Body fat tester

JAT74 · January 2015

I have 15 year old Tanita body fat scales and the readings I have got recently range from 35-39%. I have around 25 or so pounds still to lose but when I weigh myself and get this kind of reading it is not pleasant, especially when I don't know how accurate it is. The other problem is that the reading can change on the scales even in the same day and it doesn't take into account water retention etc.

My boyfriend swears by these scales because he gets readings of around 15% but I just don't think they are reading accurately for me at least.

I have other scales which separate water and fat and the fat reading on those started at 31.5% and is now reading 30.6%. Obviously the fact it's a lower reading is more encouraging but I am not sure what the true reading is. Would it be worth getting some fat calipers to see what reading they give and other peoples experience what is the most accurate method to test body fat at home? I have no access to a professional who can test this for me using another method.

I_Will_End_You · January 2015

Scales that measure body fat percentage are notoriously inaccurate. You'd be better off with calipers.

PokeyBug · January 2015

If you don't have access to calipers but have access to a measuring tape, try the US Navy Body Fat Calculator. It's not as accurate as a hydrostatic test or calipers, but it's still fairly accurate. It will be off if you're very muscular or very busty. I am neither of these things, lol, so I think it's fairly accurate for me.

JAT74 · January 2015

My question about calipers is if they only measure part of your body how can it be accurate? Is there a way to test multiple areas and calculate the percentage?

gnik1 · January 2015

Yeah I use the fitbit aria scales which shows 37%. Using the calipers and I get ~35% mine isn't digital. I also use the US Navy Calculator - Body Fat Calculator and that comes out at 31%. I think you will have fluctuations. By doing all three I know I my body fat is at least thirty something. Guess the only accurate way is have a dexa scan.

So the point is use only one scale to measure your weight and body fat % as long as the trend is down you're good.

JAT74 · January 2015

Thanks Pokey bug, just tried that but it has given me a reading of 26% which definitely not correct.

My measurements appear fairly small, comparable to someone who is much leaner as I have a 28 inch waist, 37 inch hips, 12 inch neck but my bust is 36D. I have been much smaller at the waist, bust and hips before and then I had body fat no lower than 27% (with the only visible fat areas being on my thighs, bum and upper arms). I weighed 121 at my lowest with a 25 inch waist and 34 inch hips but 27% body fat! I am a small build and 5 foot 4. Now I weigh 143.5 lbs and the excess is all fat.

Maybe the online calculators which use measurements are not so accurate for someone with my shape.

PokeyBug · January 2015

Yeah... Like I said, it's not nearly so accurate if you're blessed with a larger chest. I've always wondered about that, honestly. I mean, if you're big-chested, you're naturally going to have a higher body fat, but it's not like having a big gut. That's just how God made you. I wonder if there's a way to account for different women having different measurements in that area?

jpaulie · January 2015

don;t really fund anything very accurate. I will find out Thursday when I get a proper BF test. Be interesting to see how far mine are off.

JAT74 · January 2015

Yes definitely, let us know. I would be curious to hear what readings others get using various methods and how they compare with a proper test.

Sued0nim · January 2015

I'm pretty sure I'm around 25.5% based on an average

scales say 32%

Navy calculator says 24%

JAT74 · January 2015

I think bust sizes and butt sizes must make a difference! Seriously though, how can I have the same measurements as someone with thin arms and legs (at least the ones it asked for), be visibly fatter but probably have a similar reading to them on this chart

jim180155 · January 2015

JAT74 wrote: »

I have 15 year old Tanita body fat scales and the readings I have got recently range from 35-39%. I have around 25 or so pounds still to lose but when I weigh myself and get this kind of reading it is not pleasant, especially when I don't know how accurate it is. The other problem is that the reading can change on the scales even in the same day and it doesn't take into account water retention etc.

Calipers are probably going to give more accurate readings. They will definitely give more consistent readings. And calipers are cheap. Below are the calipers I use, under $6 at Amazon:

amazon.com/Accu-Measure-Fitness-3000-Personal-Tester/dp/B000G7YW74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421794385&sr=8-1&keywords=bodyfat+calipers

If you use your scale, make sure you're measuring at the same time every day. First thing in the morning is best, right after peeing and before you eat or drink anything. Also, if you get up in the middle of the night, don't drink anything if you're going to weigh yourself within the next four hours. Your body's hydration will skew the results, so expect a low bodyfat reading the day after a high sodium intake day because of water retention.

