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Help & Manuals
Using Body Composition Monitors/ Analysers
CAN I USE MY MONITOR ON CARPET?

No, please check that you are using it on a firm level surface it will not work on carpet, and typically, if used on carpet it will give a lower than correct weight

I ONLY WANT TO SEE MY WEIGHT. HOW CAN I SEE THIS?

(Not all body composition monitors offer this feature. Look for the weight only icon). If you press the weight only button, it will allow you to measure weight, but will not take body composition readings. Use this button to measure items other than people (eg luggage). Also suitable for anyone who cannot use body composition measurements, such as someone with a heart pacemaker. Press the button and wait before stepping on, the LCD will show 8888 whilst it self-calibrates. When it shows 0000 it is ready to step on.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO DO THE MEASUREMENTS?

Your body water levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day and night. Any significant changes in body water may affect your body composition readings; for example, the body tends to be dehydrated after a long night sleep so if you take a reading first thing in the morning your weight will be lower and your body fat percentage higher.

Eating large meals, drinking alcohol, menstruation, illness, exercising, and bathing may also cause variations in your hydration levels. To get the most reliable reading it is important to use your Body Composition Monitor at a consistent time of day under consistent conditions. We suggest taking a reading before your evening meal.

HOW LONG DO THE BATTERIES LAST?

If the body fat monitor is used 5 times a day, then the batteries should be sufficient to last for a year.

WILL THE ELECTRIC CURRENT HARM ME?

The current is perfectly safe. You will not feel it at all. However, if you have an implanted medical device such as a pacemaker, the body fat monitor should not be used. The unit can be safely used during pregnancy, but will not give an accurate reading.

CAN I STEP ON WITH MY SOCKS?

No. When the scale reads ZERO, step on WITH BARE FEET. This is necessary to get the electrical impedance reading. 

ARE THERE OPTIMAL CONDITIONS FOR DETERMINING BODY FAT PERCENTAGE USING TANITA'S PRODUCTS?
  • Select a consistent time of day, and stick to it.
  • With an empty bladder
  • When normally hydrated
  • Unclean foot pads may interfere with conductivity.
  • Nylons interfere with conductivity. If it is absolutely necessary to measure in nylons, use a drop of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol on the foot pads to act as a conductor.
  • Early morning is not recommended because the body is often dehydrated after a night's sleep. Once you have established your baseline, monitor body fat about twice a month. Checking body fat more frequently is not beneficial as changes occur slowly over time.
  • Women experience a much greater change in hydration levels throughout their menstrual cycle, thus affecting the body fat %. Hormonal changes due to menopause may also cause water retention and variations in measuring.

Things that can affect hydration include:

  • strenuous exercise
  • recent food intake
  • diuretics such as caffeine, alcohol, certain medications
ARE THERE PEOPLE FOR WHOM THE MONITOR IS NOT APPROPRIATE?

People with pacemakers are advised not to use the monitors. Although there are no known health risks, this is a precaution that is advocated by all manufacturers of BIA. Accuracy is an issue for certain categories of people, but the units may still be used to monitor trends and accurately show degree of change. They include:

  • Pregnant women
  • People who exceed the weight capacity of the scale (models vary) and/or exceed 75% body fat
  • Professional athletes and bodybuilders.
HOW ACCURATE AND RELIABLE ARE TANITA'S BODY FAT MONITOR/SCALES?

Independent research at several major universities (including Columbia University in New York City) has confirmed that in clinical settings, the Tanita Body Fat Monitor is accurate within +/- 5 percentage of the institutional standard of body composition analysis--Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). It should be made clear that there is only one method of calculating body composition that is close to 100% accurate, and that is an autopsy. Tanita believes its method to be the most convenient and accessible to accurately predict body composition. Tanita's Body Fat Monitor Series results are repeatable to within +/- 1 percent variation when used under consistent conditions.

WHAT CONDITIONS MIGHT CAUSE SKEWED RESULTS OR AN "ERROR" READING IN THE DISPLAY?
  • A very full bladder.
  • Severe calluses on heels or soles of feet (about 1/400 people tested).
  • Unclean foot pads may interfere with conductivity.
  • Nylons interfere with conductivity. If it is absolutely necessary to measure in nylons, use a drop of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol on the foot pads to act as a conductor.
HOW DOES AGE EFFECT BODY FAT PERCENT?

Research has determined that as we age there is a tendency to increase body fat and decrease muscle mass. This is a natural progression unless you increase exercise as you age. The age equations now being utilized on the latest Tanita products are designed to provide greater accuracy in the estimation of body fat. Previous models did not have this data and therefore were not as accurate as the current models.

