Can anybody recommend a good body fat % scale?

tattoodfreek
tattoodfreek Posts: 520 Member
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I am thinking of purchasing a body fat scale to help track actual fat loss and water weight. I'd like to make sure that I am losing fat and not lean muscle mass, or still keep a positive mindset and an eye on my progress in the weeks where the scale does not really move. Does anybody have one that they are happy with, or one to avoid? I was considering a Taylor model that I liked.

Replies

  • Weste
    Weste Posts: 17 Member
    I have the weight watchers version and I DO NOT recommend. The % body fat is significantly too high compared with the body analysis I have done at the gym. I usually get an assessment once per year and they use the physical measurements as well as the electrode method. These numers are fairly close but are quite a bit lower than the weight watchers scale (the body weight is accurate though LOL). One I would avoid anyway.
  • ddss37
    ddss37 Posts: 36 Member
    Jessica,

    Congrats on the weight loss...

    Make sure to search the forums on this topic - there has been some talk about this before.

    I do not trust those electronic scales for BF%. I have been using Covert Bailey's formula for a year now and have been tested in the gym - both have been very close. Here is the website for his formula. But - you do have to provide honest measurements.

    http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html

    Blessings,
    Donna
  • tattoodfreek
    tattoodfreek Posts: 520 Member
    Thank you Weste! My current scale is a WW and I never think it's that accurate. There's always a large variation between it and other scales. Therefore, I always weigh in with my Wii Fit, LOL.

    Donna, thanks for the encouragement! I will definitely see if I can find any old threads about this, and will have to try that link out.
  • mworld
    mworld Posts: 270
    I am thinking of purchasing a body fat scale to help track actual fat loss and water weight. I'd like to make sure that I am losing fat and not lean muscle mass, or still keep a positive mindset and an eye on my progress in the weeks where the scale does not really move. Does anybody have one that they are happy with, or one to avoid? I was considering a Taylor model that I liked.

    hey, check these out. Very cheap and I was told that if you do the appropriate research for the right method to use with them they are the most accurate you will get at home.

    http://www.amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1267543965&sr=8-1
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    None of the BIA type BF measuring devices are that accurate. What they are good for though is checking the trend is in the right direction. If you measure yourself with the same setup every week, the difference in numbers is all that matters, right? It'll still tell you whether your loosing fat. That's the way I see it anyhow.

    I got measured via the Bod-Pod which is suppose to be somewhat gold standard these days, and it told me I had a 20.9% BF, yet my OMROM unit told me I had 24% at the time. I put up a post on my blog about this:
    http://www.fatguysredemption.com/2010/02/25/bod-pod-results/

    Whether I believe the Bod Pod measurement or not, is yet to be determined. :laugh:
  • immacookie
    immacookie Posts: 7,424 Member
    I do not trust those electronic scales for BF%. I have been using Covert Bailey's formula for a year now and have been tested in the gym - both have been very close. Here is the website for his formula. But - you do have to provide honest measurements.

    http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html

    Blessings,
    Donna

    Tagging this for later!

    I have a tanita body fat scale, but not a clue how accurate it really is... I've never been tested. But I'll try the formula later!!

    THANKS! :flowerforyou:
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
    I do not trust those electronic scales for BF%. I have been using Covert Bailey's formula for a year now and have been tested in the gym - both have been very close. Here is the website for his formula. But - you do have to provide honest measurements.

    http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html

    Blessings,
    Donna

    Tagging this for later!

    I have a tanita body fat scale, but not a clue how accurate it really is... I've never been tested. But I'll try the formula later!!

    THANKS! :flowerforyou:
    Don't forget, these formulas are also built on a big cross section of people, and also only as good as the accuracy of the measurements themselves. Just think - Use the measurements of a Mr. Olympia type physic and it'll probably say that this person has 30% body fat, because the measurements don't know if it's fat or muscle.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Bio-electrical impedance scales (like the tanita) are wildly inaccurate. They measure your body fat based on the concept that fat has a specific electrical resistance, and lean tissue has a different resistance. The problem with this is that water tends to change the results, so in order for it to be accurate, you must have essentially the exact same amount of hydration each time, and this is only in regards to the DELTA, not the actual %.

    Bod Pod does a specific mass/volume test, it's far more accurate (usually to within 1.5%) and is a good tool. There are other ways as well, like a caliper test done by an experienced pro. but even those have big fluctuation depending on the person measureing. DEXA is the most accurate, but also very expensive. On par with the Bod Pod is hydrostatic testing, while the margin for error is similar, it requires you being dunked in a water tank, not the most convenient method of testing, and about the same cost as a bod pod test.
  • immacookie
    immacookie Posts: 7,424 Member
    But if you're an average joe (not ms. olympia and not even in good shape)... the formula would probably give you at least a "general" idea... yes?

    I'm not looking to track things, just a general guess is good for me right now.
  • tattoodfreek
    tattoodfreek Posts: 520 Member
    Thank you everyone for your responses!

    RVachon- that was sort of my thinking. I was a little less concerned about the perfect accuracy of the number, but rather that I could see a loss in the percentage it was reading. However, if that number can fluctuate due to hydration (as Banks said), then I guess it really does make it a useless tool :(

    I'm not a member of a gym, so I will have to check around to find a place that offers bod pod testing. It wouldn't offer me the weekly incentive I was looking for, but certainly would make a good long term goal! I do have a Bodybugg that bases my body fat % on measurements, and my current estimate is 32.9%. I have no idea how accurate this is though.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Thank you everyone for your responses!

    RVachon- that was sort of my thinking. I was a little less concerned about the perfect accuracy of the number, but rather that I could see a loss in the percentage it was reading. However, if that number can fluctuate due to hydration (as Banks said), then I guess it really does make it a useless tool :(

    I'm not a member of a gym, so I will have to check around to find a place that offers bod pod testing. It wouldn't offer me the weekly incentive I was looking for, but certainly would make a good long term goal! I do have a Bodybugg that bases my body fat % on measurements, and my current estimate is 32.9%. I have no idea how accurate this is though.

    BF% isn't really something you should be measuring weekly anyway, it won't change that fast, it's more like a 6 or 8 week minimum type thing.
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