'Athletic' Mode on a Body Fat Loss Monitor

wh0a_is_me
wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
edited September 22 in Fitness and Exercise
Do any of you know what the "Athletic Mode" takes into account on a Body Fat Loss Monitor?

Here's why I'm asking (story time!)

The last time I had my body fat percentage measured was in August before I started kickboxing. It was at 33%, and I can only imagine it was set to "Normal Mode" (the instructor did it for me) because I wasn't active enough to be considered "Athletic"

I just got my own in the mail today, and measured again.. after 2 months of kickboxing, I had it set on "Normal", and to my dismay, there was that 33% again. It baffled me, because I became A LOT more active, it had to have done SOMETHING to my body.

Well, then I looked in the book and realized I was considered "Athletic", and now I was 31.2% (which is healthy, though I'd like it to be lower.)

I'm just wondering - if anyone understands the different between the 2 modes - had I been put in "Athletic" mode back when I wasn't as active, would the number be higher than it was now? Or does the fact that I'm still 33% under "Normal" mode when I'm actually active mean I lost anything?

I'm confusing myself the more I talk, LOL - I hope someone understands what I'm trying to get it. Basically, I'm trying to figure out for sure if I lost any fat..because my weight hasn't dropped =(

Thanks!!

Replies

  • lordofultima
    lordofultima Posts: 293
    I set mine to athletic, it makes my BF% about 1% lower, and since I do athletic activities every day it makes sense I guess.
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
    Yeah, I'm not sure if anyone's gonna know enough about how it works. I also know it varies depending on what time of the day you use it.. not the most accurate thing in the world.

    I suppose I should just record the 31% and start working my way down from there. Just bugged me to think my body hasn't changed at all in the past 2 months.. but that's pretty impossible.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    I am confused all together about body fat%, very new to it
    I checked mine and it was at 28.8% but i checked it again a week later and it was 27.5???
    does not seem to be correct.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    I forget the exact details, but the Tanita literature gives the definition of "athletic" and it applies to only a tiny fraction of the population.

    I have seen your situation a lot lately--August to November is not a very long time to detect changes using a tanita-type scale. One of my clients lost 26 pounds--in 2 months and only showed a 1%-2% drop in body fat %. I am starting to wonder about these things.
  • wh0a_is_me
    wh0a_is_me Posts: 41
    @Naomi - like I said, they're not very accurate, unfortunately.. mostly because your result will vary based on how much water you have in your body. It's suggested to do it 2hrs+ after a meal, and don't do it right after working out. The percent can easily go up and down by 1-2%. But, it's one of the few things you can do at home.

    @Azdak - I appreciate the input. I haven't lost any weight, but I feel stronger, and keep getting complimented on weight loss, which is why I decided to order a fat loss monitor. I figure I'll just use it as a baseline.. hopefully my weight will actually start to drop though, or I'll notice a significant change in how my clothes fit. I just need a way to feel like what I'm doing is paying off.
  • lordofultima
    lordofultima Posts: 293
    I recommend measuring it as soon as you wake up, right after taking your scale weight. Remember that it's making calculations based on your water content in the body and your current scale weight you put in (unless you have a scale that measures both simultaneously, then you bypass the need to know this). So in the morning, you have less water retention than normal, but you also weigh less...so it evens out I'd say.

    It doesn't have to be accurate, as long as it's consistently inaccurate, if that makes any sense. Just enough to mark down data and see progress.

    I've lost on average about 2% BF a month, it's definitely based on losing quality weight. If you lose 26 lbs. in two months, don't expect a lot of it to be from fat. My bet is that if your client lost about 5 lbs. a month they'd see the same drop in BF%.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    @Naomi - like I said, they're not very accurate, unfortunately.. mostly because your result will vary based on how much water you have in your body. It's suggested to do it 2hrs+ after a meal, and don't do it right after working out. The percent can easily go up and down by 1-2%. But, it's one of the few things you can do at home.

    @Azdak - I appreciate the input. I haven't lost any weight, but I feel stronger, and keep getting complimented on weight loss, which is why I decided to order a fat loss monitor. I figure I'll just use it as a baseline.. hopefully my weight will actually start to drop though, or I'll notice a significant change in how my clothes fit. I just need a way to feel like what I'm doing is paying off.

    I think the benefits are somewhat oversold, but it doesn't mean it can't be useful. Mostly, you will need to standardize a routine (just like a regular scale) and look at the average of several readings and determine trends. If you collect data and pay attention to it, I suspect you will learn some patterns that will make the data more useful. I don't think these things can give the "instant insight" that they promise, but, like I said, they do measure real changes--you just have to figure out over time what they mean to you. Good luck.
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