How much importance do you give to body fat%?

shinaco

18 days ago I started using a smart scale that measures body fat % and other stuff. In those days I have lost 1.8 kg (4 lbs) and my body fat % has gone from 31.5% to 30.4%. However, while my weight has been going down in an almost straight line (I have been exercising and dieting during those 18 days, and I weigh myself like every 3 or 4 days), the body fat% seems to go up and down (with a general downward trend). I don't know if this is a problem with my scale's accuracy regarding body fat, or if it really has been going up and down. It's somewhat confusing to me. Do you think it is important to track body fat? Or as long as I'm losing weight it's OK?

quiksylver296

Scales are so inaccurate about BF% that Consumer Reports won't even report on it anymore.

thanos5

my scale gave me a body fat % of 13. no freaking way am i 13% with this belly fat. i'm unsure of any way to accurately even measure it, so i don't put too much stock in it.

LyndaBSS

I have two knee and one hip replacement so the scale can't read my BF. Can't get through the titanium. As a result, I don't worry about it. 😊

sardelsa

My scale bodyfat% is zero importance to me since it is very inaccurate. However I do track my bodyfat in other ways, I don't have a number but using a combination of the mirror, photos and measurements I can track my progress in a certain direction.

MikePTY

Body Fat is a very helpful indicator if measured correctly, because it can show you how much of your progress is fat loss and what your overall body composition is. But unfortunately it is very difficult to measure correctly. Home scales are basically just for entertainment with their numbers. There are a few reliable methods out there, but they are expensive and even they have margin of error.

Because body fat is very hard to measure accurately, weight will usually work good enough. If you are losing weight consistently over a long period of time, your body fat percentage will go down as well.

pierinifitness

Consider your home scale readings entertainment value much like what Zillow reports your home value. For a closer to the truth measure, get a DXA-Scan.

If you need absolute truth, you’ll need a cadaver dissected measurement but you might not be around to get the results.

Life isn’t as precise as we’d sometimes like it.

collectingblues

sardelsa wrote: »

My scale bodyfat% is zero importance to me since it is very inaccurate. However I do track my bodyfat in other ways, I don't have a number but using a combination of the mirror, photos and measurements I can track my progress in a certain direction.

Pretty much this. The BIAs? Zero importance.

Measurements + online calculators based on those measurements? That's what I track and trend.

Azdak

One of the main drawbacks to using BIA in home scales is that the methodology is greatly affected by fluid shifts and hydration status. If people are taking random scale readings they will get random results. The accuracy can be improved somewhat by weighing under similar conditions as much as possible—time of day, no food, alcohol, caffiene, or larger volumes of water within 2 hr of the test. No strenuous workouts the day before, to name some.

The other important issue is the quality of the technology itself. At our center we have a machine that uses BIA technology but cost $12,000. A $50 home scale will not be comparable.

Skrib69

Many scales have trouble differentiating between fat and water. Unless you get really expensive ones that can do this, it can only really be taken as a rough guide. To me, it’s not important. How my clothes fit is more so.