WHY DO I GET DIFFERENT READINGS WHEN I CHANGE THE GENDER OR HEIGHT INFORMATION?

At this time, there is no absolute measurement of body fat other than an autopsy. Other body fat measurement methods (i.e. Calipers, Underwater Weighing, BIA, etc.) will indirectly measure body fat. In order to determine body fat, an estimate is made from know measurements. Tanita uses the variables: height, weight and impedance to determine body fat percentage. These variables are used in a highly researched, proprietary formula to make the body fat assessment. If any of the variables are changed, the resulting body fat reading will also change. By artificially altering your height or weight, you will also alter the resulting reading. Because of the physiological differences between men and woman, the monitors must be calibrated for men differently than woman. Woman will receive an incorrect low reading on the male mode and men will receive an incorrect high reading on the female made. To obtain accurate readings, it is imperative that one use the proper gender mode. It is recommended that one monitor their body fat once a week, average the results for the month and then compare monthly averages to determine if there is a gain or loss of body fat over time. By eating right, exercising and monitoring your body fat, you are making the right steps for a healthier life.

WHY DOES MY BODY FAT PERCENT FLUCTUATE?

The Tanita Body Fat Monitor/Scales use state of the art technology, BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis). This method of body fat analysis is very accurate and easy to use; however, changes in hydration levels can affect readings. If your body is dehydrated, you will likely experience a higher than normal reading. If you are over-hydrated, you could experience a slightly lower reading. To obtain the greatest accuracy and repeatability from our product, Tanita suggests the following protocol.

  • Take readings at least 3 hours after rising, eating a large meal, or exercising.
  • Take readings once a week at the same time of day under the same conditions. (Note: Taking readings more than once per week is not beneficial since body fat does not change from day to day.)
  • Average your readings for the month.
  • Compare averages from month to month.

By following this format, hydration fluctuations throughout the month will average out, and you will be able to better assess any real change in your body fat percentage over time.

IS THE BODY FAT MONITOR SAFE TO USE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE PREGNANT?

There is no known health risks associated with pregnant woman using the Tanita Body Fat Monitor/Scales. Since research has not been done on this population extensively we advise women who are pregnant to use the Body Fat Monitors for weight purposes only. Since there are dynamic physiological changes that occur during pregnancy, a pregnant woman cannot expect an accurate body fat reading. Since obtaining an accurate reading during pregnancy is not possible, it would not be recommended to monitor your body fat until after delivery

IS THE BODY FAT MONITOR SAFE TO USE IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL DEVICE OR IMPLANT?

Persons with pacemakers or other electronic medical implants should not use the monitor. Persons with non-electronic medical implants may safely use the monitor. Any metallic implant in your body could affect the body fat reading, giving a slightly lower than normal reading. However, since the metal will continue to have the same affect on the reading each time you use the monitor; you can still use the monitor to successfully track the relative change in body fat over time.

WHY IS THERE AN "ATHLETE MODE"?

The following criteria were selected as a cutoff point for athletes because it was found that individuals meeting this standard also exhibited higher levels of muscle hydration. 10 hours or more of intensive cardio-vascular and strength training. Consistent schedule for a minimum of 6 months. Resting heart rate of 60bpm or lower.

While the Tanita definition of “Athlete” may not be suitable for general purposes, it does serve as a useful guide to maintain accuracy when measuring body fat.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I CHOOSE THE MODE NOT SUITS ME?

A non-athlete who measures themselves on Athlete mode will get an underestimation of their body fat %, and an athlete who uses normal mode will get an over estimation of their body fat %, because two modes use different equations to obtain results. It is important to use the right mode and stick to it for consistent results.

ARE THE BODY FAT MONITORS INTENDED FOR BODY BUILDERS OR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES? WHO IS CONSIDERED AN ATHLETE VS. STANDARD ADULT?

If you are an adult who has approximately 10 hours of intense physical activity and have a resting heart rate of approximately 60 beats per minute or less, you probably need to use the Athlete Mode.
Tanita uses a mathematical formula to determine body fat percentage based upon these variables: height, weight, gender, age group and resistance (impedance). The Athlete Mode uses a mathematical formula that is different than that used in the Adult Mode. The Athlete Mode was designed through population studies of individuals meeting the above criteria.

At this time, populations of professional athletes and body builders have not been studied to establish a separate mode for this unique group. Professional athletes and body builders are advised that since the models have not been designed with them specifically in mind, they may obtain a higher than normal body fat reading. Despite this fact, many of these elite athletes have used the Tanita Body Fat Monitor/Scales successfully to gauge their progress of losing body fat. The great repeatability of the product enables one to establish a baseline and use the product for "trending purposes" to assess loss or gain in body fat over time.

