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Which scale should I trust for my weight?
17/f
I am 5'8. To give an idea of my dimensions, my measurements are 44-38-48. The mechanical scale in my bathroom says 216. The electronic scale at my home reads 219. The electronic scale at the gym reads 226.
For my weight loss tracking I just use the mechanical one at home, trusting that if the number is going down and my clothes are getting looser that I am indeed losing weight (~30 pounds gone so far, baby! WOO! :) ), but I just can't help wondering which one is more likely to be accurate?
When I tell people I weight as much as 226 they seem like they can hardly believe me, for whatever reason. I don't know if they're just being polite or if the gym scale is a little off.. What do you think?
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It does not matter which scale is right. What matters is which scale you can use every day at the same time. I would use the one at home as this is the scale you can weigh yourself either in the nude or in just your underwear.
Since the weight of your clothing changes by what you wear you should attempt to weigh yourself wearing the same clothing. Either gym clothes or your underwear. At home in the privacy of your own bathroom you can even weigh yourself in the nude if you wish. Each weigh in should be done in the same manner as close as possible to the same time of day as our weight will fluctuate some during the day.
Using the same scale at the same time in the same attire will give you the most accurate weight loss. Your goal is to loose weight and any scale regardless of its accuracy will accomplish this if you follow the simple rules of weighing yourself at the same time of day, wearing the same clothing to get the most accurate reading.
I'm not a big fan of BMI at least not at this point in your weight loss program. When you get closer to your goal then you may want to look at your BMI. While you are on a weight loss program you should be checking in regularly with your doctor so that he or she can monitor your progress. This is important considering the amount of weight you have lost and what your goal may be.
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Congratulations on losing so much already!
In regards to scales, it is difficult, as they usually always differ from scale to scale. There are two options:
1. You use the same scale every day. If you lose a couple pounds, then at least you will know, because the scales are not changing. The gym scales could be more accurate, as they probably have speciality scales, and have to probably get them tested. You could ask a member of staff. However, many people use them everyday, and so it could easily mess up due to the high usage.
2. You could weight yourself everyday on all 3, and then create an average. So add all 3 up, and then divide by 3. This probably isn't such a great idea, as it is not specific enough.
In regards to BMI calculators, it is pretty much accepted to be total nonsense if you're trying to burn fat. The reason is, because it just takes your weight overall. That includes water, muscle, bones, and fat. You don't want to lose muscle or water. Just excess fat, and BMI calculators cannot recognise this.
I would suggest you invest in a good pair of body fat analysing scales. You stand on it, and it tells you your weight, and your body fat percentage, your body muscle percentage, and your body water percentage. These are much more reliable, and can be purchased for around $30-$50+ from amazon, or anywhere really. You can easily track your body fat levels, instead of JUST your weight. I have a pair of weight watchers ones, they're excellent! I create a chart for everyday, of every month and note all my details.
Your Ideal body fat range is not hard to find. The information is widely available on internet tests. Heres the link to one test:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
But there's loads of other websites.
Good Luck! :)
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