body composition test, worth it?

novamagma

So I'm considering throwing down 20 bucks at my university's gym to get a body composition test done. However I'm seeing a few things online about body comps being inaccurate or not worth the money. And god knows I pay enough tuition already that covers my gym so I don't want to spend an empty $20 that won't be useful to me. I don't have a smart scale but I also see that you can get bathroom scales that can tell you your body composition? However if a professional test is supposedly prone to error I can't imagine a scale bought on amazon would work well at all. I was just wondering if anyone has any insights into body composition testing, or could tell me how it works? Should I shell out the money for a test now or should I invest in a scale that might be able to track my comp over time? I feel like having an accurate reading on my health would give me the motivation I need to see real changes happen, as well as give me a direction to work towards, but if it's not worth it I'll spend the money on something else. Thanks!

youngmomtaz

If the $20 is for a dexa I would go for it. There is one place in all of Manitoba and they charge $150 I think. Maybe $160. I am sure there is some margin of error that you can ask for details about but if you were to get tested at the same place on the same system again in the future it should at least show your progress fairly accurately.

kshama2001

I'd only pay for a DEXA scan or Hydrostatic Weighing. If you can get either for $20, it's a great deal.

Scales you can buy aren't especially accurate. For example, having a different level of hydration would skew your results.

https://dailyburn.com/life/health/how-to-measure-body-fat-percentage/

Lillymoo01

$20 for a dexa scan would be money well spent. I personally wouldn't pay full price for one though because my goals in regards to body composition aren't that specific and going by how I look and feel is good enough for me.
I wouldn't waste money on body composition scales though. Their inaccuracy is well known. Normal bathroom scales are as helpful long term.

novamagma

Thanks y'all! So is DEXA just a standard body comp test? The one where you stand on the scale and grab a bar? I've never done one before so I'm not sure what to expect. Can't seem to imagine how the technology works either

Theoldguy1

The attached article has pictures and descriptions of various %s. As note above unless you are getting a DEXA scan for $20 not worth it IMO.
https://www.ruled.me/visually-estimate-body-fat-percentage/

ahoy_m8

novamagma wrote: »

Thanks y'all! So is DEXA just a standard body comp test? The one where you stand on the scale and grab a bar? I've never done one before so I'm not sure what to expect. Can't seem to imagine how the technology works either

Gyms that sell body composition tests usually use what you’ve described, a scale with a bar you grab. $20 is consistent with that and it’s not worth it. They measure electrical impedance (deducing composition based on different conductivity of different tissues), same as a home scale, with similar accuracy (not accurate enough to be useful at all). DEXA uses electromagnetic imaging, like an X-ray machine but with dual emitters to triangulate, to distinguish different tissue types. You lay on a bed with the instrument x-Ray emitter above you. It’s more accurate and usually in the $120-$150 range in a package or on sale. It has a 2% margin of error, which even still isn’t accurate enough for someone who has 95lb LBM trying to get to 100lb LBM. For changes that subtle, people learn to measure themselves consistently and accurately with a tape measure in key locations. I have no tips for tape measure accuracy as I really suck at it. Also, google “navy body fat formula” and try that. Note they’re different formulas for men vs women.

Danp

I'd never considered getting a scan and this thread prompted me to look into it.

I found two places in Sydney (Aust) where I live that do Dexa scans and they're definitely not $20!! Both places offer scans in packages ranging from $110 for a single dexa scan, $225 for a dexa/metabolic test package and upwards for multi-scan packages.

I'm curious, but not $110-$225 worth of curious

pierinifitness

$20 for a Dexa-scan is a good deal. However, if you’re hyper-frugal, buy a tape measure and measure your neck, waist and hips. Over time, the changes will provide good info to validate your morning mirror tests.

DanOutdoors

the body fat scales may not give you an accurate number but it will track any changes, so you will get an idea if your gaining or losing fat.

tinkerbellang83

DanOutdoors wrote: »

the body fat scales may not give you an accurate number but it will track any changes, so you will get an idea if your gaining or losing fat.