IF I THINK I AM FALL BETWEEN "STANDARD" AND "ATHLETE", WHAT SHOULD I DO?

There are a few people who will fall between "Standard" and "Athlete". These people will get a small overestimation of fat on the Standard mode and a small underestimation on Athlete mode. The important thing for these people is that they select one mode and stick to it. That way they will get consistent results which will be reliable for monitoring purposes.

HOW WILL DRINKING A PINT OF WATER AFFECT MY BODY COMPOSITION READINGS?

If you drink a pint of water and stand on the scales immediately, your weight will be higher with water in your stomach, but your resistance will not be changed, so your total body water (contained in your muscle tissue) will be low, resulting in a higher fat % reading. (Water is calculated first and the result subtracted from your total weight to get the other readings),

As time goes by, the water filters into muscle tissue. When this happens, the resistance will get lower. The weight will still be high, but the scale will interpret as a higher weight of water. Therefore your readings will show a higher water % and a lower fat %.

If you then empty your bladder, your weight will be lower still, whilst you will still have a high proportion of water in your muscle tissue. This will result in an even higher water % and lower fat %.

This cycle will be repeated naturally throughout the day everyday. However, if anything happens to change the weight or electrical conductivity of the body which is not in this usual daily cycle will affect the readings accordinly. The point to remember is that more water = less impedance = lower body fat % + higher water, FFM and muscle readings. 

WHY MY BODY FAT % READINGS IS HIGHER EVEN AFTER DIET/ EXERCISE?
  1. Hydration

If you measure yourself repeatedly over the course of a day, you will find that as your hydration levels change, your body fat % goes up and down. It may be that you got a higher fat % because you were a little bit dehydrated at the time of measuring.

      2. Muscle development

There are some diets that are so extreme that your body just cannot burn the fat fast enough to feed your body's needs, and as a result you can lose some lean muscle tissue. If your diet is very extreme perhaps you need to rethink your diet plan a little so that you increase your exercise and make sure you eat enough calories to start building lean muscle. You will then find that you lose fat in a more natural, and ultimately more successful way.

3. It takes time to burn fat

Even you are doing all the right things, exercising, eating healthily, and drinking plenty of water, you may still find that in the first few weeks of your diet, while your body adapts to all the changes, you will see a small increase of your body fat %. This is because in reality, although you can lose lots of weight in a week or two, your body's metabolism doesn't really get to work on the fat immediately. When someone starts a diet, usually the first thing that they lose is body water, as the bod ystarts to use up its glycogen stores. Most people say it takes at least two weeks and can take anything up to 2 months before you really start burning fat, depending on the individual (i.e. the weight you host is a combination of fat, water and muscle).

Please also note that for women, body fat percentage readings can fluctuate due to the menstrual cycle and bust size can sometimes have an effect also.

Troubleshooting
MY BODY COMPOSITION MONITOR ONLY SHOWS WEIGHT

You may have pressed "Weight Only" button before stepping on the scale.

Please note that for Tanita body composition monitors with Auto Recognition feature, you do not need to press any button to turn on the scale. After initial setup, stepping onto the scale can wake up the unit, and you can start the measurement immediately without inputting any personal information.

MY SCALE SHOWS ERROR AFTER STEPPING ON THE SCALE

Please make sure you step onto the scale after 0.0 is displayed.

MY SCALE GIVES CORRECT WEIGHT READINGS BUT GIVES "---" WHEN I TRY TO GET BODY FAT READINGS
  • This means the electrical signal will not complete its circuit.
    - Are the footplates of the scale loose?
    - Are you wearing socks, stockings, tights or shoes?
    - Do you have edema (water retention in the legs), toe rings, or anything that conducts or impedes electricity?
    - Make sure the fat on the legs would not cause thighs to touch each other and short circuit the BIA. (You may place a towel between your thighs to prevent this)

  • It may happen if the user is less than 5% fat (e.g. extreme body builders or someone with serious Anorexia)
MY SCALE GIVES INCORRECT WEIGHT READINGS
  • Are you using the scale on a firm surface (or with special carpet feet supplied with some models)

  • Are you waiting for the scale to show zero before stepping on (see instructions relating to toe-tap operation, step on operation, etc).
MY SCALE DOES NOT SWITCH ON
  • Have you checked the batteries?

