Household Appliances Forum

[Guest]

What is a good bodyfat scale recommendation for personal home use? A couple of scales sold by a company called Tanita which look good. But what different options are most important to consider? Are Tanita bodyfat scales accurate in general? Are they repeatable and reliable? What about the differences between scales calibrated for athletes, children and sedentary lifestyles? Does it really make a difference?

[appliance-man]

Tanita scales are a good buy. They measure bodyfat in increments of .5% and are accurate to approx 1-3% accurate, about as good as you are going to get. It helps because you can measure progress without becoming too obsessed with body weight all the time.

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A Tanita body fat scale uses bioelectrical impedance to measure your body fat versus lean body weight. It sends a mild electrical current through your feet to do the measurement. This scale displays both weight and body fat and is a great way to measure whether you are losing body fat - a more important measurement than weight. Less body fat means looking slimmer and being healthier and decreasing health risks. Tanita models usually have two user modes, adult and athlete. You must be consistent in when you measure to get good readings - things like dehydration, alcohol, etc. can skew readings. It is much more accurate than fat calipers.