Hi all- my first post so please forgive any faux pas. I’ve recently bought the Scale X and am finding the muscle mass reading waaayyyy off. I’m a chubby middle aged woman with very little muscle definition or strength but my results consistently come back in the high 50’s percent-wise, or above optimal. I’ve tried all the suggested fixes (clean feet etc) without effect. I know the most important thing is trend, but I’d like to at least see a result that reflects my general condition. Can hardly aim for greater muscle mass when it’s already so high? Or am I missing something obvious? TIA
I am a chubby out of shape elderly (Ha!) male. My Wyze scale is older and doesn’t do percentage of muscle mass.
My weight right now is 215lb and my muscle mass is calculated as 135lb so doing the math, my muscle mass is 62% which is WAY off.
I wouldn’t take these calculations seriously.
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Welcome to the forum @amryan
Most smart scales use a method called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to estimate body composition, including muscle mass percentage. One of the limitations with it is that it only sends electrical signals through your feet, so it is mostly measuring the resistance through your legs and across your pelvis, but not really through the top half of your body.
I have long been telling Wyze they should make a scale that has a handbar too so the BIA will go through the top half of the body as well.
Having said that, most research has found that BIA estimates usually have a Standard Error of Estimate that is typically within 2.6% - 4% of the accurate DXA measurements for body fat percentages. So it’s rarely too far off from the real amount. So it is generally a reasonable approximation.
Granted there are things that can affect BIA accuracy such as hydration levels (dehydration overestimates body fat), recent food and drink intake, physical activity, and sometimes device calibration.
So I won’t guarantee the scale is within average S.E.E. measurements since I don’t work for Wyze, but in general, it’s unlikely to be extremely far off from what you’d get with a more accurate DXA measurement. That would be the only way to know…go get a DXA measurement and before changing anything else with your body (no eating drinking, etc), measure on the scale again and see how much of a difference there is. I would guess it’s under 5% different.
Regardless, as you said, even if it is inaccurate, as long as the trend is consistent that helps you know whether you are going up or down over time.
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Thanks both for your insights. Still unconvinced and disappointed that one of the key features I was seeking is not really of use, but very interesting to learn more from you 
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