Omron HBF-306C Handheld Body Fat Loss Monitor

Great Product
want a reason to stay on the healthy diet. If you give up before monitoring your body fat and measuring inches, you are looking for the easy way out. This is the easiest way to monitor body fat, just a few clicks and it gives a great reading.I started a lifestyle change around xmas time and like usual followed with a new years resolution to make a lifestyle change. As a PE teacher and former college athlete i was not setting a great example to my students and players. While in college I had done body comp tests to better understand the practice and each method. Like most reviews will say there are pros and cons to each but I actually witnessed a study against the gold standard, under water weighing, the omron did very well. If i remember right most amateurs with the calipers where not doing so hot. This seemed to me,factoring in the ease of use and speed of response that this is the best way to go.Personally my girlfriend and I use it at least once a week to monitor fat loss. We use it at the same time every morning every week, take two readings and use it for feedback on our diet progress. Women especially dont always lose lbs on the diet we have implemented so I wanted extra proof and motivation to keep at it as a family. As a teacher I will be using it as a tool in physical education to explain healthy body weight and body comp.I know that many factors can skew the numbers here but you dont have to be a rocket scientist or even know what a variable is to use common sense and test the same way every time. If you control your hydration variable alone you should be fine.for 30 bucks get this product, use it the right way and you will be able to track your progress and tweak your diet and fitness routine to see the results you want

A good tool, but not ideal for all users
I purchased the Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss monitor to use as part of my on-going health and fitness routine. In 18 months I’ve lost 22 pounds, 12% bodyfat and dropped inches all over, but have hit a plateau and decided to focus more on my diet with the goal to lose bodyfat instead of worrying about my weight, as I’ve also gained muscle too.Using the Omron Omron HBF-400 Body Fat Monitor and Scale for several years now, I was getting high bodyfat readings and getting very discouraged, as my readings via the calipers (Accu-Measure Fitness 3000 Personal Body Fat Tester) were 7-8% lower. As the Omron 306C was so inexpensive, and has settings for the ‘athlete’ – I checked on Omron’s site and the manual to see if my current activity level put me in that category and it did – I went ahead and purchased it, hoping to get an fairly accurate ‘guesstimate’.Much to my surprise the calipers and the Omron HBF-306C are very close in their readings. The old Omron scale is still way too high, but when playing with the 306C and setting my own profile to ‘normal’ versus ‘athlete’, I did get a bodyfat reading similar to the Omron scale. What does this mean? Your activity level is part of the equation – literally!This monitor isn’t for everyone. Kids under age 18 can’t get a reading with any accuracy on it, as the profile ages start at 18. ‘Athlete’ mode only allows for up to age 60, so if you’re over 60 and active, don’t waste your money on this one! In the manual it also notes that athletes and bodybuilders may not get accurate results with this device. I’m guessing that has more to do with hydration than anything else, but again, probably should stick with the calipers as a back-up. Morbidly obese people are also discouraged from using this device as a measuring tool.What I do like about it is that for many people it will work to give them a ballpark figure as to how they are doing with dietary changes and an exercise program. It doesn’t tell you how much muscle you have (other monitors can…), but it’s giving you a snapshot in time of what your bodyfat is and also your BMI. If you test it at consistently the same time of day and under the same circumstances (like right after you get up in the morning), you will be able to see your progress.You will have to adjust your profile if you are losing weight, as an accurate reading is dependent upon all of your profile information being accurate too. You can set your height by quarter-inch increments (a nice feature), athlete or normal, your weight, and gender. Obviously all those things don’t frequently change, but your weight can.Overall this is a good device. Nice instructions, simple to set-up and use. It’s a helpful fitness tool, but it’s not perfect for every user.UPDATE: July 25, 2011If you go against the rules and use this device right out of the shower after a workout – you’ll have a lower body fat percentage than if you take a reading after no exercise and a night’s sleep. Why? It’s all about hydration. Basically if you’re dehydrated, you’ll get the most accurate reading, but that may not be the one that makes you smile.For women, also note that your menstrual cycle will affect your readings, so it’s a good idea to take a monthly reading at the same time in your cycle. I’d suggest first thing in the morning after you urinate, 3-5 days after cessation of your period, and at least 24 hours after a workout, for the lowest water weight gain.

Useless product – gives different / erratic readings every time (despite following all the usage instructions correctly) – thus unreliable for the purpose it was purchased.

Works great, no complaints