How accurate are body fat scales? The short answer is that they’re not accurate at all.

List of all available Taylor Scale user manuals in our database. Find your product on the list. Body fat scales are also becoming popular. These generally send a small electric current through the feet that measures body density to determine the percentage of body fat. This can be an important metric as it gives you a more accurate picture of your body composition. The most accurate body-weight scale will depend on your specific health goals. Here's what to look for in a scale and four affordable options to consider. 4 Most Accurate Body-Weight Scales to Keep You on Track Livestrong.com. Using this Taylor boy weight and fat% digital scale gives you two easy data points to track to reference your improvements on your path to a healthier lifes.

In fact, you can’t rely on any of the body fat tests out there to track fat loss and muscle growth over time.

Using the results to guide your training and diet decisions may well send you off in completely the wrong direction.

I’ll explain why in a moment. First, I want to take a step back and explain why I don’t trust any of the body fat tests out there.

What Is the Most Accurate Way to Measure Body Fat?

No body fat test, be it body fat scales, DEXA, or skinfold calipers, can accurately measure how much fat you have.

The only way to measure your body fat is to have it stripped out, placed on a scale, and weighed. Although this method, known as carcass analysis, is highly accurate, you have to be dead in order for it to happen.

A body fat test is less of a measurement than it is an estimate. A rough guess about what your body fat percentage really is.

While this guess often comes dressed up in complex equations and fancy charts, it’s still a guess, one that’s often a lot less accurate than many believe.

How Do Body Fat Scales Work?

Body fat scales are one of the most popular ways to measure your body fat, mainly because they’re quick and easy to use. They use a method known as bioelectrical impedance (BIA) to estimate your body composition.

You take your socks off and step on the scales, which then send out a weak electrical current. This current runs up one leg and down the other. The body fat scales then measure the degree of resistance (or impedance) to the flow of the current [2].

Different tissues provide varying levels of resistance, with fat-free mass providing less resistance than fat due to its higher water content. The idea is that by determining the level of resistance to the current, the scale will know how much lean tissue and fat mass you have, which it then uses to estimate your body fat percentage.

Some body fat scales also connect to your smartphone and churn out numerous graphs, charts and diagrams. But while it might look very scientific and official, much of this information is completely useless.

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How Accurate Are Body Fat Scales?

Most research shows that body fat scales aren’t accurate at tracking individual changes in body composition over time. In fact, you could lose fat and gain muscle over a period of several months, but body fat scales might say that your body fat percentage has gone up.

The first and perhaps most obvious problem with body fat scales is that they miss out large segments of your body.

Stand on a set of foot-to-foot body fat scales, for example, and the current will simply go up one leg and down the other [4]. So you’re really only measuring how fat your legs are.

Changes in hydration status will also have a big impact on the results. In fact, bioelectrical impedance analysis seems to interpret a change in body water as a change in fat mass [5].

Levels of total body water can also be affected by the type of training you do. In a group of men using strength training to lose weight, changes in body fat measured by underwater weighing and bioelectrical impedance analysis agreed reasonably well [1].

But in those who lost weight using cardiovascular exercise, bioelectrical impedance analysis underestimated fat loss and overestimated the loss of fat-free mass. This discrepancy appears to have been caused by a change in total body water resulting from an increase in plasma volume, which is one of the adaptations to cardiovascular training.

The argument in favor of body fat testing is that even if a given test isn’t accurate, at least it’s consistent.

In other words, it doesn’t matter if a body fat test is “out” by a few percentage points here or there. As long as it’s consistently inaccurate, you can use it to track your progress over time.

The problem with this idea is that a change in weight causes a shift in the density of various tissues. Different types of training also have different effects on the density and composition of fat-free mass [3].

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But body fat scales wrongly assumes that the density of various tissues is the same from person to person, and remains constant over time as you lose weight.

To put it another way, the degree to which a body fat test is “out” by will change over time. Not only is it inaccurate, it’s inconsistently inaccurate.

