Digital scales that measure body fat %. Accurate?
iorahkwano
Posts: 709 Member
Hi,
I'm trying to come up with a Christmas list & wondering if a digital scale that measures body fat % is worth asking for. I'm well aware the most accurate measurement is to be in a pool of water surrounded by scientists, or to use the body fat pincher, but I wouldn't know what to do with those numbers.
We used to have one of those scales at home that we got 2nd hand. It used to tell me I was 27-28% bodyfat whereas the one at my kickboxing gym said 20-21%. Was the 2nd hand scale just crazy, or are these scales very inaccurate when compared to one another?
I'm tired of my scale that makes me have to bend down to set the needle to zero every time I weigh myself & gives me different numbers based on how I stepped onto the scale
I'm trying to come up with a Christmas list & wondering if a digital scale that measures body fat % is worth asking for. I'm well aware the most accurate measurement is to be in a pool of water surrounded by scientists, or to use the body fat pincher, but I wouldn't know what to do with those numbers.
We used to have one of those scales at home that we got 2nd hand. It used to tell me I was 27-28% bodyfat whereas the one at my kickboxing gym said 20-21%. Was the 2nd hand scale just crazy, or are these scales very inaccurate when compared to one another?
I'm tired of my scale that makes me have to bend down to set the needle to zero every time I weigh myself & gives me different numbers based on how I stepped onto the scale
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Replies
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mine told me I was at 21% when I could see the veins on my lower abs...0
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So, pretty accurate?mine told me I was at 21% when I could see the veins on my lower abs...0 -
nope0
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So, pretty accurate?mine told me I was at 21% when I could see the veins on my lower abs...
relative to some measurements decent...only off about 50%.0 -
So, pretty accurate?mine told me I was at 21% when I could see the veins on my lower abs...
relative to some measurements decent...only off about 50%.
So you're saying it's not that accurate, but I should still get one because I can?0 -
They can be very inaccurate.0
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Nope, wildly inaccurate. They're just a gimmick to get you to spend a bit more.0
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for relative measurements it's probably not bad, but the actual number is not overly useful. Maybe I just had a POS.0
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Okay, thanks. I had a feeling they were a waste money...0
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Yep, waste of money. When I had mine, it varied as much as 5% from day to day.0
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I have a scale that measures body fat %, but I don't think it's ever told me the same number twice. Makes it pretty hard to put any stock in the silly thing- I know that I don't gain or lose 2% body fat overnight on a regular basis. I suspect it has a lot to do with how hydrated you are at the time. I, too, have heard that the water test is the way to go. I'm actually thinking about getting some of those caliper whatsits, although I'd have to read up on how to operate them.0
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SO brutally inaccurate.
I got on one of those scales and it told me I was 30% bf. I was so distraught because I had worked so hard that I went and did a hydrostatic test just a few days later. Hydrostatic tests are the most accurate- it said I was 19.2%. HUGE difference.
I recommend the accumeasure body caliper. Got mine off amazon for less than ten bucks. It comes with instructions and a chart. The most accurate way is to take measurements in four different spots, but it can be done with just one spot on your belly (again, instructions show you where). You get a number and then you look that number up on a chart compared to your age. When I did it right after my hydrostatic test, it was pretty spot on. So now I just use the caliper at home. When I hit my goal with the caliper, I'll fork out the money for another hydro test.0 -
They are. And you really can't get much out of the actual number from one of those scales. But, they DO let you see changes in BF% over time.or are these scales very inaccurate when compared to one another?
If you are concerned about accuracy, probably not worth it. If you just want to see changes, probably worth getting it.0 -
if I were you I'd just get some fairly good calipers and take skin measurements. Pick 3 spots and keep a log of them. You don't really need to know the exact BF% you're at do you? All you really need to know is if it's going up or down.
The digital scales vary depending on your hydration level. It's not going to be very accurate.0 -
I got one because a dietitian told me they were accurate. After 3 months of lifting it said my BF% was 7% higher, and my weight was only 4 lbs higher.0
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Yeah, things like hydration and recent exercise can affect the reading. It's really a measure of body density and then use an equation to predict fat from that. You want to try to keep things like hydration level constant, e.g. only step on it right after you wake up.I have a scale that measures body fat %, but I don't think it's ever told me the same number twice. Makes it pretty hard to put any stock in the silly thing- I know that I don't gain or lose 2% body fat overnight on a regular basis. I suspect it has a lot to do with how hydrated you are at the time. I, too, have heard that the water test is the way to go. I'm actually thinking about getting some of those caliper whatsits, although I'd have to read up on how to operate them.0 -
Waste of money.0
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Mine says I'm at 41% ..
