Well, I broke down and got my own scale. Despite being an advocate for non-numbers goals and focusing on feeling and living better over worry about your weight, I decided to try to look at the scale as another tool in my fitness arsenal. It's much easier to do that with some of the fancy scales available these days - scales aren't just for weight anymore!
The EatSmart Precision BodyCheck digital scale actually offers a wide range of measurements and calculations to give you a much fuller picture of what's happening inside your body. While it still weighs you, there are also settings for measuring body mass index (BMI), bone mass, body water, mineral mass, and calorie estimation. That's a whole lot of information!
Disclaimer: I was provided a scale at no cost in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.
So how does the scale actually *ahem* measure up when put to use? For starters, it's pretty simple to use, and the instruction manual makes it very easy to learn. The first thing I did was create a "profile" with my gender, activity level, height, and age. Up to eight profiles can be stored; supposedly the scale can tell which user just stepped on by taking the person's weight, so you don't have to push buttons to find your profile (or remember which was yours). I don't have any other profiles stored on the scale, and testing with another profile of my own information wouldn't really let me test it, so that function remains untried.
As far as accuracy, I can definitely say the weight measurements seem to be pretty accurate. I tested this by weight in on my scale, then weighing in on several other scales to take an average, which I compared to my scale. The average was less than half a pound off the EatSmart measurement - I'd say that's pretty good. I'm skeptical of the other measurements, though. It isn't as easy to verify the accuracy of calculations you're not sure how to take yourself, and the method of data collection for those measurements and calculations is an electropulse from a thin strip of metal on the scale face. Maybe this is a normal way to collect that data, but honestly I do not fully understand how that little pulse can accurately measure something like BMI.
Once I better understand how the functions are calculated, I'll probably appreciate the scale a lot more. I definitely do like the big, bright, easy to read display! I also very much like the sleek, modern design of the scale, much better than the old clunky thing my parents had in the house. By the time I get my own place again, I'll know better how to use the various bells and whistles to help me understand my body better, which will help me continue to build a better lifestyle. That's the real goal, after all!
Do you use a scale frequently? How do you feel about weight as a fitness measure? Ever used a scale with other measurement functions?
This looks like a great scale! I like that it has the BMI, body water etc, pretty neat!
ReplyDeleteIt would be so handy to have one of these!
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