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| Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor | 
 enlarge | Brand: Tanita
Category: Health And Beauty
List Price: $119.99
Buy New: $99.99
You Save: $20.00 (17%)
New (6) from $99.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  138 reviews
Sales Rank: 1631
Color: Glass and Silver
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Batteries: 4
Batteries Included: Yes
Battery: 4 AA
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8
Dimensions (in): 13 x 1 x 13
MPN: BC-533
Model: BC533
UPC: 742496800725
EAN: 0742496800725
ASIN: B0007Y6BS4
Release Date: April 10, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Easy-to-read | | • | Highly accurate body composition monitor | | • | 4 person memory | | • | Weight, body fat recall, body water and muscle mass recall | | • | Glass and silver |
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| Accessories:
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Tanita BC-533 (BC533) Tanita InnerScan Body Fat Composition Scale
Amazon.com Product Description
The Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor is one of the most comprehensive body monitors on the market today that's designed for home use. Using advanced Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (BIA) technology that was previously available only to medical professionals, health clubs and professional athletes, 
Monitoring features help you keep tabs on your body composition and health. View larger. | 
There is more to healthy dieting than weight loss alone. Body fat percentage measurements are also important indicators of good health. View larger. | this monitor analyzes a full range of body measurements, including weight, body fat percentage, body water percentage, metabolic age, physique rating, visceral fat, muscle mass, and bone mass. It's a mouthful of measurements, but what it means is that with the Tanita BC533, you now have the unprecedented ability to monitor your body and the effects of your diet and fitness routines, comfortably and affordably in the convenience of your own home. With the Tanita BC533 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 2.25-inch LCD screen -- is the one of the most comprehensive at-home readings you can get. This monitor, which is about the same size as a typical bathroom scale, is ideal for anyone who is serious about monitoring their health and fitness. Knowing your body fat percentage -- the amount of body fat as a proportion of your body weight -- is essential if you want to create a diet and exercise plan that helps reduce the risk of certain conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Body water percentage is the total amount of fluid in your body expressed as a percentage of your total weight. Maintaining a healthy body water percentage ensures that your body functions efficiently. The metabolic age level is related to your body's metabolic rate and helps you maintain the daily minimum level of energy or calories your body requires when resting or sleeping to function effectively. Even though your total body weight might not change drastically over time, your muscle mass and body fat levels may be changing. Keeping tabs on them can help you stay at a lower risk of certain diseases. And knowing your levels of visceral fat -- the fat in the abdominal cavity and surrounding the vital organs -- can help you keep heart disease and high blood pressure at bay, and may delay the onset of type two diabetes. In short, this monitor gives you essential information and greater control as you work to stay healthy and live a more active, vital life. Operating on four AA batteries (included), the Tanita BC533 is intended for use by persons up to 330 pounds and is backed by Tanita's 10-year warranty.
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 133 more reviews...
 Tanita BC533 measures weight, body fat and so much more! May 25, 2005
533 out of 544 found this review helpful
For many years I used a digital scale that gave me a different readout each time I used it. I like to weigh daily but found that stepping up and down on the scale several times to get an average weight was frustrating. I thought that was the norm with scales until I started reading scale reviews and discovered that many people found the Tanita line to be accurate. If they weighed several times in a row they got a consistent readout. They did not have to take an average as I did with my Health-O-Meter. As a treat to myself, for losing 10 pounds, I decided to purchase a Tanita and after doing some research opted for the Tanita BC533.
The Tanita BC533 is a state of the art scale that measures your weight (to two-tenths of a pound), body fat, visceral fat, bone mass, metabolic age and muscle mass. It is very simple to operate. You input your height, weight, average physical activity level and age. The Tanita will remember this information for up to four people so you only have to do it once, unless your information changes. (There is also a guest mode if a visitor wants to try it.) Once you have programmed the scale you toe tap your number, step on the platform and you will see your weight and body fat measurement. (Note - If you wear socks the body fat measurement will not work.) Then you can toe tap other buttons of your choice. A little figure gives you a visual cue as to what the buttons are. For example for muscle mass the figure is holding weights. For bone mass there is a tiny skeleton inside the figure. You decide which body composition features you wish to check. You may for example want to check your bone mass once a month, or then again you may want to check it weekly. It's up to you. It's as simple as pressing the corresponding button, and takes only seconds.
