perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439 
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Dec 2, 2015 15:23:44 GMT
My sister has lost weight over the last couple of years. Part of her routine has become weighing herself regularly. Like most of America she does it when she has the best chance of weighing the least during the day, e.g. before breakfast, before clothes, after the trip to the bathroom. BIL, the mechanical engineer, says that's wrong. He says you should know what you weigh at your heaviest, because if you get on an elevator it has weight limits. You don't want an elevator to fail because you were off on your weight estimation by five pounds.  Because, after all, the only reason to weigh yourself is to know whether or not it's safe to ride the elevator. BTW, his wife ignores him and continues to weigh herself in the morning when she weighs the least. My teenaged niece was happy to report over Thanksgiving that, at 100 lbs, she has finally passed her older sister in weight. She informed her uncle that she achieved this goal by weighing herself in the afternoon fully dressed. So at least one person likes his method. |
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Post by femalebusiness on Dec 2, 2015 15:40:26 GMT
That's hilarious! Does your brother in law have any more pearls of wisdom? That would make for a fun thread.  |
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Post by jennyap on Dec 2, 2015 15:41:02 GMT
You don't want an elevator to fail because you were off on your weight estimation by five pounds. If the weight limit is such that 5 extra pounds could make it fail, I'd hope the lift manufacturers would put a lower weight limit on the visible label rather than rely on the accuracy of passengers' estimations! |
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Post by gar on Dec 2, 2015 15:52:48 GMT
He's obviously an intelligent man but that is an odd scenario to come up with!
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Deleted
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May 1, 2024 22:48:12 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 16:01:45 GMT
LOL, sounds like something my DH would say. Cause he ALWAYS has a better idea. 
Ann |
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Dec 2, 2015 16:07:07 GMT
I know whenever I get on an elevator, we all throw out our weight to make sure we aren't over the limit.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Dec 2, 2015 16:11:15 GMT
My sister has lost weight over the last couple of years. Part of her routine has become weighing herself regularly. Like most of America she does it when she has the best chance of weighing the least during the day, e.g. before breakfast, before clothes, after the trip to the bathroom. BIL, the mechanical engineer, says that's wrong. He says you should know what you weigh at your heaviest, because if you get on an elevator it has weight limits. You don't want an elevator to fail because you were off on your weight estimation by five pounds. Because, after all, the only reason to weigh yourself is to know whether or not it's safe to ride the elevator. BTW, his wife ignores him and continues to weigh herself in the morning when she weighs the least. My teenaged niece was happy to report over Thanksgiving that, at 100 lbs, she has finally passed her older sister in weight. She informed her uncle that she achieved this goal by weighing herself in the afternoon fully dressed. So at least one person likes his method. If he's a mechanical engineer, I'd assume he's aware that the safety factors would be more than sufficient in an elevator to prevent people plummeting to their death because they misjudged their weight by a few percentages. He was either attempting to be funny - or a bit of a dufus. |
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Post by bc2ca on Dec 2, 2015 16:13:05 GMT
Interesting, but your BIL needs to factor in the size & weight of any bags you are carrying.
I think elevators should be scales, with a read out that adjusts as people get on and off.
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Post by Zee on Dec 2, 2015 16:15:45 GMT
My DH is a mechanical engineer and if I used that logic on him he'd spend a half hour telling me about the safety checks and how they could actually safely carry x amount of pounds but blah blah blah
I'm sure he was trying to be funny, in his engineer way, which is to say not very. Lol gotta love 'em
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Post by wandawoman on Dec 2, 2015 16:17:06 GMT
If the elevator is that near its limit, I'll just wait for the next one.
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Deleted
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May 1, 2024 22:48:12 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 16:17:17 GMT
Interesting, but your BIL needs to factor in the size & weight of any bags you are carrying. I think elevators should be scales, with a read out that adjusts as people get on and off. That's beautiful!  |
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Post by femalebusiness on Dec 2, 2015 17:14:50 GMT
My DH is a mechanical engineer and if I used that logic on him he'd spend a half hour telling me about the safety checks and how they could actually safely carry x amount of pounds but blah blah blah I'm sure he was trying to be funny, in his engineer way, which is to say not very. Lol gotta love 'em I agree. I have a mechanical engineer too and some of the stuff he comes up with is brilliant...other stuff is just down right funny. |
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Post by anonrefugee on Dec 2, 2015 17:18:34 GMT
That's funny! I've been on tiny planes before and had to give my weight. But I wouldn't say that was critical at all times!
Isn't the point of tracking weight loss to be consistent. I thought that's reason for AM weigh ins.
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Post by rst on Dec 2, 2015 17:19:15 GMT
And this would be the thing that finally convinces people to take the stairs.
