Suggestions For A Body Fat Analysis Scale?

Those scales test your body impedence (resistance to electrical conductivity), and they can vary pretty widely depending on the amount of water in your system, how dry/moist your skin is, and a several other variables. Honestly, I think you would be better off with a measuring tape and a good digital scale. If you are set on using body impedence to measure your fat loss, the hand held ones are better, in my opinion.

I use Fitbit's Aria Scale. I don't trust the number to be absolutely accurate but it does seem consistent to itself. The other thing is that, after using it for 18 months, the Fat% varies depending on how my muscles are holding water. Entertaining and encouraging but I wouldn't say that it show my absolute Body Fat %...a DEXA scan is the best way to do that.

They're wildly inaccurate. Variance isn't due to changes in fat, but rather hydration. Pretty useless if your goal is fat loss.

A skin caliper test is about the best you'll get for an afforable price.

Thanks guys!

I know that body fat analysis scales aren't totally accurate, but I just want one that's consistent and shows a downward or upward trend. As long as the numbers are showing my progress, I'll be happy with it.

The Fitbit Aria Scale ... Does it require the fitbit band to go with it or can I just use it by itself?

By itself it will work

Bonus of the Aria Scale is that it links through Trendweight.com which allows you to see your daily weigh-in's and track your average weight and see if you're on a gaining or losing trend. Resolves about 95% of the craziness that comes with water fluctuations which is 3 to 6 lbs swing per day for me.

They all vary widely from each other, and sometimes from themselves - weighing barefoot, at the same time of day (morning best) when you have not eaten or drank anything yet works well on mine. It also tells you % hydration, so if that is fluctuating wildly then chances are you are not getting a good measurement.

I use the Tanita Ironman and it (although not perfect, I'm sure) works for me. When I have been off it for a month or 2 and I know that I have put on excess weight around my middle, yep, the results are what I expect. So whether I am actually 26 or 28% body fat - who cares. It may be wrong. What I want to know, is, are the numbers moving in the right direction? I think this one works, at least is does for me. It's more than $100 though... Can't remember, but I think about $170.

How can a scale you step on distinguish water weight from fat?

by sending a small electrical current through your body. The electricity goes through muscle at a different rate than fat. From the time it takes to go through the body, a rough body fat % can be calculated.

Wow, I never knew that. However, aren't folks reporting here that it's really not that accurate?

Thanks guys!

I know that body fat analysis scales aren't totally accurate, but I just want one that's consistent and shows a downward or upward trend. As long as the numbers are showing my progress, I'll be happy with it.

The Fitbit Aria Scale ... Does it require the fitbit band to go with it or can I just use it by itself?

I have an older Omron, and I treat its BF% report as essentially worthless. It will go up and down - but in tandem with weight so it is really just another form of weight reporting. Seems - and this is just a guess on my part - that it's BF% algorithm is very heavily influenced by actual scale weight, and very little influenced by any sort of impedance or other attempt at actually measuring BF%. My scale sometimes varies by 0.4 lbs from minute-to-minute (i.e., weigh; step off; step back on to weigh again within 60 seconds; scale moves in increments of 0.2). Amazingly, when that happens, the BF% changes, too!

ETA: changed "not at all" influenced" to "very little influenced."

Thanks guys!

I know that body fat analysis scales aren't totally accurate, but I just want one that's consistent and shows a downward or upward trend. As long as the numbers are showing my progress, I'll be happy with it.

The Fitbit Aria Scale ... Does it require the fitbit band to go with it or can I just use it by itself?

I have an older Omron, and I treat its BF% report as essentially worthless. It will go up and down - but in tandem with weight so it is really just another form of weight reporting. Seems - and this is just a guess on my part - that it's BF% algorithm is very heavily influenced by actual scale weight, and very little influenced by any sort of impedance or other attempt at actually measuring BF%. My scale sometimes varies by 0.4 lbs from minute-to-minute (i.e., weigh; step off; step back on to weigh again within 60 seconds; scale moves in increments of 0.2). Amazingly, when that happens, the BF% changes, too!

ETA: changed "not at all" influenced" to "very little influenced."

Again - just my experience and my personal, older Omron scale. But I just did an experiment after a shower. I am male, 5' 9" tall. I have that profile saved in the scale. I created a new profile - male, 6' 1" tall. And then I stepped on for multiple readings on both profiles.

Turns out that the 5' 9" me has about a 2.5% greater BF% than the imaginary 6' 1" me. :grumble: I wouldn't expect such a big difference if the main input to BF% was some sort of semi-accurate electrical impedance test. The fact that the scale's BF% as measured when I had a hydrostatic test a month and a half back was wildly off, too, means I put little faith in anything the scale can report.

YMMV, and by all means get one if you like - I'd just caution not to put too many expectations on how informative it is going to be for you.