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Are you looking to take control of your healthcare? Personal body fat monitors are an accurate way to improve your health and focus on fat loss and overall fitness.
Owning a BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis) device makes tracking your health extremely convenient.
Whether it's to save time and money over gym memberships and doctor's appointments or simply taking advantage of the ease of use, many people are turning to BIA devices.
But how do body fat scales and handheld body fat analyzers compare? What are the differences? Which one should you purchase? Let's take a look.
How Do Body Fat Analyzers Work?
Most household devices employ a process called bioelectrical impedance analysis. This process sends a harmless and completely imperceptible electric current through the body. This electrical current moves at different speeds through the different cell types of the body.
This signal speed allows the product to determine the user's body composition.
As an example, the electric current will move slower through body fat than it will through muscle or body water. These speed changes can provide accurate results measuring body fat and other compositional factors.
Handheld Body Fat Analyzers Accuracy?
Handheld body fat analyzers have an accuracy of 3.5-5%.
There are a lot of factors that go into handheld body fat analyzers, most specifically when it comes to body fat measurement. This can include the areas of the body measured by the device, physical body changes, and personal habits.
Some devices measure only the lower body, others the upper body, and some measure a combination from legs to arms. It is believed that the handheld devices that measure from leg to the arm are most accurate, as they are the only ones that measure belly fat.
Personal habits such as exercise and eating shortly before a body fat reading can affect the results. Changes in body temperature, water hydration, or conditions such as menstruation are also said to affect the accuracy of handheld BIA device readouts.
It is recommended to measure body fat at the same time every day, and under the same conditions if possible, to better ensure accurate results.
Main Differences Between Handheld Devices And Body Fat Scales
Explore The Fit Track Dara and Atria Wrist Watch
Handheld body fat analyzers are used exactly how they sound. Hold onto the handles and wait a few seconds for your results.
Digital bathroom scales require the user to step onto electrodes in order to begin the BIA process. Both options use bioelectrical impedance analysis to determine body mass index.
Body fat scales are the most convenient way to check body fat measures on a daily basis. These devices seamlessly sync to smartphones via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to allow the user to keep track of their daily readouts in the accompanying app -- something the handheld devices simply do not do.
Anyone can make use of this app, thanks to its compatibility with both Apple and Android devices. This makes the Dara FitTrack scale one of the best body fat scales on the market.
Another great benefit of smart scales is that they are able to provide a more comprehensive overview of your overall body composition.
The Dara FitTrack scale is not only great for measuring body fat but provides 17 different readouts, including bone mass, hydration level, and more. The list of these data points is as follows:
Fit Track Scale Body Composition Readouts
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your boy needs to perform typical daily actions
- Body Mass Index is a ratio that includes your height and weight to determine your BMI
- Like a traditional bathroom scale, a digital scale also provides your Total Body Weight
- Standard Weight provides a good goal for weight loss, as it is considered the average healthy weight for your age and height
- The Weight Control option allows you to see the difference between your Total Body Weight and your Standard Weight
- If your BMI is in an unhealthy range, the Dara FitTrack scale will inform you of your Obesity Degree in terms of body fat percentage
- For curious bodybuilders, the Weight Without Body Fat option will tell you how much you would weigh, subtracting any and all body fat
- Users will be given readouts of their Total Body Fat
- The Body Fat Percentage helps you to know how much of your body composition is made up of fat
- The amount of fat carried in your abdominal cavity is known as the Visceral Fat Index; visceral fat is considered high risk when it comes to long-term health issues such as heart disease and certain types of cancer
- Your Total Muscle Weight is the number of pounds made up of muscle carried around in the user's body
- The Muscle Mass option provides an accurate reading of how much of the body is composed of muscle
- Body Age is a calculation that compares your body's Muscle Percentage and Fat Percentage to determine your overall age from a health perspective
- Hydration Level is the total body water percentage, helping you to keep track of whether or not you are hydrated
- Your body's Protein Percentage is the amount of protein making up your body composition
- The amount of protein in the body is known as the Protein Mass
- The Bone Mass readout is the amount of bone in the body, which helps to keep track of bone density changes, a potential warning sign of health issues such as osteoporosis
Along with these 17 compositional readings, the Dara FitTrack scale offers different modes depending on your specific needs.
Users can utilize settings such as Athlete or Infant modes, allowing for insights tailored to their lifestyle and body type. Up to 8 different users can share the same device, with each profile syncing to their specific smartphone.
The Dara FitTrack scale features a long-lasting battery and a sleek design. Stainless steel electrodes covered with tempered glass provide the weight-bearing surface, while the backlit LCD display clearly delivers your results.
Bluetooth compatibility allows both iOS and Android users to sync to their smartphones in order to keep track of compositional data. The free tracking app is compatible with all phones.
There are several ways to purchase the Dara FitTrack scale, including easy and free shipping through Amazon Prime.
Those who buy through the website can choose to pay for the scale outright or to pay in installments. The website also provides bundles that include the matching heart rate monitoring fitness tracker smartwatch.
Fat Scales Compared To Other Body Fat Analyzing Devices
Thanks to modern scientific advancements, there are actually many different options to choose from when it comes to measuring body fat, and most can be quite accurate! So, with such a wide array of choices, how can the average person figure out which best for their own personal needs?
Let's take a quick look at how the Dara FitTrack scale stacks up to other BIA devices.
Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry or DEXA scan measures the speed that dual x-rays travel through the body to determine bone density and soft tissue. This is normally done at a medical facility.
Hydrostatic weighing compares your weight on land and underwater to calculate your body's density. Both of these methods are highly reliable options for measuring body fat, but neither is easy to gain access to -- especially the medical-grade DEXA scan. These can be expensive and typically require some kind of medical appointment, making them difficult for most people to obtain.
The InBody employs multi-frequency measurements to determine resistance values, much like the BIA process, and can give direct results rather than any kind of estimate.
The Bod Pod measures changes in pressure to determine body composition. While both are considered highly accurate methods of reading body fat, both are very expensive and typically require a gym membership to access, making them unrealistic for most people to use on a daily basis.
Perhaps the most accessible body fat analyzing devices, aside from body fat bathroom scales, are handheld body fat monitors and skinfold calipers.
However, while these devices are easier for most people to afford and obtain, they are often considered some of the least accurate ways to measure body fat.
As previously stated, handheld devices do not typically measure visceral fat, nor can they tell the difference between visceral and subcutaneous fat (fat stored just beneath the surface of the skin).
Skinfold calipers can be very accurate if used by someone like a personal trainer who is experienced in administering body mass index tests; however, inexperienced users may find wildly inaccurate readouts.
Like handheld BIA devices, skinfold calipers cannot differentiate between visceral and subcutaneous fat. In fact, they are only able to measure subcutaneous fat due to the way they measure BMI through pinching and measuring the fat under the skin.
Conclusion
When it comes right down to it, body fat scales are simply the gold standard when it comes to ease of use combined with affordable prices and accurate readings.
Products like the Dara FitTrack scale provide an easy and convenient way for people to keep track of their body's changes and their body fat percentage on a daily basis, helping you to stay motivated and informed when it comes to fat loss and your body's health.
