Do you believe your scale?

Does anyone actually believe what a scale tells them? 

It seems like every scale I step on tells me something different, and they're off by a couple pounds or more! 

I have a 6-yr old digital scale (from Target) that has seen a lot of abuse during moves and college life.  But it has pretty decent test-retest reliability -- e.g. I step on, step off, step on again and it tells me the same thing.  My roommate has an uber-fancy scale that tells you your fat, water, and muscle %s, along with some other crazy statistics, as well as your weight to the 10th of an lb.  Some days, those scales tell me the same thing, but sometimes they're more than 2 lbs different.  The scale at the gym, of course, tells me I'm 3-4 lbs heavier every time I step on it, but I think it's designed that way to keep you coming back (or maybe I'm paranoid). 

It should be mentioned that I AM losing weight with this site.  The red number on my little scale has gone down consistently every week, and I believe the direction of the trend.  What I don't believe are the actual weight values.  I know that what really matters, especially in the beginning, is that you're losing, not exactly what the weight is, but I'd love to know my weight absolutely.  I think it would make me more confident in my efforts. 

Any advice?  Which scale can I believe?  Does it really even matter what my real weight is, as long as I'm losing?   

 

I just read an article that said you should test your scales accuracy by standing on it five or so times in a row and if the measuement varies by a pound or more, you should toss the scale.  My scale at home is crap - it can tell me I'm 190 then 140 five seconds later.  So, I always weigh myself at work where the scales are calibrated every two-three months.  I trust the scales here (at work).

It's almost impossible to know your weight 'absolutely' because it is changing all the time.  Drink a glass of water and you're instantly heavier, for example.  Go to the loo and you're lighter.  There is an unwritten law of the universe that no two bathroom scales will weigh you the same.....   For practical purposes, the trend is all that matters.  Once a week, same time, same place, same scales and you iron out a lot of the variables.   And for medical purposes, the scales in your doctor's surgery are the only ones that matter

As a cautionary tale..... 3 or 4 weeks into my weight-loss I suspected my old scales weren't behaving and treated myself to some new ones.  And how galling was it to find that they added 7lbs onto my weight overnight?......   Right back where I'd started!

From  caloriesperhour.com  :

Measuring your weight on a scale is the worst way to track your progress. Daily fluctuations in the amount of water in your body, caused by the amount of salt you eat and other factors, cause your weight to vary. These fluctuations have nothing to do with permanent weight loss, and will only serve to frustrate you.

If you choose to use a scale to monitor your progress, it is generally advised that you not weigh yourself more than once a week. You should also weigh yourself first thing in the morning, when the water content of your body will be more consistent.

They say that mirrors don't lie, and a mirror is actually a great way to see changes in your body. The problem is that many of us are overly critical of ourselves and never seem to like what we see in the mirror. We always find something we don't like and dwell on it, so it helps to have something less subjective to go by.

Clothes don't lie either, and seeing how your clothes fit is a great way to observe the changes in your body. Or if you'd like to be a little more accurate and keep records of your progress, you can take measurements as described in our newsletter Measuring Success.

However, none of these methods makes it very clear whether or not you are losing muscle along with the fat.

Muscle is healthy, makes you look better, and burns calories. It's a good thing. But a scale doesn't tell you whether you are losing body fat or muscle, so you could be losing muscle and not realize it.

A scale also doesn't tell you if you are gaining muscle. Again, muscle is good. But when you are on a weight loss program, gaining muscle can be both confusing and discouraging if you don't realize how it's affecting your weight.

The solution is not to judge your progress by weight alone, but to calculate the percentage of your weight that is body fat and make it your goal to reduce that number, not just your weight.

And once you have determined what percentage of your weight is body fat, it is easy to estimate your muscle mass so that you can monitor that, too, and ensure that you don't lose muscle along with the fat.

In the beginning I was obsessed! I weighed like 10 times a day  trying to get my "true" weight , it was driving me nuts. Now I only weigh once a week but also measure myself to track my progress.

 

Original Post by lal36:

Does anyone actually believe what a scale tells them? 

 

 Nope, but then it hasn't been telling me anything recently since I've been ignoring it for a while.  And I've still lost a half inch off my waist - so it can just sit there gathering dust a little more. 

I really beleive that no two scales are alike. I work at a vet clinic and we weigh every patient, we have a really great scale, and it is consitent, and clients always ask why the weight on our scale is different then when they weigh their animal at home, so i think if you are going to be looking at a scale, you use the same scale consistenly to make sure that you are getting consistent results.

I have been having some issues with my scale too! It will not budge off of 185 lbs! I mean it wont even go up. I weigh myself in the morning with no clothes and it says 185. Then I weigh at night after eating all day with clothes and it says 185! It seems crazy to me because with my other scale at home, my weight changed all day with water weight and food, but this one hasnt changed in days!

Oh well, Im not going to let this discourage me. I plan to keep up with the calorie counting and exercise and weigh myself at christmas.

Get a 5 or 10lb weight and put it on the scale. That will tell you how accurate it is.

i like my scale.  it self-calibrates when necessary (seems to be affected by temperature) but once it's done that, it's very consistent.  i weigh myself after breakfast but before lunch (i pee A LOT in the morning, in the couple of hours after my coffee, so i wait until that's done).  if i've already exercised, i note that with square brackets around the number. 

as far as water weight, those fluctuations don't bother me.  i know my body, i know what i've been eating, and i know where i am in my cycle, so if i get on the scale and i'm two pounds heavier than i was yesterday, i know what that's about. 

btw, a 5 or 10lb weight is not a good way to calibrate a scale that's built for weighing 100-300lb humans.  just like you can't weigh yourself accurately on a food scale or a highway truck scale, a personal scale will not be accurate for small weights like that.

