What to do about scale discrepancy?

The scale I originally began with was at my mom's house but now I am using a new scale at my apartment. When I weighed with my new scale it told me I lost 4 pounds that week! I just thought my hard work had paid off, since it wasn't uncommon for me to lose a lot in a week. However, this weekend I went home for a visit and there was a 3 pound discrepancy between the scales! How do I know which one is accurate? What can I do to get a more accurate read on my current scale? Do I have to buy a new one?

Tue. Sep 4, 2:09am

I recently had to replace my set of scales. I weighed a couple of pounds more on the new set and I'm sure it's the difference in the scales. Without taking the scales into the doctor's office and comparing them to a balance scale, I don't see how to tell which one was the ore accurate (probably neither!) In the end, I figure that I'm more interested in the relative changes rather than the absolute change. It's only a number.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 8:06 AM

I agree with 8:06 - it's the change in weight that matters. I only use my scale at home, because it's easiest, even though it weighs differently than the doctor's office. Every time I went to get weighed when I was pregnant it would give me a heart attack because I thought I had gained 8 lbs...maybe I should get a more accurate scale!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 12:09 PM

I agree with the above posters - the number on the scale is not as important as the relative change. So just consistently wiegh yourself on the same scale to see how you are doing. If you really need to "know", your doctor's office or Weight watchers scales are probably calibrated and the most accurate. Next time you go to the doctors or to weigh in at weight watchers, weigh yourself on your home scale right before you go and note the difference so you can keep in mind to calciate the difference when you use your own scale.

I weigh myself on 3 scales - my home, helath club and Weight Watchers. My home scale is consistently lgihter than the others. The health club is heavier and I consider the WW scale to be accurate. But I know what I will weigh at WW by stepping on my home scale of health club scale.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 5:28 PM

This is sort of like the pedometer question....how many steps in a mile....and I agree with the trend above..it's not the absolute number that matters it's the movement on the scale....just like it is steps on the pedometer....not so much the absolute calibration of a mile that matters. We get so caught up in the numbers!

Tuesday, September 4, 2007, 8:29 PM

It's not the weight measurement, it's the percentage body fat that's important. You can get scales now that measure body fat, and as far as I am concerned, they are the future. After all, the fat's not just on your thighs and belly, but around your heart and in your arteries. And that's what's got to go!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007, 6:59 AM

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