Tanita has also introduced the Ironman Innerscan line. I was not sure of the difference so I called customer service. Amber went out of her way to explain the benefits of the Innerscan line, and the basic difference between the regular Innerscan and the Ironman. The Ironman gives you your BMI or basal metabolic caloric rate. This is the basic number of calories your body needs. The regular Innerscan (like the BC533) gives you your DCI instead. The DCI is a calculation where the BMI is multiplied by your activity level to tell you the number of calories you are taking in to maintain the weight you are. When you see this information you can then adjust up or down to help you gain or lose weight or stay the same. Nifty!
Tanita includes a guide with the scale that explains exactly how the scale works. The scale is a bioimpedence device. A low level current (which you don't feel) passes through your body and the impedance or resistance level is used to calculate body composition. The booklet explains healthy ranges of body fat and also explains what body water percentage, visceral fat, etc. mean.
The scale is also very attractive. Sleek styling and easy to use. Those with poor vision may find the buttons a little hard to see. But the visual clues will help. Despite the glass surface the scale stays very clean.
The BC533 is an outstanding tool to help you accomplish your health goals!
Very useful precision health monitor with stylish design. July 18, 2005
188 out of 198 found this review helpful
Being an avid swimmer, cyclist, runner, and outdoors fanatic, I decided to buy the Tanita BC533 to monitor my fitness beyond just body weight. I researched around the web and found mostly positive reviews on Tanita scales. I've also considered the Tanita Iron Man BC554 with similar user modes and more recall capabilites but the BC533 just looks more stylish: shaped like a chromosome. Amazon offered a good price with free shipping and a $30 gift certificate for Tanita Body Composition Monitors. Subtract another $30 from that if one applies for the Amazon visa: an Win-Win transaction!
To get accurate measurements, one would need to obtain readings under consistent conditions, i.e., approx. same time of the day, no meals within 3 hrs., similar hydration conditions, etc. I found most of the functions to be helpful: Weight, %Body fat, %Total body water (makes sure one is not dehydrated), Visceral fat % (getting rid of fat around the waist), Muscle mass & Physique rating (making sure one is not losing muscle mass while reducing fat), Bone mass (making sure one is not calcium/mineral deficient and losing bone mass), DCI (Daily Caloric Intake=amount of calories one need to intake the next 24hrs. to maintain current weight)& Metabolic age (calculates one's Basal Metabolic Rate and age associated with that age). The BC533 comes with batteries, an easy to understand manual, and a body composition measurements guide. Holy moley, my metabolic age is 16!
Updated 12-31-06: My Tanita BC533 is still working well. Periodic cleaning of the sensor surfaces has kept the weight measurements fairly consistent. The % body fat and other measurements tend to vary since users can't duplicate exact measuring conditions EVERY time. For <$50, don't expect "sports clinic" accuracy levels of physiological measurements. I exercise regularly and eat healthy foods (as much as I want) so preventing weight (fat) gain and maintaing muscle mass is not a problem; and this scale has been helpful.
 Not that great once you understand how it works. October 3, 2005
151 out of 178 found this review helpful
I've used this scale and i've found some serious flaws. First, besides the weight measurement, none of the other readings are TRUE readings. All the readings such as Fat%, Body Muscle%, Water% is ESTIMATED. When you first get the scale you have to enter in your height, age, sex, and level of activity. The level of activity is the most important factor, basically you tell the scale if you live a normal life of activity, moderate life of activity were you do some excercise or your an athelete with intense physical activity a few times a week.
The scale uses the bioimpedance and then calculates all of the results using the information that you provided which I believe is not that accurate. For example, I'm 5'11", 27, male however not all 5'11", 27 yr old males are the same, do you see the problem? So basically alot of their readings are CALCULATED based upon information that you give it, not true measurements of yourself. These are ASSUMPTIONS!!
