Phoenix Body Fat Scale Manual

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If your Phoenix Talking scale will not work properly,   Please do the following:

• Install a new battery 
• Try using the scale on a different surface (non-carpeted). This scale must only be used on a hard surface such as tile, wood linoleum or short carpet
• Be sure you're standing very still when on the scale

Low Batteries & bad battery connections are the #1 cause of scale malfunction and inaccuracy!   We test all of our scale returns from consumers. Fully 60% of consumer returns are battery related problems. This sounds silly but it's true! A scale will perform slowly, or read inaccurately when it has low batteries. Please replace the batteries often (and only use good quality batteries). We include good quality batteries with all of our scales but batteries can run low in storage.  If your scale simply won't turn on while on Battery power,  this is often caused by loose battery connections.  Battery prongs (terminals) are made of metal. They must be making good contact with your batteries in order for the scale to power on.  You can use a paperclip to slightly bend the battery prongs to make them have a better connection. Also some poorly designed batteries have recessed or partially obstructed battery terminals. This may cause your prongs to be touching the plastic housing of the battery instead of the metal battery terminal.  

ERR codes:   If your XL consistently shows ERR3,  ERR4 or any other ERR code,  this means the sensor or circuitry has been damaged by water or shock.  It is not possible for you to resolve this damage without sending the scale in for repair.  If this was not caused by an accident or abuse (ie dropping the scale in a tub of water,  getting the scale excessively wet, etc..) then please send the scale in for warranty repair 

PHOENIX TALKING SCALE MANUAL

Measures body weight and with voice reading.

Technical specifications:

Weighing capacity:                             150kg / 330lb

Minimum weighing limit:                     2kg / 4.4 lb

Weighing graduation:                         0.1kg / 0.2 lb

Weighing deviation:                            ± (1%+1d)

Optimum temperature range:              20°C ± 15°C

Operation instructions:

1.Inserting batteries:

Insert a 9V battery into the battery compartment on the bottom (underside) of the scale.

2.Taking measurement

a. Step onto the measurement platform. The scale will say “Hello”. Now step off the platform and wait a few moments

b. Once the platform is stable, it’ll say “I’m ready” and show “0.0 lb” (or 0.0 kg). Then you may step onto the measurement platform again. Your weight will be displayed and read out once the reading is steady.

c. You may step off of the platform and the reading will hold for 10 secs. After that it’ll say “Good-bye” and turn off automatically.

3.        Power off

The power will shut down automatically after no operation is detected for about 10 seconds.

4.  Switching on/off the talking function

Use the switch on the bottom of the platform to switch on/off the speaker function.

5.        Unit conversion

Turn the Scale ON,  “0.0” will show on the display” press the kg/lb button on the front of the scale (under the display) to select the desired unit (LB or KG)

6.      Important notes

***If the Scale ever malfunctions please try installing a new battery, sometimes a low battery or defective battery may cause inaccurate readings or other errors

When the battery runs very low, the warning icon will appear on the display. When this happens, be sure to replace the battery immediately on the underside of the scale.

When over-loaded, “FFFF” will be displayed.

Use the unit on hard, flat, dry and secure surface only.

Place the unit in an area free from high temperature or high humidity. To clean, use dampened cloth and mild detergent.

Avoid excessive impact or vibration to the unit.

If you do not intend to use this unit for a long period of time, remove the battery before storage.

Do not attempt to disassemble the unit, otherwise the warranty will become void.

The unit is intended for home and personal use only (not legal for commerce).

This scale must only be used on a hard surface such as tile, wood linoleum or short carpet.

   This and most bath scales will not perform properly on thick-carpeted surfaces.

