body fat scales and age

sheldonklein

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 %?

Cherimoose

A lower percentage of weight is muscle with older people. At least that's the tendency.

KatieLouiseRyder

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

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

Sued0nim

sheldonklein

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.