How???????

SashThompson

Ok I'm not sure how to ask this question but I'll give it a go...
It's been a month, the number on the scale has hardly moved, And neither have my measurements. The bf% on the scales reads 19.3% but when I took my bf reading with a pair of calipers it said 13.5%. I just don't know whether to believe it or not really! I took some 'after'photos as confirmation and can see a difference in myself but a 6% loss?? I dunno about that.

Innerautumn

Can you use the same scale you used the first time to compare numbers? I think calipers are more accurate. You must be really fit to have bf% that low!

ElizabethRoad

You got one reading from the scale and one from the calipers. That doesn't mean you lost that much, it just means there's a difference between those two methods.

SashThompson

You got one reading from the scale and one from the calipers. That doesn't mean you lost that much, it just means there's a difference between those two methods.

I understand that, I just mean that how is it possible that there is that much of a difference between the two! Is one of them fiercely inaccurate and if so, which?

Whitney_J

The scales are typically pretty inaccurate, and only a guide. Calipers are pretty difficult to use, so they can also wield a large margin of error. IF the calipers were used correctly, they were the most accurate.

moe0303

I agree with everything said above.

There is also sometimes large differences between scales, too.

And by "scales" I mean to include the BF measurment too.

ElizabethRoad

You got one reading from the scale and one from the calipers. That doesn't mean you lost that much, it just means there's a difference between those two methods.

I understand that, I just mean that how is it possible that there is that much of a difference between the two! Is one of them fiercely inaccurate and if so, which?

Your original question did not in any way ask whether one was inaccurate. You clearly said you didn't know whether to believe that you've had a 6% loss. I can't help you if you can't even express what you mean.

SashThompson

Thanks for the helpful comments guys, Figured I'll just keep using both and if they both decrease/stay at the same rate then I'll know what's happening.