Body Composition Testing... accurate?

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ninav1980
ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I got a reading Saturday and it said I gained 2% in body fat from my last testing June 27th and have lost 3% in muscle, one lb weight loss. I'm not just saying this to make myself feel better, but I just dont think its accurate. Reason number one, I own a mirror and I know I have seen some changes, reason two, I went from a size 6 to a size 4 over the last month and lastly, I dont feel like I have lost muscle because I have increased my weight in all my training programs.

Has anyone else experienced this? Do you know of any machines I can use that are more accurate? I heard they sell these at places like Bed Bath and Beyond. I guess In the end it doesnt really matter what the scales say, but it is nice to have something like this to kind of keep me on track.

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  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    i wouldnt bother. the only thing that is really accurate is a dexa scan and they are expensive. plus they are just numbers, what really matters is how you feel and how you look
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Been there done that! My gym does body fat testings every 3 months. Last time I supposedly gained 0.7% of body fat, lost 3 pounds of muscle (and no fat), even though I lost like 15 inches total (and 3 pounds) and was lifting pretty heavy the whole time.

    I'm not going anymore. Not accurate and can only lead to frustration. Take your measurements, look at the mirror, and see how your clothes fit instead.
  • hj1119
    hj1119 Posts: 173 Member
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    How much water did you drink in the days leading up to the test?

    I ask because I use a Tanita for body comp about once a week and have noticed the more I drink, the better I feel about the results. If I drink a minimum amount of water (say 64 oz a day) for a few days before, it will say I have a higher body fat % (and therefore less muscle etc) than if I consume a solid amount of water (for me, 130+ oz but I'm lactating)

    Basically I think it's all bologna anyway and take the results with a grain of salt just as you would a regular scale. It's just a scale with a glorified calculator anyway and I don't think the algorithms are always right.
  • ninav1980
    ninav1980 Posts: 514 Member
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    How much water did you drink in the days leading up to the test?

    I ask because I use a Tanita for body comp about once a week and have noticed the more I drink, the better I feel about the results. If I drink a minimum amount of water (say 64 oz a day) for a few days before, it will say I have a higher body fat % (and therefore less muscle etc) than if I consume a solid amount of water (for me, 130+ oz but I'm lactating)

    Basically I think it's all bologna anyway and take the results with a grain of salt just as you would a regular scale. It's just a scale with a glorified calculator anyway and I don't think the algorithms are always right.

    not sure about water intake since I dont track. But I did make sure to test at the same time of the day on an empty stomach just like my previous readings..... oh well, I will keep on doing what I am doing. Like you said, a glorified scale is all it is. I would much rather like what I see in the mirror than some data from a computer

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