My bioimpedance scale used to give me pretty consistent results. I also use calipers and tape measurements every week, and all three methods gave similar results. But the battery died on my scale and after replacing it, it started giving strange readings. (Unless I lost 3% bodyfat in the time it takes to change a battery.) So now I ignore the BF readings on the scale and just go with the calipers and tape measure.

hletheridge · January 2015

I use this site which uses multi-point caliper measurements to calculate body fat, and it's fairly accurate; within 2-3%:
https://www.linear-software.com/body-fat-calculator.html#

I find my Tanita body fat scales always overestimate me, by as much as 10% sometimes! I used to use Weight Watchers scales which were more accurate, but they've recently stopped working...

JAT74 · January 2015

Yes well that is why I don't believe the Tanita scale, I always weigh first thing after weeing and depending on the day it can be up to 4% different and I've even had readings up to 6% different.

The other scale seems more consistent but I think I'll get some calipers like the ones you suggest to get another opinion.

lemon629 · January 2015

I've wondered how these calculators work. I guess based on averages. So perhaps if your body type is less common, it is less accurate? (I have big boobs, too, but also large-ish hips and a comparatively small waist at 41-29-40.) I played with the numbers a bit and it seems that the calculator really prefers small hips regardless of the hip measurement which strikes me as very strange. (I did have female selected!) I thought a high hip/waist ratio was good? I think an adult woman with a 29 inch waist and 28 inch hips would be sort of chubby, frankly.

The navy calculator puts me at 27% body fat which is close to what my Tanita body fat scale says (28%). I like the navy calculator better.

At any rate, I like the fact that for me at least the numbers are close to being the same.

JAT74 · January 2015

Thanks hletheridge, I'll give that a try when I get the calipers

JAT74 · January 2015

Sounds like you're lucky lemon629! Not only are my %s really different but with measurements of 36 28 and 37 which sound fairly small I've stumped the Navy calculator which can't understand that my body fat is in the 30s, though I know this to be true due to previous measurements of 35 25 34 and 27% fat and the fact I have very low muscle mass now compared to before and even then it wasn't high.

lemon629 · January 2015

Your slim hips seem to be throwing it off. Like I said, this calculator prefers slim hips.

JAT74 · January 2015

So, I was having a clear out yesterday and found some calipers! The reading came out as 33%, and seeing as the scales that separte the fat and water told me I was 30% today (lowest so far) and the other scales were reading higher than ever at 38.5 (impossible) I am going to take the true reading as 33% and work on lowering it from there.

SergeantSausage · January 2015

Your scales? They are largely INACCURATE ... but perfectly accurate enough for your/our purposes. This isn't a precision science and the numbers really don't matter.

The only question that really matters is: are you happy with how you look/feel *regardless* of what the scales say. Without even looking at a scale or measurement.

I_Will_End_You · January 2015

The navy calculator puts me at 15%. That seems pretty low. I just ordered calipers, so I'm curious to see how it matches up. If I had to guess, I'd put myself at around 18-19%.

HeySwoleSister · January 2015

LOL, I jumped on the caliper train, too. thanks for the link, I was about to place an Amazon order and at that price, it was a no-brainer.

JAT74 · January 2015

Funnily enough the calipers I found were those exact same ones (accu measure). I'm gonna do the test where I measure multiple areas with the calipers though.

Sergeant sausage sorry but that's not very helpful, some of us need something to aim for and the scale/body fat calculation really does help. At the moment I don't see much difference in my body but the scales are telling me I've lost 5.5 lbs and probably around 1% body fat in 2.5 weeks which is massively encouraging. If I had to rely on the mirror I would quickly lose faith. Sometimes it's hard to see a change in your body as it's a slow process but when you weigh and measure and see changes week by week it feels that it's worth the effort.

noexcusesjustresults2014 · January 2015

gnik1 wrote: »

So the point is use only one scale to measure your weight and body fat % as long as the trend is down you're good.

I think this makes sense. Trend lines can be helpful even if the individual measurements are of questionable accuracy

Body fat tester

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