Body fat percentage scale?

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MeadowRae
MeadowRae Posts: 46 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Not sure if this is something debatable or not since this is the first time I've owned a scale like this. Are the body fat measurements on these types of scales accurate? Does it really depend on the brand?

Replies

  • Johnd2000
    Johnd2000 Posts: 198 Member
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    No. They are highly inaccurate. Treat them as a rough estimate, rather than fact.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    If you always weigh yourself the same time of day under the same conditions (ie first thing in the morning, after going to the bathroom, nekkid), they are accurate enough to give you a trendline if you are going in the right direction. Combine with progress photos and measurements and you should be fine.
  • PapillonNoire
    PapillonNoire Posts: 76 Member
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    Not at all accurate. I actually own two body fat scales. One consistently puts me at 30% and the other consistently puts me at 18%. I just go by what I see in the mirror at this point.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited May 2019
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    They are not accurate, and "may" be able to show you a trend over time. They can be easily thrown off by different fat distribution patterns and water weight swings.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Some can be reasonable, plotting a decent trend over time but with some odd readings along the way, if used sensibly and consistently.

    Some are just plain comical and provide such poor quality data as to be useless. I've got some that resolutely say I'm 33% whether I'm around 20% or 15%.

    Personally I've found a couple of four sensor units that at least measure the resistance of all of your body to give reasonable trends but two sensor units (just hands or just feet) to be totally useless. I don't think it's brand specific - more likely model specific.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Aria and I don't consider it to be reliable for my BF%. Like others have said, it can be useful for overall trends. Here's my BF% for the last three months. As you can see, I get some pretty funky readings:

    ab18vfxumb70.png

    I'd say based on what I've seen on these forums, have read in other places, and measurements I've taken, I'm more like 19 to 21% BF.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
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    I have an Aria too and it's definately not accurate, though it's fairly consistently inaccurate :) I have very muscular legs and carry most of my weight in my middle. A recent DEXA scan put me at 24% body fat while the Aria gives me 20%. I'd like to take it, but a quick look in the mirror shatters that delusion!
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
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    Mine is not at all accurate or helpful with trends. Depending on the time of day it reads 5.0% (its lowest reading) or something about 20%. BodPod, the mirror, and various formulas say 12-14%. Yes, there is a time it’s accurate but it is way too affected by hydration levels to be useful to me... so I just pay attention to the weight it says.
  • divcara
    divcara Posts: 357 Member
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    Not at all. I have a Fitbit Aria that has me around 25.6% body fat. Just did an InBody body composition reading at my gym that had me at 18.2%. Not sure if that is 100% accurate, but I'm a lot closer to 18% than 25%. But, as others said, the body fat % scale is okay for seeing a trend... if it's consistently going up or down.
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
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    Mine tells me i'm 30%+ all the time. I'm closer to the 20% mark based on previous DEXAs, callipers and eyeballs.

    So I don't even bother to look at that measurement anymore and just use the plain weight.

    I've also been given special formulas to calculate my BF% and they ended up coinciding with what the scale told me. I think it's just because they do the height/weight/age thing and don't take into consideration the muscle density that makes up that weight.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
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    Mine is accurate enough for how many pounds I way.

    But its body composition feature might be the world's best random number generator.
  • SusanUW83
    SusanUW83 Posts: 152 Member
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    I use the body fat part to tell how hydrated I am, not body fat. It measures electrical impedence and that varies depending on hydration. At end of day, for example if I drink a gallon or more of water in the day I weigh slightly more but my BF is around 31%. If I drink very little water my BF is more like 35%
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    There is no way to really measure Body Fat % and it be accurate. Even Dexa or BodPod have limitations based on hydration, women's cycles etc.

    Trending lines on home owned scales???? no I don't think so.

    Even if you do it all exactly the same there are too many variables that come into play such as what you ate yesterday, how much you drank, did you exercise and if yes what was it? weight lifting (heavy or light) cardio? hard or easy? are you a woman? where are you in your cycle?



  • MeadowRae
    MeadowRae Posts: 46 Member
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    mph323 wrote: »
    I have an Aria too and it's definately not accurate, though it's fairly consistently inaccurate :) I have very muscular legs and carry most of my weight in my middle. A recent DEXA scan put me at 24% body fat while the Aria gives me 20%. I'd like to take it, but a quick look in the mirror shatters that delusion!

    This is how I carry body fat, as well. I have muscular legs and a bigger chest and torso. That's why I wondered how it could possibly be accurate. I usually get a reading of 24-26% on the scale.

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