Do you own a body fat/composition scale?

[ladyciel]

If so, what brand/model, and would you buy one again?

DH and I are in need of a new bathroom scale (the display on our cheap-o digital is half dead), and for a long time I have toyed with the idea of getting one of those bioimpedence body fat scales. The two big names I''ve seen for them are Omron and Tanita, though plenty of other companies make them.

I''m wondering if anybody here has experience from owning or using one, and if so I''d love to hear your thoughts. From what I''ve heard/read, my list of pros/cons are currently as such:

Pros:
-Motivation
-See status/progress of your body composition, not just weight. Muscle weighs more than fat. (This could keep your motivation up during a weight plateau)
-Monitor that you aren''t losing too much muscle while cutting calories/weight (instead of the fat you''re targeting)
-On the flip side, make sure you''re adding muscle, not fat, when adding calories to build muscle
-Body fat seems to be a better indication of health/fitness than weight alone
-Reproducibility of reading is less likely a function of user skill (compared to calipers)
-Good for long-term tracking of progress, especially after reaching a point of fitness where weight loss is very gradual/minor/unwanted

Cons:
-Cost compared to a regular scale
-Could just use the "clothing test" - i.e. do your pants fit better/looser
-Accuracy of reading can vary from person to person. i.e. actual number might not match what you''d get from hydrostatic weighing or DEXA
-Accuracy is dependent on hydration, so the readings can swing a lot
-One downside of a lot of the models out there is that the only sensors are the ones you stand on, so the current goes up one leg, across your pelvis, and back down the other side. Your upper body is totally left out (I would assume). Some of the models I''m considering, sold by Omron, have hand sensors in addition to the feet, which would seem to get around that problem, though.

Anyway, I''m torn about whether to spend the money, and while there are tons of reviews on Amazon and other sites, I find that asking for advice from PSers is ALWAYS a worthwhile exercise!

 

[lliang_chi]

Ladyciel, I have the BMI scale branded by weight watchers that you get on BBB. I was never able to program the scale for my height/sex etc, so I just use it as a scale. I had a trainer and he used the hand held omiron and he said gthey''re getting quite accurate.He used to do the electro-current and calipers to measure body fat etc. A few things to keep in mind about the BMI stuff. This was all instructions I got from my trainer whenever we did vitals

- No caffeine 12 hours
- No alcohol 48 hours
- No water 2-4 hours
- No food 2-4 hours
- No strenuous activity 12 hours
- No metal jewelry
- Not during or 2 days before menstruation

 

[Haven]

We own body fat calipers which I think are a better measure of body fat. And they''re much cheaper.

Seriously, though, it''s nice to be able to keep records of different areas of the body to see where my body changes when I gain or lose weight.

 

[megumic]

We did. It just broke. When it informed me that I had lost 3 lbs in 2 minutes, and then 8 lbs 1 minute later, I figured it was a dream come true or a broken scale. We both know which it wasn''t. LOL. I wouldn''t bother with another one -- will just get a regular scale next time. I think it was thinner brand.

 

[turtledazzle]

We have one by Tanita. It''s over five years old and still working well.

It''s a cool gadget, but I do take the actual measurement of the body fat with a grain of salt. The measurement is affected by your hydration, so I have seen it vary by a few percent from day-to-day ... and I know that''s just not accurate. In general, though, I only weigh myself once a week, so I just use the body fat percentage to kind of watch the trend.