My Weigh Body Fat Scale Common Questions

Q: Are there certain people for whom the monitor is not appropriate?
A: Yes, People with pacemakers or other medical implants are advised not to use the monitors. Although there are no known health risks, this is a precaution that is advocated by all manufacturers of BIA Devices. Fat Percentage accuracy can be an issue for certain small categories of people listed below, but the Phoenix BIA may still be used to monitor trends and accurately show degree of change. The following categories of people may not get highly accurate readings from the Phoenix BIA method:

• People who have a body fat rate of less then 7%
• Pregnant women
• People who exceed the weight capacity of the scale (models vary) and/or exceed 75% body fat

Q: How accurate and reliable are My Weigh Body Fat Monitor/Scales?
A: Independent research at several major universities (including Columbia University in New York City) has confirmed that in clinical settings, BIA is accurate within +/- 5 percentage of the institutional standard of body composition analysis--Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA). It should be made clear that there is only one method of calculating body composition that is close to 100% accurate, and that is an autopsy. We believe the BIA method to be the most convenient and accessible to accurately predict body composition. Phoenix's Body Fat Monitor results are repeatable to within +/- 1 percent variation when used under consistent conditions.

Q: What conditions might cause skewed results or an "Error" reading in the display?
A:

• Hydration fluctuations which may result from alcohol or food consumption, sleep, intense exercise, medication or pre-menstruation.
• A very full bladder.
• Severe calluses on heels or soles of feet (about 1/400 people tested).
• Unclean or scratched foot pads may interfere with conductivity.
• Nylons interfere with conductivity. If it is absolutely necessary to measure in nylons, use a drop of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol on the foot pads to act as a conductor.
• Using the scale on a carpeted or unstable surface
• Interference from Cordless phones or other RF devices such as TV's, microwaves, cell-phones etc...
• Not standing perfectly still on the platform
• A Low Battery (try a new battery)

Q: What type of maintenance is necessary?
A: There is simply no maintenance other than the use of alcohol to wipe the foot pads clean and glass cleaner to keep them shiny-always apply to a cloth first and then to the product; avoid soaps or any abrasive compounds (they may damage the finish of the scale).

Understanding Your Body Fat Percentage

Body fat measurements and the measuring tape are recognized as  superior methods for measuring "weight loss".  When one declares that they want to "lose weight", what they often mean is that they want to lose fat. So, now that you've had your body fat percentage measured, what does the number really mean? 

First, your body fat percentage is simply the percentage of fat your body contains.  If you are 150 pounds and 10% fat, it  means that your body consists of 15 pounds fat and 135 pounds lean body mass (bone, muscle, organ tissue, blood and everything else).

A certain amount of fat is essential to bodily functions.  Fat regulates body temperature, cushions and insulates organs and tissues and is the main form of the body's energy storage.  The following table describes body fat ranges and their associated categories:

*General Body Fat Percentage Categories

*American Council on Exercise

Classification	Women (% fat)	Men (% fat)
Essential Fat	10-12%	2-4%
Athletes	14-20%	6-13%
Fitness	21-24%	14-17%
Acceptable	25-31%	18-25%
Obese	32% plus	25% plus

Knowing your body fat percentage can also help you determine if your weight loss goals are realistic.  Remember, weight loss doesn't always mean fat loss. For example:

Let's say you're a 130lb woman with 23% body fat, and you goal is to "lose 20 pounds":

Initial body fat: 130 lb x 0.23 fat = 30 lb body fat

Lean body mass: 130 lb total - 30 lb fat = 100 lb lean body mass (bones, organs and all else)

Goal: 130lb - 20lb = 110 pounds

As you can see, the goal of losing 20 pounds is not realistic or healthy.   At 110 pounds, this woman still requires 100 lb of lean body mass (bones, organs, etc.), but would only be carrying 10 lb, or only 9%  body fat.   From the chart above, you can see that this is a dangerously low percentage.

A better goal might be for the woman to reduce her body fat from 23% to 18%.  In this case:

130 lb x 0.18 = 23 lb body fat

100 lb lean body mass + 23 lb = 123 lb goal weight

So, for this individual to achieve a lean, but healthy 18% fat, she would need to lose only 7 pounds of fat, reducing her weight from her current 130 pounds  to 123 pounds.  Losing more than 7 pounds means losing lean body mass (usually  metabolically-active muscle tissue), which is clearly not desirable.

So before you decide that you need to "lose weight", remember to consider that "weight" consists of both lean body mass and body fat.   Try to keep your weight loss goals realistic, and remember, keep the calorie-burning muscle, and lose only the fat.