Just how far off is the scale in the doctor's office?

[undeterred]

I've had the same home scale forever and I trust it. Today I had a doctors appointment and I got on the scale and flipped out. I mean, 5 pounds, you expect that... but 15?!!! :-(

Nurse swore up and down that their scale was perfect. :-(

I like my own scale better. :-)

[johnnie]

1. Doctor?

What's that? I haven't been to one of those in over 10 years. I don't have a scale at home either..lol. I bet that if I went to a doctor and stepped on the scale, it would be wrong though.

[stanwyck]

2. you need to allow for the clothing

difference. Most of us weigh nekkid or barely clothed at home. But at my doctor's, people usually weigh wearing everything -- even shoes. And that adds up. Especially if you're wearing denim -- it's heavy.

[montanacowboy]

3. Glad you mentioned this

I had an apt. last week and almost had a heart attack when I got on the scale - it was 18 lbs over - what the hell is going on with these scales? are they purposefully overweighted to give the doctors elbow room to hassle you about your weight so they can sell you blood pressure meds, and cholestoral drugs? I really wonder about this, it is soooooooooooo wrong.

I also complained about the BP gauge, it was WAY off too. I have one at home that I use regularly and it was no where near what the doctor's was.

Something does not smell too good here, I have had my suspicion for a long time...

[undeterred]

7. I didn't have much in my pockets and I took my shoes off

I really can't imagine my clothes adding more than 2 pounds. The nurse said that by law their scale has to be calibrated every year. I have no clue why there should ever be more than 5 lbs difference.

[Left Is Write]

12. About blood pressure -

Sometimes people's blood pressure is higher in the doctor's office than it is at home because the patient isn't happy to be at the doctor's office to begin with. Nervousness, anxiety or tension can nudge it up.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. You might want to have your BP cuff machine checked;

they can get out of whack...The mercury type that most doctors use are VERY accurate if the reading is done carefully.
NO reputable MD will purposefully overweight the scale just to scare the patient into controlling weight and cholesterol.
Next time you go in for a checkup or whatever, take your BP machine in then as well, and have them check it against what they get for your BP. That will give you a lot more information, IMHO.

[MsAnthropy]

4. Right around 8 pounds

The doctor's scale has consistently been 8 pounds different than my scale, Weight Watcher's scale, the postal scale at work, etc., etc. (not that I'm obsessed or anything).

[MissMillie]

5. My doctor's scale is pretty close to both my home scale and my gym

but I have to take into account that when I weigh myself at home I'm nekkid, at the gym, I'm in undies, and at the doctor's office I'm fully dressed (except for shoes).

[Left Is Write]

13. The scale at my doctor's office is very accurate.

At my annual exam this year, it weighed me exactly the same as I weighed at home the day before.

At my annual exam last year, it weighed me exactly the same as I had weighed earlier that morning when the life insurance exam nurse had stopped by.

[indy_azcat]

6. it's also a timing factor

you weigh differently at different points of the day, depending on what goes in and out of ya. I'll usually be 5#'s lighter in the morning than after dinner.

[Strawman]

8. If you're healthy and feel good about yourself, it doesn't matter

[prole_for_peace]

9. about 50 pounds.

at least that is what i like to think. and why is it always different in the fact that it adds weight. i have never had one say i weigh less. what is up with that?

[undeterred]

10. My doctor is a skinny guy

I think he's adjusted the scale to make himself heavier. :shrug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. Was your doctor's scale a balance beam type? If so, then it was

accurate. They never wear out. And it is true, that the type of clothing and the time of day make huge differences in what you weigh. I normally weigh about 5-7 pounds more at the doctor's office than at home since I weigh myself before breakfast, and practically naked. I do take my shoes off and this makes a difference too, at the doctor's office.
ANY doctor who skews the scale's weight deliberately is doing a VERY bad thing, and should be reprimanded. This is NOT the way to get patients to lose weight and to control their cholesterol levels. You might consider getting a balance beam scale for home use; that way you can really be confident of your weight...

:hi:

[Left Is Write]

15. Time of day does make a difference, as you say.

Especially for people who tend to retain water and perhaps bloat a little later in the day.

Time of the month can matter for women too. I use BCPs, and during the second week of the pill pack, I always weigh about 2-3 pounds more than the rest of the month.

Weight can fluctuate not only from day to day, but during different parts of the day. I try not to weigh myself more than once a week, because it's just silly to stress over minor differences. Some resources suggest that for a really accurate picture, weigh only once a month at the same time of the month.

The best guage, though? The tape measure and the fit of your clothes. For the months I did not have a scale and didn't weigh at the gym, I took measurements every two weeks. And I figure as long as my clothes still fit well, I'm doing fine.

[Nikia]

16. I don't have a scale at home

Every once in a while I weigh myself on scale we weigh large tubs of ingredients on at work. This scale at work is accurate because it is part of my job to check it with a certified weight every morning and the company certifies it every quarter. My doctor's scale is within two pounds of that scale, which might be accounted for in differences in clothing (uniforms at work).

[caty]

17. I have 2 scales at home.

I weigh the same on both, but weigh 8lbs more at my doctors office. :shrug:

[distantearlywarning]

18. 8 lbs here too.

I've had three different scales at home. Every one of them consistently weighs me 8 lbs less than the doctor's office. I don't know what the deal is, but it irritates me.

[Mrs_Beastman]

19. my doctor's, I swear is off by 20 pounds

When I get weight every week at Weight Watchers at different meeting locations, they are all the same. Go to the docs, and I'm 20 pounds heavier.

[all.of.me]

20. WAY fucking off!!!!!!!

i go to the doctor once a year to chit chat with the physician's assistant so i can get a new prescription for an inhaler. they ALWAYS weigh me (what the hell for?!), and a couple years ago, it came up 15 pounds over what my home scale said!!! this makes me crazy!!!

so THANK YOU for asking this question! i thought it was me, but you know what? it is them.

oddly, though, they never tell you to lose weight, even though you appear obese on their records....

[zanne]

21. The scale with the lowest weight is right! n/t

[flvegan]

22. Do your clothes fit like you're 15 pounds heavier than the last time

you were there?

Scales lie. Throw them away. It's just a number that has little to do with health and overall fitness.

Don't get me started on the BMI either, or I'm gonna get medieval.