Which scale is more reliable?

[Smirk]

I had one of those electronic scales(just step on it and it tells you automatically) ..and then i got on one of those little metal scales (the ones at doctors office, where you have to move the little thingy until it balances...i think)

which one is more reliable???

[*Emma*]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I would tend to believe the little metal scales more.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I'd go with the metal scales too...but... the important thing is to note the direction rather than the number (using only one scale). The direction of the tape measure is an even more accurate indication of progress.

[Shaemess]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

Well I can tell you that I have an electronic scale and I don't like it at all. The only reason why I keep it is because the medical or mechanical scales go up to a max of 320 lbs (I'm 427) while this one goes up to 550 lbs. I find the best time to take my weight, when It will give the most consistent measurement, is when I first wake up in the morning. Otherwise, if I wait to weigh myself in the middle of the day and it will say I gained 10 lbs!!! I can tell you that is not very encouraging to see. My roommate tried it out, once in the morning and once about 12 hours later and he gained 14 lbs!!

So the moral is, go with the medical scales to avoid banging your head off the wall like I do.

[Smirk]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

Shaemess, thats my exact reason for asking the question. I have an electronic scale and it makes me so upset when one day i lost 3 pounds and the next day i gained it back So at the gym, i weighed myself on the metal scale and it gave me better results



thanks for the info

[Lyssie]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I use an electronic one consistently and really like it. It's as reliable as any metal scale I've used (in relation to whether I'm going down or up), I think the numbers have been off by a couple pounds (which could be that I weigh on one first thing in the morning and naked and the other at lunch and dressed).

[julirama723]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I agree with Lyssie. I have an electronic scale that's always been reliable, because I weigh reliably. I weigh first thing in the morning, naked, before I've eaten and after I've gone to the bathroom. This gives me a reading closest to my "true" weight. If you weigh throughout the day, please realize that you WILL gain/lose "weight" because of water retention, any food or drink you've consumed, waste in your body, hormone fluctuations, etc.

Any scale can be off balance. There is a "doctor's" scale at the gym and it is off by 15 pounds. That's too big of a margin to be a natural variation or daily weight fluctuation. So even "good" scales can be wrong if improperly calibrated or in poor working order.

Pick ONE scale, one you trust, and stick with it. Like Sally says, the important thing is to see numbers going DOWN, and weighing back and forth between two scales can make a person crazy!

[tmn]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I had one brand of a digital scale that was all over the place. Others who bought the same one had the same problems. We returned them, bought the Health-O-Meter and it's been really consistent for me. Matches up with my metal one and is easier to read.

Unfortunately, I don't remember the brand of the faulty one. My friend has a Weight Watchers digital scale that she wants to throw through the window. Darn thing varies +- 10 pounds...

[MissMel]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I have the Tanita electronic scale and its been MUCH more reliable than the other kind. Like Julie I weigh first thing in the morning after I have voided...then I get nakie lol and weigh myself. Any other weight I take during the day I don't take to heart. Sometimes I will weigh at night just to see how much more I weigh over the course of the day and if its only up a 1/2 lb I get excited because often the next day I will have a loss.

[Lisa_Rose]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I like my battery-operated scale much more than my old one, which was mechanical (you step on it and the scale moves). I just like seeing a number, rather than trying to figure out where the darn pointer is pointing...and trying to balance myself on it so the pointer will be accurate.

The only drawback is if the battery gets low, I'll get innaccurate readings.

[heatherm422]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

Yep! I just bought a new battery operated scale and it's 6 lbs different than our old one. Once the battery gets low, it's really inaccurate. I was excited to be 6 lbs lighter though LOL I even weighed my son just to make sure!

[misplaced southerner]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I HATE MY SCALE.... i think it works best after i have kicked it against the bathroom wall!!!

[cheers2you]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I have both the digital and mechanical. I like the digital to a certain degree. You have to have it on a flat floor, and be perfectly still. I got several different readings one day, till I figured out where to place it on the floor. lol I use my mechanical scale to keep my digital scale honest There about the same. I like the mechanical though, to see the dial move is exciting.
lol

[heatherm422]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I have noticed that it depends on where you put it on the floor too. They are very sensitive little things!! I do agree about throwing it against the wall too! LOL

[dream]

Re: Which scale is more reliable?

I just bought a new Health-O-Meter and it seems really accurate. It's a basic digital, no frills like the body fat calculator and all that. It's a heavy one, the top is made of heavy glass. It seems very accurate... I get off and on a couple times and it always weighs the exact same thing.