Is your digital scale consistant

Hello all....I have a digital scale and it NEVER gives me the same weight...I could weigh myself in the morning...then come back and 5 minutes later it says im 4 pounds heavier? To try to get an accurate number I try to get the same number 3x in a row and I use that as my current weight? Does anyone have that same issue???

I was having similar trouble with my scale so I went out and bought the best digital scale I could find. It's such a critical tool to a healthy life that I thought it would be a wise investment. Sadly ... mine gives a consistent, unquestionable result. It's also sensitive to the nearest 0.1 lbs. I can get on and off again and never get a different answer. This is great on days when I lose a pound, but really hard on the days I gain a pound because I know it's not just the 'error' in the scale.

So if you know you don't have a consistent scale that you can rely on ... toss it. Don't give yourself the headaches. Your scale is your #1 fitness buddy & should be unquestioningly reliable.

Mine too! I have this special spot for it, which seems to be okay... the numbers are showing a loss, BUT if I so much as knock it just a fraction out of place, I'll have 'gained' 9lbs. I tried using my bfs scale, but that showed me as 10lbs heavier than mine, so I didn't get back on that one!lol

If anyone knows a good brand of reliable scale please tell me

We have a digital scale too and I absolutely loathe it!

For instance, I thought I'd be bold this morning and weigh myself...

I got 161, 161.5, 155, 154.5, 153, 151.5 and 150. So, that's a variation of 11.5 lbs!? I'm going with the 150lbs though lol. It's only 3lbs off from last week's weight haha. And...I think I found my scale's "sweet spot" ;)

Every stinkin time I moved that bugger it would say something different. I have no clue what I weigh :( Although I hope it'd be 153 or 150...I CAN'T weigh 161. No f****** way. 8lbs in one week? No way. If I'm gaining weight that quickly, then there's obviously something the matter with me :P

It's so depressing stepping on that scale...I'm to the point where I don't even want to worry with it anymore. What if I weigh 10lbs less than it says? Or what if I weigh MORE than it says? It's totally unreliable.

I would throw it away, but my parents would be mad at me lol.

I use to have a cheap Taylor Digital scale around $30. Same issue. Weight could be off by 2 pounds within 30 seconds of weighing.

I then bought a Tanita Iron Man Scale (Retail was like $100-$140 I think) but I looked on ebay and found it for maybe $80-$100 (I bought it 2 years ago so I don't quite remember). I never had a problem since.

So far, I do not regret spending more on a product that works. If you have the budget for a better scale, go for it. If it's not financially feasible, then I would just average the 2 different readings when you weigh in.

My digital scale is as reliable as the sun coming up every day. Right to the tenth. I bought a $25 Weight watcher scale. Love it. Matches what my doctor's office says.

Make sure you have your scale on a flat, hard surface. I put mine on our bedroom carpet and I lost about 15 pounds!

I bought a $25 walmart digital scale and it is pretty reliable.   I usually weigh myself 2x in a row to make sure of the number.  If it is off I move my scale a little on the floor (assuming its a tilt issue) and reweigh.. then I usually get a consistant reading.

I obsessively weigh myself on my digital (Weight Watcher's) scale, and my weight can sometimes change as much as 6 lbs in one minute, without moving it from its smooth hard surface. I've tried picking up heavy objects, but sometimes it seems to get "stuck" at a certain number and it won't budge even if I stand on it weirdly. 

Doctor's scale says I weigh about 10 lbs less, so, well... I guess there's that. I do not have the money to purchase a reliable scale, nor should a scale be the be-all-end-all in the quest to become healthy, but... darn it! I want to KNOW. 

So anyway, I'll just commiserate with you on this, because I have no advice. Surely pricey scales will have more accurate readings, but is it really worth it, when you could spend that money on things that will actually firmly help with weight loss, rather than simply provide you with a number?

My thoughts on it are that in the end, it's just a start point isn't it? Doesn't matter what the number is as long as it's consistent!lol

However, I've just moved and shall be perusing the scales...

Haha my scale does that too. When I'm unhappy with what it says Ill keep getting on and off until the number pleases me ;] Sometimes it will even go as far as 20 pounds less than what i am! And My other scale says I'm about ten pounds less than the digital one. I should probably get a new one

Original Post by bigkorean:

I use to have a cheap Taylor Digital scale around $30. Same issue. Weight could be off by 2 pounds within 30 seconds of weighing.

I then bought a Tanita Iron Man Scale (Retail was like $100-$140 I think) but I looked on ebay and found it for maybe $80-$100 (I bought it 2 years ago so I don't quite remember). I never had a problem since.

So far, I do not regret spending more on a product that works. If you have the budget for a better scale, go for it. If it's not financially feasible, then I would just average the 2 different readings when you weigh in.

I've been using the same Taylor digital scale for about 5 years now and I've never had a problem with it. And I've only needed to change the battery once.

About 2 years ago I bought a Taylor Body Fat Analyzer scale.  I have not had any issues with it.  I do not remember the exact amount that I spent, however I do recall that it was more than I wanted to pay at the time (I am sure it was more expensive since it calculates body fat).  Like someone else said, my scale tends to be quite exact if I step on it 5 minutes later.  I am not sure if the body fat number is correct, but I did see my doctor yesterday, and their scale (unfortunatley ) matched mine!  I sure have a lot of pounds to lose!!  At any rate here are a few thoughts to consider:

-Sometimes you get what you pay for and it's worth it to spend a little more for a long term item (I suspect that you won't be buying a new scale every year) since a safe and healthy weight loss will also be long term.  Especially when you consider maintenance once you reach your goal.  I think we all too often focus on goal weight rather than how to keep it off.  We should be learning along the way how to manage it once there.  I believe that will actually be the hard part as many of us have lot's of great stories of how we've lost weight (I have lost 63 pounds in the past), but not too many keep it off.  Weight maintenance is surely the war, weight loss is only the battle.

-Although we all know what we WANT the scale to say, so long as you can see a decrease over time, it may not matter what the initial number was, so long as there is not a difference of +/- 2 pounds on the same day or so.  +/- 2 pounds is the factory specification tolerance on my scale.

-Remember that weight can be different from day to day, regardless of the type of scale.  Weigh yourself only once a week, or if you must weigh yourself every day (as I do), add up all 7 days then take an average.  Either way, try to weigh yourself at the same time each day.  I hear it is the most accurate in the morning.

Good luck to you, and all my fellow counters are there...let the battle wage on, until we've won the war!

Be well,

Summer Lover

i have a really good scale

i've had some bad ones in the past

it's  "thinner" brand and it's made of glass

you could step on it all day long and it'll say the same weight