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I normally steer clear of scales at all costs. When I was pregnant with my first son, I was adamant that no one tell me what the scale read because I did not want to obsess over my weight while pregnant. One day the nurse yelled my number across the room to the OB and I was mortified. I went home in tears and switched practices immediately.
Extreme? Maybe. But anyone who has had issues with their weight can relate to how much of an impact the number on the scale will have on your feeling of self worth.
So, why did I accept a Tanita InnerScan Body Composition to review? Because truthfully my pants are not getting any looser. I need a BIG push and what better way than a scale that doesn’t focus on weight alone, but also gives me my body fat percentage?
Here are some of the features of the one I received (Model BC534):
- Weight
- Body Fat %
- Body Water %
- Daily Caloric Intake (DCI)
- Metabolic Age
- Bone Mass
- Modes: Standard and Athlete
- 4 person memory
- Weight and Body Fat recall
The only feature missing from this scale is the ability to yell “HEY! Put that brownie down!” (maybe next time?) If you are in the market for a new scale, this one definitely has it all. You can buy it online here.
When it arrived in the mail, I jumped on it instantly. Maybe you heard me shriek?
It wasn’t pretty and just as I had thought, my day was ruined. After really thinking it over though, I decided to make this scale my friend, not my foe.
I have set up a date with my Tanita for every other day when I will record my numbers in a small notebook.
I am not focused on the pounds, I am mainly concerned with my body fat percentage. I realize that the numbers on a scale will fluctuate daily, so I am not tying myself to a specific number. I just want to see a downward trend, something that will give me some much needed positive reinforcement.
So for right now, my Tanita InnerScan Body Composition scale is my new fat loss buddy.
How about you, is your scale a friend or foe?
Photo credit: lady_ishmael24
Written on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Filed under product reviews.
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April 4th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Friend and Foe!! I want one!!
April 4th, 2008 at 8:02 am
Foe, foe, always a foe. I haven’t weighed myself since late 2007 and it has been so freeing, and here’s why: I know if the number is “good,” I will fee great for the day and that means I am letting a number decide my fate. If the number is “bad,” it will ruin my day and..same thing applies. If I don’t weigh myself but feel good, my clothes fit, my husband is drooling, etc, things are fine and I’d rather not know. I also remember reading a magazine article where the author weighed herslef at numerous points throughout the day - upon waking, after breakfast, at lunch, at bedtime, etc. She fluctuated five lbs but by the next morning, she was back to baseline. I just don’t want to know if I’ve gained four pounds of water/food weight on a random Tuesday.
As an aside, they offer free body fat testing at my gym sometimes - you hold onto this Nintendo-like device and the trainer tells you what your % is. I ALWAYS see guys - of any shape - go over. Women avoid it like gangrene.
April 4th, 2008 at 8:16 am
you know my thoughts
I did however use to have one of those when I had my studio.
people really liked it and while hydrostatic weighing might be the most accurate I didnt have a tub in which to dunk em.
I practice the SAME ARTICLE OF CLOTHING method.
M.
MizFit’s last blog post..Link Love and a (this time let’s start with the) Friday FREEBIE!
April 4th, 2008 at 8:57 am
FOE!
We have a cheapy digital scale that is soooo not accurate.
I prefer to gauge myself by how my clothes are fitting.
In the Trenches of Mommyhood’s last blog post..Under the Knife
April 4th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I have this scale and I LOVE it!!! I got it on drugstore.com for dirt cheap…like 40 bucks!!
Lee’s last blog post..I feel like I’ve already done the race…
April 4th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Neither. Mine is just a tool. When I got my Tanita this winter, I weighed in 7 lbs heavier. But I had prepared myself for that because my dr’s office always weighs me heavier and it’s digital too. Clothing can’t amount to the 5-7 pound overage.
Now I am used to it and can deal with the numbers, good or bad.
Janb’s last blog post..Two good days.
