Body Fat %
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Scale versions are highly affected by your water content at the time.0
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JeffseekingV wrote: »Scale versions are highly affected by your water content at the time.
That's why you do it first thing in the morning, before drinking or eating anything, after a quick trip to the bathroom.
I think calipers are affected by hydration levels as well. I normally use the calipers just on Saturday mornings, but I tried them a couple days ago after work. I was up a couple percentage points, I'm guessing because I was fully hydrated.
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JeffseekingV wrote: »Scale versions are highly affected by your water content at the time.
That's why you do it first thing in the morning, before drinking or eating anything, after a quick trip to the bathroom.
I think calipers are affected by hydration levels as well. I normally use the calipers just on Saturday mornings, but I tried them a couple days ago after work. I was up a couple percentage points, I'm guessing because I was fully hydrated.
That is what I do. Try to be as consistent as possible. Since this type of measurement is also used to measure hydration, one has to keep that as consistent as possible.
I measured myself on the scale at about 18%. I posted pictures here and had some really knowledgeable people estimate my BF and they posted about the same %. But in reality, I want the scale to be consistent in the delta change and not really in the absolute number.0 -
JeffseekingV wrote: »But in reality, I want the scale to be consistent in the delta change and not really in the absolute number.
Same here.
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The one at my work told me I was 7.8% right after it told me I was 28%.... And this is the one our Registered Dietician uses and costs like 3K or something ridiculous she said. She then proceeded to argue with me on how accurate they are.0
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »111YoYo111 wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Those scales are way off and not worth the extra money. Invest in calipers that you can buy at GNC and/or a tape measure and you will be better off.
Just a tape measure can tell you that? How so?
A lot of people on MFP seem to think bioimpedance scales are wildly inaccurate. Some will tell you that tape measures are the only way to go, others will swear by calipers, some by comparing "selfies," and others by DEXA scans. When I read this thread last week, it got me wondering if anyone could back up their assertions using real life data. So I opened a new thread and challenged people to pick out the bioimpedance scale data from the tape measure and caliper data:
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10018085/best-method-to-measure-bodyfat-at-home#latest
So far, only one person has even tried to guess which set of readings came from my bioimpedance scale.
My conclusion: Bioimpedance scales are not all that inaccurate. And all the home measuring methods have their problems. And all the methods introduce inaccuracies and inconsistencies in their own way.
You can check around and you will find that they have no reliability, and your test has no relevance. You should have a DEXA, use calipers and tape, and then your scale and see which comes closest to the DEXA. Hint: it will not be your scale.
Like I said in the other thread I linked, people believe what they want to believe despite any evidence to the contrary. My BI scale consistently measures me in the same general range as tape measure and calipers. While I agree that a DEXA scan would make a good benchmark and is the closest I'll ever get to my true or exact BF%, your assertion that the BI scale would not be the closest is based on supposition, not fact.
And everyone knows that n = 1!0 -
Wheelhouse15 wrote: »111YoYo111 wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Those scales are way off and not worth the extra money. Invest in calipers that you can buy at GNC and/or a tape measure and you will be better off.
Just a tape measure can tell you that? How so?
A lot of people on MFP seem to think bioimpedance scales are wildly inaccurate. Some will tell you that tape measures are the only way to go, others will swear by calipers, some by comparing "selfies," and others by DEXA scans. When I read this thread last week, it got me wondering if anyone could back up their assertions using real life data. So I opened a new thread and challenged people to pick out the bioimpedance scale data from the tape measure and caliper data:
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10018085/best-method-to-measure-bodyfat-at-home#latest
So far, only one person has even tried to guess which set of readings came from my bioimpedance scale.
My conclusion: Bioimpedance scales are not all that inaccurate. And all the home measuring methods have their problems. And all the methods introduce inaccuracies and inconsistencies in their own way.
You can check around and you will find that they have no reliability, and your test has no relevance. You should have a DEXA, use calipers and tape, and then your scale and see which comes closest to the DEXA. Hint: it will not be your scale.
Like I said in the other thread I linked, people believe what they want to believe despite any evidence to the contrary. My BI scale consistently measures me in the same general range as tape measure and calipers. While I agree that a DEXA scan would make a good benchmark and is the closest I'll ever get to my true or exact BF%, your assertion that the BI scale would not be the closest is based on supposition, not fact.
