Body Fat and Water Scales
I used to have just a Body Fat monitor from Tanita, which I bought a few years ago after using them in the gym. It gave me a rough idea of my overall weight and what was considered fat. I then received a free fat and water monitor, the next generation so to speak, from my Health and Fitness magazine subscription. This is made by Tanita (Tanita seems to be the market leaders on this), but it often still gave the same reading. However the fat and water percentages always add up to around 80% which I often consider interesting. Does it determine one and then just work the other out by substracting the first from 80%?
I put on weight on my holiday in early May and I’ve not shifted it since. I’m in that slight yo yo of a range of 4-5lbs, so I’m not putting on weight but I’m at another point where I’m not losing it without excess dieting and exercise. I decided to weight myself fully today, including using the monitors. This is the point however where I question the accuracy, as despite being a stone heavier than usual right now, if I work out the percentages given to me by the scales and compare them to previous weighings, I’m actually 10lb lighter of fat and just weigh a stone more of water.
I know it’s the summer, I’m waiting to inherit the bad water retention that my Mum suffers from and her mother suffered from and I’ve started to feel it slightly when it’s very hot, perhaps I’ve already got it but blamed being overweight? The summer also means I go through a lot more water. I do usually try and drink a lot in the winter but my intake tends to halve I think, but in the summer it’s more often than not 2 litres a day. So is this added weight that I can’t shift actually just water? I’ve gone down 8% of body fat and water’s risen by 8%. It’d be a good excuse if it were true!
We’ve got out bikes now too, so I’m off on business today and tomorrow but after that we’ll be out on them a few times a week to hopefully start burning a few calories away.
- June 5th '06
I bought about 100 Tanita scales from a health and fitness store that was going out of business a year or so ago and have been liquidating them on eBay and occasionally to other fitness stores as they inquire about them.
They are interesting to play with, but I can’t ever get consistent results from them. My body fat percentage fluctuates sometimes as much as 10-15% from one day to the next and my water content fluctuates anywhere from 5-20% when my weight only changes, at the most, 1-2 lbs. daily.
The Tanita scales still fetch a premium price though- I have sold demo models that were used in the store for almost 80% of their full retail value, and new ones regularly fetch 100-110% of their retail value.
Heh, if you know anyone that wants one, I still have a closet full- I can’t ever seem to find the time to make up all those eBay listings
Hey Chance,
I usually find my scales are pretty consistent and sound about right, this reading was just completely different to normal (had the scales for about a year now). Perhaps the battery needs changing or maybe it is just the heat and the amount of water I drink, mixed together?
Well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it
I’ve sussed the answer. Someone changed my preset settings to male instead of female. After changing it back (and upping my age :|) it’s back to reading more accurately!
At least I’m not retaining too much water then