Help with Scale at the Y
 

Hi all, I normally weigh myself every day and normally what the number says barely fazes me. However on Sat/Sun one of my children broke my scale, so when I was at the YMCA this morning, I weighed myself there.
I weighed myself after I worked out and had kicked off my shoes. I already had a liter of water in me.
The scale says I weigh 296! Eep! Are all bar scales (you know the ones with the weights that slide back and forth) accurate? Has my old scale been inaccurate?? as in 10lbs inaccurate?
When at home I normally do the strip naked right after using the bathroom. Could light gym clothes, and a liter of water weigh 10lbs? Thanks, I really could use some thoughts! Thanks!

the scale at my gym is 5 lbs heavier then the one at home. i figure as long as they are both going in the downward direction, i don't really much care which one is the most accurate. i do tell people and update my stats using the lesser one though ;)
maybe you can find a 3rd one and see where that one is.

good luck to you.

Most of the time I am 5 pounds or so heavier if I weigh in the middle of the day, with clothes on. Coupled with the fact that the scale could be off....a 10 lb difference could very well be possible.

I am about 3-4 lbs heavier during the day, wearing clothes. But my scale, the scale at my boyfriends, and the scale at my mom's are all different. not 1 or 2 lbs different either. One says 181, the other 186, and my mom's 191 (blech). Basically, i just always go by the one i FIRST weighed myself on... The actual number is relative, it is how much it is going down that matters. Sorry that your scale got broken, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise??

Balance scales, like those at doctor's offices and gyms, can be more accurate than home, spring-loaded scales, if they are periodically re-calibrated. That's what the big weight at the left of the balance is for. To perform a quick check, set the small weights to zero, and see if the balance indicator at the right of the scale goes to the middle (or bobs up and down the same distance from the middle).

Even when properly calibrated, one's weight can be different on these scales compared a spring-loaded scale. As others have mentioned, clothing (generally about 2 lbs for clothing + shoes), time of day, hydration levels, and for women, menstrual periods, affect the result. So, pick a consistent time of day and liquid consumption amount for your weigh-ins. Women will have to factor in fluid retention during their menstrual cycles.

My personal experience, as a man, is that my fancy, new, spring-loaded Tanita home scale (which purports to measure body fat), is quite accurate in regard to my weight. It corresponded well to the scale the last time I went to the doctor's office a month ago, and to the electronic scale my trainer used at the gym.

The scale at my gym weighs me 6 pounds heavier and they told me there it wasn't accurate. All kinds of things can affect the scale-the kind of flooring it is on, if it is balanced....

it happened to me too
 

My doctors office weighed me the other day and I couldnt believe it.. ten pounds heavier than what I really am.. lol. I almost protested when the nurse weighed me, saying something like.. "hey I weigh 190!" but then I thought that just sounded like a pathetic attempt to hide my weight. My scale at home is the only one I pay attention to right now, it's the one I use most often sooo.. besides the actual numbers don't mean that much to me, it's the fact that my weight stays the same or lowers... that's important right now.

My Scale: 249 (Morning, naked)
Parent's Scale: 261 (Morning, naked)
Winn-Dixie Scale: 255 (After Lunch, Fully-Clothed)
Publix Scale: 259 (After Lunch, Fully Clothed)
Other Winn-Dixie Scale: 271 (After Lunch-Fully Clothed)

I use the Winn Dixie scales too! I don't keep a scale in my house; I'll just weigh myself 3 times a day.