At $20 a pop you might as well buy your own for home for $30 rather than handing it over to a gym, if it's purely for trend.

Talan79

It probably is not a Dexa and an InBody scan.

TrishSeren

DanOutdoors wrote: »

the body fat scales may not give you an accurate number but it will track any changes, so you will get an idea if your gaining or losing fat.

Not really, you can get wildly different results every time depending on a number of factors. Friend of mine got insanely different results with a months difference.

GaryRuns

TrishSeren wrote: »

Not really, you can get wildly different results every time depending on a number of factors. Friend of mine got insanely different results with a months difference.

That's true of weight measurements as well. Weight can vary pretty wildly day to day, but if you average it you can get a good idea of where you're at and if you're losing or gaining. The same is true of the electrical impedance devices. The absolute value they give is pretty worthless, but if you track it over time and use a running average it'll give you a pretty good way to tell if you're losing or gaining body fat.

GaryRuns

Our local university charges students $25 for a hydrostatic weighing, residual volume test. If the people running it are good, and aren't just trying to rush you through it, that would definitely be worth $25. That's arguably the best way to measure body fat there is. Some would say better than a dexa scan, although I think dexa is less prone to human error.

pierinifitness

I find Dexa-scan more convenient than hydrostatic. You've got to blow your lungs out to the max with the latter and then dry yourself off. I've had one hydrostatic measuring and a pair of Dexa-scan measurings. Moving forward, I'm a Dexa-scan man.

Maxxitt

So - it depends on what equipment is being used. For the caliper method, depends on the skill of the person administering.

novamagma

So from what I'm hearing I doubt the one my university is offering is DEXA, at least they don't advertise it as such. If it was, I feel like they would advertise it more if $20 is really such a good deal. Maybe I should just get a caliper and try to do it myself, at least that way I could average it out, especially since I would want to track my change over time

pierinifitness

Here’s what I use:

https://www.bodymap360.com/category/dxa/

TrishSeren

GaryRuns wrote: »

TrishSeren wrote: »

Not really, you can get wildly different results every time depending on a number of factors. Friend of mine got insanely different results with a months difference.

That's true of weight measurements as well. Weight can vary pretty wildly day to day, but if you average it you can get a good idea of where you're at and if you're losing or gaining. The same is true of the electrical impedance devices. The absolute value they give is pretty worthless, but if you track it over time and use a running average it'll give you a pretty good way to tell if you're losing or gaining body fat.

Yeah but weighing yourself daily is easy, getting body scans even weekly could be expensive or not possible.
I mean if you could get a body scan weekly then yes you could average it out, but the average person isn't able to do that.

GaryRuns

TrishSeren wrote: »

GaryRuns wrote: »

TrishSeren wrote: »

Not really, you can get wildly different results every time depending on a number of factors. Friend of mine got insanely different results with a months difference.

That's true of weight measurements as well. Weight can vary pretty wildly day to day, but if you average it you can get a good idea of where you're at and if you're losing or gaining. The same is true of the electrical impedance devices. The absolute value they give is pretty worthless, but if you track it over time and use a running average it'll give you a pretty good way to tell if you're losing or gaining body fat.

Yeah but weighing yourself daily is easy, getting body scans even weekly could be expensive or not possible.
I mean if you could get a body scan weekly then yes you could average it out, but the average person isn't able to do that.

But if she's talking about an electrical impedance test my smart scale does that. It gives me my body fat percentage, weight, daily weather forecast, CO2 and washes my dishes. (okay, the last one isn't true, but I have an older model). You could also easily do daily measurements with a cheap pair of calipers.

You obviously couldn't do it with a dexa scan or hydrostatic weighing, unless you work at one of the places that does them or you're fabulously wealthy, but then you wouldn't need to average those because they are excellent at giving you accurate absolute values.