Taylor Bluetooth Body Fat SmartScale w/ SmarTrack App

 

I’ve covered a couple of different bathroom scales on here, and most of them have been fairly basic. I have one from Ozeri that measures body fat, bone, muscle and water levels too. I’m very happy with it. One even had it’s own “app”. But until now, I’d not had one with bluetooth. In steps Taylor, a Salter Housewares brand, with their Taylor Smart Scale with Bluetooth, model 7222F.

It has the fairly standard tempered glass surface, this time with stainless steel strips inlaid for the measuring of all those extra metrics like body fat, body water and muscle mass. And it then beams those numbers via bluetooth to your paired smartphone or tablet via their SmarTrack app. At least in theory, that is, because I could not get the app to register me, despite multiple tries on my phone, tablet, and over both our FiOS wifi and 4G network connection. Which, essentially, renders the features that most folks paid extra for useless. Shame. The idea behind easy and convenient tracking of your weight, and your fitness, is a good one, but one of these days these companies really need to understand app development and that it’s more than throwing a few dollars at an IT company that bid the lowest to cobble together what amounts to placeholder to be able to say you “have an app”. It has to work, people.

Okay. Deep breath.

Aside from the incredible amount of frustration caused by this, the scale in and of itself is accurate, and while the numbers were slightly off from the other body fat-measuring scales we have here in the house, that can simply be chalked up to the fact that they all use “estimates” from small electrical signals sent through the body, and so many factors can skew that, I’m not going to begrudge a scale a few percentage points here and there. Up to 8 people can use this scale with basic non-bluetooth tracking features, an “athlete” setting for those that work out regularly, and a bright, dual-line backlit LCD readout with “touchscreen” controls. All this and it operates on 3 AAA batteries. Unfortunately, most of the advertised features like true tracking, cloud storage, and compatibility with MapMyFitness, RunKeeper and other popular apps are inaccessible due to the native app being useless. So it quickly becomes less and less a value because, let’s face it, you paid for those features. I wanted to like this product so much more, and I’ve had Taylor, Salter, and Homedics scales before that were fantastic. This scale is, as a scale, flawless. It’s all the advertised extras that caused the premium pricetag that are rendered useless by a non-functioning, junk app. For that reason, I find that I can’t, at full retail, recommend this product, because so many of the potentially wonderful features advertised cannot be accessed, and they’re built into the price tag. Too bad.

Connect with Taylor Precision Products:

• Online
• On Facebook
• On Twitter
• On Amazon
• On LinkedIn

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Taylor Precision Products.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Advertisement

Gurin: Touch Professional Digital Kitchen Scale KS-100 #Review #DigitalKitchenScale

Anyone who reads my blog knows I do a bit of baking. And a bit of cooking. Maybe a touch of kitchen activities here and there. So when Gurin offered me a chance to test a kitchen scale, I jumped at it with both feet. I’ve tried a few cheap-o kitchen scales, some really nice ones, and once I even bought one from a national kitchen and bath retailer. I was happy with a few, disappointed in most. When your recipe calls for exact measurements, “close enough” isn’t good enough. Accuracy counts.

This Gurin Model KS-100 Kitchen Scale is accurate to the gram thanks to 4 high precision GFX sensors. It will also max out at over 12lbs, which is insane. I hope and pray I never bake so much as to max out this little guy! But it’s still a really, really nice feature. And the stylish tempered glass face means no flour or sugar or particles of any sort get lost in seams or cracks. It’s no-good rubber feet keep it solidly anchored in place, and it’s touch screen controls mean you can switch units or tare with a knuckle, when one is sporting the dreaded “club finger” from mixing or mashing or shaping. Hallelujah! The scale sports a back-lit screen with large, easy to read numbers that can be seen from any angle. Such a nice little feature when one has to glance across a kitchen from computer screen to recipe book, because let’s be honest, it’s easy to lose track with several things going at once.

If I were forced to point out some negatives, I would initially point to the CR2032 lithium button cell batteries, as you can’t just grab those from anywhere. And the fact that the tempted glass surface is black, which means every speck and fingerprint shows. It’s so nice to look at, one can’t help but be a little OCD with cleaning it.

Retail Price Point: $19.95 via Amazon

The pluses here highly outweigh the niggling little minuses. It came securely packaged, and with batteries too. I so do not miss the old “batteries not included” days! At just $19.99 I would say that you might find a scale a little cheaper, but with a satisfaction guarantee and free shipping, I can safely say you probably won’t find one better. I’d label this one a “buy”, with no regrets.

Connect with Gurin and their products at:

• Amazon
• On-line
• #DigitalKitchenScale

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from Gurin.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

Swaggable: The 17 Day Diet Book by Dr. Mike Moreno Review

Right about the month of March, whatever diet program I have been trying or testing has pretty much reached a point of…..well, boredom. I know it’s a life-style change and thankfully I am usually only fighting off 10 to 15 pounds I want gone, but I call them my celebration pounds, because they return when there is a holiday or birthday. Why March? Well, it’s my birthday month, as well as  my husband’s, so this means cake. Call it cake pounds and as much as I want to blame the confectionery with happy sprinkles that hypnotized me, if I was not looking at it I would have never fallen under it’s spell.

