Product Description

From Tanita, the innovator of body fat and body water measurement, comes the Ironman InnerScan line of products. The BC 553 InnerScan Body Composition Monitor is a unique and highly accurate body composition monitor that can tell you what your body is made of! This technologically advanced scale not only reads your weight and body fat, it also reads your body water %, bone mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), metabolic age, and muscle mass. The Body Water % is the total amount of fluid in the body expressed as a percentage of total weight. The muscle mass feature indicates the weight of muscle in your body. The bone mass feature indicates the weight of bone (bone mineral level, including calcium or other minerals) in the body. The BMR is the daily minimum level of energy or calories your body requires when resting (including sleeping) to function effectively. The Metabolic Age compares your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) to the average age associated with that level of metabolism. It is made of sturdy plastic and has a modern design with a black platform and silver accents, sure to compliment any bathroom décor. Monitor your health and fitness with a Tanita Ironman Innerscan Body Composition Monitor. The features include easy to read 2.25 LCD display with 4 person memory. The Weight, Body Fat, Body Water and Muscle Mass Recall function allows users to see the previous reading. The weight capacity is 330 lb with the increments of 0.2 lb. The Body Fat and Body Water % increments are 0.1%. The Healthy Range Indicator bars shows where body fat % fits into the healthy body fat range. The Guest Mode allows a guest to check body fat without storing personal data in memory. The Weight Only Mode lets users to use the scale as a regular bath scale to measure the weight. The scale has Child, Adult and Athlete Mode. 4 AA batteries are included. When each feature result is being displayed, the feature icons light up.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #49280 in Health and Beauty
• Color: Black
• Brand: Tanita
• Model: BC553
• Released on: 2005-04-10
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 12.00" h x 2.00" w x 12.00" l, 5.30 pounds

Features

• Helps to monitor and improve your health and fitness
• Accurately measure body composition like weight, body fat, water percent and bone mass
• Easy to read 2.25 inches LCD display
• Can store fitness details of 4 people
• Scale has child, adult and athlete mode

Amazon.com Product Description
The Tanita BC553 Ironman InnerScan Body Fat Scale is designed for top-notch athletes taking their fitness to the next level. The Ironman name represents dedication to peak performance and athletic accomplishment. This new co-branded line of monitors uses the most advanced technology available to examine total body composition,

The Tanita BC553 Ironman delivers advanced body monitoring technology with a sleek, stylish design. View larger.

Tanita and Ironman have teamed up to provide comprehensive body monitors.

including body fat percentage, body water percentage, muscle mass, bone mass, and more. For top tier athletes or those striving to take their performance to the next level, this scale offers the latest in body-monitoring technology available.

Why You Should Monitor Body Water and Fat Percentage
If you're like most people, you're not drinking enough water. If you wait until you feel thirsty, your body is already suffering from the effects of mild dehydration. You continually lose water during the day through sweat, urine and breathing. The amount varies due to several reasons, including your physical activity level, illness, medications, poor nutrition, or even climatic conditions. Monitoring your body water percentage allows you to quickly compensate if your levels are low, allowing your body to function more efficiently. Having the right amount of water in your body will not only make you feel healthier, but you'll also reduce your risk of developing serious health problems in the longer term.

High body fat levels can reduce your endurance and have been linked to heart disease cancer and diabetes. Tanita's body composition analyzers monitor your body fat and body water levels with Bioelectric Impedance Analysis, or BIA, the same advanced technology used by doctors. Foot pads send a low-level electrical signal. Then BIA measures the resistance to this signal as it travels through the body.

With the Tanita BC553 up to four unique users can benefit. Simply supply your gender, age, height and weight into the memory, step on the scale, and the monitor does the rest. The results are analyzed according to each user's information, and the result -- displayed in the monitor's easy-to-read 2.25-inch LCD screen -- is the one of the most comprehensive at-home readings you can get.

Operating on four AA batteries (included), the Tanita BC553 is intended for use by persons up to 300 pounds and is backed by Tanita's 10-year warranty.

Body fat percentages are important indicators of good health. View larger.

Note: Pregnant women should not use this monitor, and if you have a pacemaker or other internal electronic medical device, you should not use the body fat reading feature.

Customer Reviews

Great gadget!
This scale/bodyfat tester is of great quality. I have also been very impressed with the overall accuracy. Both my wife and I are trainers and are pretty nutty about tracking our weight and bodyfat. The numbers are fairly consistant over time and compare well with other impedence testers and caliper body fat tests.
The overall body scan is also helpful, giving bone mass, percentage of water, muscle weight, and metabolic age. It says that I have a metabolic age of 12 though I am 37 years old -- so of course I'm going to like this thing!

Nice features but varied results
I enjoy the vast array of features on this product. I understand that my body weight and water composition would change significantly over the course of the day. However, body fat, muscle mass, and bone mass shouldn't vary much over the day. This product seems VERY sensitive to hydration levels. My body fat as reported by this scale has varied from 20-30% (absolute) in a single day! I know that body fat didn't turn into muscle that fast. That is significant considering that it "displays" body fat to 0.1%. They recommend using the scale before dinner (I guess your body would be a proper hydration but without extra weight in your tummy). Schedule your GI right, and you can be a bit lighter, but be careful when you workout, as that can impact your hydration, and thus the readings from this unit.

Great if you understand how to use it...
I bought this scale about 6 months ago with high hopes and lots of curiosity. I've learned that it doesn't work quite the way I THOUGHT it was going to work, but I have found it to be a very useful and motivating tool when I put it in perspective. For starters, I have discovered that I must weigh myself at the same time each day, as all measurements will be greatly affected depending on what time of day it is (ie: by lunch I've eaten 2 meals, therefore I'm more hydrated and weigh more vs. when I first wake up...). I take all measurements each morning since, well, I'm a pretty "regular" guy and I figure this is probably the best time of day to get the most accurate day-over-day results. Even with this in mind, I've learned that this body composition scale is best used as a "trend" viewing tool, over the course of weeks and months, although I definitely use it as a motivating tool while trying to lose weight and improve overall body composition (ie: lean muscle vs. fat percentages). I do highly recommend this product, assuming the potential buyer understands what they're getting.