Marie Brace
Using a Bath Scale:
Calibrate your scale
This ensures the reading you obtain is an accurate one. Analog scales come equipped with either a knob or dial located at their base. Find an object of known weight, such as a seal pack five-pound bag of sugar, and put it on your scale. If the scale reads inaccurate pounds, use the knob to adjust the scale’s reading to the accurate weight. Repeat this procedure every 3-6 months.
Place the scale on a hard surface
When weighing yourself, place your scale on a hard surface, such as a tile floor. Using your bathroom scale on a carpeted surface may cause an incorrect reading because of interference from the carpet fibers: They act as a spring, causing the footpads of your scale to be less susceptible to your weight.
Use on a level surface
Placing your scale on a level surface also helps ensure an accurate reading. Using your scale on an uneven surface can disturb its calibration and, therefore, an incorrect reading.
Keep it personal
Over time, the springs in your scale will become worn from use; the more you or anyone else uses it, the faster this will occur, leading to false readings. To fight this, be sure to use the same scale every time you check your weight. Make it known to your family that it is your scale and is for your use only.
Use it in the morning
Eating and drinking through the day cause a variation in your weight, making it appear to have gained. Thus, it is always better to use your scale first thing in the morning before you have consumed anything.
Wait for digital scales
A button will be found on the base if you own a digital scale. Press this button once and wait for the display to display zero. Some may flare the number zero two or three times; wait for a stable zero to show itself before stepping on your scale.
