On test: sophisticated scales

There's more to maintaining a healthy body than keeping an eye on your weight

Whether you're actively engaged in losing weight, or just want to keep an eye on your body, your own set of scales is the easiest tool for the job. Yes, you can hop on in public at the gym or in the chemist, but wouldn't you prefer the privacy of your own personal bathroom weigh-in?

 

But a healthy body isn't just about the stones and pounds, which is why the latest generation of scales offer more. The Salter Bodywise Analyser Scale will tell you your weight in metric or imperial, but also inform you of your body fat content, body water content, muscle mass, body mass index (BMI) and basal metabolic rate (BMR).

 

What does it mean?

Body fat gives a better measure of fitness than weight alone. You could have a high percentage of fat even if your weight is ‘normal'. It's useful to know your muscles mass because we may lose up to 50% of our muscle between the ages of 20 and 90. Your body burns 110 extra calories for each kilo of muscle. Unless you replace that, you could be losing muscle and gaining fat. BMI is the ratio of weight to height, which determines whether you are overweight. Your BMR measures the number of calories used by the body at rest, just to keep ticking over.

 

The scales store the data for up to 12 users, so that you can keep track of weight loss, check that you're not losing muscle mass, and check that you're adequately hydrated. The scales come with an instruction manual, so that you can understand what your results mean.

How does it work?

Bio Impedance Analysis (BIA) technology passes a tiny electrical impulse through the body to determine fat from lean tissue. This impulse is imperceptible.

 

The specifications

The scales are stainless steel, with a blue LCD display, with a maximum capacity of 28st. Three modes: normal, child and athlete. Metric and imperial. Four AAA batteries (included). Fifteen-year guarantee.

 

What did our testers say?

Eight people from around the office stepped on to the scales. Here are some typical comments: 

Best thing: ‘It takes into account your sex, height and tells you your BMI.' ‘Gives you an all-round picture of your stats, not just your weight' - Jemma. ‘Easy to use.' ‘The [BMR] is interesting; I've never seen that before.' 'Really lightweight' - Adrienne

Worst thing: ‘No muscle mass info in the booklet' - Jemma. ‘The readings weren't easy to record as a first-time user' - Yanar. ‘The display turns off too quickly' - Jemma. ‘Data scrolls too quickly' - Dan.

Anything else: ‘It was enlightening but could become a bit addictive!' - Jemma. ‘Sceptical about accuracy but impressive if it's backed by evidence' - Gerard. ‘Very affordable'. ‘They look good' - Jemma. 'Because your data is stored it's easy to see any changes - good or bad!' - Adrienne

 

Price: £49.99 - 50% off at www.boots.com until June 30

 

Stockists: Argos, Comet, John Lewis, House of Fraser, Amazon, Sainsbury's, Boots.com and Littlewoods Direct