April 4th, 2008 at 11:29 am
I don’t worry about the weight so much either and I too have been stuck! My body fat hasn’t moved in a year…so darn frustrating! I use the Omron BF Analyzer to see if my numbers go down and FINALLY, I am happy to say, they are sloooowly decreasing! Just gotta keep working hard now so it KEEPS moving!
Good Luck to you Workout Mommy! ;0)
Angie’s last blog post..The Natural Pizza
April 4th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Friend and Foe. The funny thing is, I need either be weighing every day or not at all. Every day works for me, not because I’m obsessed, but because strangely it’s easier for me to see the bigger picture, water fluctuations, effects of TOM, etc…
When i only weigh once a week or so, I tend to place more emphasis on the number rather than the overall trend.
Katieo’s last blog post..Friday Weigh-In
April 4th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Janb, you are my hero!
I stopped weighing myself last summer. I stopped dieting, stopped overexercising, and my clothes are looser.
But this one measures bone density? That’s pretty cool!
April 4th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
OOOH - that looks like a cool scale!
April 4th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Ooh, I like the looks of that.
I admit, I’m one of those people who jumps on the scale every second day. But honestly, it doesn’t make me have a “good” or a “bad” day- the reason I do it is because I want to be sure that I’m staying roughly the same weight and because I’m frankly really curious to see how things like illness/menstrual cycles etc affect the scale.
But I’m with you, my actual weight isn’t something that is of huge concern, it’s body fat percentage that would be of much more interest to me if I had a scale like yours. In terms of seeing how healthy I am, I prefer to judge it by clothes that fit and how many push ups I can do and such. But the scale serves its purpose to satisfy my inquisitive mind:)
Sagan’s last blog post..Food in Politics
April 4th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
I hate the scale. It’s definitely a foe. I feel like I’m getting stronger and more in shape, but my scale says otherwise. I hate it! I may have to look into getting something like this instead.
April 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
It is both for me. Keeps me on track, but like someone mentioned, it can ruin a perfectly good morning. I am more of a slave to the number than I should be, but I am much better than I was in the past. If I did not have a scale, I would be in trouble. Rising numbers are a good indicator for me that I need to change something. Almost a necessary evil for me. With this pregnancy I have seen the number go up more than I hoped for, and the number on the scale was an important reminder that I needed to stop eating like I was training for the Goofy Challenge and still running 50 miles/week. I have the older version of this scale and have not used the body fat % feature in a long time- mine would vary so much from day to day, I couldn’t tell if it was going up or down!!
Jennifer’s last blog post..I’m One Fit Mommy
April 4th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
the great scale debate it is!
Leslie: another great observation about men. My hubby loves the scale, even though he shouldn’t!
MizFit: the same article of clothing method is great too. unfortunately I am using a dress from 10 years ago that is never going to fit again! (everything has shifted, thanks to kids!)
Angie, you are right. Keep working hard (food and exercise) and the numbers will go south.
Trenches: stay off the cheapy scale and stick with your method.
Britni: muscle weighs more than fat, so take that into account when jumping on your scale.
sagan: I’m with you. Inquiring minds need to know!
alyssa: that is awesome about the looser clothes! Did you change your diet/exercise plan?
April 4th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
friend and foe. It definitely has the power to ruin my day. Sigh. But it also helps keep on track better than anything else.
I have a tanita - older model though - and the BF% is waaay off. I just watch to see whether it is trending up or down & ignore the actual number. To check my BF% I get caliper-ed at my gym and occassionally to the hydrostatic test.
Let us know how it goes!
charlotte’s last blog post..What Not To Wear: Gym Edition
April 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
I have a similar scale… although I think it only does the body fat and water %, no bone mass.
What I’m curious about is whether or not anyone who uses these kinds of scales records their %’s like they do their weight. Is that something y’all track in a spreadsheet or just review each time you step on the scale?
Lady’s last blog post..Seize the Day
April 4th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I actually have this scale. I love it. I need to be kept accountable and weighing works for me. I’m through with the weight loss phase and I focus mostly on my body composition. Like you I’m just looking for a downward trend.
