# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/41 "2022-05-09T21:52:40Z")
To all the people suggesting finding a see-saw, I haven’t seen one of those in years. Those things were hilariously unsafe. Anyway, seems like vet’s office, pharmacy, or just try out scales at Best Buy or the pharmacy or Walmart or Target, or whatever – those all seem like they might work. ---
**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, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/42 "2022-05-09T21:58:13Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#): > > And I don’t know what the ellipsis and question mark around reasons is for, I’ve been quite clear. Well, I found [this](https://www.grass-fed-solutions.com/images/xhip-height-frame-score-males.png.pagespeed.ic.i8oUIkUj1y.png); does that help? > [@RitterSport](#): > > To all the people suggesting finding a see-saw, I haven’t seen one of those in years. Those things were hilariously unsafe. Oh, nonsense. Hardly ever did someone get launched ass over teakettle or slammed under the chin with the bodyweight force of a 120# sixth grader, and anyway, it just helps to develop the reflexes one needs to survive in the modern urban jungle. No wonder millennials are getting picked off left and right in the colosseum, unable to fight off even the smallest bare or slowest lion. The Spartans would weep if their tear ducts weren’t surgically removed at infancy! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/43 "2022-05-09T21:59:37Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@CardboardBoxx](#): > > Yeah, your post was trolling too. Accusations of trolling are only permitted in the Pit. Do not accuse others of trolling in other forums. If you don’t like the answers that you are receiving, perhaps the issue is with your question and the constraints that you have placed on it. In any event, do not attack other users because you aren’t satisfied with their answers. Further accusations of trolling or insults directed at other users will result in warnings. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2022, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/44 "2022-05-09T23:36:21Z")
Go to a vet’s office–PetSmart usually also has a vet attached. They all have big floor scales to weigh the dogs on. I always check the weight of whatever dog is with me when I go there and sometimes step on there myself, just to see if my home scale is correct. ---
**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, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/45 "2022-05-09T23:37:41Z")
Another idea; go to the airport and use the scale they use to weigh luggage. ---
**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, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/46 "2022-05-09T23:42:21Z")
Whilst I appreciate **these** helpful replies I am not a pet owner and would not feel comfortable asking a vet’s office to let me use their scales. There is one big chemist in my town and as far as I can see there is no free to use scales anywhere on the floor. I think I’ll just write “don’t know” and leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/47 "2022-05-10T00:00:24Z")
Why not buy a scale? A perfectly acceptable one is like $12 shipped. Given that you go decades without seeing a doctor, it wouldn’t hurt to at least keep minimal tabs on your basic health parameters, and that includes weight. ETA: You didn’t like the subjective nature of the 3D BMI visualizer below. Ok, fine: if you’re slender, use a BMI of 20, chubby is 25, fat is 30, and obese is 40. Move the weight slider around until you hit one of these and you have your estimate. You aren’t going to do better without Archimedes… or a scale. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/48 "2022-05-10T00:01:44Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > To all the people suggesting finding a see-saw, I haven’t seen one of those in years. Those things were hilariously unsafe. There’s one at our local park, but it’s a more “springy” type of see-saw. But I’ve recently seen a traditional teeter-totter that is nothing but a bar with seats on a fulcrum while taking the kids to a park in Phoenix a few weeks ago. They’re still around. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/49 "2022-05-10T00:08:21Z")
Hi, Opal! 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/50 "2022-05-10T00:19:19Z")
> [@CardboardBoxx](#): > > I think I’ll just write “don’t know” and leave it at that. I mean, _yeah_. You don’t have a scale, don’t go to the doctor, are too embarrassed to go the vet, think the online estimation systems are too subjective, and don’t want to do a science project. You’ve definitely chosen not to know: there’s no possible answer someone can give you that’s gonna be helpful, not even theoretically. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/51 "2022-05-10T00:28:21Z")
And he doesn’t want to go to a place that sells them and has them on display, either. ---
**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 10, 2022, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/52 "2022-05-10T00:29:02Z")
I think something along the lines of my OP, where I put in some values i can measure and get an estimate is exactly what would be helpful. Nobody had to reply if they didn’t have anything useful. If nobody had posted anything unless they had something useful this thread could have just dropped like a stone. ---
**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 10, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/53 "2022-05-10T00:32:19Z")
Yeah, that’s not a thing. Shops don’t just leave packages open and they’re not going to just let me open one up without purchase. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/54 "2022-05-10T00:36:02Z")
You want your estimate? Measure your height, in metres (or estimate that). Square it. Multiply the resulting number by 21.5. Write the result on the form. ---
**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 10, 2022, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/55 "2022-05-10T00:52:09Z")
But what is the ballistic coefficient? Stranger ---
**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 10, 2022, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/56 "2022-05-10T00:52:33Z")
Sorry I saw your original post and didn’t notice the edit until now. This is very useful, thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/57 "2022-05-10T00:52:33Z")
Step 1: Measure yourself around the chest and the midsection. Choose whichever of these is larger as “circumference” (in centimeters). Step 2: Measure your height (in centimeters). Step 3: Determine your biological gender. Step 4: Determine your age. Step 5: [Load this file](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_03/sr03-046-508.pdf) Step 6: Find the appropriate table for yourself, in the file, between 18, 19, and 20 and determine your “circumference percentile” from the above “circumference”. Step 7: Find the appropriate table for yourself, in the file, between 7, 8, and 9 and determine your “height percentile”. Step 8: Average the two percentile numbers. Step 9: Find the appropriate table for yourself, in the file, between 2, 4, and 6 and determine your weight. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/58 "2022-05-10T01:09:55Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > You want your estimate? Measure your height, in metres (or estimate that). Square it. Multiply the resulting number by 21.5. Write the result on the form. OK, I tried the formula height 1.6 m / 5’3" squared = 2.56 X 21.5 = 55.4 kg (121 lbs) Not bad, this was my weight 25 years ago. It’s lower than my current weight by 6 kg so off by a bit more than 10% My 22 year old daughter is the same height and it’s also off by around 10% for her, but in the other direction, she’s 110 lbs / 50 kg. The 2 of us are both “normal weight” so for a person who’s quite underweight or more than slightly overweight the formula could end up more than 15 or 20% inaccurate. Also I would think that with taller people there’s more possibility for inaccuracy. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/59 "2022-05-10T01:17:29Z")
> [@gkster](#): > > The 2 of us are both “normal weight” so for a person who’s quite underweight or more than slightly overweight It’s just the BMI formula in reverse–i.e., it gives you your weight assuming a BMI of 21.5. 21.5 is on the slender side for typical heights/builds. 25 is considered overweight. The average BMI in Britain is 27.6, so that should be taken into consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2022, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181/60 "2022-05-10T01:18:16Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > But what is the ballistic coefficient? Can we approximate the OP as a sphere? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculating-my-weight-with-no-scales/964181.md?page=4)