A Scale That Motivates You To Get in Shape – The Withings Wifi Body Scale
A weight scale is a weight scale right? Step on, look at some sort of display that is either analog or even digital, and read your weight in pounds, kilograms, or stones. Simple product that would be hard to improve upon. That is what I thought until I saw the Withings Wifi Body Scale
. The folks at this company took a simple product that no one thought could be improved upon, and improved it.
How it Works
With most scales, you put it on a flat surface, step on and read your weight. With the Withings scale there is a bit more setup involved. First thing you need to do is go to the Withings website and download the initiation software so that your computer can talk to you scale for the initial set up. Once this is downloaded and installed on your system, you use the included USB cable to connect your scale to your computer (Mac or PC). Form there the software you downloaded goes to work and walks you through the setup steps getting your age, height, and most importantly details of your wifi network in your house.
For this step you are going to need the name of your wifi network and the password to join that network.
Once all that is done the scale is good to go – you place it on a flat surface and step on it for the first time. The scale goes through its test, determining your weight, body fat, lean mass, and body mass index (a useless metric). Once complete the scale does its magic – it sends out the readings to the Withings website where it is updated for you.
Your Results Displayed
The scale communicates with the Withings servers and presents the results on your own password-protected area of their site. On this site you will see your weight, body fat, and lean body mass displayed neatly for you. You can see my owns personal results in the image below (click for a larger view):
The beauty is that all this happens behind the scenes – step on the scale in the morning and immediately the scale sends the data to the website so you can view it later and analyze your results.
iPhone App
There is also an good iPhone app that you can view your results on. It works very similar to the website, only formatted better for the iPhone. I actually find I use the iPhone App more than the website as I am out and about. Here is what the app looks like (not my results):
Twitter / Facebook Social Networking
If you were so inclined, you are also able to have the scale Tweet or Facebook your results each time you weight yourself. You would think that someone like me who blogs about his weight loss and fitness journey would be ok with this. However, I have not used it and don’t really like the idea of doing this. Maybe one day I will turn it on – but not right now!
The Body Fat Measurement
It is generally accepted out there that the body fat measurements done by these body fat scales using electro-impedence are not that accurate. However, I have found the results to be generally accurate, as compared to my BodPod results. That being said, I do see the normal swings in body fat from the morning to evening measurements, which is a result of my hydration levels. However, I use the scale at 5:00 am in the morning shortly (30 minutes) after waking up to try to manage out the variables. With these scales the number is not the most important thing – it is the trend. I want to see my body fat going down over a period of a few weeks.
Why The Scale Works for Me
One could argue that a norma body fat scale without the wifi feature could do the same thing, but I find the way the scale sends my data to the Withings website or iPhone app that I can track and analyze very motivating. I like to see the body fat go down and actually look forward to waking up in the morning to step on the scale. I do not worry too about the day-to-day fluctuations that I see, but love to see the longer term trends (now three weeks of reduced fat and weight). This is very motivating and rewarding.
If you are in the market for a new scale, I would recommend the Withings Wifi Body Scale
Where to Get the Scale
I bought mine at the Apple store however I wished I had checked Amazon as the prices are definitely cheaper there. You can view the positive reviews on the scale and buy with free shipping at Amazon. Click here to read more.
Fitness Measurement Update – July 30
Today I a fitness measurement test using the BodPod. My last test was on May 3, 2011. Since that time I have had a couple of vacations with unlimited eating. In between that time I have been relatively strict, especially in the past two weeks as I was done with the mental diet break of looser eating protocols and not watching/tracking the macros. In the past couple of weeks I have limited my carb intake to 100 grams (net carbs) per day and about 160 grams of protein and the rest fat. This works out to about 1850 kcal’s per day.My training has also changed. I am now going to a new gym which is very strength and conditioning focused. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I do work with a class where everyday is different, but we primarily do things like battle ropes, TRX moves, tire flips, and other metabolic strength work. On the other days I lift for strength and growth with lifts like squats, pull-ups (chins and wide grip), deadlifts, glute ham ham raises, etc. It seems to be a good balance and as you will see below it is working.
Here are the BodPod measurements:
May 3, 2011 (lb)
Body Mass : 160
Fat Mass: 38
Fat Free Mass: 122
BF %: 23.8%
July 30, 2011 (lb)
Body Mass : 159.7
Fat Mass: 28.8
Fat Free Mass: 130.9
BF %: 18%
As you can see, I have gained 8 pounds of muscle and dropped around 4% body fat, all while staying at the same weight. To me that is what I am looking to do.
My goal is still to get to 10% bodyfat which means I need to get my body weight down to around 145 pounds and put on some more mass. I hope to hit this goal on October 31, 2011. Stay tuned and we will see….
Recent Body Fat Testing and RMR Test Results
I recently just had some professional fitness tests completed, and the results were fascinating! The two tests that I had completed were a body composition test (aka body fat measurement) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) test.
Body Composition Test
I had been measuring my body fat at home using two methods, and obviously I really had no idea if the results were accurate or not. The first method I used was my body fat scale from Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor. Based on my research on these products, I knew that the results would be shitty, but I really had no idea. The results were way off. However, one nice thing about the scale is that they tend to show the trend in body fat. If my body fat was going down it showed that, and visa versa.
