Scales

SteveR_100Milers

Anyone got any recommendations for a reliable and accurate set of bathroom scales?

All the ones I have ever owned seem to be relatively inaccurate - stepping on and off them gives a range of +/- 2-3lbs on some I've had, and my body weight by day varied by 7-8lbs on occasion!

jairaj

no idea of any specific models. But im sure a reputable manufacturer would provide some sort of accuracy rating with the product, eg accurate within +/-0.1Kg etc ? Or maybe take some reference weights with you into a shop?

volké

Tanita do a range that measure body fat percentage. The absolute figure isn't necessarily that accurate (5% range I think) - but the inaccuracy in the absolute value is fairly constant from what I've heard.

That means that if you weigh yourself (after waking, before eating or drinking) and compare your bodyfat percentage with previous values taken at the same time of day, you can draw a pretty good comparison of the change in your body composition. So you can make sure you're not losing muscle mass - just fat.

Besides that they seem to be very accurate as 'standard weighing scales' as well.

PS: Your body weight will fluctuate unless your diet and training is the same every day. Comparing your weight the morning after eating a large dinner and doing no training with your weight following a calorie deficit and a long ride will give a large difference. Just compare boxers' weigh-in weight with what they actually enter the ring at - there's as much as 10-12lbs difference sometimes.

SteveR_100Milers

The Tanita range looks promising - the BC543 looks like a good compromise between price and features. Their comments about BMI calculation are interesting to me, as I don't agree that it's sufficiently accurate a measurement (bit like 220-age = max heart rate). My current BMI indiactes I am clinically obese, (and not just borderline either) which is not the case.

amaferanga

In my experience its vital that the scales are on a hard and completely flat floor if you want decent accuracy.

volké

Don't go by BMI, go by a combination of weight (I suppose BMI is an alternative form of weigh) and body-fat percentage.

ilm_zero7

SteveR_100Milers
try these:
Salter 9106 Glass Body Analyser Scale White
they measure much more than weight and BMI - but by some magic of science they also measure:

Records Body Fat, water and muscle mass

weight is not the whole story of course

SteveR_100Milers

The BC-543 does all that too. I've already ordered a set from Amazon.

Variado

Tanita do a range that measure body fat percentage. The absolute figure isn't necessarily that accurate (5% range I think) - but the inaccuracy in the absolute value is fairly constant from what I've heard.

I have a set that seem pretty good, at least in relative terms - I measure myself first thing in the morning, and find that body fat never varies by more than 0.2% day-to-day. I'm somewhat suspicious about the absolute calibration, it reckons 10-11% and i think that's a percent or two too low.

SteveR_100Milers

Variado wrote:

Tanita do a range that measure body fat percentage. The absolute figure isn't necessarily that accurate (5% range I think) - but the inaccuracy in the absolute value is fairly constant from what I've heard.

I have a set that seem pretty good, at least in relative terms - I measure myself first thing in the morning, and find that body fat never varies by more than 0.2% day-to-day. I'm somewhat suspicious about the absolute calibration, it reckons 10-11% and i think that's a percent or two too low.

Acc to the Tamita website, the morning is not a good time to measure for consistency, as variations in hydration levels, plus water is concentrated in the trunk not the limbs. There is a bit about "athlete"setting which compensates for the leaner / greater muscle mass of a trained body; quote "10 hours or intense aerobic activity per week". This might be why your absolute measurements seem inaccurate. Personally I've not yet been convinced that electrical impulses on a cheap domestic appliance up the legs can measure body fat and bone density at all accurately, I would guess that it would need to be pretty sophisticated and therefore expensive to be able to measure it all over the body.