Review: EatSmart Bathroom Scales

As a fitness professional I know I shouldn't care about my weight, I realize it is just a number and does NOT define who I am. I also know that number is not what's important because I have more muscle than the average person my height, etc etc BUT I am still a girl! Which means I DO still care about that number. I don't get upset as it goes up/down but merely use it as a measure of my healthy range, or where I am on my desired range. As such yes I own a weight scale. Recently I got the opportunity to try the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale and decided to to do a little review for my blog readers.

The package arrived just before Christmas so I've had two weeks to review the product, I always like to wait to do my reviews so I can give the product a thorough testing. One thing I like immediately about the product is that there was no unnecessary packaging. The outer box was only a little bigger than the product box, good news for the environment! Upon opening the box I was immediately greeted with a message!

Wow, batteries included! Novel concept! And one I wish more and more manufacturers would make!!! Especially over the holidays. Sure enough I took the package out of the box and flipped over the packing to find 4 AAA batteries :) Genius move for EatSmart, product is ready to go right out the package!

I know for some people being green is very important so thought I'd share some notes on the packaging. The product comes with an instruction booklet and wrapped with the batteries (above) in polyfoam packaging with a celophane type bag over the scales which as you can see from the green image is recyclable. I've yet to find anywhere that takes the polyfoam packaging for recycling but for overall packaging pretty well done. The cardboard outer box is recyclable too.

I was drawn to these for their minimalist design. I like clean and simple look and these are very streamlined. They look better on my bathroom floor than wooden office floor though! The blurb in the booklet tells me that the scales have:

• 4 high precision sensors allowing for consistent and accurate measurement of up to 400 lbs or 180 kgs every time;
• Graduation increments of .2 lbs. / 3ozAuto Calibrated;
• Auto Power-Off;
• Runs on 4 AAA batteries (included);
• 100% EatSmart Satisfaction Guarantee
• 12" x 13" platform
• EatSmart "Step-On" technology - No more tapping scale to turn on. Step on and get instant readings!
• Large 3.5" LCD display with blue backlight - Easy to read from any distance
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I have a few things I love about these scales, number one is the: EatSmart "Step-On" technology - No more tapping scale to turn on. Step on and get instant readings! My previous scales you had to "tap" and wait 5 seconds for them to turn on. Doesn't sound like it would be annoying but it's one step I could really do without. I love that I just step on, see the weight and DONE!

My favorite thing about these scales aside from the beautiful design and step on technology is the display! Now if you're bathroom has windows and brightly lit you may not appreciate this as much but our scales sit in our main bathroom. The en-suite has windows but the main bathroom does not. Sometimes it's pretty dark in there, especially if you choose not to switch on the light and the EatSmart Digital Scale display is BRIGHT! Perfect for our bathroom! As you can see below it read my weight at 125 over the holidays which considering I wasn't working out as much and eating a lot was a little heavier than I normally am, but probably right. It now reads a steady 122lbs.

One thing that I haven't seen anyone else mention is the ease of cleaning of the We had two sets of scales previously. Each had a surface that was textured, and honestly a pain in the butt to clean. Dust and dog hair seemed to just get moved around the surface. With the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale the tempered glass surface is totally flat, and easy to clean. We keep surface wipes in the bathroom cabinet and a quick swish with a towelette and clean up is DONE! Love that.

All in all I am VERY happy with these scales! Definite improvement on our previous scales and if you are looking to purchase a set of bathroom scales I can totally recommend the EatSmart Digital Bathroom Scale as a great product! You can purchase them from Amazon for $28.95 (regular price $49.99). You can also find more information on Eatsmart at their website and on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: EatSmart sent me these scales for free in exchange for an honest review. As with all my reviews the opinions herein are my own honest and true opinion. The fact I got this product for free did not alter my opinion whatsoever, each review I post will reflect my opinion good or bad - I keep it real like that!

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Fitness Friday - tip #4 portion sizes

Here is another installment of tips and tricks to losing weight and keeping it off, the healthy and long term way Remember the previous weeks tips:

• #1 water
• #2 know your numbers
• #3 Accountability

and this weeks tip is #4 PORTION SIZES

One of the things that sends any dieter into a frenzy is the idea of weighing and measuring food. Unfortunately this is something that is often necessary for the average person returning to a healthy lifestyle as our Western diet is totally out of whack with portion sizes! For instance a portion of pasta is 3/4 cup or grams. A serving of animal protein should be 4oz or the size of a deck of cards. A serving size of potato or other vegetables is the size of your fist. Think about all that for a second. We see quarter pounders all the time (4oz) but how many times do we see those quarter pounder burgers with bacon AND cheese? That's two-three servings of protein right there! Never mind those 12-16oz steaks, humongous baked potatoes and potato salad that covers half your plate.The Western diet has portion distortion, and it's adding to the obesity epidemic with it's all you can eat buffets, and bottomless drinks.

Conversely the Western diet has the opposite problem when it comes to vegetables. Portion sizes are scant, and usually consist of peas or side salad (iceberg lettuce with 3 slices of cucumber and a cherry tomato). Then to add insult to injury these vegetables are usually covered in high fat, calorie laden sauces. No wonder obesity is on the rise!

So stop and think about portion size next time you sit down to eat. Are you really having ONE portion, or two? three? four? More? Read the nutrition labels and educate yourself, and read CLOSELY because sometimes it can be cunningly deceiving. Take this cookie label below

See the calories per portion size? 244 Cals, for a large cookie (it was around 4-5" in diameter) that's still pretty high but look again at the label. That cookie is TWO servings! Making the calorie total for ONE WHOLE COOKIE nearly 500 calories! INSANE! I personally would have to workout for over an hour to burn off the calories in that cookie, that is just crazy. Plus who eats HALF a cookie? Me that's who! Especially once I saw the calories on this sucker!

Ways to control portion sizes

Scales - a small set of kitchen scales are a great addition to any healthy person's arsenal. Keep them handy in a drawer, or on the counter and you'll be sure to use them. Weigh out items you are unsure of, and really see what a portion size of cereal looks like! I can almost guarantee that almost everyone will be eating more than one standard portion if you are just pouring cereal into a bowl! I love the scales with glass bowls or plates incorporated into their design but for our household that just isn't a safe option. Frankly we haven't had a full glassware set for years, I'm clumsy and glass just doesn't last long in our house so no way I was investing in a kitchen scale with glass,. Instead we opted for a Plain but functional Electronic Kitchen Scale like this one on Amazon. Plus it's easier to store!

Measuring cups - these are extremely popular in the US and a great quick and easy way to measure out your portion sizes. Usually they come in sets like this one above with sizes ranging from 1/4 cup to 1 cup. We have multiple sets in our kitchen as these are used a LOT in our house, even now I think we could do with another set or two. Usually we leave a cup in the cereal, nuts and anything else we use frequently. The great thing about these is they are cheap at around $1.50 per set! Easily in anyone's budget!

Over the course of the next week, educate yourself about portion sizes, and be mindful not only of what you are eating and HOW MUCH you are eating!

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