I will admit it to be afraid of the scale—the kind that weighs you, not the serpent’s. And so my first reaction to the idea that I could get a free body scan scale with a subscription to the Factor meal kit was something akin to “Oh no!”

It was always bad or embarrassing news, I thought, and maybe I just didn’t know. However, as it turned out, I was wrong on two counts.

The reason is, of course, the prepared food brand from meal kit giant HelloFresh, which I tried while reviewing dozens of meal kits this past year. Think TV dinners delivered, but actually fresh and never frozen. The reason foods are meant to be microwaved, but I found when I Factor was reviewed last year that foods actually taste better when you air-fry them (better to use a Crispy Ninjathe best heating device I know).

Especially, The reason goes beyond the low-carb and protein diet which has become equally popular with people who want to lose weight and with people who want to put it on. So, this standard. The reason is you want to track your progress in gaining muscle mass, losing fat, or both. And then probably continue to use Factor to accomplish your health or fitness goals.

While your first week at Factor is now discounted, regular-priced meals will be $14 to $15 a serving, plus $11 shipping per box. That’s less than most restaurant deliveries, but more than if you cook these meals yourself.

If you subscribe between now and the end of March, the third Factor meal box comes with a free Withings Body Comp scale, which normally retails north of $200. Withings doesn’t just weigh you down. It scans your proportions of fat and bone and muscle, and indirectly measures stress levels and the elasticity of your blood vessels. This, in fact, WIRED’s favorite smart scalelike a fitness watch for your feet.

However, to get the deal, use the code CONWITHINGS on Factor’s websiteor follow the promo code link below.

My body?

The scale that comes with the Factor subscription is almost as fancy: a $200 Body Comp scale from high-tech fitness monitoring company Withings. Scale is used bioelectrical impedance analysis and other proprietary methods to measure not only your weight but your body fat percentage, your lean muscle, your visceral fat, and your bone and water, your pulse, and even the stiffness of your arteries.

To get all this information, all you have to do is stand on the scale for a few minutes. The scale will identify you based on your weight (you must be accurate in your description when you set up your profile for it to work), and then cycle through a series of measurements before giving you a cheerful weather report for the day.

Withings

Body Comp Smart Scale

Your electrodermal activity—the “skin response through sweat gland stimulation of your feet”—provides a measure of stress, or at least excitement. Withings also aims to measure your arterial age, or stiffness, by the speed of your blood with each heartbeat. It seems esoteric, but it has some scientific backing.

Note that many doctors warn against not directly measuring body composition as gospel. Some doctors counter that previous measurements of the “gold standard” were not completely accurateeven. This is a big debate. For myself, I tend to take smart measurements as a convenient way to track progress, and also a good indicator at home if there is a problem that needs a doctor’s attention.

And so of course, I was scared. Too much bad news to take in too soon! I thought.