body fat scales and age

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sheldonklein
sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
edited March 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
My gym has a fancy body fat scale. I realize it's not accurate, but it's the best I have to track trends. When I use it, it asks me to input my age. Presumably it uses it in its algorithm, but how? What does age have to do with measuring body fat %?

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  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    A lower percentage of weight is muscle with older people. At least that's the tendency.
  • KatieLouiseRyder
    KatieLouiseRyder Posts: 4
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    Am 19, 5.1 ft, 8.1 stone and i got weighed and measured in boots today and it come back i have a body fat of 35.5% and my body fat mass is 18.1kg.

    Could some one give me advice on what i can do to make it lower as i wouldnt class myself as fat also I know i have a little bit of fat round my stomach but nothing to bad?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    as you get older a higher percentage of body fat is deemed 'normal'

    the scale is rubbish for an absolute figure by the way - you are right just to look at it for trends

    Katie - your data is simply ridiculous and wrong - because the scale CANNOT do what you think it can do - body fat of 35.5% and body fat mass is 18.1kg is about as accurate as a monkey doing algebra
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart3.jpg
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    bodyfat-chart.gif
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Ideal-Body-Fat-Percentage-Chart1.jpg
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    as you get older a higher percentage of body fat is deemed 'normal'

    That is true, but the scale doesn't tell me if I'm normal, only what my % is. I'm fascinated by the question of what age has to do with the scale's algorithm. I found an online calculator -http://www.freedieting.com/tools/body_fat_calculator.htm - that has age as an input, but the % does not change with age. It's all very strange.

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