Whether you are trying to shed some pounds or just want to maintain your current size a reliable scales will help you to track results. Keeping a food diary or tracking your weight through a spreadsheet not only helps you to establish a routine for success but also to view your progress realistically.

The main type of home use for a scale is weight management. It is not surprising then that some people become frustrated with different weights showing up on the same bathroom scale - sometimes only minutes apart. This can happen with both dial and digital scales but is more common in dial scales which rely in spring-based weight measurement. So in the case of some dial scales, standing differently on the scale can result in a different weight which is not ideal when you are putting in so much work to manage your weight.

This is not to say that all digital scales are a hundred percent accurate either. Some digital scales take a while to recalibrate after a measurement is taken which can also result in a different reading in a short time period. After all the work that goes into managing your weight an accurate measurement can make the difference between having a good day and not. The ideal situation is to spend a little bit more on a scale (preferably digital) that you can rely on.

Other handy functions for the health conscious are built in memory functions for multiple people and body fat/water calculators. A good body fat/water function on a scale is used to determine body fat, body water, muscle mass (usually with an accuracy of up to 0.1%) as well as the body weight and bone mass (usually in 0.1kg increments). Some types of digital scales also come with built in trending graphs to help you view your progress visually. This is a great motivator for someone who wishes to lose a lot of weight quickly.

The second type of scale for home use would be the kitchen scale for measuring out ingredients and food portions. A kitchen scale would usually be chosen based on the type of kitchen you run. If you have enough counter space you might choose a visually pleasing scale that fits in with the decor. In some cases an 'old-school' dial scale or even a manually weighted scale just looks right in a more rustic, classic kitchen. That being said there are many stylised steel and glass designs available today fit well in a sleek, modern kitchen interior.

If purpose and function are more important than aesthetics then you will need consider the primary function of the scale first. Serious calorie-counters would do best with digital scales rather than dial scales as you get an accurate result that is speedy to read. Baking and cooking enthusiasts would need to take the shape of the unit and space available on the preparation counters into consideration. Some digital scales come with a wireless display unit that can be mounted on a wall or placed in a more convenient surface whilst many 'slim' scales are designed to fit more conveniently into cupboards.

It is very easy to underestimate the value of record keeping in your efforts to manage your weight and nutrition. Whatever choice you make - and there are plenty of options for bathroom and kitchen scales - you will need to find something that suits your budget and lifestyle.