Original Post by littleshellys:

Get a 5 or 10lb weight and put it on the scale. That will tell you how accurate it is.

Brilliant!

Finally, a way to tell if my scale is correct and if it is not, exactly how much it is out.  Haven't weighed myself in weeks, cuz I never know what I am looking at.

Thanks Shellys.

She's smart.

Mine is a peice of crap from target, but it helps me keep track of a downward trend. Of course now I have a wiifit and it says I'm like 5lbs heavier. $^&(it! So no, I trust the THING about as far as I can throw myself (not far).

i've had a lot of great times with pieces of crap from target.  i'm talking scales, bikes, furniture, etc.  as long as you embrace its crappiness and quell any envy when you see the higher-end equivalent, you're set.  and your wallet is a little thicker.

I was thinking of going to the Doctors and getting myseld weighed there and then coming home to change it to the right start so it adds up to the same thing. I've never had this problem with scales before. Mine at home never changes much unless I lose or gain. But I don't weigh myself often.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

i like my scale.  it self-calibrates when necessary (seems to be affected by temperature) but once it's done that, it's very consistent.  i weigh myself after breakfast but before lunch (i pee A LOT in the morning, in the couple of hours after my coffee, so i wait until that's done).  if i've already exercised, i note that with square brackets around the number. 

as far as water weight, those fluctuations don't bother me.  i know my body, i know what i've been eating, and i know where i am in my cycle, so if i get on the scale and i'm two pounds heavier than i was yesterday, i know what that's about. 

btw, a 5 or 10lb weight is not a good way to calibrate a scale that's built for weighing 100-300lb humans.  just like you can't weigh yourself accurately on a food scale or a highway truck scale, a personal scale will not be accurate for small weights like that.

Have not found that to be true. Have also weighted a 40-80 lb bag of salt and had the same results. Accurate each time. As close as you are going to get to an accurate test at home. It has proven to match my Dr. scale also. Not all humans weight 100 LB.

 

Original Post by katonick:

Original Post by littleshellys:

Get a 5 or 10lb weight and put it on the scale. That will tell you how accurate it is.

Brilliant!

Finally, a way to tell if my scale is correct and if it is not, exactly how much it is out.  Haven't weighed myself in weeks, cuz I never know what I am looking at.

Thanks Shellys.

She's smart.

You're welcome.

 

Original Post by elfbane5:

Of course now I have a wiifit and it says I'm like 5lbs heavier. $^&(it! So no, I trust the THING about as far as I can throw myself (not far).

I don't trust the Wii Fit scale, even when it "adjusts" for clothing it shows higher than any other scale I use.  I'll be using that more for the trend, because it will likely match the trend on the other scales.

If you are going to use multiple scales, don't go by each individually.  If you really want to keep track, take all of them, weigh at the same time with all, and figure out the average, or at least make sure the trend on each of them matches.  Otherwise just go by one scale and the trend it says.

Also, this is why it's good to give yourself 5 pounds or so of leeway in your goal, since scales will tend to give you different weights.

I have one of those low tech (but highly accurate) doctors scales.  I weigh (and log) every morning before breakfast.  My trend has been steadily downward (except for after the cruise vacation I went on) from 284 on February 1st to 217 September 9, 2008.

The trend - and the inches - are what matters.

Original Post by zephyron:

Original Post by elfbane5:

Of course now I have a wiifit and it says I'm like 5lbs heavier. $^&(it! So no, I trust the THING about as far as I can throw myself (not far).

I don't trust the Wii Fit scale, even when it "adjusts" for clothing it shows higher than any other scale I use.  I'll be using that more for the trend, because it will likely match the trend on the other scales.

If you are going to use multiple scales, don't go by each individually.  If you really want to keep track, take all of them, weigh at the same time with all, and figure out the average, or at least make sure the trend on each of them matches.  Otherwise just go by one scale and the trend it says.

Also, this is why it's good to give yourself 5 pounds or so of leeway in your goal, since scales will tend to give you different weights.

Oh I know, I was just going for a laugh. I stopped using the target one as soon as I got my wiifit because I was playing every day. I still do, it's just easier to use.

My target one is possessed, if you cross your eyes, you're 5 lbs lighter, sneeze, you're 5 lbs heavier. I considered using a marker to draw around my feet so that I could get a "consistant" (yeah right) measure. Depending on where you stand it can be a 20 lb difference. It shouldn't be a game, unless it's meant to, to figure out what you weigh. I would step on three times, if the reading was different, I would keep going til I had the same reading 3 times in a row. oi.

I love my piece of Walmart crap scale. I made my mom send it to me 1000 miles away because I forgot it when I moved to college. I always weigh myself 3 times in a row to make sure the number doesn't change. I am a few pounds heavier on the doctor's scale but it doesn't bother me too much. As long as I'm losing, I'm happy. I wont care about the exact number of my weight until I'm drawing near to my ultimate goal of 140.

SOO Funny!

My scale weighed me today at 5 am unclothed 135 got to work and weighed around 8am with clothes 132.lol

I about fell off the scale, literally, I was expecting a difference but I honestly thought the scale at work was going to be higher.

But as long as the trend is going down, or staying the same I don't care...

Original Post by gi-jane:

As a cautionary tale..... 3 or 4 weeks into my weight-loss I suspected my old scales weren't behaving and treated myself to some new ones. And how galling was it to find that they added 7lbs onto my weight overnight?...... Right back where I'd started!

This happened to me too!  My cheap Target scale had been giving me some wonky readings, so I replaced it with the most basic Tanita that's sold.  Unfortunately the new (more accurate?) scale said I was 6-8 lbs heavier.  Did wonders for my motivation though...