To test how unaccurate this weight scale is, I stepped on the scale, saying that I live a moderate life style of activity. The scale said my body fat% is 14.3%. I IMMEDIATELY set up the scale again, this time saying i live an atheletic life style and my body fat% is 9.7%????huh?
Which one is it???? And why are they different, shouldn't my fat%, just like my weight be the same??? I mean nothing in my body has changed, just the setting on the scale. Also, all the results of the other features are skewered downward when I choose athlete mode, and vice versa when I choose normal mode. I personally think I'm in pretty decent shape, I don't work out like an athelete, but I do hit the gym, it's probably not "intense" but I do some excercising a few times a week. Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should be using "athelete" or "moderate" mode, so I really just have no exact measurement of my body fat% or any other measurement(besides weight). I just know I'm somewhere between 9% and 14% which I coulda told you by looking in the dam mirror.
This goes to show you that the scale is using the bioimpedance, but it estimates everything based upon factors. If you read the guide it states that some of the measurements are based upon studies. Like the BMR is based upon some famous study or something....
The scale has always measured my weight consistently. I'll get on the scale weigh myself and then get off and immediately weigh myself again and the weight is the same. HOWEVER, i've weighed myself a few times within a minute and I notice that the body fat%, muscle%, etc. are ALL DIFFERENT. The weight was always the same, but the body fat% was 1/2% off???? the time between weighings was about 10 seconds!!!! I kept doing this over and over and noticed that my body fat% could swing by as much as 1% +/-. More proof this thing is inaccurate.
As this thing goes for over $100 I wouldn't recommend anyone getting it. Unless you really really want to monitor your progress. For example, if your on a diet, you could monitor your progress with this scale, just know that its not the most accurate thing and that the readings are really just BALLPARK. If I could do it all over again, I would buy a Tanita scale, but not this top of the line one, I would get the mid grade were you would still get the fat%, less some of the other features, like metabolic age....I mean who needs that??? And what would you do with it? And of course you would save some money.
PROS: Accurate in reading body weight. Lots of features.
CONS: fat%, muscle%, etc. are all based upon bioimpedance and assumptions according to the info you enter into the scale. So it's not truly accurate. Most of the features are really useless.
BOTTOM LINE: Not worth the $100+ in my opinion. If fat% is important, your better off just getting a Tanita scale, but a mid-grade model that reads weight, fat% and muscle%. It's really all you need.
Tanita scale is well worth the money. June 7, 2005
49 out of 52 found this review helpful
After reading the review for the Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Compositon Monitor in the U.S. News & World Report, May 16, 2005, we decided to buy one. The scale is well worth the price, $119.99, for it provides so much more information than just weight. It calculates body fat and water percentages, visceral fat (the amount of fat around the organs), bone mass, metabolic age (the average age associated with your metabolism), a physique rating, and an estimate of daily calories to maintain your current state.
This scale is a real motivator to get into shape. Everyone who has tried the scale wants to eat healthier and can't wait to get back onto the scale to see the results. It is a real eye opener!
How to Set this: December 2, 2005
36 out of 46 found this review helpful
I gave this 4 stars, but can't really judge it yet.....I have ordered this, and just talked to a Tanita rep. The manuals don't lay all this out, but this is apparently important for getting consistent readings: 1) Weigh yourself at approx. the same time AND later in the day when you are hydrated, and NOT when you first get up in the morning. Your body needs to be hydrated for the bioimpedance aspect of the scales to work well. 2) Whether to set ADULT or ATHLETE mode.....If you typically have a resting heart rate of 60 OR if you work out 10 hours or more weekly, set it for athlete. Otherwise, set it for ADULT.
I hope this model is better than the Tanita TBF 622 I got several years ago, although I admit I didn't know the info I posted above until just now. On my own Tanita I consistently measured a good 5% points higher than on my doctor's $3500 Tanita Professional scale. And then the other day I measured 11% below my Tanita setting when measured at the gym with an Omron hand held fat analyzer. However, I'm sure the same useage requirements apply for the professional scales, and I just hopped on his scales at an arbitrary time, and same case with the gym. Also, previously I was measuring myself in the morning after getting up and before eating. I think I read somewhere that you should also measure about 3 hours after eating.
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