Do Scales That Measure Body Fat Work?

When researchers have put body fat scales to the test, the results have been less than impressive.

In one study, researchers from Maastricht University looked at changes in body composition in a group of male bodybuilders. They compared several body fat tests — including bioelectrical impedance analysis, the technology used in body fat scales — with something called the 4-compartment model [6].

The 4-compartment model is currently the gold standard when it comes to predicting body composition, and is the benchmark against which other body fat tests are compared.

Bioelectrical impedance was the least accurate of all the methods. In fact, the error got as high as 8%.

So what does that mean exactly?

Let’s say you step on some body fat scales, and your body fat percentage comes out at 20%. You eat right and train hard for a couple of months, and get down to 15% body fat.

But when you go back for another test, the scales might say that your body fat percentage is still 20%.

Same thing holds true for muscle growth. You could gain 5-6 pounds (around 2-3 kg) of muscle over a period of several months. But the scales might show that you hadn’t gained any muscle at all.

You’d come away with the impression that whatever you’d been doing to generate those results didn’t work, when actually it did.

And you run the risk of ditching a training and nutrition program that’s working and replacing it with one that’s less effective.

Researchers from Texas also tested a number of bioelectrical impedance analysis units, and found an equally large error when compared to the 4-compartment model [7].

Of the three bioelectrical impedance analysis devices they tested, the Omron HBF-306 (single-frequency hand-to-hand electrodes) had the largest error for estimating body fat percentage, clocking in at 7.9%.

That is, if the Omron puts you at 15% body fat, it could really be anywhere between 22.9% and 7.1%.

Both the single-frequency (Tanita TBF-300A, which has foot-to-foot electrodes) and multi-frequency (Seca mBCA 514/515, which has electrodes for both the hands and feet) units didn’t fare much better, with an error of 7.6%.

Assuming they give you a body fat reading of 15%, your true body fat could be as low as 7.4% or as high as 22.6%.

Final Thoughts

A body fat test is meant to let you know when you’ve achieved a specific goal (such as reaching a certain body fat percentage), to let you know if what you’re doing is or isn’t working, as well as appealing to the need that some people have for an “official” estimate of how fat they are.

Body fat scales fail on all three counts, simply because the margin of error is so large.

I’ve worked with people who have clearly lost fat and gained strength over a period of several months. They were stronger. Their clothes fitted better. They looked better in the mirror.

But the body fat percentage scales said that their fat percentage had actually gone up.

This left them feeling like all their hard work had been for nothing. Such was their faith in technology that they were more willing to believe a machine than what their eyes were showing them.

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I received my scale and my first weight reading was really wrong. What happened?

The scale may need to be initialized. This process is necessary because the scale was moved during the shipping process. Initializing the scale “re-seats” the internal parts allowing the scale to find the correct “zero.” Here is how to initialize your scale:

1. Place the scale back on a hard surface floor.
2. With one foot only, place just enough weight on the scale for the display shows zero’s or dashes. Once you see zeros or dashes remove your foot.
3. Wait for the scale to turn off again.
4. Step up onto the scale for a weight.

Or, your scale may be on an uneven surface or on carpet. Be sure to place your scale on a hard, flat surface to get an accurate weighing.

How do I program my body fat scale?

The easiest way to program the scales is to pull the manual up for the scale and follow the directions. The procedure does vary according to the scale.

In general the procedure is to tap the power or set button until it brings up the height and then hit the arrow keys until you get to the correct height. Hit the power or set after each entry usually height, age, gender, athlete mode. It will then beep and you will need to hit the arrow up until you see 1 (this is the memory number) tap the set or power and it will beep again. The scale is now programmed.

The general recall procedure is to hold the power or set button down for 2 seconds (or tap the up arrow) until the memory number goes up. Then just tap the power or set and it will beep. Then step on the scale to get the information. The weight will be first, then running zeroes, then thefat%, and finally water%.

What do the ERR messages mean?

