Best Way to Check for Body Fat %

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TeenageDream1369
TeenageDream1369 Posts: 40 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a digital scale that, if you step on it barefoot, it reads out your supposed body fat percentage. Why does this work, how do I know if it's accurate, and is there a better (and affordable) way to know for sure what my body fat percentage is??
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  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    They're not accurate. Hydration and water weight levels can completely throw of the reading.

    Buy yourself a pair of body fat calipers if you don't want to spend a lot of money.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    TeenageDream1369 wrote: »
    I have a digital scale that, if you step on it barefoot, it reads out your supposed body fat percentage. Why does this work, how do I know if it's accurate, and is there a better (and affordable) way to know for sure what my body fat percentage is??


    It doesn't

    It's not

    Jump up and down in front of a mirror naked if it jiggles and is not boobs or genitals it's probably BF

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Less affordable Dexa Scan

    Less accurate (but better than scales) calipers or bf calculators (navy or army based)
  • discretekim
    discretekim Posts: 314 Member
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    Mine seems inaccurate like it is really just a function of height and weight. If I weight myself then take off my clothes and my weight goes down a little so does my body fat. Which makes no sense. In fact if it was accurately measuring it and I weigh less the percentage should go up because it is higher in propitiation to my body. Example I weigh 100 pounds and have 20% fat. If I take off clothes that weighed 5 pounds, I now have 20 pounds of fat in 95 pounds or 21% fat. So obviously there are some inaccuracies with these scales.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
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    So here's the thing about BF% (I personally recommend using a tape measurer -- since a tape measure costs about $2) you can pay a lot and get a more precise number from a dexa scanner or body pod, etc., but what the most important thing is is that your BF% is going down. So pick a method (those home scales are iffy, but a place to start if you do it the same time every day, wearing the same clothes -- let's say in the morning after you relieve yourself) and then repeat that method once a week or once a month or whatever. As long as the trend is down, then it doesn't really matter what the EXACT number is. Just as long as you use the same method to measure it each time.
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
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    Scales do not work. Have an extra glass of water and you will have a totally different result.
    Dexa scan is accurate. I had one a few years ago, it was cool, so much data! (but moderately expensive).
  • TeenageDream1369
    TeenageDream1369 Posts: 40 Member
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    kyrannosaurus wrote: »
    Scales do not work. Have an extra glass of water and you will have a totally different result.
    Dexa scan is accurate. I had one a few years ago, it was cool, so much data! (but moderately expensive).

    @kyrannosaurus thank you love!!
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
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    z9dx8y2x4rml.jpg
    Here is a screen shot of some of the data I got with the scan. My overall body fat was 31.9% but my left arm was 41.4% fat. It's cool to see exactly how much fat/lean muscle mass you have and exactly where it is. I've since regained weight and am interested to see how much lean mass I lost in the process of re-losing the weight. So I plan on having another scan to find out.
  • LumberJacck
    LumberJacck Posts: 559 Member
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    Those body fat scales are fine if you weigh daily and take a month long average on your spreadsheet. Not many people here doing that, I'd guess.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    LumberJacck wrote: »
    Those body fat scales are fine if you weigh daily and take a month long average on your spreadsheet. Not many people here doing that, I'd guess.

    Fine for progress, not fine for an absolute figure .. not even close to fine
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    You could try a Bod Pod.

    In the UK it costs about £50 and is pretty accurate.
  • TeenageDream1369
    TeenageDream1369 Posts: 40 Member
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    @msf74 how does it work?
  • TeenageDream1369
    TeenageDream1369 Posts: 40 Member
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    kyrannosaurus wrote: »
    z9dx8y2x4rml.jpg
    Here is a screen shot of some of the data I got with the scan. My overall body fat was 31.9% but my left arm was 41.4% fat. It's cool to see exactly how much fat/lean muscle mass you have and exactly where it is. I've since regained weight and am interested to see how much lean mass I lost in the process of re-losing the weight. So I plan on having another scan to find out.

    That's amazing!! Gotta save up for one of these. @kyrannosaurus
  • lemmie177
    lemmie177 Posts: 479 Member
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    kyrannosaurus wrote: »
    z9dx8y2x4rml.jpg
    Here is a screen shot of some of the data I got with the scan. My overall body fat was 31.9% but my left arm was 41.4% fat. It's cool to see exactly how much fat/lean muscle mass you have and exactly where it is. I've since regained weight and am interested to see how much lean mass I lost in the process of re-losing the weight. So I plan on having another scan to find out.

    This is SO cool! I've never actually seen the results of a Dexa scan before. Do they interpret your results for you at all? Like tell you why your arms were different, health implications in general, recommendations? Or do they just hand you the results and send you on your way?

    Also, I had no idea heads carried that percentage of fat! Really neat!
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    TeenageDream1369 wrote: »
    I have a digital scale that, if you step on it barefoot, it reads out your supposed body fat percentage. Why does this work, how do I know if it's accurate, and is there a better (and affordable) way to know for sure what my body fat percentage is??


    It doesn't

    It's not

    Jump up and down in front of a mirror naked if it jiggles and is not boobs or genitals it's probably BF

    Post of the day right here! Rabbit is good, rabbit is wise.
  • Josalinn
    Josalinn Posts: 1,066 Member
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    TeenageDream1369 wrote: »
    I have a digital scale that, if you step on it barefoot, it reads out your supposed body fat percentage. Why does this work, how do I know if it's accurate, and is there a better (and affordable) way to know for sure what my body fat percentage is??

    To answer the "how does it work" question it works by sending a small electrical current through your feet and measuring how long it takes to complete the circuit. The longer it takes the more fat you have. However as people said hydration factors in because electricity travels faster through water than fat so you can trick the scale.

    if you can't afford a dexa scan you can get a general idea with the circumference test.
    http://www.weightrainer.net/circbf.html
    http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/body-fat-percentage-calculator
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    TeenageDream1369 wrote: »
    @msf74 how does it work?

    @TeenageDream1369

    The Bod Pod? You sit in a capsule (a "pod") for a couple of minutes (that's all you have to do) and it uses air displacement to calculate your body composition.
  • TeenageDream1369
    TeenageDream1369 Posts: 40 Member
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    @msf74 neat! *adds to list of things to try*
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Anyone have thoughts on a bio-electrical impedance analysis done in a hospital setting?
  • MsJulesRenee
    MsJulesRenee Posts: 1,180 Member
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    kyrannosaurus wrote: »
    Here is a screen shot of some of the data I got with the scan. My overall body fat was 31.9% but my left arm was 41.4% fat. It's cool to see exactly how much fat/lean muscle mass you have and exactly where it is. I've since regained weight and am interested to see how much lean mass I lost in the process of re-losing the weight. So I plan on having another scan to find out.

    Thanks for sharing! :) I always wanted to see what the result report looks like for this test.

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