Why tracking beats a single scan
A single scan tells you where you are. It is the change between scans that tells you whether what you are doing is working: whether muscle is increasing, whether fat is falling in the places you care about, whether fluid is accumulating or clearing, and whether a limb is recovering strength after injury. Weight alone hides all of this.
How often to scan
Every four to six weeks is typical during an active programme, which is long enough for real change to show and short enough to adjust course. Monthly is common for nutrition and training; more frequent scans are used clinically for fluid management or during intensive rehabilitation. Scanning weekly for general purposes adds noise rather than information.
Scanning consistently
Bioelectrical impedance is sensitive to hydration and recent activity, so consistency matters more than the absolute number. Scan at the same time of day, ideally morning, before exercise, two to three hours after eating, with an empty bladder, and after similar fluid intake. Avoid scanning after alcohol, during illness, or the day after very heavy training. Under the same conditions, InBody results are highly repeatable.
What the report shows over time
A history graph of weight, skeletal muscle mass and body fat mass; segmental change in each limb and the trunk; body water ratios that flag fluid retention or inflammation; visceral fat trend; and phase angle, a marker of cell health that rises with training and nutrition and falls with illness.
At Omnia
Scans at our Chiswick clinic are stored and compared automatically, and our team goes through the change with you. InBody is used to track the Fitness and Nutrition programme, rehabilitation after injury, and fluid work alongside lymphatic drainage and compression therapy. Styku 3D scanning can be added to track shape and measurements alongside composition.