Body analysis scales

bee_bee8

I've been using one of Weight Watchers' body analysis scales for several years. Over the last few months as I've been trying to lose weight, I've been diligently tracking not just my weight but also the other metrics the scale reads: Body Fat %, Body Water content, Bone Density, and BMI. Now, I know these scales aren't 100% accurate, so I take the numbers with a grain of salt. However, I have noticed a couple of distinct trends with the numbers:

• My H20 percentage is steadily rising - When I started keeping track, it usually reported my body water percentage around 47-48%. Now, it's above 51% consistently and seems to continue rising.
• My bone density is decreasing - I started around 6.6 but am now down to 6.4. If I recall correctly, when I was at my lowest weight a few years ago, it was around 6.2

Compared to the other metrics like body fat and BMI, I'm rather unconcerned with my water percentage and bone density as long as they're within normal range (which they are). But I'm still curious what would cause these numbers to change so consistently with weight loss. I don't feel I'm drinking more water than usual; I consistently drink around 8 cups a day. As far as bone density goes, the steady reduction is a slight concern... Am I really losing bone mass? Is that even what that number means?

I'm also curious what others think of these body analysis scales in general. Are they just a bunch of hype without providing real substance? Are there certain brands that are more accurate than others? I've had mine since 2013 or so and have a feeling there are probably better options on the market now.

LessCookiess

Have you spoken with a doctor about your concerns?

Afura

They're generally rather inaccurate. Go take a stab at Amazon and look at the reviews, the Conair version only has 39% 5 star reviews

nichell88

I like the body analysis scale, but I am more concerned with its precision than its accuracy. Ive weighed myself on three different scales since I started a lifestyle change about 4 months ago, and all three report significantly different numbers, so who knows which one if any is accurate. Im more concerned with the precision and fluctuation of the numbers. As long as it is consistent and is measuring the changes. I really like being able to track more than weight, Im very focused on my body fat percentage so having the scale makes it easy. plus its good to monitor the water weight and bmi too

Tacklewasher

I haven't had a smart scale for that long, but if I believe it, I've lost no fat in 6 weeks or so and only lost LBM. If my scale didn't send the data on it's own, I'd ignore it completely.

bee_bee8

xchocolategirl wrote: »

Have you spoken with a doctor about your concerns?

No, I haven't. If anything were outside of normal range, I would, but it was mostly curiosity that prompted me to start this thread. Just wanted to hear about other people's experiences with these kinds of scales and see if anyone knew off-hand why H20% and bone density might trend upward and downward (respectively) due to weight loss.

bee_bee8

Thanks for the input, all. I don't have any serious health conditions, so it's not medically necessary that I have super-accurate readings on this stuff. Just wanted to see how others feel about these types of scales, and if there's any brand/product in particular that's better than others.

It sounds like they're all kind of the same, and as I suspected, the numbers aren't incredibly accurate. Things seem to be trending in the right direction for the most part, though, so I think I'm on the right track!

sijomial

I had some (Omron with hand and feet contacts) that were surprisingly good at giving a believable trend (if daily fluctuations were ignored) of changes in fat and LBM but I've also had some that are just comically useless.

The difficulty is in knowing which is which of course. For me comparing against reference pictures on builtlean.com seemed as good as anything for having a stab at bodyfat percentage. It's free too.....

Whether BIA scales can actually estimate water and bone levels to that degree of accuracy - I have my doubts.

AnvilHead

bee_bee8 wrote: »

xchocolategirl wrote: »

Have you spoken with a doctor about your concerns?

No, I haven't. If anything were outside of normal range, I would, but it was mostly curiosity that prompted me to start this thread. Just wanted to hear about other people's experiences with these kinds of scales and see if anyone knew off-hand why H20% and bone density might trend upward and downward (respectively) due to weight loss.

James Krieger explains it pretty thoroughly here: http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-4-the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-parts-3-and-4-bod-pod-and-bioelectrical-impedance-bia/the-pitfalls-of-bodyfat-measurement-part-4-bioelectrical-impedance-bia/