Body Fat Monitors: Are They Worth It?

MeredithLee11

Back story: I've met (actually exceeded) my goal weight, and have consequently gotten really lazy. I don't log every day, and when I do, it's usually not accurate. I have barely been exercising at all (did today for the first time in over 2 weeks). It hasn't caught up to me yet, but I'm worried it will eventually. Even if it doesn't weight-wise, I want to be healthy and strong, not "skinny-fat". I think one of my issues is that I don't have a goal anymore. But I find myself at a loss for setting a new goal. Which brings me to a body fat monitor.

For those who have used or owned one, are they worth it? I think if I can keep an eye on my percent body fat it will help me stay motivated and give me a new goal. At the same time, does this seem obsessive? Maybe I should just get back into exercising for the hell of it or find a new form of exercise to keep myself from getting bored.

Sorry this question has actually turned into a couple different questions. Please feel free to share if you have input for any of them. Thanks!

AZackery

I have a body fat monitor and a Omron handheld body fat monitor and I trust them both. The devices aren't 100% accurate, which nothing is, except an autopsy. Which, a person wouldn't know their body fat percentage then.

Give it a try. How often do you plan on checking your body fat percentage? I check mine every month. It takes time to lose fat and body fat percentage. You can do this. Believe in yourself.

Scale weight is broken down into two categories. Pounds of fat and pounds of lean body mass.

Here's the formula that you can use to see how much of your scale weight is from fat and how much is from lean body mass.

Weight x body fat percentage = Pounds of fat
Weight - pounds of fat = Pounds of lean body mass

Pounds of fat is not the amount of fat or scale weight that you need to lose
Pounds of lean body mass is the requirement for your body, you want to either maintain that number or raise it.

h3h8m3

The home body fat monitors are not accurate, but they can be pretty CONSISTENT. And for what you're looking for, consistent is probably the most important thing. Get the monitor, use it to figure out where you want to be (are you happy with your body fat % now, or want to drop a bit?), then you can use it to see if you're staying in the right range. If it tells your you're at 22% now, and you're happy with how you feel now, then you can just use the monitor to ensure you stay at the same level. It's all about the relative number.

A couple of important points I've learned with my body fat monitor... unlike the scale, you don't want to measure yourself first thing in the morning. You are dehydrated when you wake up, and that will make your body fat show as higher than it really is. Also, at least with my hand-held monitor, how you stand actually makes a difference. Weird, but if my arms are straight out I get an accurate, consistent reading, but if I let my upper-arms rest against my sides it'll be off. I assume it's because the circuit is finding a shorter path through the body, throwing off it's calculations.

Anyway, good luck on your maintenance.