Watching one’s weight is a common problem for most Americans. The United States ranks 12th on this chart of the most obese countries.
More than 25% of US adults are obese and another 34% are overweight. And our children aren’t immune to weight issues. Nearly 34% of all children and teens are either overweight or obese. [NIH]
Moreover, it is predicted that by 2020, more than 3/4 of the US population will be either overweight or obese. That’s a huge number. [Wiki]
So, if everyone is getting bigger, does watching your weight really mean as much? Years ago if you were overweight, you stuck out. Nowadays, you look just like everyone else.
Careful not to fall into that trap. Carrying excess weight will likely lead to…
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- High blood pressure
- Stroke
- Coronary heart disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- Sleep Apnea
- Respiratory Problems
- Gallbladder Disease
- Cancer
- Dyslipidemia
It’s only a matter of time before your body begins to rebel. The good news is that weight gain and its harmful effects are reversible! Getting back to a healthy weight will help your fight against disease.
So how do you do it?
Maintaining A Healthy Weight
The first defense against weight gain is to keep an eye on your weight. According to an article in USA Today, researchers believe you should weigh yourself every day. Doing so helps you better see the cause and effect of your meals and eating habits.
I am a big believer of checking with the scale often. I weigh myself every 2-3 days. If I’ve had a big meal, I skip a day or two so I won’t get depressed. When I’m doing well, I’ll check the scale more often.
Secondly, determine what a healthy weight and range works best for you. Use a BMI calculator to see where your weight falls.
I’ve been using a Withings scale now for the past 3 years and have found that my weight fluctuates somewhere between a range of 8 lbs. When I see my weight creeping up to 5 lbs. or more, closer to my top 8 lbs. mark, I begin more carefully watching what I eat.
Although Withings has captured my weight for the past 3 years, I have stayed within the 8-pound range for the past 20 years…other than pregnancies of course! I attribute this to keeping an eye on the scale.
Third, incorporate new habits which can help you lose pounds or maintain a healthy weight. Other daily habits that I believe have helped me to maintain my weight include drinking 4-5 glasses of brewed iced green tea a day as well as a daily protein shake (frozen fruits, flax seeds, protein powder, banana, spinach, ice, and juice) for breakfast.
Fourth, no surprise here, exercise is important to keep your muscles strong. Muscle building helps you with your metabolism too. Start small, just exercise 1-2 times a week – even if it’s going for a nice relaxing walk. Then build up to exercising more times a week.
The Withings Cardio Body Scale
As I mentioned, I have used a Withings scale for the past three years to help me maintain a healthy weight. It has great features and automatically sends weight and BMI information directly to my Withings app. But Withings latest Body Cardio scale is really something, it tracks:
- Weight
- BMI
- Muscle mass
- Fat
- Water %
- Bone mass
- Pulse Wave Velocity
- Heart rate
- Daily weather
- Health of your room
What is Pulse Wave Velocity?
I’m sure you’ve heard of most of these measurements, but what does Pulse Wave Velocity mean? It was a new term to me too. Pulse Wave Velocity is a heart health statistic that tracks the rate of blood flow. Blood flow is an indicator of arterial stiffness, high blood pressure, and overall cardiovascular health.
Pulse Wave Velocity is widely used in the medical community but the Withings Body Cardo is the first to offer this metric to tracked at home. The Pulse Wave Velocity is seen as the best standard indicator to provide a reliable overview of cardiovascular health.
How Does It Work?
Pulse Wave Velocity measures the speeds at which a heartbeat wave travels through the arteries. The faster the speed, the stiffer your arteries are, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or hypertension.
The Body Cardio scale measures “the time difference between blood ejection by the heart in the aorta and the arrival of the blood flow in the feet. The time it takes for the pressure wave to travel along the arterial tree is called the Pulse Transit Time. This is how Withings computes Pulse Wave Velocity.”
Pulse Wave Velocity is impacted by blood pressure, cholesterol, and lifestyle factors, which are good indicators of cardiovascular health.
The Cardio Body scale needs to taking the Pulse Wave Velocity measurement 5 times before delivering its first score via the app. It takes into account your age and will give you tips to improve if it notes that your score needs improving. Even small lifestyle changes like more exercise and a healthier diet can have a large impact on improving your artery health. Managing stress also helps.
Scale Features:
- Displays and tracks your weight, body fat and water percentage, as well as bone and muscle mass
- Is only .7 inches thick – a very solid, stylish looking scale
- Is rechargeable and its battery lasts up to 12 months before needing to be recharged
- Works over WiFi or Bluetooth
- Works with over 100 partners, including Lose It! Weight Watchers, MyFitnessPal, Runkeeper, MapMyRun, and more
- Works on thick carpet or hard floors
- Has patented Position Control™ technology to guide you to the perfect stance
- Data syncs with the Withings Health Mate app automatically to track and set goals for a healthy weight
- Highly precise measurements accurate to .2 pounds
- Gives you the daily weather forecast, when connected via WiFi
- The Withing Health Mate app syncs with other Withings devices like the Pulse tracker, Smart Body Analyzer Scale, and other Withing products for a fuller picture
- Track up to 8 family members and keep stats for each one of them
Pros:
- Looks stylish and has a low profile
- Comes with a rechargeable battery – only need to charge 1-2 times a year
- Knowing your BMI and body fat can help you better control your diet
- Watching your water percentage helps you monitor your water intake
- Charting your muscle mass helps you track your strength training progress
- Keep in tune with your overall cardiovascular health through the heart rate and Pulse Wave Velocity measurements
- Tells you the weather forecast each day so you know how to dress
- Data is automatically transferred to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth or WiFi
- The Withings Health Mate app gives you a great overall look of your health
- Track up to 8 family members
- Works in conjunction with a huge amount of health apps
- The scale directs you to stand in the best spot to be measured
Cons:
- Can be considered pricey for a scale, but it does have a lot of great features
- The Pulse Velocity measurement isn’t always offered much when I step on the scale
The Withings Body Cardio scale is available in white or black from Amazon for $159.93 plus free shipping.
A Mom’s Perspective
Whether you’re interested in losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight, weighing yourself on a daily or regular basis is an important routine you can create to keep in tune with your body.
Sure, you could be thinking that weighing yourself daily is tortuous. If so, weigh yourself daily when you feel good and 2-3 days later after those days you’ve had a fattening meal. This gives you a chance to cut back so it’s not depressing to see the number on the scale.
Also, keep in mind, with the Withings Body Cardio scale, you can also watch your muscle mass and water percentage. Perhaps a weight gain is due to your exercise routine or increase in drinking water. Having these important measurements gives you better feedback on your weight management progression.
They say the average person gains 1 lb. a year from age 25 until they reach age 60. If that’s the case, you could very well gain 35 lbs. Watching your weight on an ongoing basis, you could very likely avoid the pound/year weight gain.
With doctor offices overloaded with patients and doctors taking on more cases to accommodate the need, the time you actually spend with a doctor has greatly decreased…as well as the time they spend reviewing your vitals.
Products like the Withings Body Cardio scale give you more control over important health indicators like your heart rate, BMI, and Pulse Wave Velocity.
Have a husband that refuses to schedule an appointment with the doctor because he fears what the doctor will tell him? Try the Withings Body Cardio scale to keep tabs on his health in the meanwhile.
How are you using technology to maintain a healthy weight or monitor your health?
*I was given a Withings Body Cardio scale for purposes of review. All opinions are my own.
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