[CathToria]

Is anyone familiar with them? How do they work? *DO* the work???

I've had my body fat % done at the gym by anexperienced trainer who used calipers. A few days later, I had a Dr's appt. This Dr's office has a very high end body fat scale thing. The scale seemed right on as far as weight, but my body fat % was way higher than my caliper reading and higher than what I *thought* it would be.

I had a follow up appt at the dr this week, 1 month after my initial visit. After working out 1500 minutes last month, and incuuding weight training in my workouts, my fat % reading had increased 2% in teh month.

I'm hoping that there is an easy explination for this. How is water in teh body "read" by these scales? Any other info for me? I'm not focusing on the readings that I got, but the numbers were so high that I wanted to look into it more. TIA

 

[JayGee]

As far as I know, the best way to measure body fat is to do one of those water immersion tests. I don't know how the scales work, but they are notoriously inaccurate.

Check this link (second page) for some more detail on how the measurement types work.

 

[wendyland]

They send electricity through your body. that's why you have to touch 2 metal plates. From what I've read, both methods are unreliable. The body immersion method is best. I don't know who actually does that, tho.

 

[Missa]

Yeah, I have one of those scales and it says I'm like 50% body fat

No way. I do need to lose 10 vanity pounds but seriously the thing is just off. I had the caliper test done several years ago and they said I was 18% body fat. I weigh 10-15 more now than I did then (two more babies since then). I only trust my scale to give me my weight, that's it.

 

[CathToria]

So has anyone figured out what makes the fat % numbers change. Like have you ever gotten on teh scale when you felt dehydrated, then drank 2-3 glasses of water. when you get back on, are you up a lb but also up 2% in fat or somethign like that. Alos, do you find it "consistently off" from day to day???

 

[spughy]

I have a mid-range bf analyzer scale and it seems accurate for me and for everyone else who has used it - like, the numbers make sense, and when I put a lot of effort into building muscle, the bf % drops obligingly even when my weight doesn't move much.

I have found though that for my taller female friends it isn't so, well, friendly - although I don't think it's out more than 5%. I don't know why this would be, since you input your height before using it, but there you go.

The model I have is a Tanita, I bought it about 4 years ago so I doubt that particular model is still being sold. But I like it.

 

[TaraRae82]

As a trainer, the water immersion is your most accurate. Calipers are usually +/- 3% simply because of human error. The scales and handheld ones are up to 7% off. They send an electrical current through your body. The catch is that if you're holding the measuring device, it's only going to get through the top half of your body....if you're standing on it, it gets the lower half so neither take into consideration your entire body and depending on how you carry your weight, it could be REALLY off. For all practical purposes, calipers are your best bet. Cheap and easy to find someone who can use them. Water immersion can cost hundreds of dollars. HTH!

 

[TaraRae82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spughy I have a mid-range bf analyzer scale and it seems accurate for me and for everyone else who has used it - like, the numbers make sense, and when I put a lot of effort into building muscle, the bf % drops obligingly even when my weight doesn't move much. I have found though that for my taller female friends it isn't so, well, friendly - although I don't think it's out more than 5%. I don't know why this would be, since you input your height before using it, but there you go. The model I have is a Tanita, I bought it about 4 years ago so I doubt that particular model is still being sold. But I like it.

This is because the current can only travel so far in a body. The taller the body, the less the current can calculate. So it's more accurate on a shorter body.

 

[TaraRae82]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wendyland They send electricity through your body. that's why you have to touch 2 metal plates. From what I've read, both methods are unreliable. The body immersion method is best. I don't know who actually does that, tho.

Usually it's in a hospital setting.

 

[spughy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TaraRae82 This is because the current can only travel so far in a body. The taller the body, the less the current can calculate. So it's more accurate on a shorter body.

Aaaahhhh. Thank you! I didn't know that. That totally explains why my tall, bootylicious friend who certainly LOOKS thinner than me ended up with the same bf% according to my scale.

I am short and I carry my weight all over. So I guess my scale and I can stay friends, but I shouldn't let it cheat on me.

 

[34me]

You can also get them done by students in a lot of Universities. Look for exercise and Sprts Science, Kinesiology or Exercise Physiology Departments.

 

[Missa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Missa Yeah, I have one of those scales and it says I'm like 50% body fat No way. I do need to lose 10 vanity pounds but seriously the thing is just off. I had the caliper test done several years ago and they said I was 18% body fat. I weigh 10-15 more now than I did then (two more babies since then). I only trust my scale to give me my weight, that's it.

I checked mine on a friends scale (hers is newer and nicer) and it came out 26%. Whew, that's better than the 50% my scale was giving. I'd like to look into getting the water immersion test done. If the scale can be off by 7% I'd like a more accurate reading.

 

[mommajb]

So if I did the hand held, am 5'9" and had to input my weight and height before it took the reading what should I do with the number it gave me (other than ignore it). At the time I thought it was ridiculously low but I have grown confuddled.

TIA