I received the 17 Day Diet book in late January and have read through it and the one thing I loved, is how Dr. Mike Moreno changes things up. Days, weeks, or even months do not play-out the same way for me so that also plays havoc on my diet. I sometimes under eat and other times over indulge, so this book has a more realistic approach to what I call R-E-A-L life. There are times I can do well for 2 weeks and then comes week #3 where I eat something someone brought over to I maybe did the unthinkable and had a real cheesy burger……with bacon and caramelized onions….some fries too. I obviously can’t just get back on the same horse the next week because I sort of strayed but Dr. Moreno also brought exercise into the picture, whereas most of us want a “way to eat”, or a pill to take to be the answer and only solution. It’s like the relationship you truly wish will work but sooner or later you have to dump whatever and move on! I’ve moved on (thankfully not on Husband 🙂 ) but definitely the  dreaming of the magic that never arrives. You got to move more and eat less but also eat smart!

Dr. Moreno uses a program designed around 4 stages/cycles, each consisting of 17 days. No tricks and just simple methods:

• Accelerate– The cycle where you lose weight rapidly and cleanse your body out. You start cutting out the things you already know you should not eat and what really just ends up starving your body, rather giving it “real energy”. There is an optional fasting day in this stage.
• Activate– In this cycle you start the metabolic burn, by having days your intake (caloric wise) will be high and others low.
• Achieve– Here you learn about the smart way to eat and this where I mention previously about controlling the amount you eat, but also introducing new exercises.
• Arrive– The combo stage where you enter the lifestyle of eating right and moving. Best explained, it’s a combination of the previous cycles to help continue a healthy way of eating that will not only benefit you long term but you will be happier with how you feel and look.

Like many diet books, this also comes with recipes but you get over 50 of them! I liked that not all recipes were ultra expensive or hard on the pocket book. Yes, you have lean meats but most of them I found to be low in cost, especially if you shop smart. Dr, Moreno even discusses supplements, exercising when you travel and even holiday stress. Topics from alcohol consumption are addressed, and even a section on PMS! Like I said, pretty much everything is covered including specific medical conditions.

I liked that the book was not only easy to read, as the author did not act like they found new miracles. Dr. Moreno found an easier way to apply what we all pretty much know already when it comes to diets and eating habits. The book was used as a manual at times, because it was easy to find information I could quickly reference on the topic I needed help on. Like, for example, when I was purchasing my supplements, I added Selenium and found I felt a positive difference. Most chapters have key points under the review section so you can take in the information as a whole or just go by what you want to read about……again, very adaptable.

Connect with Dr. Moreno and the 17 Day Diet Book at:

Via Facebook– https://www.facebook.com/17daydiet

Send a tweet via Twitter– https://twitter.com/17DayDiet

Pinterest is filled with recipes and advice too- http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=17%20day%20diet

#Ididitwith17

 

I received the above product free of charge from Swaggable and Simon & Schuster.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

SheSpeaks: The Fast Metabolism Diet Book by Haylie Pomroy

We gals are suckers for diets, and SheSpeaks must know this. I know I’ve tried a few in my time, and there’s a new one every week, on TV, in the news…it gets to be too much.  So when I got offered Haylie Pomroy’s book, “The Fast Metabolism Diet”, I was more than a little suspicious, especially when it makes claims like “Lose 20 pounds in 28 days” and “Eat more food and lose more weight”.  But The proof is in the pudding (mmmm….pudding), so let’s dig in and see what’s happening here.

So, Ms. Pomroy is quick to point out she’s not a dietitian, but instead a “Body Mechanic”.  She even goes a step further by labeling herself a “Metabolism Whisperer”. Oh….kay.  But then it starts getting interesting.

She teaches you how to Unwind stress, Unlock fat, and Unleash your metabolism.  She schools us about bad foods and the toxic environment we’ve all created for ourselves.  How stress affects your metabolism.  Hmm…this is starting to make a lot of sense and I’m getting veeery interested.  There’s a good deal of common sense here, and more than a few uncommon tips that do seem to me like they could be very useful.  Okay. I’m hooked.

The book goes on to talk about how to not be a serial dieter, and to make peace with your food, since it’s not the enemy here.  Haylie lists the 5 major players in your metabolism, and gives you very comprehensive food lists that will be appealing to almost any palette. Yes, we’re now on a first name basis.  She espouses the benefits of whole natural, and whenever possible, organic foods.  She lists 10 easy “do’s” and “don’t” of her diet plan, as well as menus, maps, recipes and plans, and you can even keep track right in the book!  Cool!

Lest you be worried that she thinks we’re all superhuman diet machines, there’s also splurge secrets and a “Fast Metabolism 911” that details emergency plans should our resolve dissolve, or our strength slip.  After all, we’re not machines!

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the book, and surprised that I could pretty seamlessly and harmlessly integrate her plans into my regular rotation.  I think a lot of us would benefit greatly from this, and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to not just eat, but live healthier.

For more information on the book and/or author, please visit the following sites:

Website: http://www.fastmetabolismdiet.com/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/hayliepomroy
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hayliepomroy
Program Hashtag: #FastMetabolismDiet

I received the above book free of charge from SheSpeaks.  I am not obligated in providing a positive/favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product, which may differ from yours.