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Post by RiverIsis on Dec 2, 2015 17:24:19 GMT
My DH is a mechanical engineer and if I used that logic on him he'd spend a half hour telling me about the safety checks and how they could actually safely carry x amount of pounds but blah blah blah I'm sure he was trying to be funny, in his engineer way, which is to say not very. Lol gotta love 'em I agree. I have a mechanical engineer too and some of the stuff he comes up with is brilliant...other stuff is just down right funny. I'm filing this in things not to mention to my Mech Eng student over Christmas. Now my Mother of a Mech Eng student question is shouldn't an elevator be designed in such a way that the volume of the space would be filled long before the weight limit is reached? Weight has bulk, whether it is muscle or fat. I have had an elevator refuse to move when I was the last one on  . Took the stairs in that building after that (that was going up four flights in a hospital). |
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Post by RiverIsis on Dec 2, 2015 17:26:03 GMT
That's funny! I've been on tiny planes before and had to give my weight. But I wouldn't say that was critical at all times! Isn't the point of tracking weight loss to be consistent. I thought that's reason for AM weigh ins. I would prefer a small plane just to weigh people. Nobody really knows so it is a best guess. And this would be the thing that finally convinces people to take the stairs. oh snap! |
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Deleted
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May 1, 2024 22:48:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 17:44:03 GMT
Interesting, but your BIL needs to factor in the size & weight of any bags you are carrying. I think elevators should be scales, with a read out that adjusts as people get on and off. LOL! Now that's how you would get people to take the steps! Ooops...see someone already snapped this one up  |
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Post by jenb72 on Dec 2, 2015 17:50:41 GMT
Honestly, the only reason I weigh myself in the morning (naked, after visiting the bathroom) is because it's the only time of the day I can be guaranteed that there aren't other mitigating factors involved.
If I weighed at the end of the day, I can't be sure that all things are equal (or as equal as they can be). Maybe I had a lot of salt that day and retained water. Maybe I ate more or less than I normally do. Maybe I had more protein and less greens and that somehow affects it. Maybe I drank more water than I did the day before. Maybe I got lots of exercise that day or maybe I couldn't manage to get up from my chair at work because I was too busy.
As for going over the limit for an elevator - you'd have to be pretty darn heavy to do that.
Jen
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Post by rst on Dec 2, 2015 18:00:04 GMT
I actually do give some thought to weight limits in elevators when I have my son in his power wheelchair with me. He himself is very thin and light, but his chair and medical equipment comes in at about 400 lbs, and he's another 80. Even then, the footprint of the chair is probably equal to the space taken by two large men, who could conceivably weight over 240 lbs each, so it's probably not an issue in elevators.
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Post by nlwilkins on Dec 2, 2015 18:12:58 GMT
I think elevators should be scales, with a read out that adjusts as people get on and off. Basically, some are in a way. They will ring real loud if they are loaded over limit and will not operate. When in college we were always hearing the elevators doing that. So many students did not want to walk up four flights or more of stairs and would overload the elevator that was there for the handicap. |
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,205
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Post by gina on Dec 2, 2015 18:36:29 GMT
There's a water park by me on Long Island that has a water slide roller coaster! They have you step onto a large platform first that is essentially, a giant scale. It weighed the entire car-load of people before we boarded. Guess when you are running on water and not an electric track, you have to be REAL careful to not go over the weight limit. |
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tincin
Drama Llama
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Jul 25, 2014 4:55:32 GMT
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Post by tincin on Dec 2, 2015 21:45:13 GMT
That's it, the next time I am the first person in an elevator I am going to ask people their weight as they enter. Can you imagine the looks on their faces when the door opens and I am standing there asking them to tell me their weight. Hilarious.
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Deleted
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May 1, 2024 22:48:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2015 21:51:47 GMT
This is awesome!
My DH did some controller work for an elevator company many years ago. He was told to put in the open/close door buttons, but not connect them to anything. They just wanted to appease people, and make those who were impatient think they were actually doing something.
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perumbula
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,439
Location: Idaho
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Post by perumbula on Dec 2, 2015 22:13:28 GMT
I believe BIL was being silly, but also lightly teasing my sister about her scale habit. I'm assuming she's like me and a bit exacting about exactly when she weighs herself and I know she does it daily. She doesn't obsess about it, but she considers it a tool in keeping track of what's going on with her body.
I'm sure he could tell me all about elevator safety mechanisms and how much leeway they build into the system for weight overages.
The water park near us weighs people before they get on certain rides too. I'm not fond of those, especially when it's just me and one of my skinny kids. We all know where the weight is coming from.
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River
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,507
Location: Alabama
Jun 26, 2014 15:26:04 GMT
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Post by River on Dec 2, 2015 22:27:09 GMT
I'm a mechanical engineer and no way am I weighing myself in the afternoon, or with shoes on, or with clothes on for that matter. It's all about the number I SEE!
