# Calculating my weight with no scales **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2022, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181 "2022-05-09T14:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/21 "2022-05-09T15:45:34Z")
Honestly I think your best bet is to walk to your nearest pharmacy that has a healthcare clinic in it and ask to use their scale (they probably have one). You may need to pay a fee but I would think they’d let you weigh yourself for free. There is simply no easy way to estimate weight beyond a very broad guess without a scale or bathtub. People vary a lot. ETA: Ninjaed! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/22 "2022-05-09T15:49:58Z")
The next time you have a sudden realization, when the scales fall from your eyes, use them to weigh yourself. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/23 "2022-05-09T15:50:23Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Honestly I think your best bet is to walk to your nearest pharmacy that has a healthcare clinic in it and ask to use their scale (they probably have one). You may need to pay a fee but I would think they’d let you weigh yourself for free. I don’t know if it’s still a thing, but I’ve seen coin-operated scales in pharmacies and other public places. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/24 "2022-05-09T16:03:40Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#): > > I’m looking for a simple site that will give a rough estimate, not looking to go throughg such a ridiculous process. In that case, collect a sample of people with the same height and waist measurements as well as general build (you’ll need at least 30 people to achieve an adequate level of statistical significance). Find the sample mean and standard error of the sample body weights (you can use any statistical calculation package or even a spreadsheet like Excel if you don’t have access to Matlab or NumPy) and you can assume that you are within ±2_s_ (don’t forget to use the corrected standard sample deviation by dividing by the square root of your sample size). If you need a more precise estimate but can’t find enough people of similar proportions then you’ll have to run an ANOVA analysis and look for correlations between height, weight, and perhaps other measurements such as leg and torso length, shoulder width, eye color, number of fingers, et cetera and then perform a multivariate regression to figure out your estimated weight. I know this is really quite trivial statistical analysis but if you need a refresher I recommend the [online NIST Engineering Statistics Handbook](https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/). My recommendation for plotting, assuming you are using NumPy and SciPy, is to use the plotnine with the ggplot2-like interface rather than the default matplotlib as plotnine is better suited for statistical analysis and is more streamlined for that purpose. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/25 "2022-05-09T16:04:13Z")
My small city’s rec center has a scale in the upstairs bathroom and one in each of the locker rooms. You can get a 5-day pass for free (once per person), or pay $7 for a one-time visit if you’ve already used the free option. Surely other fitness centers do this, even corporate ones. You might need to call around and ask if they have scales. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/26 "2022-05-09T16:24:14Z")
Maybe a gypsy will guess your weight for 25¢? The idea that you can get a decent weight estimate on a website is insane. Body composition varies between people. I’m much heavier than I look, because I’m a gym rat… ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/27 "2022-05-09T17:18:27Z")
Cheap and dirty way, that I used back in the day - go to Walmart or wherever, find where they sell scales, and test them. They may need zeroing, but testing a decent number will give you a ballpark weight. (The nice thing about Walmart is their serious lack of staffing means nobody will bother you while you do this) I never saw a doctor back in the day, except every 2 years for a private pilot license. Then one time I was warned that my blood pressure was a bit high. On a second reading I passed. Then 9-11 and changes to Canada’s pilot rules made flying too difficult, so I didn’t see a doctor for over a decade - at which point my BP was so high I’ve been on medications ever since. I would suggest the occasional checkup, as it may make a serious difference in reducing risk factors as you get older. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/28 "2022-05-09T17:22:58Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Cheap and dirty way, that I used back in the day - go to Walmart or wherever, find where they sell scales, and test them. They may need zeroing, but testing a decent number will give you a ballpark weight. (The nice thing about Walmart is their serious lack of staffing means nobody will bother you while you do this) I was going to suggest Bed Bath and Beyond. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/29 "2022-05-09T17:31:18Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Cheap and dirty way, that I used back in the day - go to Walmart or wherever, find where they sell scales, and test them. They may need zeroing, but testing a decent number will give you a ballpark weight. (The nice thing about Walmart is their serious lack of staffing means nobody will bother you while you do this) This is kind of a ridiculously convoluted way of measuring weight. Just go down the lane and use Sir Bedevere’s scales: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zrzMhU_4m-g/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AHUBoAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgVShIMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAqEPpTTSrAT1i9NR4uSqFx1zYXNQ "She's a witch!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrzMhU_4m-g) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/30 "2022-05-09T18:58:27Z")
go to a park with seesaw. bring a friend whose weight is known or a bag of rice of 50 kg and a meter. Put the bag or the friend at one end of the seesaw and you at the other, then slide yourself toward the axe until the seesaw is in equilibrium. Measure the distance between the bag (or friend) and the axe, and the distance between the axe and you. the fraction will be the same as the fraction between your weight and the bag’s ( so 100 cm to 50cm means a 2/1 so you weight 2\*50 = 100 kg) ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/31 "2022-05-09T20:10:10Z")
Fill up a 50 gallon drum with water then slowly submerce yourself. Now we measure the water after you have stepped out to see how much water is missing your weight should correlate fairly closely to the amount of water missing ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/32 "2022-05-09T20:46:00Z")
@CardboardBoxx , with all the Archimedes based solutions in this thread, you may have missed the link in post 11 for a quick estimate. Feel free to yell ‘Eureka’ afterward if you so desire. > **[BMI Visualizer - BMIWebgl | Perceiving Systems](https://www.bmivisualizer.com/)** > > Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated using your height and weight and is approximately related to body fat percentage. Calculate your BMI and visualize your 3D body model WebGL. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/33 "2022-05-09T20:50:10Z")
Yeah, I bet that gets you within 20 lbs. Which I could do just by asking the OP how tall and old he is and if he thinks he’s overweight. ---
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/34 "2022-05-09T20:59:21Z")
I didn’t miss it but I didn’t consider it helpful, the picture is far too subjective. All the Archimedians in the thread are borderline trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/35 "2022-05-09T21:02:11Z")
Fair enough. But picture aside, you don’t have some idea where you fall on that underweight, normal weight, overweight line? Personally, I know that I am right on the borderline between overweight and obese unfortunately, and putting the cursor there gets me within 5 lbs of my actual weight. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/36 "2022-05-09T21:03:53Z")
Says the guy who can’t figure out how to find out his weight… Walk into a veterinarian’s office and step on their scale. They all have them, and they are all in the waiting area. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/37 "2022-05-09T21:35:35Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#): > > I didn’t miss it but I didn’t consider it helpful, the picture is far too subjective. All the Archimedians in the thread are borderline trolling. I’m glad that frequentists didn’t fall into this category. Seriously, you are asking for an accurate way to estimate weight without an accurate measurement and then lashing out at people who have given you workable solutions, both sublime and prosaic, and you’ve rejected all for…reasons? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/38 "2022-05-09T21:38:07Z")
Heheh, the vet I used to use had a person who’d regularly stop by on his jog and weigh himself. They thought him a little odd. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/39 "2022-05-09T21:45:51Z")
It’s not practical without an instrument like a scale that compares mass among objects. ---
**Author:** ![CardboardBoxx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardboardboxx/32/7079_2.png) [@CardboardBoxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CardboardBoxx)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/40 "2022-05-09T21:48:45Z")
Yeah, your post was trolling too. And I don’t know what the ellipsis and question mark around reasons is for, I’ve been quite clear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181.md?page=3)