Weighing & Measuring Correctly

Determining your own body weight and size is child's play. Just stand on a working scale and read the displayed weight. Or, adjust a measuring rod, apply the measuring tongue and read the result. However, even with such simple operations errors can creep in that can falsify the result up or down.

Determine exact body weight
Body weight fluctuates during the course of the day by about one kilogramme for children and two kilogrammes for adults. If you want to know if and how much you have lost or gained, observe the following tips:

Place the scale on a solid base.
Always leave the scale at the same place.
It is best to weigh yourself in the morning after getting up.
Do not eat or drink anything before you weigh yourself.
Wear no clothes when weighing yourself.
Stand on the scale quickly and evenly, stand still and read the weight.

If you stand on the scale with clothes and do not need an absolutely accurate measurement result, you can deduct the following values:

Jeans: approx. 700 g
T-shirt: approx. 250 g
Shirt/blouse: approx. 250 g

Determine exact body size
Body size also changes during the course of the day. The same person can be three centimetres taller than in the evening. There is a natural explanation for this. The constant load on the spinal column means that the spinal discs are compressed during the course of the day and with 23 spinal discs, that can mean two or three centimetres. At night, the spinal discs regenerate by absorbing nutrients from their environment.
Observe the following to ensure a precise determination of body size:

Push the measuring tongue into a horizontal position according to the person to be measured.
The person to be measured stands with his back against the measuring rod.
The feet must stand closed on the foot positioner.
The back must be straight.
The head must be straight according to the "Frankfurter Linie". The "Frankfurter Linie" is an imaginary horizontal from the ear to the beginning of the nose.
The caliper gauge is pushed on the head so that the measuring tongue rests without sagging.
Read the result.

Further Reading:-

seca Weighing & Measuring range
Things to know about weighing
seca technical terms
Ask the Experts
Measuring Quiz
seca FAQ