Mrs Furious’s last blog post..Sucking It Up
April 4th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
I actually have this scale. I love it. I need to be kept accountable and weighing works for me. I’m through with the weight loss phase and I focus mostly on my body composition. Like you I’m just looking for a downward trend.
April 4th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Friend and foe. I, too, was horrified by my body % when I first got my scale and stepped on it. However, it was the reality check and motivation I needed to really start to focus on getting back into shape and losing weight.
Slacker Mama’s last blog post..a little fun with photoshop
April 4th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I weigh myself WAY too much. I don’t put any stock in it except in the morning. I do think it’s a guy thing.
RYC~the Zip n’Steam bags don’t say anything about one time use. They really are pretty sturdy and if you’re into cleaning them out, I’m sure they can easily be reused. Personally, I didn’t want to take the time to do so. I took them to work a few times and decided it was just easier to dump them when finished.
TB-Milwaukee’s last blog post..Broccoli
April 4th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
I think you should go by how you feel and how your clothes feel.
I told my wife to stop weighing herself so often. Now, she weighs herself once a week, on the same day, a Monday morning.
p’s last blog post..Feed Your Bacteria for a Healthy Digestive Tract
April 4th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Foe, but a necessary evil. I hate scales just because I don’t think they’re accurate, but it does give you a baseline to go by.
Mommie
Mommie’s last blog post..Stigma of Stay at Home Dads
April 5th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Happy DONATE THAT DRESS TO GOODWILL AND CHOOSE A NEW BENCHMARK PIECE OF CLOTHING day!
It’s time to set yourself up for success
enjoy your trip to the closet
got any swanky jeans you wanna use? shorts?
I can wait while you look.
(*drums fingers on table*)
M.
MizFit’s last blog post..Link Love and a (this time let’s start with the) Friday FREEBIE!
April 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
charlotte: i’ve never tried the hydrostatic test,I’m not sure I am brave enough for that!
Lady: I’m a numbers nerd, so I’m keeping a chart of the figures.
Thanks Mrs F for “weighing in”, lol!
tb: thanks for the ziploc tip!
P: do you weigh yourself too, or just your wife?
mizfit: you crack me up! I have not been shopping for nice clothes in over three years! My jeans are definitely not swanky! Maybe it’s time to venture out of the house and go shopping. (ugh)
April 5th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
foe! i hate scales, i hate number, this is why i probably hated math in high school as well! The last scale I bought was a kitchen scale i needed for my baking class in culinary school. It took me forever to choose one and i still sneer at it, only whipping it out when i make stuff for class. I am a frozen yogurt aholic and at my local shop the have a scale! and theres a woman i see from time to time the weighs her yogurt! i know they put a lot in the cups and obviously more than the serving size in the nutrition facts, but its usually sugar free yogurt which has like nearly nothing but air to begin with! I am scared to weigh myself and i am scared to weigh me food!
April 6th, 2008 at 5:47 am
you DO.
and may I tag along?
and I guess it means (here at least) that we are headed to the gap (*wink*)
did a viewer mail on this last week which was pre-empted by my fall off the BOSU/using THAT email question all about how I use the clothing to keep tabs and not the scale.
cant wait to see if Im alone in this as Id *assumed* I was….
yours in aspiring to Citizens of Humanity or SomeSuchNameBrand$$$ denim,
M.
MizFit’s last blog post..The YouBars arrived! The YouBars arrived.
April 6th, 2008 at 9:58 am
Thanks for this post! The scale and I definitely have a love/hate relationship. I have a cheap digital scale and I’ve often considered upgrading to one that reflects the points in between the pounds.
I do weigh daily and find that it keeps me in check, however the fact that there are many days that the scale doesn’t move, it would be VERY encouraging to see other areas of my body improving.
I’ll definitely be looking into this model. ^_^
April 7th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
One of my readers nicknamed her scale, Rita Tanita. That cracked me up so! I have a Tanita, and I’ve been trying to spend time with her only once a month.
I think the talking feature would be great, not only “put that brownie” but “do not let the number on the scale steal your happiness.”
Stephanie Quilao’s last blog post..Funny: Birthday cake then and now