ladyciel
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2007
- Messages
- 1,769
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!
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!
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