Why are the doctors scales so different from my own, I weigh less at the doctor's! How???

[Maisymoon]

I'm guessing this question has come up a fair few times before but this one has me stumped. I've been losing weight in order to qualify for IVF, it's been hell. I REALLY struggle with weight loss. I literally have to have an eating disorder for my body to actually lose weight, and that's not a joke, I've actually had an eating disorder.

I've been weighing at home, 14stone and 12pounds at the start, which is way heavier than I should be or need to be. I was super chuffed that I was creeping towards 14stone nearer to my treatment which put me in a category fit for treatment. They agreed to proceed and I went in for my first egg collection cycle. I was weighed pre procedure, and it was done in kilos. I'm not good with kilos so I made a mental note to check that out when I got home. To my knowledge I had lost a few kilos, but since I'm not good with old money versus new money in the weight system, I didn't think much about it. I weighed 84.8 kilos. That apparently transpires to 187 pounds.... And if my maths is any good (helped by a calculator afterwards because I didn't believe it) that brings me in at 13st 5lbs. I had weighed myself only TWO whole days before that at home and was disappointed to see I was coming in at 14st 5lbs. How the heck am I a whole stone lighter at the doctor's from two days beforehand?? I have digital scales and so does the doctor. I always calibrate the scales before weighing and so did the nurse. So how? How? How?

I don't trust my scales anymore. It's driving me mad, I have a goal of 12st and one of them says I'm only a stone and a bit off, and the other is an additional stone over that.

For someone who struggles with weight, but also has gone to extreme, and unhealthy measures in the past this is a big mental deal for me. I want to lose the weight in a healthy way, but it's not helped when I don't even know how much I do weigh.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, Maisymoon

All scales weigh differently. Your weight will fluctuate by several pounds through the day. The positioning of the scales will have an effect on the result, as will the flooring beneath them. Your clothing will also make a difference.

If your treatment is going to depend on what the doctor's scales are saying, then don't bother using your own, just rely on your surgery weights.

Try and get appointments at similar times and wear the same clothes.

It sounds as though you've been doing a lot of 'starvation dieting', so maybe you need to find a different way? Have a look at this healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and I hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially a weigh-in and the daily diary.

If you haven't already taken it, here's a tour of the forum healthunlocked.com/?tour=true

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[Maisymoon in reply to moreless]

Thanks moreless, I get a few lbs different on one scale to another, but a whole 14lbs different? That's like losing a whole leg.

I am currently undertaking slimming world, it's a sloooowwww process right now. My mum helps remind me that unless I'm weighing in at an extreme weight, then weight loss for people my size is usually steady and only about 1lb a week. I can live with that now. I had done several 500 calorie diets. But I got so addicted to the losses that 5:2 diets became 500 calories a day, every day for months. I know that's not healthy or sustainable now.

I just still can't grasp a whole stone loss difference. Where do I even go from here, weigh myself on multiple scales and take an average hoping that combined data gives me a middle ground. And that's a bit obsessive, which is a realm I want to stay out of.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to Maisymoon]

As I said before, Maisymoon, the only scales you have to concern yourself with, are the doctor's. They will determine if you can have the IVF treatment and if you're losing.

At home use a tape measure as a guide and see if you're losing inches.

[Pebbles77 Visitor]

The surgery scales should be checked and recalibrated (if needed) regularly so they should be more accurate.

[Maisymoon in reply to Pebbles77]

Thank you Pebbles77, I like to think that's true too. I just won't get to use their scales regularly so on a mission to figure out how to get reliable data closer to home.

[Pebbles77 Visitor in reply to Maisymoon]

Well, maybe it doesn’t matter if its not 100% accurate as long as it’s going in the right direction

[Hidden]

Hi Maisy, I think Pebbles hit the nail on the head. When our school nurse comes into do health checks she always brings her own scales as they are regularly calibrated and are therefore more accurate.

[Hidden]

Hi maisymoon the scales that are used in the GPS are calibrated every year so they will be more accurate (I'm going to be taking mine to be done today I work with the health visitors and use portable ones to weigh babies). When I worked with the health trainer I found that I was always a different weight on their scales compared to mine. It was disheartening but then I thought about the time of day I got weighed and wot I wore (I was always nude when I got weighed at home 🙈). Look at ur measurements as well as weight loss. Good luck with your journey both weight loss and your IVF ❤️🤞😘

[katieoxo60 Visitor]

I recall many years ago going to the doctors and I had gone down to 9st without dieting not been that since my son was born over 50 years ago. Its like the blood pressure that comes up at way high but at home is just above or below the norm. And blood tests that are fine when in fact they are not but don't want to worry patient or cause them stress as it might just be a blip today. So trust your own scales however these digital ones can be unreliable on uneven surfaces. I can loose a stone by putting the scale on a rug beware. Good for the moral though.

[Lytham 3 stone]

I would go with the Doctors scales if I were you would you like to join us on our weigh in? Here's the link, I hope to see you there! x

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...