It's not opinion I state regarding BI scales it's fact backed by studies, if you choose not to believe that's your issue.0 -
JeffseekingV wrote: »I'm not rich so I can't afford to have multiple DEXA scans done at $150 a pop. I'd probably advocate ONE scan and then immediately do a bioimpedence scale, calipers, hand held bioimpedence etc... then compare the two for reference.
It's not really the accuracy perse as long as it's consistent. If it's consistent, then the DELTA change in bodyfat is what is important.
When the reliability of these scales is in question even the delta is not a great measure. Tape measures and callipers are reliable. Also note that when reliability is in question you have no external validity. For cost, tape measures and callipers win every time.0 -
JeffseekingV wrote: »Scale versions are highly affected by your water content at the time.
That's why you do it first thing in the morning, before drinking or eating anything, after a quick trip to the bathroom.
I think calipers are affected by hydration levels as well. I normally use the calipers just on Saturday mornings, but I tried them a couple days ago after work. I was up a couple percentage points, I'm guessing because I was fully hydrated.
I'm guessing you are moving the callipers.0 -
My bi scale reads 10% more than the scan. Both numbers are way too high but it is a big difference0
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »I'm not rich so I can't afford to have multiple DEXA scans done at $150 a pop. I'd probably advocate ONE scan and then immediately do a bioimpedence scale, calipers, hand held bioimpedence etc... then compare the two for reference.
It's not really the accuracy perse as long as it's consistent. If it's consistent, then the DELTA change in bodyfat is what is important.
When the reliability of these scales is in question even the delta is not a great measure. Tape measures and callipers are reliable. Also note that when reliability is in question you have no external validity. For cost, tape measures and callipers win every time.
They might not give an accurate absolute reading but as long as they are consistent in their error, that's fine with me.
I've stepped on the scale like 3-4 times in a week and it showed about the same BF%0 -
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JeffseekingV wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »JeffseekingV wrote: »I'm not rich so I can't afford to have multiple DEXA scans done at $150 a pop. I'd probably advocate ONE scan and then immediately do a bioimpedence scale, calipers, hand held bioimpedence etc... then compare the two for reference.
It's not really the accuracy perse as long as it's consistent. If it's consistent, then the DELTA change in bodyfat is what is important.
When the reliability of these scales is in question even the delta is not a great measure. Tape measures and callipers are reliable. Also note that when reliability is in question you have no external validity. For cost, tape measures and callipers win every time.
They might not give an accurate absolute reading but as long as they are consistent in their error, that's fine with me.
I've stepped on the scale like 3-4 times in a week and it showed about the same BF%
That's more consistent than I've got with my scale. They tend to be affected by things such as hydration levels, temperature and sweat. I stopped using my scale's BI a while ago since I knew it had me off by over 8% BF. It's not life of death but being an engineer I really like having tools that are properly calibrated.0 -
If you had that problem, then yeah I'd probably switch. Which calipers/method have you used?0
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don't rely on a home scale for that. not accurate.0
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JeffseekingV wrote: »If you had that problem, then yeah I'd probably switch. Which calipers/method have you used?
I have the GNC calipers and I use the Navy method for tape. Navy method has me slightly higher than the calipers. The only problem with the calipers is that you need to be consistent and know the right spot but if you grab a trainer at the gym they should be able to help you for free.
The Navy method can be found here: fitness.bizcalcs.com/Calculator.asp?Calc=Body-Fat-Navy0 -
I got a EatSmart Precision scale that differentiates between athletic and non-athletic readings. The non-athletic setting says I'm at 23% and the athletic one says 16.9% I had a BodPod test done and came in at 16.3%, so I'm pretty satisfied with that scale. (I know that both tests may not be totally correct, but they're both close enough for me to have a trend to track.)0
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Calipers are really the only way to go. They are the accurate (for home use) and so cheap that there is no good excuse to not use them.
I have one of those silly scales that supposedly measure a million things. It says 10.5% while the calipers say 7%.0 -
__drmerc__ wrote: »My DEXA and handheld bf impedance thingie were within 1-2%
I don't think they are as inaccurate as most here lead you to believe
I agree.They might not be 100% accurate but they (at least mine) are pretty good.0
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