Electronic Body Fat Scale?

wwunderlust

I wanted to stay away from scale,

but for the sake of macro adjustment and keeping better track of my progress,

I think it's time to weigh in!


With that, I'm thinking about purchasing an electronic scale that calculates water/bone density/fat mass -
was wondering whether you guys have any experience with home scales of the sort,
and whether you have any suggested brand/models that are "accurate" enough?

Thanks!

nicoleisback

Any scales that measure water, bone and fat are at best very general. I have a set of weight watchers ones at home (the most recommended by most everyone I have asked) and they even say in the info brochure the results are not to be taken as law but rather are only given as estimates to 'track trends over a period of time'. Things as simple as a 5 degree difference in temperature with all other variables the same can show up to a 5% difference in these results (from personal experience).

Go4it1985

I have a WW's electronic body scale but actually it's driving me a little crazy because if I place it on different spots on the floor, the amount I weigh changes so it's hard to know what's correct.

I was thinking of getting one similar to what you mentioned.

In the end, I think the only one I can really rely on is the old one (without electronics).

However, as always when weighing myself - I bear in mind it could be out by 1kg or so.

retrobyte

As Nicole said, body composition scales are good for measuring trends, and are a quicker and easier way to get an overall body fat measurement than calipers, for instance.

Tanita are more accurate than the WW scales - you get what you pay for. Tanita is the brand you'll see most of the time being used at gyms and by personal trainers, physiotherapists etc.

wwunderlust

nicoleisback: thanks for that! i'm definitely in it for the trends to keep track of my progress, but it would have been a bonus to get a scale that presents data as close to accurate as possible


Go4it1985: my mom had the same problem with her electronic scale years ago and we found that putting it on solid ground (not carpet) gave the most accurate reading. was tempted to go for á non electrical scale, but my curiosity with body composition got the better of me

retrobyte: might look into calipers as well. tanitas would have been value for money but it doesn't suite the budget :-\

well, i finally bought a $40 body comp. scale off ebay after weeks of pondering. feedback from customers were generally positive - fingers crossed. thanks for le input guys!

Qski

If you Google choice scale tests there is an article where they tested a heap of scales from memory none of the body fat/ water etc ones got a higher score than 70% because as stated that is more about trending. Also if you have scales that do both when you do weight try not to use the body analysis mode, as just weight mode is far more accurate.

There are so many ww versions too so hard to compare they compared 2 in the choice study one did ok the other was bad but neither of those are on the market any longer there are more than 20 different ones.

Any scale you have would be effected by different places on the floor and different surfaces that you put it in you need to make sure that the scales stay in the same place on a hard floor that is as level as possible for it to give good measurements over time.

rachaelfisher1

I have the aria fitbit scales at home, but the BF% component is completely inaccurate. It usually says that I'm around 5% more than what i really am, but my old WW did the opposite where is said that i was 5-10% lower than what i used to be. I found following these trends was not accurate enough for a comparison. I find weighing myself and measuring my waist on a weekly basis helps, and it is easy to judge whether you're headed in the right direction.

If you really want something accurate, i would recommend getting a DEXA scan, they're around $80 (Measure Up, Sydney) and provide an in-depth reading of your body composition, and also your BMR which will help with setting calorie goals.

Qski

ooooh... there is one I can pay for? that is super exciting, I would love to get a comparison start point and then have it all done again in x months or x kilos.

I have only used my ww scale once on the body analysis mode for a start reading - that was nearly a month ago, I should do another check to see what it says now. I was surprised that it said I was not hydrated enough though - I drink a large amount of water daily even in the evenings at home.

Thanks for the info @RachealFisher - I am going to see if there is anywhere I can get that done here in Adelaide