The second at home body fat testing I was doing was with my Warrior Digital Body Fat Caliper and OrbiTape Body Tape Measure. The results from using these two tools was much more accurate, and I would recommend that anyone use them.
This leads us to the professional body fat test I had completed. I was really looking to get a BodPod or DEXA scan test done, but was unable to find either of those in my city. As such, I then went on the hunt for a highly qualified and experienced manual body fat tester. I landed on using Cory at TCR Sport Lab based on feedback and the sheer number of tests he has completed in his career (this is important – the more experienced the tester the better).
Cory uses a 7-site body fat test with calipers. The results for me were quite good, and beyond what I expected. I measured a 9.97% body fat. This is deceiving on my body as a former fat boy I have a good deal of loose skin around my abdomen which tends to hide the abs. My legs, back, arms, and chest however are very lean. Damn male genetics! Here are the results:
Click to EnlargeI plan to have this test done every 6-weeks or so while continuing to use my Warrior calipers to test in between. This will help me stay on track and test my program and nutrition.
RMR Test
The RMR Test is an easy test, but requires some pretty complicated equipement to have it done. Essentially the tester hooks you up to a breathing tube, you lean back, watch a movie or close your eyes, and just breath for 30 minutes. While you do this, a machine hooked up to a computer measures the gases you release in your breathing to calculate your resting metabolic rate. Essentially, it is measuring how many calories you burn in a day, just sitting around.
This was a great test to have done as I had always been guessing using the various formulas on the web that calculated RMR. This allowed me to medically calculate what my rate of calorie expenditure is. The interesting thing is that the results are very close to the standard calculation of body weight times 11. The results from my test were that I burned 1790 calories per day.. With this number I can now plan my diet out with better accuracy.
Click to EnlargeSummary
I am very glad that I spent the money to get both of these tests done. The best benefit is that I have taken the guesswork out of the process, especially my RMR. I can now dial in my diet much better now. I look forward to using this data and improving my fitness and body comp.
How I Use Evernote to Track My Workouts
There are literally hundreds of tools out there to track workouts. The most obvious is a simple pen and paper. I would say that this is certainly the most common (next to not tracking at all). However, given my obsession with tech that just won’t do for me.
My platform of choice is the iTouch. It started out as just a way to listen to music or podcasts while I worked out but has evolved over time. Although I still use it to listen to podcasts and right now Iron Maiden is pumping me up, I have really started to use it to keep track of every workout.
I have tried a lot of the various exercise tracking apps available on iTunes, but for each of them I found that they were not always exactly as I wanted them to be. I had to force my tracking process to their way of doing it. The iFitness and Flex Workout apps both have their pluses, but I just find that I spend too much time fiddling around with them to make them work for me.
One app that I have used for a long time is Evernote. Evernote allows users to capture, save and easily retrieve all of those notes, web clips, links, and anything else you want to remember on computers and mobile devices. It only recently occurred to me that I could use it to track my workouts.
It is very simple really. For each upcoming workout I add to the top of an existing entry with the date, routine, and starting weight. As I move through the workout I add the successful weights and reps. Since pictures speak a thousand words, here is a screenshot from my log:
Click to EnlargeAs you can see, I am doing a StrongLifts 5×5 routine right now and on Sunday Sept 5 I had a fail on the Overhead press where I was only able to squeeze out 4 at 55 pounds as opposed to my planned 5. The next day I was scheduled to do the overhead press I new that I needed to try again at 55 pounds. Simple.
So, if you are looking for a way to track your workouts in a very easy way, and one that you can sync between your iPhones, iTouches, or iPads then Evernote is certainly worth a look.
Bought a Tantia Body Fat Scale
I spent yet more money on a digital weight loss tool, and this time is was something that I resisted for a long time because of the negative reviews of accuracy. Body fat scales have been plagued and demonized on the web because of their lack of accuracy in measuring body fat. However, it was one of the tools I did not have and when I passed by it one day in a sports store I plopped the credit cards down and bought it.
Which One Did I Buy
I purchased the BC 532, but depending on which country you are in the actual product number may be different. The image of it is at the beginning of this post.
Is it Accurate
The important thing to note about a body fat scale is that the measurement can change a lot during the day. If I measure myself first thing in the morning my reading can be much higher than at the end of the day. For example, when I first got it my readings in the morning were around 19% while at the end of the day was around 18%. 1% in body fat is a big deal.
The reason for this, according to Tantia, is my hydration levels. The higher your hydration levels, the more accurate and consistent your readings will be.
It is All About the Trend
That being said, I now take my weight measurements first thing in the morning and then my body fat measurements before I go to bed, at exactly the same time. I ensure that I am hydrated sufficiently each time. With this structure in mind, the true value of a body fat scale can be realized.
As opposed to the distinct number it gives me, I am not watching the body fat trend in relation to my weight. What I actually want to see is my weight staying the same or going up while my body fat goes down. This way I know I am maintaining (or putting on muscle) and getting rid of that body fat. I have seen this effect as my reading is now around 17.5% (I started around 20%) while my weight has only decrease slightly. That is the right trend.
Glad I Bought It
Overall, I am glad I bought it as it has given me one more key performance indicator to track on my journey. Without measurement we have no idea if what we are doing is working or hindering us. That to me is invaluable.
If you are interested in a scale like this, the cheapest I have seen it is on Amazon.
