Whether the scale is our friend or enemy, there's one role it certainly plays in most of our lives: Trusted confidant, the one thing that always tells the truth about our weight. Or does it?

Recent statistics out of Britain revealed some alarming facts about scales -- specifically, that a third of them are inaccurate, even in hospitals, where obtaining a proper scale reading could mean the difference between life and death.

Obviously, the need to get an accurate reading on our bathroom scales isn't as dire, but most of us know that a scale reading can make or break our days. It can mean the difference between feeling confident and attractive versus feeling frumpy and fat. Remember to calibrate your home scale, or chuck it all together and gage your weight on how your clothes fit.