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What tools do you use for measurement?

quickfeet101
quickfeet101 Posts: 8 Member
in Social Groups
Hi, everyone! I am new to this and so excited to have found EM2WL. THIS is something I can do!

I just decided last week to figure out how to lose weight and found my way here by googling just that. :)

Then I bought a scale, a fitbit and have an Omron body fat monitor on order.

But I am now wondering, what tools does everyone use? I like to keep things simple, so now I'm wondering what I really need to use in order to monitor my progress?

Maybe just the scale, measuring tape, and camera?

Thanks! Can't wait to hear what others are doing. I've really learned alot lurking here for the past few days!

Steph

Replies

  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
    The scale does not always tell the truth!
    measuring tape and camera are great and maybe skin-fold calipers to see body fat percentage changes
  • quickfeet101
    quickfeet101 Posts: 8 Member
    Yeah, I've read alot about the lying scale. But I need it for my calcs. I haven't weighed myself in months and before I got the scale I was using 190lbs for my calcs. That's 12 lbs more than I actually weigh now.

    So you use calipers, camera and measuring tape? I was thinking maybe it was something like that! I was wondering if I was buying a bunch of extra gadgets I really don't need.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Yeah, I've read alot about the lying scale. But I need it for my calcs. I haven't weighed myself in months and before I got the scale I was using 190lbs for my calcs. That's 12 lbs more than I actually weigh now.

    So you use calipers, camera and measuring tape? I was thinking maybe it was something like that! I was wondering if I was buying a bunch of extra gadgets I really don't need.

    Calipers need to be in the hands of someone experienced, and of course you can gain that.
    So the figure that is obtained regarding total body fat may not be anywhere near accurate, it can still indicate direction, but so can that Omron.
    But it'll be great to see progress, even though all progress may not be in the skin thickness.

    Nice measuring tape for doing by yourself, and having consistent pressure, is a unit made by Myo, self-retracting.

    Using the Omron, read the manual on proper time to do it.

    None of the methods are good to do the morning after a workout day, be that cardio or lifting. You'll have respectively false weight loss or gain.
    Morning after rest day, and no high sodium meals on rest day unless it's normal.

    Here is caliper sites and calc beyond the 3 sites some come with. Sites and process links at bottom of this page.

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/BodyComp.html

    Just saw recommendation to take a weekly picture, same outfit, location, lighting, ect. Great idea for seeing progress after 4 wks since weekly may be too often.
  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
    I have a FitBit too, and it helped me to determine my TDEE.

    Scooby calculator gave me to little calories, even though I put myself in the strenuous exercise category
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I have a FitBit too, and it helped me to determine my TDEE.

    Scooby calculator gave me to little calories, even though I put myself in the strenuous exercise category

    Isn't that true.

    If you take the Very Active level minus the Sedentary level, that difference is 6-7 hrs of exercise. So take the calorie difference divided by 6.5.

    You discover that TDEE method is only giving you credit for maybe 100-130 cal's for 1 hr of exercise.

    It's why so many could eat at that estimated TDEE, and still lose weight, because that is hardly anything.
  • quickfeet101
    quickfeet101 Posts: 8 Member
    Holy smokes, good to know! (about the scooby calc) I will watch closely while doing my reset.

    Thanks for the replies.

    Steph

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