How to Use Weight Scales

You could just step onto the scale at the gym to get a general idea of how much you weigh, or if you weigh yourself correctly, you can determine your actual weight. Your exact weight is helpful in determining body fat percentage, basal metabolic rate and determining how many calories you need per day. Always weigh yourself the same way every time to prevent inaccurate weight readings.

Take off all clothing. Weighing yourself every day wearing a different outfit will cause your weight to go up and down, especially if you're wearing a belt one day and shoes the next.

How to Use a Balance Beam Scale

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Dry yourself off. Don't weigh yourself wet when you have just gotten out of the shower or finished running for an hour at the gym, even though these times may be convenient to weigh yourself.

Weigh yourself before eating breakfast in the morning, after using the bathroom, according to Dr. Yoni Freedhoff on his website, Weighty Matters. If you weigh yourself this same way every day, you can get a more accurate depiction of your weight.

Instructions for Weight Watchers Scales

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Stand on the scale. If you are a using a bathroom scale, wait for the reading.

Move the two weight markers all the way to the left, if using a physician's scale. Slide the 100-pound balance bar from the left to the right. Slide the marker into each notch, until the right side of the apparatus leans downward. Slide the single-pound bar from the left to the right until both sides of the apparatus are level.

Tips

When standing on a scale, be as still as possible to get a correct weight.