The scale, a device that elicits both curiosity and dread, has been on my mind for quite some time. It seems to hold a mysterious power over us. When the number is too high, we doubt its reliability; if it’s too low, we wonder if it’s telling the truth. The fluctuations can drive us crazy as we try to determine which reading is accurate. And let’s face it—every ounce feels like it counts.
We often fear the scale yet find ourselves stepping on it daily, allowing that number to dictate our mood. But will we ever truly know which scale is the most precise?
Determined to uncover the truth, I devised a little experiment. First, I gathered ten different scales. Since I was hosting a brunch for my cousin with my sister over the weekend, I asked everyone to bring their scale (don’t worry, it had nothing to do with the brunch).
My goal was to answer a burning question: Why do I weigh so differently at the doctor’s office or during an afternoon check-in? I kept a record of my weight for one week, weighing myself every morning without any variation. However, during the experiment, when I weighed myself around noon on the same scale, I found I was 3 pounds heavier. This was likely due to my outfit, breakfast, and a gym session—demonstrating that weight does fluctuate over the course of a day, rather than indicating which scale is more accurate.
Next, I lined up all ten scales and hopped on each one in succession, recording the results. I used my own bathroom scale as the reference point, as that’s the one I trust the most.
Here’s how it went down:
- Scale 1: The weight I believe to be accurate
- Scale 2: 2.7 pounds lighter than my scale (the easiest 2.7 pounds I’ve ever lost!)
- Scale 3: The same as my scale
- Scale 4: Up 0.3 pounds from my scale
- Scale 5: Down 0.2 pounds from my scale
- Scale 6: Up 0.4 pounds from my scale
- Scale 7: Up 1 pound from my scale
- Scale 8: The same as my scale
- Scale 9: Up 2 pounds from my scale
- Scale 10: The same as my scale
This clearly shows that no scale can be deemed “right” or “wrong.”
Then, at the suggestion of one of the scale owners’ partners, I placed a 45-pound weight on each scale to see which one would give the correct reading. The outcome? Not a single scale registered 45 pounds! The readings ranged from 44.5 pounds to 45.8 pounds. Interestingly, the scale that recorded the heaviest weight was not the same one that showed my highest personal weight.
I’m no scientist, but I do know that I’ve let the scale’s number dictate my self-worth for too long. It’s time to reclaim the power we give to those readings. They occupy too much mental space that we can’t afford to lose. That number has never defined us, and it never will.
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In summary, my scale experiment revealed that the numbers don’t matter as much as we think they do. Weight fluctuates throughout the day, and different scales can provide varying readings. It’s essential to detach our self-esteem from that number and focus on what truly matters.
Keyphrase: accuracy of bathroom scales
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