Body Fat Percentage Weight Scales?

baconboobies wrote: »

Merkavar wrote: »

I'm interested in this answer to. I was considering getting some.

I realise they aren't entirely accurate, no at home method is. But seeing a estimate and seeing it going down week after week is probably enough.

Exactly what I'm thinking! Anything is better than nothing! Lol.

I have callipers but I don't think I use them right and get really low or really high readings.

The one I have at home is a waste. I can drink a 16 ounce glass of water and my weight goes up by a pound (which is correct) and my body fat percentage reading goes up by a couple tenths of a percent (which is not correct). I've stopped using it for anything but my weight.

I had a tanita scale. It says my body fat percentage is 42.8%
Question within a question- is that the same as bmi?

No. Body fat percentage and BMI are not the same thing at all.

I have a Tanita scale that I like. It fluctuates daily, but only to the same degree that my weight fluctuates based on hydration and other factors. I weigh myself daily and just watch the trends. If it says my body fat drops, that often corresponds to being well hydrated or having pumped muscles and water retention. That's because the extra water is counted as lean body mass along with muscle and bone. If it goes up overnight, that often corresponds with being a little dehydrated. But I do know it tracks downward as I lose weight. Once I get closer to my goal, I might be more concerned with seeing how accurate it is, but for now the trend line is good enough. Oh, and I do it first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and before drinking anything.

Personally I don't think you can do the calipers yourself. If they can do it at the gym for you, great. Have them take each measurement three times and average them. That's what I used to do. I also think five sites is the most accurate. Sadly, many trainers these days at the big gyms don't know how to do it. They mostly use the handheld bio devices.

kikichewie wrote: »

No. Body fat percentage and BMI are not the same thing at all.

I thought she meant BMI isnt a reliable factor either?? Not that they are the same thing.

I don't think they are reliable.

I'm assuming my tanita scale is accurate +/- 3-5%. That still gets me in the ballpark since its not showing wild daily fluctuations. I'd be wary of it did, but the fluctuations are never more than a few tenths of a percent, and always in the right direction compared to the weight fluctuations.

justcat206 wrote: »

How precisely do they work? I noticed they all had "not for pregnant women or people with pacemakers" warnings on them which unsettled me enough not to buy one.

I 'believe' it runs a small electrical current through your body via the soles of your feet and somehow measures the resistance (but I didn't google that so I'm SOOOOO guessing)!

So the most accurate reading would be first thing in the morning, after the loo and before eating and drinking anything? ?

I have the Aria by Fitbit, and it seems consistent. I can't compare the accuracy, but I think it's better than measuring my waist and other parts with a tape measure and then doing a calculation. It's true that it works by running a small electrical current through your body, which is why it could interfere with a pacemaker (I don't know about pregnancy, but with a fetus it's always best to be careful). I think it estimates a percentage of fat and then everything else is "lean". That means if I'm dehydrated my lean mass seems smaller. My lean seems to fluctuate more than my fat, which I attribute to how well hydrated I am, but overall it's consistent.

I find it strange that they're supposed to measure through electrical current, but if I input my age and gender different, I get a completely different result on fat, muscle, and water.

I have an Ozeri Touch scale and been using it to track my progress. I started at 14.7% and it's been decreasing every week I use it, so it's at least accurate to itself.

Regarding precision, I had a hydrostatic body comp done and it said my BF% was 11.7%, compared to that same morning where my Ozeri said 12.3%. Not too far off!

That being said, I'll probably use it mostly for deltas in comparison to itself.

I have a tanita scale, and I only use it as a point of reference. They are not 100% accurate.

In fact I had my body fat done professionally with a DEXA scan and the difference between that and my scale was 12%! Yip it was 12% more than my scale advised!

Yeah sure, use them as a tool to check progress. I also use calipers alongside this too as that can also be a good point of reference but also not 100% accurate.