  • If you are using a body fat/ compostion monitor, how are you switching it on? (Select between using the weight only button, the memory button, the guest button, or in the case of the UM models, the correct arrow button. Do not start by pressing the SET button).

  • If you are using a body fat monitor - have you set up the scale before starting?
  • If none of the above applies, and particularly if there are odd things happening (beeps unexpectedly, it flashes on then off, only the Guest button gets any response, only memories 1 and 4 work etc), please contact our local distributors for repair.
MY BODY FAT READING IS NOT SHOWING. WHAT IS WRONG?

If your scale is not showing body fat% readings this is because it is unable to complete an electrical circuit.

 

  • There is something between your feet and the electrodes (e.g. socks/shoes)
  • Your feet are not correctly touching the electrodes
  • The electrical signal is short-circuiting (e.g., damp thighs touching together)
  • The electrodes have become detached
  • There is an electrical fault inside the scale. (The last two items cannot be repaired.)
I CAN'T GET A READING. WHAT'S WRONG?

Things that can cause this are:

  • Something on your feet that prevents contact with the electrodes, such as socks or shoes (but very hard skin can have the same effect)
  • A short circuit, which can sometimes be caused due to legs touching each other if you have no clothes on If you step off too soon
  • Implants in your body (not applicable in your case)
  • Damage to the electrodes or wiring in the scale or anything else that causes a break in the circuit.
I CAN RECEIVE MY WEIGHT AND BODY FAT % BUT I CAN'T GET ANY OF THE OTHER READINGS ON THE INNERSCAN BODY COMPOSITION MONITOR.

Once you have obtained your weight and body fat%, step off of the scale. After stepping off of the scale you can press any of the other buttons to see your readings. The trick is to be off of the scale before pressing the other buttons.

Maintenance of Body Composition Monitors/ Analysers
HOW LONG WILL THIS MONITOR/SCALE LAST? IS THERE A WARRANTY?

The product's length of durability, accuracy, and reliability is measured by the amount of times it is used, not calendar time. All of Tanita's consumer monitor/scales are extremely reliable, providing up to 10,000 uses or more. For further details of the warranty, please see our warranty section - http://www.tanita.asia/consumer/need-more-info/warranty/

WHAT TYPE OF MAINTENANCE IS NECESSARY?

There is simply no maintenance other than the use of alcohol to wipe the foot pads clean and glass cleaner to keep them shiny-always apply to a cloth first and then to the product; avoid soaps.

Importance of Body Composition Monitoring
IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE TOO LITTLE BODY FAT?

Yes. Both extremes--too much or too little body fat--put an individual at risk for serious medical and/or psychological conditions. Having a very low body fat percentage, particularly for women, can result in musculoskeletal problems and osteoporosis. And it can upset the hormonal balance causing loss of menstruation. Striving for extremely low body fat can also result in severe eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge-eating which have significant health implications.

ARE THERE ANY ILLNESSES DIRECTLY LINKED TO OBESITY?

Obesity is directly linked with Diabetes Type II and hypertension, and is a contributing risk factor for many other conditions including heart disease, sleep disorders, arthritis, gall bladder disease, stroke, and several forms of cancer. Awareness and monitoring of body fat percentage can be a motivational tool for a fitness or weight management program. Additionally, with any chronic degenerative disease, monitoring body fat and lean body mass is critical to evaluation, treatment, and management of the condition. This information is helpful in determining a suitable exercise and nutritional program on an individual basis.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO MONITOR BODY FAT PERCENTAGE?

Measuring weight alone is not a completely accurate assessment of health or fitness because it doesn't distinguish pounds that come from fat and pounds that come from lean muscle mass. Everyone needs some body fat, but too much fat results in obesity--one of the most important public health issues in the United States. According to new federal guidelines, more than half of the US adult population are now overweight or obese, and one out of four children and adolescents is too fat.

About Tanita BIA technology
HOW ACCURATE AND RELIABLE ARE TANITA'S BODY FAT MONITOR/SCALES?

Independent research at several major universities (including Columbia University in New York City) has confirmed that in clinical settings, the Tanita Body Fat Monitor is accurate within +/- 5 percentage of the institutional standard of body composition analysis--Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). It should be made clear that there is only one method of calculating body composition that is close to 100% accurate, and that is an autopsy. Tanita believes its method to be the most convenient and accessible to accurately predict body composition. Tanita's Body Fat Monitor Series results are repeatable to within +/- 1 percent variation when used under consistent conditions.

WHAT ARE THE BODY FAT RANGES FOR CHILDREN?

Appropriate body fat ranges for children under eighteen can be found on this chart.