I have used the Omron HBF-500 Body Composition Monitor with Scale to track my weight, body fat, visceral fat, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, and BMI for just under two months now. I really like this scale and I’m happy I bought it. If you aren’t tracking your body fat at all right now, I would definitely encourage you to buy this scale or a similar product that allows you to measure your own body fat. There are less expensive options if you already own a scale and just want to track your body fat, such as the Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor (recommended to me by Lazy Man from Lazy Man & Health), but I have not used that one myself.

*Note - You need to be between 18 - 80 years old and between 3′4″ to 6′ 6-3/4″ tall for this scale to work for you.

The Omron HBF-500 Body Composition Monitor with Scale (referred to from now on as ‘the scale’) is about the same size as an average bathroom scale (maybe a little more bulky) and a bit heavier. With the many buttons and large digital display it looks quite a bit more fancy and technologically advanced than the average bathroom scale, but don’t let that worry you- it is very easy to use.

You’ll want to configure the scale before using it for the first time. The first step is to set the current date and time. The scale stores up to 90 days of results so you will want an accurate date and time if you choose to review the stored data points later.

The next step is to enter your personal information so the scale can give you accurate statistics. You can store data for up to 4 people and if you don’t want to store data or if you have used up all 4 spots, anyone can use the scale at any time by selecting a ‘guest’ profile. You need to enter your age, gender, and height. This information will be used to grade your statistics. You can also delete profiles and create new ones at any time.

Once you have stored a profile, using the scale is fairly simple, though you do need to pay careful attention to the order of operations to get correct measurements. Before stepping on the scale you power it on with a large button located on the back side of the unit. The display will flash and change to 0.00 when it is ready. After the display shows 0.00 and before you step on the scale, lift the display unit out of the scale (small T-shaped device with the digital display- see the photo) and hold the grip electrodes firmly. Select your profile number and you can now step on the scale. Simply place your feet on the foot electrodes (your heel should be on the rear electrode) and wait a few seconds for the display unit to show your weight. After your weight reading, the display will flash ‘START’ and you now need to raise your arms up to a 90 degree angle while holding the display unit. This may sound a little complicated, but it is quite easy to follow along after doing it a couple of times. You do need to follow along carefully though as the results can vary quite a bit if you don’t. After the scale has registered your other results (body fat, visceral fat, skeletal muscle, resting metabolism, and BMI) you can take some time to review the numbers.

The scale rates your results in each category, based on your age and gender, with 4 classifications (-, 0, +, ++). 0 (0 equals normal) is where you want to be in each category. It’s nice to have this instant feedback across categories every time you use the scale. It will also store your results for up to 90 days.

If you simply want to check your weight at any time, just turn the unit on, wait for 0.00 to display and step on the scale without lifting the display unit. You do not need to select a profile and the scale will not store this information.

The memory function is a nice feature, but I also write down my results every time I use the scale and enter that information into an Excel spreadsheet and of course I track my results weekly here on this blog. That may be a bit too much analysis for the average person, so it’s good to know you can go back in time a bit with the memory of the scale and see how you have done.

I have used the scale weekly for about two months now. The batteries have not died yet, so I can’t comment on battery life.

The instruction book that comes with the scale is very informative on its own. It takes the time to describe what each category is, why it matters, and what range you should be in to be healthy. For example, I had never heard of visceral fat before (fat surrounding internal organs). That is not a good thing because it turns out that too much visceral fat can lead to high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Unfortunately, I fall into the ‘high’ range of visceral fat, which is a little scary, but I’m glad I know about it now and I can use that for motivation to keep working at losing weight and getting healthy.

Summary
It is debatable just how accurate this form of body fat measurement is, but I’m not concerned as much with pure statistical accuracy as I am with having a baseline number to work with so I can measure my progress. Lets face it, I was never going to go see a personal trainer or other professional to get my body fat measured. I don’t belong to a gym and I don’t want to spend money on a gym membership. This scale provides an easy to use body fat measurement at home that you can do any time, in the comfort of your home (important when you don’t feel too proud of your body in its current shape). Prices seem to range as high as about $80 for this scale, though I paid about $65 at Amazon.com. You may not want to spend the money on this scale, but I would encourage you to get something that allows you to measure your own body fat. Omron also makes a handheld fat loss monitor for about $27, which would make sense if you already own a scale and want to save a little money. Also, if you don’t already own an accurate scale I would recommend the Omron HBF-500 Body Composition Monitor with Scale so you can establish accurate baseline numbers and track your progress over the long term.

I will continue to use this scale to track my weekly progress and I will update this post if anything happens that changes my opinion of the scale. Based on my experience so far, I can highly recommend it.