Do you trust your scales???

[tashalizzie]

So, it was a week since my last recoreded weigh in (although have looked a couple of times during the week, slap handy!!) Anyway, it said I had lost 3.8lb. I was really pleased as you can imagine. I got weighed in lb's so thought I would have a look at what I weighed in stones, so switched the scales to stone mode, and in stones I had lost about 3.5lb's. So, I thought right, thats about the same as when I got weighed in lbs. Anyway, after that I must of got on and off again at least half a dozen times, you know - just to check it was right!!

BUT, shock horror the scales then decided I had lost 4.5lb, then a few more goes on the scales in it decided I had lost 2.5lb! WHAT!! So, which reading would you take & do you find your scales do the same? I didnt move them, left them in the same place. I hadnt eaten or drank anything.

I know I should only get on once and leave it at that, but I have this habit of checking and re-checking, especially if a couple of lb+ have come off. x

[MonicaM]

I checked my scale by weighing myself before going out the door to the doctor's, then weighed myself there to find the exact same weight. I only weigh myself once every two or three weeks. I have no problem losing weight, I have done it many times!!! My problem is I give up before reaching my goal, I stop exercising, I get into a "have a few drinks and eat everything available" mode. The next thing you know, I am bigger than ever. I am hoping 3FC keeps me motivated this time.

[tinycities]

If you are leaving the scales in the same place, and getting on and off again, making sure to stand in exactly the same place on the platform and with the same posture, and finding that you are getting different readings that occur seconds apart, your scale is not reliable. The extent to which the reliability is a problem is only something you can decide!

Commerically available scales bought for home use will give varied readings if you place them on different surfaces (even in the same room, but different patches of floor), stand in different places on the platform, or stand with a different posture, altering your body's centre of gravity.

With things like differences of 0.3 of a lb - that's about the weight of a medium-sized potato. When we're talking about weighing a human who weighs around 800 times that amount (and I'm not saying that to call you fat at all, just emphasising that all humans weigh a lot, whether big or small!), I don't consider that to be unreasonably inaccurate for a scale bought for home use - if you consider it to be inaccurate to only one eight-hundredth or so of your body's weight. But if you're finding that your scale is unreliable to the tune of 1-2lbs, I can understand why that would be annoying and unacceptable to you - it would to me too! For many people losing weight, it can be understandably important to be able to detect losses of 1-2lbs.

What I'd recommend, if you're not doing this already, is to:
- Put them on the hardest, most even floor surface in your house - definitely not on carpet or squidgy lino.
- Pop little stickers onto the platform to make sure you stand in the same place every time.
- Make sure you're standing perfectly upright (or at least, keeping your posture as consistent as possible when you weigh).

If you're still finding readings that are varying to an extent that bothers you, then perhaps consider replacing them. However, unreliability is a fairly common problem with inexpensive scales that are designed for personal use, so I'd definitely recommend checking out reviews online and seeing what others have to say.

I find my scales are reliable, in that the weight is the same when I get on and off it without moving it around on the floor (it measures to the nearest 1/4lb). If I move it to a different area of the floor, the weight can vary loads (it usually goes 3-4lbs less!). I don't mind this since I know it's only happening because of the surface the scales are on, and I've now got a fairly good idea of where to put it to make sure my readings are accurate. I always take the higher reading!

Sorry, that post ended up a bit longer than I intended!

[tashalizzie]

Thanks guys for your comments.

Tinycities - my scales are like yours and weigh you to the nearest 1/4lb. They are weight watchers digital ones and have two silver markers to put the balls of your feet on as if you want they will also measure you body fat, water etc. I am just confused how they can differ by 2lb. The only thing I can put it down to is that I may have not had the same posture on them, even though my feet were in the same place.

I think I'll take the lowest weight loss reading and go for 2.5lb, anything more is a bonus! And I am going to try and only get on them once and be satisfied with that reading whether its a gain, loss or stay the same! xx

[tinycities]

Definitely sounds like a plan! I think, so long as you're consistent with the way you weigh yourself, that's the best thing to do. So if you decide to take the lowest, highest, or middle reading, or just weigh yourself once, if you always do that, you're more likely to notice the weight change, which to me seems more important than the actual weight itself! I think it's really easy to get obsessive sometimes with it, so it's good to be strict with yourself and just decide how you're going to weigh, and then stick to it

[tashalizzie]

I've just noticed your ticker at the bottom, wow, you have done soooooo well. How long has it taken you & how have you done it? Have you followed a particular plan or have you been healthy eating? xx

[lora m]

I think they are unreliable scales. They should be reasonably consistent if you try a few times in a row on a flat surface. I don't think Weightwatchers electronic stuff is all that good to be honest. I've found Tanita good and they're still going strong after more than a decade, though I don't have a body fat measuring function on the ones I have.

[xgaynicole1984x]

Hello,

I've often the same problem. If I decide to weigh and saw the scale decided I lost 4 kilos and recheck it, to be sure.

But if I did three times and the scale showed three kilos lesser, it has to be the truth.

I think, you've to understand how the human body manages the fat and burning process. In my opinion, the body tries to convert the fat into muscles so got heavier than, right?

Best wishes from Germany

[stasiagurl91]

i went out and bought a new scale because my scale was doing this too. I thought just becausei had it for so long. But same thing with the new scale!

[mdchick88]

I thought I was the only one who jumped on and off the scale a few times in a row, just to make sure! Mine does the same thing, and is sometimes off by a pound or two. If I'm on it while looking down at the scale, it's generally higher than if I look straight ahead while it calculates.

I usually go for the average of the readings, so I'd say you lost 3.5.

[Mindless Games]

If the scale has indicated I have lost weight then it is working very well.
If it indicates I have gained weight it is obviously broken and unreliable