• Rob Bos@lemmy.ca
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    1 day ago

    They’re not accurate but I think they can at least track trends consistently. A clock that’s five hours ahead still tells you how much time has passed relative to itself. Similarly a scale might tell you what direction your fat level is trending.

    • Carnelian@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I think they can at least track trends consistently

      I’m sorry to say, but they can’t. It would be one thing if, for you as an individual, the error was always consistent (e.g., “always five hours ahead”). Then at least you would be able to track trends over time. Sadly, the technology itself is not reliable in that way and should never be relied on to track trends.

      • Rob Bos@lemmy.ca
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        1 day ago

        Perhaps not. My subjective experience of my Withings scale is that the reported fat percentage has at least remained where I’ve expected given my general activity level. ie, fat percentage goes up when I’m sedentary, down when I’m active.

        But it’s more a curiosity than a useful metric regardless.

        • Carnelian@lemmy.world
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          1 day ago

          I strongly encourage you to disregard the bf% information that scale provides you, even if it is only a passing curiosity. It can and will taint your general understanding of the body and your relationship with fitness. I would recommend even disabling it entirely if possible, and would even recommend replacing it with a non-“smart” scale if the option is at all economical for you. I’m happy to explore the subject further and suggest alternatives if you so desire

          • Rob Bos@lemmy.ca
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            1 day ago

            Honestly I don’t care enough. If I happen to be in the interface I’ll probably turn it off, sure. It doesn’t inform any decisions, I barely register that the number exists.

            • Carnelian@lemmy.world
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              1 day ago

              It doesn’t inform any decisions

              Excellent, I encourage you to never deviate from this path