Body Fat Scales

[KrisasMan]

As with many of us with OSA, I need to loose weight so I am looking at ways to track this better than I currently can. For now I have an old dial analog scale that is hard to 0 out, so it needs replacing. My dad's family has a strong history of heart disease and we have a stocky build so it would be nice to track body fat too as BMI can be quite misleading. I have been considering the Omron HBF-516 which is almost 1/2 price on Amazon as it also tracks visceral fat (the most dangerous kind for heart disease). There are plenty of reviews but they mix the different models up in the reviews and most of the negative reviews are from fitness freaks who don't get good readings. Has anyone had experience with this one or found a scale with body fat that works well for them?

[Elle]

Waste of money in my opinion. It is just a gimic. Diet and exercise should show you what you need to know both in appearance and how you feel. The novelty of the body fat thing will wear off. You are better off getting something with an accurate reliable weight measure.

Good luck with your goal.

[RationalEntropy]

It would be better to either obtain a) multiple point caliper test (pretty accurate), b) hydrostatic testing (expensive, but accurate). With that in mind it is critical that measurements are performed consistently (same number of points for caliper testing, same person, etc.). Also, don't be afraid of weight lifting either. They helped me out a lot.

Anyhow, the scale can only tell you so much. That is why it is wise to take pictures monthly to see changes. They can really keep you motivated. IF you progress slows or stagnates it is critical to examine why. I wish you good luck.

[SleepingUgly]

I got a scale that tracks body fat and lean mass and such. There are specific rules about when I should weigh myself, like not first thing in the morning and only after 3 hours, but not after you've worked out or... It's not too frequently that I find myself naked, not having eaten, and not having worked out, three hours after I've woken up, so I'm getting weird results about my body fat and lean mass. For example, my weight might go down, but it will say I have more body fat/less lean mass.

[Hea83ther]

Girth measurements with a tape measure are probably the easiest way to track progress. The scale can vary based on water retention, etc., and body fat testing isn't all that accurate in some cases.

As someone with a sleep disorder, I suggest going very slowly. I've lost around fifty pounds in the past year. I'm working on losing fifty more. It seems really slow, but unless you have a medical reason in which you are compelled to lose a lot of weight quickly, you are more likely to be successful. Some things that have really helped me are writing down what I eat, allowing myself to have a cheat meal once or twice per week, strength training/cardio, eating every few hours, working with a personal trainer who understands the difficulties of working out with a sleeping disorder and has found ways to help me work around it, and eating a large breakfast.

I would also suggest you use a heart rate monitor, especially until you know how your body will respond to exercise.

I wish you the best of luck!

[archangle]

I've got my doubts about the body fat scales.

If you're looking for a digital scale to replace the analog scale, be careful. I've tried several that would read one weight, then if you stepped off and back on, I'd get several pounds different readings.

I got two of these. The weight doesn't change if I step off and back on, and they agree with each other pretty well. They also agree with the scales in the doctor's office.

Most importantly, I believe the weight change from one day to the next day or next week.

[Lizistired]

How would something you are standing on know what portion of your weight is composed of what kind of fat? Use a tape measure or just go by how your clothes fit. Even weight is decieving because if you exercise and build muscle, which burns fat, you can gain weight while losing fat. Don't get sucked in!!

[RocketGirl]

Some things that have really helped me are writing down what I eat, allowing myself to have a cheat meal once or twice per week, strength training/cardio, eating every few hours, working with a personal trainer who understands the difficulties of working out with a sleeping disorder and has found ways to help me work around it...

Hea83ther, how did you go about finding a personal trainer who understands more than "no pain no gain"? I've been looking (with no success) for someone who will work with me, and won't push so much that I re-injure myself and have to go back to square 1 (which has happened three times now).

[Lizistired]

Do a forum search for "low carb". there is a lot of information here and it works.

[Corkster52]

I have one of the body fat scales that I dug out after having purchased it on a whim a couple of years ago. Once I plug in all of the height, weight and gender stuff, it does duplicate consistently what my weight and percentage of body fat is (it was a much bigger percentage than I had hoped). I probably won't look at this thing again for at least a month or so, in hopes that the data will change.

I recently finished reading a couple of great books that have a common thread of going gluten-free and seriously limiting carbs. They are "Why we get fat, and what to do about it" by Gary Taubes and "The Paleo Solution" by Robb Wolfe. I have a brother-in-law that, simply by going gluten-free (no exercise whatsoever), has lost 30 poounds in about 6 months. The nice thing about these concepts is that you don't have to go hungry. The next book I will get is called "Wheat Belly".

I believe that many of us get too little exercise as we get older. I have no physical reason not to exercise, so I purchased a rowing machine about a year ago, and when I stick to the program, along with following the principles of the above mentioned books, the weight is dropping off at an acceptable rate.