Tanita Scale --- Standard vs Athletic?

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grangerkelly
grangerkelly Posts: 23
in Fitness and Exercise
I posted this in the motivation forum, but then I realized it's probably more fitting in this one..

I am super bummed right now. I've been working so hard at the gym every day for a month. I've been eating pretty clean, haven't drank any alcohol, trying to eat more so I can gain some muscle. I felt like I was starting to see progress so I asked my trainer if I could get on the scale today and check my progress.

SOMEHOW, my bf% went up from 17% to 21%, and my fat free mass went down from 88% to 81%. My weight stayed almost the same, about a pound or so less. I'm so frustrated. He told me hydration plays a part, but I feel like I've been hydrating well.. I drink of water 96oz a day! The ONLY difference is, the first time my trainer calculated, I think he put me in as standard body type and I noticed this time it was set to athletic. Does anyone know how this could change my results? Am I seriously losing body mass and gaining fat?! :(

I weight lift/circuit train 3x a week, do light cardio on those days and longer cardio on non-lifting days.

Replies

  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
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    It can change it, but actually, the Athlete mode is typically used because athletes numbers show up entirely too high on body fat because of increased muscle mass and decreased hydration.

    Did you get on the scale before or after your workout?

    And you may want to check out Tanita's FAQ's.
  • grangerkelly
    grangerkelly Posts: 23
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    Hmm. I googled and looked at the FAQs and I saw that too... which makes me feel worse, haha.
    I did it after my workout, which might be part of it. I think next time we meet I am going to check again before my workout.

    Thanks for your input!
  • wildechild74
    wildechild74 Posts: 64 Member
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    similar experience. i would say at this time i am 'average' with ht/wt, looking to drop 20-30lbs. my BMI by the standard charts is roughly 27%. did the whole standard/athletic scale thing, and using 'standard' it said my body fat was 46%. uuhhh, i realize i have some extra pushin' cushin', but no way can that be correct. changing the setting to 'athletic' put me at 25%. i have muscle under my insulating layer :).........maybe it was just the scale not being calibrated......but that is a large difference. who knows.
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
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    Hmm. I googled and looked at the FAQs and I saw that too... which makes me feel worse, haha.
    I did it after my workout, which might be part of it. I think next time we meet I am going to check again before my workout.

    Thanks for your input!

    In addition, you might ask, every time you do it, to calculate it with both settings, and keep track of both.
  • JuliaCunning
    JuliaCunning Posts: 1
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    "looking to drop 20-30lbs" Wildechild74 did you achieve your goal? When you started, would you consider yourself a lifetime athlete? Just wondering how the whole 'standard' vs 'athlete' mode worked out for you. Hope it all worked out and you are now truly an 'athlete.'
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Those scales are horribly inaccurate.

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