Last night I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought a scale. It seemed like a good way to keep my weight in check with bathing suit season right around the corner. I am actually only 3 lbs off my perfect weight so I am pretty happy. There were a few scales to choose from and I came awfully close to buying the Tanita 4 Memory Family Body Fat Scale. What stopped me was the text on the box, it read:

Simply enter your personal data using the ‘set,’ ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons, and then stand barefoot on the scale. Electrodes in the foot sensor pads send a low-level electrical current through the body which measures the percentage of body fat. How? The current passes quickly through muscle and is slowed by fat.

What B.S.! Do I look that gullible? I bought the Thinner® Advance Body Fat Analyzer Scale instead.
Reading the info on the Tanita scale made me think of when I was younger and would watch Saturday morning cartoons. There were always commercials for incredible toys. I remember begging my mother for the toy, “Please, Mommy, please, I can’t live without it!!!!” Eventually I ended up with the toy either for a holiday or from my grandparents and inevitably the toy was never as good as the commericial made it seem. It didn’t fly, it didn’t spin, it wouldn’t chew, etc… Now that I am a woman, I still find myself in the same situation only with other products. Apply the lipstick and press your lips together and the color will deepen, apply the mascara and your lashes will immediately curl, dab the cream onto your blemish and watch it disappear! The claims are ridiculous and I should know better. Going forward, I am going to try to separate the hype from the product. And so I said no to the Tanita scale– c’mon, electrodes? current? body fat? I don’t think so.