Here are the basic ERR messages and their meanings:

• Error 0: Initialization
• Error 1: Instability (scale is on an uneven surface ex: carpet)
• Error 2: Unit may have been jarred or unit was overloaded (customer went over the maximum weight capacity)
• Error 3: Contact error (Feet were not wet for Body fat reading, feet aren’t big enough to reach sensors)
• Error 4: Body fat is out of range
• Error 5: Water is out of range

I got an ERR2 message and now the scale doesn’t work. What should I do?

The following reset procedure is used when the scale shows an err2, err, 0.0, inaccurate weight, or some other unusual error.

Taylor Body Fat Scale 5573ft Manual

1. Remove the battery from the scale.
2. Sit the scale on a hard surface floor.
3. Step up onto the scale, stand still for about 5 seconds and step off the scale.
4. Re-install your battery.
5. Place the scale back on a hard surface floor.
6. With one foot only, place just enough weight on the scale for the display shows zero’s or dashes. Once you see zeros or dashes remove your foot.
7. Wait for the scale to turn off again.
8. Step up onto the scale for a weight.

If the reset is successful, you should receive a weight right away. If you continue to receive one of the error messages above please call our Customer Service department or contact us via email. You can also try the reset procedure a 2nd time. Sometimes the reset procedure will work the second time.

My scale readout is now blank? Do I have to buy a new battery?

First, did you notice of the scale had a “lo” or “bat” display before it went blank? If so this means the battery needs to be replaced. If you did not get the battery indicator, did you “miss” seeing this? Has it been a week since you were on the scale? If you stand on the scale regularly and did not receive the battery indicator then you can try the reset procedure above. If neither of these cases are true, please contact our Customer Service Dept.

Do I have to “tap” on my scale?

No, all Taylor scales feature an “auto on, auto zero” technology. This means that the scale is ready to be used just by stepping on the scale. Tap scales require the scale to be turned “on” prior to being weighed, and you must wait for the scale to be activated. Taylor scales are auto on, meaning they are ready. If you store your scale upright or in a cupboard, or having used it in awhile, you may need to initialize the scale again. Please see those steps above.

I weighed myself twice right away and the numbers were really different. Is my scale defective?

The manufacturing tolerance is typically plus or minus 2 pounds under 200 lbs, and 1% over 200 lbs. If the readings are within this tolerance, the scale may be performing as designed. If the weights are more than 2 pounds, your scale may have been “bumped”, or the scale may be on an uneven or carpeted surface.

Weighing yourself twice right away is not a way to test the accuracy of your scale. The scale is calibrated for accuracy at the factory. The only definite way to check for accuracy in the home is using certified weights.

Do I have to store the scale flat?

We recommend keeping the scale in the same position at all times, on a flat, hard surface. If you have to store it, the scale parts may shift causing you to have to initialize the scale during your weighing process.

Can I weigh myself on carpet?

Taylor scales do not feature “carpet feet” and thus will not provide accurate readings on carpeting. We suggest placing the scale on a hard, flat surface.

My body fat measurements are different than at my health club. Which is correct?

Taylor Body Fat Scale 5593 Manual Instructions

Every method of measuring body fat can differ. The results from the water test, or calipers will differ from a BIA body fat scale. The key to measuring body fat is to use that method consistently. If you use a scale, use the same scale over and over. You should not compare the results with a scale at the gym.

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Another difference is body fat monitors that are hand held versus step on. The hand held methods will not necessarily measure throughout the entire body, whereas the step on type will be more accurate.

Why is the weight at my doctor’s office so different than at home?

Weight of a person can vary widely throughout the day, and depends on such factors as meals, amount of water in the body, exercise, etc. If you weigh yourself at home in the morning and then at the doctor’s in the afternoon, the weight can vary, maybe as much as 5 lbs. That is just the nature of the human body.

Also, even though the doctor’s scale may be a professional model, it is not known when it may have been calibrated. Your Taylor scale finds the zero (calibrates) after the user has stepped off.

Taylor Body Fat Scale 5596 Manual

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