Body fat measurement: Scale vs. hand-held device

Goldenwoof

Hiya,

My Tanita scale also measures body fat and body water. Today, it had my body fat % at 27.5. Just for comparison's sake, I had them measure me at the gym, and they used a hand-held device that I had to hold out in front of me, gripping some metal handles. It said I was at 22.1.

Which should I believe? How accurate are Tanita scales? How accurate are those hand-held devices?

Thanks!

harebearva

I personally am not a big fan of any of the bioelectric meaasuring devices. I've found tehy give you readings all over the map. The readings can be affected by your hydration level among other things. The most reliable home test I've found is the good old accumeasure caliper. Simple, cheap but good.

jshaps7

From what I've heard the readings can vary greatly just by time of day - and that's using the same device. So if you take a reading at 7am and another at 7pm they would likely be completely different. It's entirely based on how hydrated you are (what it does is essentially measure electrical resistance between either your hands or feet depending on which device you use, so being more or less hydrated can change the reading, as does body composition). The best way to measure body fat is with the pinch tests or even more accurate would be a water test.

JustJennie1

In all honesty I wouldn't rely on either. I had bought a scale that was supposed to do the body fat percentage, hydration etc. and depending on where I stepped on the scale everything was different, including my weight! I found it ludicrous that my weight fluctuated 2-5 lbs in a second. As far as the hand held device goes the gym I used to go to had one of those and I played around with it and found out that it varies drastically depending on what you put in there for the initial settings. It's really based on weight alone. The calipers are an ok way to measure but you need to make sure that you have someone who knows what they are doing measure you with them. The most 'accurate' is if they do the 7 spot read instead of the 3. Also if you do get it done that way make sure you have the same person do it for you each time you want to track your progress because different people do it different ways. It's not perfect but it's a good way to sort of gauge where you are progress-wise.