Weight scale recommendations

Janyne Kizer

What scale do you recommend? I have found that I actually really like the smart scale logging my stuff for me (no need to be awake! automatic Zwift update as a bonus!). I was thinking Withings or Garmin but I'm open to other suggestions as well.

I have an old Withings scale (WS-50), that I believe is dying/dead. It wakes up and suddenly flashes through kg, st lb, lb. I tried updating the firmware (no updates) and changing the batteries. I have a call in to Withings now. I'm fairly certain that they will pronounce it dead.

I'd appreciate any recommendations for a replacement.

Vincent Sivirine

Hi @Janyne Kizer

I have a Garmin scale (Imdex Smart Scale) and i love it. It integrates seamlessly to Garmin Connect (wifi connection) so you can see your data on your phone as soon as you get off the scale. I weigh myself every morning and everything gets logged in GC and gets pushed to TrainingPeaks (through GC). I never had any issue, it just works well.

Janyne Kizer

Thanks, @Vincent Sivirine!

Patrick Hayden

@Janyne Kizer I got a Withings cheap on Amazon prime day, and it works pretty well outside of the perpetual swings in Body Fat #'s. My only complaint is syncing across all the platforms. Since Garmin has their own scale you cant sync directly to Garmin connect, you need to sync with something like withings (health mate) -> Myfitnesspal -> garmin to get the data there and like other data syncs with Garmin they don't send 3rd party data to downstream systems like trainingpeaks, etc. However, it does support directly sending from withings -> trainingpeaks.

If I had to do it again, I'd likely go just directly with a Garmin scale since I use Garmin Connect to link to most of my other training platforms.

Tom Glynn

I have had a Withings scale for a few years. I agree with @Patrick Hayden with regards to the fat numbers. They fluctuate a lot and I just look at trends for that. I send data directly to TrainingPeaks and then use IFTTT to write and append my daily weight to a google docs spreadsheet.

I haven’t looked at other scales as this is good enough.

Coach Patrick

I also use Withings and like the tracking functionality; yes to crazy fat numbers. I think MOST people on TeamEN do not need to track that metric as assiduously given your activity levels... #justsaying

matt limbert

I use a scale from Thinner. It does body fat %, water %, bone % etc. The numbers are stable (not changing bone weight % 😄). The water weight is nice and pretty accurate when I weigh in after a long ride or run. It doesn't have the wifi connectivity. I have to do the old school manual entry to get the info into TP etc. When this one dies I'm going to get those 15 secs of my life back and go with the fancy wifi version.

@Sheila Leard

Janyne Kizer

hahah! Thanks, @matt limbert ! That made me laugh! I have looked at the Eufy scale which is bluetooth connected but it sounds like a PitA for multiple users if both phones are nearby (may have to reboot phone, reboot scale, etc.). Possible but not necessarily smooth sailing.

It sounds like people have had reasonably good success with both Withings and Garmin scales.

Sheila Leard

I have a very old digital scale. Since there are so many variables that can affect %BF I don't track it. When you see a number on the scale what do you do with that information? If it goes up do you try harder to lower it or say what the heck I'm going to go eat a donut. 😋

I only weigh myself to track how much I lose after a long workout.

Al Truscott

I just want to comment on the value of getting weight + other metrics.

First of all, it's important to know that BF and body water mover inversely to each other. IOW, if you are dehydrated, your BF% will be higher, and conversely if you are over hydrated, your BF% will appear lower, given the same lean body mass.

Second, (in part due to the above variability), I think it's important to weight daily, preferably first thing in the morning naked after the toilet, before eating or drinking anything. This should give you a feel for how your daily activities affect your weight, and you can zero in on a baseline. Don't chase daily numbers, noting that it takes 3500 excess calories in a week to gain a pound of body mass. Most daily variation is due to hydration changes, you'll find.

Third, personally, I'm not into recording all this info, but then I've got a pretty solid sense of how my weight varies over the course of a year, and I really don't have issues with gaining weight, only with trying to maintain weight while training seriously.

I've used a Tanita for maybe 15 years, several different versions.