you completely...however, I haven't been taking my measurements all along nor do I know what my beginning body fat % was, so how am I supposed to gauge my progress from the beginning?

    It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and you are making a new life for yourself. There is no time like the present to start!

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