Do you own Body Fat Scales?

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Hollie_downunder
Hollie_downunder Posts: 192
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Guys,

Just wondering if many of you own/use body fat scales?
I weigh myself with digital scales and also use a tapemeasure

I'd just be interested to see if they actually work for water weight and fat etc

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! (especially if it saves me money if they're a waste!)

Thanks! :)

Replies

  • tcpowell25
    tcpowell25 Posts: 292
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    I have one by weight watcher and it is great I love it.
  • chuckyp
    chuckyp Posts: 693 Member
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    I have an older model Tanita body fat scale. The numbers it gives me are believable but others will say they don't work at all. It's the most convenient and cost-effective way to do it unless you're pretty good with the calipers.
  • Sp1nGoddess
    Sp1nGoddess Posts: 1,138 Member
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    I have an Omron body fat analyzer, I also use calipers- really it's like the scale, you need to see the trends to get the whole picture.
  • mewaybright
    mewaybright Posts: 240 Member
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    I use a set of calipers to measure my body fat. I have heard that the electronic body fat measurement units are not all that accurate. I purchased them from beachbody.com as I heard they were more accurate than most on the internet.
  • chubiD
    chubiD Posts: 260
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    I have one of those and I really like it; I don't trust the exact number for %body fat as the "real" one, but I do pay attention to the trend over the weeks. I've also calculated my %body fat in several websites (with my body measurements) and got different results; most of them are within a 2% range, so I guess it's a good cheap estimate...
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    BIA is the WORST possible method for measuring bodyfat.

    bia-change-spread-in-bodybuilders.png

    Chart showing the difference in body fat % change between various methods and a 4-compartment model. Each bar represents 2 standard deviations or 95% of subjects.


    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=218
  • Hollie_downunder
    Hollie_downunder Posts: 192
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    Thanks everyone!

    I've seen the weightwatchers scales, might have to go and buy them

    I'm just curious to see an increase/decrease over time more than anything ;)
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Thanks everyone!

    I've seen the weightwatchers scales, might have to go and buy them

    I'm just curious to see an increase/decrease over time more than anything ;)

    Read the link I posted and save your money.

    A tape measure is much cheaper and more effective for tracking changes.
  • AZackery
    AZackery Posts: 2,035 Member
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    I have a Go Walking by Sportline body fat scale and Omron Handheld Body fat monitor. I trust both of them. A lot of people don't trust body fat scales or handheld monitor, but every devices have errors, even DEXA scan. I wouldn't pay $100 to get my body fat percentage.

    I trust my devices. If my scale is wrong for my body fat percentage, then it's wrong for my weight as well.
  • rubyosburn
    rubyosburn Posts: 119 Member
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    I have a set of scales that are made by Taylor, they measure BMI and are so far dead on. Although I didn't buy them myself (they were provided by my Wellness Program through my work) I tell other friends about how well they work. :happy:
  • RonSwanson66
    RonSwanson66 Posts: 1,150 Member
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    I trust my devices. If my scale is wrong for my body fat percentage, then it's wrong for my weight as well.

    Why do you believe this?

    Do you have any idea how your scale works?
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I have a Go Walking by Sportline body fat scale and Omron Handheld Body fat monitor. I trust both of them. A lot of people don't trust body fat scales or handheld monitor, but every devices have errors, even DEXA scan. I wouldn't pay $100 to get my body fat percentage.

    I trust my devices. If my scale is wrong for my body fat percentage, then it's wrong for my weight as well.

    Weight and body fat are not connected so directly though. I weigh 140 and have more fat and less muscle than my 140 lb cousin. Same weight, different body fat percentages.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I have a set of scales that are made by Taylor, they measure BMI and are so far dead on. Although I didn't buy them myself (they were provided by my Wellness Program through my work) I tell other friends about how well they work. :happy:

    I believe BMI is more a relation between your height and weight, and does not take body fat percentage into account. 2 people can be the same height, age, weight, and have the same BMI but different body fat percentages.
  • Anayalata
    Anayalata Posts: 391 Member
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    I know BIA is the worst in terms of accuracy but I've had it for almost 2 months, weighing myself once a week (sometimes more) and the #'s I've gotten have been consistent.

    http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Capacity-Recognition-Technology/dp/B004L6NTHU/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hpc_3

    This is the scale I'm using.
  • manjingirl
    manjingirl Posts: 188 Member
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    Thanks everyone!

    I've seen the weightwatchers scales, might have to go and buy them

    I'm just curious to see an increase/decrease over time more than anything ;)
    Hi Holly, I see you're from Perth - Choice magazine did a test of BF% scales fairly recently and found even the most accurate one (the most expensive) was only about 90% accurate. Everything else was pretty inaccurate AND inconsistent, so trying to see a change over time would be challenging. The same scales can be accurate for weight but very inaccurate for BF% because they use different measurement techniques.

    I know it seems like a good way to measure your progress, but a good old fashioned tape measure and scales are the most accurate, along with how you feel and whether your body does what you want it to (lift stuff, run x kms, keep going at work/home, stay healthy with no/minimal medications etc).
  • Hollie_downunder
    Hollie_downunder Posts: 192
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    hhhmmm thanks for the advice guys, might stick to my tape measure (i don't like the scales anyway, they're deceiving little things!)

    I was wondering for the ladies, do you notice a difference if you are retaining water, ie that time of the month, on the water % reading?
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Tape measure is much more accurate and consistent. I bought a body far scale because it happened to be on sale and was the same price as a regular scale. According to the scale, my body fat changes roughly 4-5% every day. Yesterday it was 33, the day before that it was 27. The problem with BIA scales is hydration levels can mess with it. The more water you retain, the lower it will tell you your body fat is, and vice-versa. Also, it gives me an average of 28%, yet according to my tape measure (using the YMCA formula) and according to my calipers, I'm at about 21% body fat. So the margin of error is pretty high.
  • shamr0ck
    shamr0ck Posts: 296 Member
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    I have two - a Tanita that is several years old, and a Withings that i've had several months. I use them to track trends, but for accuracy, i have a DEXA scan done.
  • Elarissa
    Elarissa Posts: 34 Member
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    I bought mine from Costco. It seems to work fine.. but I don't pay attention to that part on a regular basis because it depresses me :p

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