Scale that syncs with Fitbit?

[Docmphd]

I've owned 2 Aria's in 3 years, and both stopped working. I want a different scale that will sync my weight to the Fitbit app. Any suggestions?

[Dominique]

My own Aria is the first one, and it’s still working after almost three years. I also bought a Withings scale, one year later. It’s very similar to the Aria in that it syncs wirelessly to your account. You can link the Withings scale to your Fitbit account, as explained here. This is what I see at https://www.fitbit.com/weight/withings :

The Withings scale supports several WiFi protocols (not just the old 802.11b, like the Aria), as well as Bluetooth (unlike the Aria). It was about as tricky to set up as the Aria. It also registers a bunch of not so useful data in addition to weight and body fat%. I step in sequentially on both every morning. The Withings usually sees me as 0.2-0.3 kg lighter than the Aria. Body fat % are very close to each other (usually with 0.5%), which is not surprising since they use the same method (bioimpedance) for estimating it.

[Ukase]

I'm sure this reply will not be greeted with enthusiasm. Yet, I gotta be me. 

I would return that Aria. Consider it and what it's supposed to do. The Bioimpedence calculation is hardly reliable. It's a better indication of hydration than fat percentage. I once stood on my scale with 30 pounds of text books - the scale should reveal a lower % of bodyfat, with the increased weight, if it was measuring the same value for the impedence. It actually increased the bodyfat%. How having 30 extra pounds that are not fat could increase that value - given that it runs from foot to foot and not all the way up your head, (if the manual is to be believed) - is beyond me. 

The scales are a baseline value at best. 

What's so hard about just logging in the weight? Fitbit does a lot of things well. The scale is not one of them. Get your refund, stash that cash in the bank and get a normal scale and a caliper that will measure the centimeters of fat at your thigh, mid-section and the top outer section of your chest, where it meets the shoulder. You'll get a better indication than the scale will tell you. 

It's a bit more complicated, but if the product continues to not work, it's an effective alternative. 

[Docmphd]

Totally agree with you. I love Fitbit, but the Aria is a lemon, and always has been. They won't let me return it because A) they have no record of my purchase because this is actually a replacement unit they set me after my first Aria became a brick and B) The scale is more than 1 year old.

[Dominique]

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@Ukase wrote:

The Bioimpedence calculation is hardly reliable. It's a better indication of hydration than fat percentage. 

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This is my BF% history (almost 3 years), as per the "hardly reliable" Aria:

So I reckon that I was highly dehydrated in August 2015, and I steadily rehydrated towards the end of the year?

The hydration factor is valid if you randomly use it at different times of the day, or punctually if you ate something extremely salty the day before. But I happen to use my Aria always in the same conditions: naked (without holding no freaking text books), first thing in the morning, after trip to bathroom. Sorry, but the long term trends seen on the chart cannot be purely hydration-driven.

[Ukase]

Stupid question - I don't mean to suggest you're not bright - but what's wrong with this second one? 

Does it not turn on, does it record you as too light, too heavy? 

There may be something that can be done. It might be worthwhile checking out YouTube. If you've got a problem with the scale, someone else does, too. They may have taken to YouTube with a solution. 

[Ukase]

Your graphic, while interesting, tells us nothing about the validity of the measurements. And yes, it can certainly be argued that holding textbooks would not prove the scale isn't accurate to some degree.

My point is, the measurement is the resistance of the electrical pulse as it travels through your body. The more water in your system, the faster the pulse travels and the lower your percentage. 

True, the scale gives a baseline, just like the weight shown on the scale. But, it's hardly definitive, and not very accurate, not compared to the caliper test. 

So, I guess the big question is, is your body hydrated in the morning after urination? Well, you're not completely without water in your system - but your hydration level is presumably higher at the end of the day than at the beginning. So, you're getting a rough guess - but it's nowhere near as accurate if you checked it at the same time everynight, having consumed the same amount of fluids - and accounting for extra fluids from exercise. 

So, let me retract my comments about Aria - it's not that I'm against that particular scale - but all the body fat scales. If I do cardio today - and sweat arguably more than yesterday when I just lifted weights - despite my best efforts, my reading today would be higher than yesterday, simply because of the hydration level. I'm too OCD to accept that. (not to belittle or mock those with real, genuine OCD problems) It doesn't matter what body fat scale I'm on, they all measure it the same way - at least, last time I checked. 

Just my opinion. I'm no engineer technologist.