I would hope its inaccurate0 -
Mine has hovered between 26 and 28% since I bought it 50 pounds ago.
If I'm lucky I'm at 28% right now. Shrug.
Ask for a gift certificate for a BodPod reading.0 -
So besides calipers (which I don't have) and digital scales (which sound worthless) is there any other way of measuring body fat.
It seems like it might be a very useful thing for me to know!0 -
The scale weight is usually pretty accurate. I had to make myself about 4 inches taller to have it tell me what my calipers read. That worked for a while, but now it's off by about 5%, again. Maybe I will have to tell it, I'm 6'4" to get a proper reading, now.0
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So besides calipers (which I don't have) and digital scales (which sound worthless) is there any other way of measuring body fat.
It seems like it might be a very useful thing for me to know!
Most accurate would be dexa scans and bod pod testing, but that could get rather pricey.
There's online calculators that use measurements that aren't terribly accurate, but probably better than scales. I go by this - http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html - and comparison photos. I know it's not exact, but I see a downward trend.0 -
So besides calipers (which I don't have) and digital scales (which sound worthless) is there any other way of measuring body fat.
It seems like it might be a very useful thing for me to know!
There are online calculators that go by your measurements, but they aren't real accurate, either. They do work better than the scales.
Calipers are usually fairly cheap. You can get them for less than $20.0 -
Nope. Mine tells me 35%.0
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So besides calipers (which I don't have) and digital scales (which sound worthless) is there any other way of measuring body fat.
It seems like it might be a very useful thing for me to know!
I think the only other way is hydrostatic. If you live in a city, you might find someone who does this for a fee. I paid fifty bucks to have mine done at a gym:
This company works in multiple locations: http://www.bodyfattest.com/0 -
So besides calipers (which I don't have) and digital scales (which sound worthless) is there any other way of measuring body fat.
It seems like it might be a very useful thing for me to know!
It's not that useful. Do you like how you look in the mirror? Or you happy with the amount of body fat you wee? The amount of muscle? Unless you have some body dismorphia going on, then there's your answer.0 -
I've been 26% for the last 10+ lb, according to my scale. It dropped steadily and indicated relatively stable lean mass and decreasing fat... until it stopped changing. Now I'm consistently always 26%.
Get calipers instead IMO. Even if the number isn't accurate, you can be very consistent. Best $5 I ever spent.
Measurement options are similarly consistent, if not accurate, and you should be measuring yourself anyways, so it's easy.
I actually disagree with busylady in that I think going by the mirror is probably the second worst way (after scale) to measure progress. Women are various states of bloated depending on cycle and also seeing yourself every day means that the changes can get lost. At the very least, take pictures so you can see old and new side by side!0 -
No, they're absoluuuuuuuutely inaccurate. Well, at least mine is.
Mine asks me to put in my gender, age and height at the start.
It then takes my weight.
I believe the way it gives the body fat % reading is not so much through the electrocurrent thingy measuring your body composition as it claims, but rather, through drawing upon statistics of the average body fat % for people of your age and gender with your BMI that it has calculated from your height and weight.
Seriously, one day, I got on the scales and played around with adjusting gender, age, height, etc, just for funsies... And the body fat % reading was drastically different each time, lol.0 -
No, they're absoluuuuuuuutely inaccurate. Well, at least mine is.
Mine asks me to put in my gender, age and height at the start.
It then takes my weight.
I believe the way it gives the body fat % reading is not so much through the electrocurrent thingy measuring your body composition as it claims, but rather, through drawing upon statistics of the average body fat % for people of your age and gender with your BMI that it has calculated from your height and weight.
Seriously, one day, I got on the scales and played around with adjusting gender, age, height, etc, just for funsies... And the body fat % reading was drastically different each time, lol.
I agree. I can get on mine multiple times in one day, and the bodyfat fluctuates as much as my weight does. I know my weight gain throughout the day is all water, but my scale tells me it's fat.0 -
I have one of those scales and it was within .4% of the body fat calipers done within about 20 minutes of eachbother.0
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