I have also been happy with our Renphos (his and hers)
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One guy anecdote. No data. There’s too much of that going around.
My Renpho in conjuction with smartscalesync syncs my body fat % into Garmin Connect. smartscalesync really a no brainer for a couple of euro a month. I sync renpho to fitbit, and then from there smartscalesync sends it to Connect, TrainerRoad, Strava.
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This. I have the same scale and observe similar results - daily weigh-ins at the same time/condition and which weight does fluctuate, it’s no more than would be expected. The other stats are all over the place though. The one with the hand sensors on a string I believe is more accurate from having read a couple of reviews, but we’re talking degrees here.
One thing to be aware of is that getting the data onto Garmin Connect is a faff. They don’t sync directly so you need to use an intermediary. You can synchronise weight, but not the other data, via MyFitnessPal. Somebody mentioned Smart Scale Sync earlier, which I can’t say anything about as I’ve never used it. It’s not free though. I’ve managed to do it (and to TR as well) using withings-sync (GitHub - jaroslawhartman/withings-sync: Synchronisation of Withings weight) which most probably isn’t a solution that would suit most.
There’s a lot to be said also for good old fashioned methods of measuring with a tape (doesn’t do fat mass, but will give you an indication of visceral fat trends over time which if you’re looking at it from an overall health perspective is a good thing. Mentally good too when the trend is downwards)
Except that “one guy” happens to be one of the faces/voices of TR… and the comment was never suggested to be more than anecdotal.
I’d say there’s a bigger issue of people eager to point out problems without offering solutions.
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Not free, but faff free for $15 a year/ $2 a month. And you do get the body fat % synced.
I’m at a point were I need to get healthy again, a stressfull year with our first child hasnt left me in the best way. Knowing where I was a few years ago, and where I felt healthy, I’ve got 25 lbs to lose.
This video seems logical to me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2HXE1-il_Q , and I’ve definitely done it wrong in the past (using exercise to give me cals to spend later in the day and not fueling the work).
I need to make this relatively easy, so considering a new scale, My “EatSmart” scale seems fine, but doesn’t record the data anywhere, unless I do, which is hit or miss. I’d like to do some more of the data driven things suggested in the video, but seems like it could be a mess with bad data. Do I just eat the calories burnt in the workout and not worry about the rest? Being a relatively bigger rider, with a 340w FTP untrained, this is a ton of food often.
Would it make sense to step up to a higher end scale for the sake of accuracy, or only for convenience? The withing’s BodyScan brought up earlier, anyone have any data that says its actually better than others? I didn’t expect to spend 400 on a scale, but…
I bought the more expensive Withings scale and it’s clearly both inaccurate and inconsistent. I still use it as a plain scale, but track BF changes with simple skinfold calipers. I don’t even worry about the BF% formula, I just measure three spots that are easy to replicate (around moles) and track how the numbers change over time.
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When I’ve done this, I haven’t lost much weight. These days when tracking calories, I look at the kjs burned on the ride, and only add half back to burn later. If it was a really hard glycolytic workout, I might add back more carbs.
Not sure what you mean by ‘not worry about the rest’.
For what it’s worth, I ended up buying the Oxiline scale which was rated as most accurate in one of the reviews/articles mentioned in this thread. It records to its own app (FitDays) via Bluetooth and the app must be open in order to record, which is great for me since it reassures the women in the house that their weight will NOT be shown to anyone else.
Based on the first week or so of use, I’m quite happy with it. Readings are pretty consistent and the scale separates out stuff like subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, etc. which provide good markers for me to keep track of. All BIA scales have limited accuracy, but within that space this scale looks to be a pretty good option.
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The next thing will be to take a selfie then get AI to calculate your body fat.
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This is already out there
I super dislike the Garmin walled garden when it comes to body composition / weight sync from Apple/Google or third parties. In fact they only sync weight from MyFitnessPal (owned by a private equity firm now) which is inferior, IMHO, to Macro Tracking apps like Cronometer. So, I have a Withings Body Smart scale (Reach your body goals - Body Smart | Withings) that I’m very happy with. And I use some free software to sync body composition to Garmin.
It works with Garmin’s 2FA as well which smartscalesync does not currently support and as mentioned this project is free.
Sean
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(i know it’s not free but SmartScaleSync does support Garmin 2FA now)
My final comment on the Oxiline is that I like how it works and I like the app. My only beef is that about 2/3 of the days I don’t get any BIA readings at all, just weight. Not sure why, and it happens on all three of my scales.
For me, it’s not a big deal… I track weight and stats as a general, long-term trend, so getting body comp stats twice a week is more than fine. But it does drop my “really happy” evaluation of the scale to “OK, fine, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it to others.”
Amazing that no one seems to make a REALLY good strong product in this space.
It’s because the science is kind of bogus. Sure, the measurement works but the margin of error is enormous enough that using these things for anything but a longterm trend is pointless.
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Dexa scan. Most places offer deals on punch cards with 10+ scans so you can save money.
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Or don’t waste your money. Weigh oneself with a scale and then look in the mirror. There are a ton of these bodyfat % charts online that will give one a ballpark estimate. Google to find 100 more charts:
By any chance are you using the app on IOS?
I had a similar issue with the Withings app not displaying some of the key metrics, such as BMI. Turned out that another app was rewriting my weight to Apple Health, which then got pulled into the Withings app — so every day I had 2 weight readings… one from the scale with all measurements, and one from the other app that just included weight.
Once I changed the perms of my other app to only read weight and not write it to Apple Health, the duplication stopped and my Withings app calcs and displays the metrics from the scale properly now.
Not sure if this is the same issue you are having, but might be worth checking.
Thank you. No, my issue is different. I’m using the app they recommend and not getting duplication. It’s simply that on some days, the scale gives me all the data it should, and on other days, the scale gives me weight and BMI, nothing more. Other metrics display blank on the scale and on the app.
I’d say I get full metrics 1 out of 3 times. Seems like a weakness in the product, though I don’t mind it much. I really am interested only in the long-term trend myself, and I wanted identical scales in several places: this fit the bill. So I’m happy, but thought others should know.