Digital Scale or Old Fashion One?

I bought a somewhat nice digital scale at the start of my diet about a month ago. I have discovered, that I dont think its too accurate. I got on it the other morning. I had lost 2 pounds and was so exicted. I went running to get my husband so he could look, and I had gained 3 pounds, so the scale said. I was really confussed. I did like 3 or 4 test ones after that and, all of them were different each time as well. I was completely naked TOO! So i'm wondering is the digital scale worth it? OR should I get a old fashion one, and try to guesstomate where it lands because its so small I cant read it??? Any suggestions on how this could happen?

Do the digital ones run off batteries? 

Same happened at the gym to me. I weighed on one set of scales there on Friday - weight 197 - weighed on Monday 220.  Went in the other room and weighed again - weight was back to 197.  I found out today during my assessment that if they don't change the batteries regularly they just give false readings.

VERY GOOD question! I never thought of that! I will check that out when I get home tonight!

Thanks!

I just bought a new digital scale and made sure that the accuracy is in 1/10 lb . If it is just a 1 lb accuracy and is in the middle of a pound you could have a range of 3 pounds. It is important how you stand on the scale each time you weigh yourself. I make sure to put my feet in approximately the center of the scale each time and then stay still until you get a reading. The new battery also makes sense.

You know, I dont know what kind of accuracy mine is! It just goes in halves. like 192.00 , 192.5 .... Wonder if I need to upgradge to the most expensive fancy one?

Wow that fake 3 lb. gain when you went to go get your husband must have really annoyed you.  Kinda like that old Warner Bros. cartoon where the guy's singing frog would never sing when anyone else was around & that poor guy kept getting humiliated.  lol 

I have a digital scale.  A Tanita I think.  Mine doesn't do that.  I don't know if it's completely, completely accurate, but it's definitely good enough to let me know if I've gone up or down.  It did seem to be pretty accurate  against the Big non-digital scale at the supermarket the other day.

I have a Tanita also - mine just stopped displaying. I recently had to change the batteries and everything works fine now.

I've got a 10 dollar old style scale and it works just great.

I have a digital.  For the most part, I haven't had any problems with it.   Whenever I see a big loss though I get off and get back on to make sure.   I got psyched out by that once before.   I just make sure I'm pretty centered on it when I get on and it's been pretty accurate.

im not entirely sure, but i know for me when i am done a run, a weigh more then b4 i started. the reason i dont exacly know. but could be water weight from all the water i drink while running. but after an hour or so my weight goes back done. maybe its just bcuz your so tired so it makes your body heavier.

I have one of those digital scales that is supposed to calculate your body fat/water percentage. (although I don't think it's very accurate at that)


If I move the scale I always have to get on and back off again so it will recalibrate itself. It recalibrates before it cuts off and it cuts off after you weigh.

I'm not sure how accurate it is...it seems to always weigh me at x.5 . (111.5, 108.5) I don't trust the numbers...but I just use my starting weight to gage how much I've lost. Sometimes I will get a pound or 2 variance.

I put a 10-pound weight on the scale to figure out how 'off' it is. And then I add/subtract depending on how off it is for the day.

Definitely digital is best for me. Mine broke last week (my  little ones decided to destroy the battery casing) . I was miserable because I couldnt weigh myself and didnt have enough cash to get another digital so I got an old fashioned one. Now I cant see my weight cause my stomach is in the way *lol* and when I lean back a little to see,  my weight shifts and the dial moves. Ugh. Now im just saving up for another digital one.

hi,

i have to use old fashion ones i live in a apartment block and found that when i placed them on the floor the weight would jump around even before i had stepped on them lol.

some digital scales need to be totally level, obviously my flat isnt ha ha

so ill stick to the old ones that way you can adjust them back to zero.

my digital scale will weigh me something right off then if i step on it 5 mins later it gives a totally diff number .........I dont go by it anymore I feel like i dont trust it so I picked up an old fashion scale at a yardsale It weighs me what it says at the docs when i go

After buying two digital scales in succession (one was a Homedic, the one I have now is a Health-o-Meter), I'd much prefer a sturdy traditional scale.  Digital scales are too easily broken, especially if you have kids.

Everytime my kids get on the scale and off, the thing tips and smacks the floor with a bang.  Can't wait to see how long this current digital scale lasts.

Money down the drain.

I prefer the digital scale.. One key factor is kepping it in the same spot every time youweigh yourself, carpet makes a difference, plus floor slant ( that you may not know is there) move it around your house and get on it and see what # comes up the most frequent. That i sthe # I would start with and I would find a spot to keep in that rings in at that # also. Then just keep it there.... Another thing, I gain like 4-5 a day from when I weigh in in the AM to if I weigh in at 9 pm.. and Its all gone plus some the next morning.... Hope that helps..

Mine is a $30.00 digital Taylor Made! WALMART!

I have a $30 Taylor scale to.  Once in a while I put my 10lb dumbdell on it to make sure it's telling me the truth :)

Kazrinya... being tired definitely won't make you heavier.

i love my digital, and i believe that it's accurate (the weight function if not the BF%).  sometimes i get on and it goes all over the place for 30 seconds or more, then lands on something that i know isn't right, and when i step off it reads CAL, which means it has to calibrate.  when it's done (it takes about a minute), i get back on and get a good reading.

after that, i can step on repeatedly and it's always dead-on, to the tenth of a pound.

it was quite an expensive scale.  i got it half price when they changed the design, but i think it was worth about $120 originally.

I bought a used digital scale for $40 (it was listed new for $250!!!!!) and has never been off.

When I went to a store to test scales, they were ALL way off, and some of the dial old type ones were off as much as 20 pounds!