I worked in the space industry and it was all about payload, so for me I did the opposite of everything to insure I saw myself at my lowest weight possible. hehe
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Post by RiverIsis on Dec 3, 2015 4:25:02 GMT
I actually do give some thought to weight limits in elevators when I have my son in his power wheelchair with me. He himself is very thin and light, but his chair and medical equipment comes in at about 400 lbs, and he's another 80. Even then, the footprint of the chair is probably equal to the space taken by two large men, who could conceivably weight over 240 lbs each, so it's probably not an issue in elevators. When the elevator buzzed me, I was working in a hospital. People forget how much equipment can weigh. I think elevators should be scales, with a read out that adjusts as people get on and off. Basically, some are in a way. They will ring real loud if they are loaded over limit and will not operate. When in college we were always hearing the elevators doing that. So many students did not want to walk up four flights or more of stairs and would overload the elevator that was there for the handicap. I went to a school that honestly we used to joke that it didn't matter what class you were going to it was uphill. There was one building that had a lower entrance and a walkway out at level and a lot of students took those stairs rather than huff up the slope. |
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
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Post by happymomma on Dec 3, 2015 4:44:12 GMT
Honestly, the only reason I weigh myself in the morning (naked, after visiting the bathroom) is because it's the only time of the day I can be guaranteed that there aren't other mitigating factors involved. If I weighed at the end of the day, I can't be sure that all things are equal (or as equal as they can be). Maybe I had a lot of salt that day and retained water. Maybe I ate more or less than I normally do. Maybe I had more protein and less greens and that somehow affects it. Maybe I drank more water than I did the day before. Maybe I got lots of exercise that day or maybe I couldn't manage to get up from my chair at work because I was too busy. As for going over the limit for an elevator - you'd have to be pretty darn heavy to do that. Jen That is exactly why you really are supposed to weigh first thing in the morning, after you've gone to the bathroom but before you've had any intake. That's why they try to get patients in the hospital weighed first thing, for consistency. (Not that they are always able to accomplish that, but that is the goad.) Speaking of elevators.... My husband SWEARS that if you jump on an elevator you could cause it to crash, killing any and all occupants, lol. He truly believes this. Said he saw it on TV or something. I first found out of his belief on our honeymoon, when we were at our hotel and being silly. We got on the elevator and I was jumping up and down saying 'Yay! I'm your wife! You're my husband!" He got a horrified look on his face and said, "PLEASE don't EVER jump on an elevator!" and told me why. I laughed at him. Ever since whenever we get on an elevator I tell him, "Be careful, I might start jumping, hehehe." He very seriously tells me not to. Is there ANY truth to such a thing? I just cannot imagine it being true at all. I'm not sure what he was watching on TV. |
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Post by RiverIsis on Dec 3, 2015 4:49:40 GMT
Honestly, the only reason I weigh myself in the morning (naked, after visiting the bathroom) is because it's the only time of the day I can be guaranteed that there aren't other mitigating factors involved. If I weighed at the end of the day, I can't be sure that all things are equal (or as equal as they can be). Maybe I had a lot of salt that day and retained water. Maybe I ate more or less than I normally do. Maybe I had more protein and less greens and that somehow affects it. Maybe I drank more water than I did the day before. Maybe I got lots of exercise that day or maybe I couldn't manage to get up from my chair at work because I was too busy. As for going over the limit for an elevator - you'd have to be pretty darn heavy to do that. Jen That is exactly why you really are supposed to weigh first thing in the morning, after you've gone to the bathroom but before you've had any intake. That's why they try to get patients in the hospital weighed first thing, for consistency. (Not that they are always able to accomplish that, but that is the goad.) Speaking of elevators.... My husband SWEARS that if you jump on an elevator you could cause it to crash, killing any and all occupants, lol. He truly believes this. Said he saw it on TV or something. I first found out of his belief on our honeymoon, when we were at our hotel and being silly. We got on the elevator and I was jumping up and down saying 'Yay! I'm your wife! You're my husband!" He got a horrified look on his face and said, "PLEASE don't EVER jump on an elevator!" and told me why. I laughed at him. Ever since whenever we get on an elevator I tell him, "Be careful, I might start jumping, hehehe." He very seriously tells me not to. Is there ANY truth to such a thing? I just cannot imagine it being true at all. I'm not sure what he was watching on TV. Not an engineer disclaimer. Probably 100 years ago. Now elevators have a series of brakes etc so even if one failed the others should kick in. I've known a lot of people that try to jump right before the elevator stops, especially when going down. |
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. Took the stairs in that building after that (that was going up four flights in a hospital).
