Scale w/ Body Fat %

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singfree
singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
in Motivation and Support
Does anyone have a scale that also determines body fat ? I do not mean BMI. I don't weigh myself often, but would be interested in knowing my approx. % body fat.

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  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Does anyone have a scale that also determines body fat ? I do not mean BMI. I don't weigh myself often, but would be interested in knowing my approx. % body fat.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    there are scales like that out there, they use electrical impedance to determine it. But they aren't hugely accurate. you can go online and get your approximate body fat % just by using one of the calculators out there (google body fat percent calculator), what you need is a tape measure and your numbers (weight, height, age, sex).

    These numbers aren't all that accurate (they can be up to 15% off), but it gives you a general amount. If you really want to know, search on the subject, most local clinics that do weight loss treatment have some kind of immersion tank that is far more accurate (it'll cost ya, but doing it once a year is beneficial)
  • fjtcjt
    fjtcjt Posts: 199
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    You can also go buy a $10 set of skin calipers and measure body fat at seven preset location. You then plug these numbers into an equation and you can get a fairly accurate estimate of your body fat %. This is not as good as the immersion as suggested below, but it is much more accurate than the scales (primarily use an equation based on your height and weight) and the online calculators as well. I have tried most of the online calculators and they are usually high.

    If you are interested I can get you the info on the locations to measure and the formula to use.
  • singfree
    singfree Posts: 1,591 Member
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    Thanks, all for your prompt replies. I think I will check out the hyrdostatic testing option, as it seems to be the most accurate method. Not that it is important to know my body fat %, but I would like to gauge my progress as I get in better shape. As stated earlier, I am not a slave to the scale and the BMI for me is a joke.

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