RunningAHEAD - Topic: Should I get a scale with a body fat calculator? (page 2)

sathomasga

posted: 1/19/2008 at 9:38 PM

Quote from Bugs on 1/18/2008 at 10:28 AM:

I constantly watch my scale, thinking I should have one with a body fat perc. calculator. Opinions?

Yes. So long as you can put the scale in front of a mirror. Best way to judge body fat is to look in the mirror. ;^) Full disclosure, I have a Tanita scale with body fat and everything else, and I do use it religiously. I've found that my weight can vary as much as a pound or two depending on hydration, how many times I hit snooze, etc. (I always weigh first thing in the morning.) Same thing for body fat percentage (according to the scale), since bio-impedance is definitely affected by hydration. The one measure that seems to be much more consistent for me is pounds of fat. (The scale doesn't show that directly, but it's easy enough to multiply weight by percent fat.) Stephen

dnephin

posted: 1/19/2008 at 10:50 PM

Thanks Mandy - Since you're an accountant, you're obviously better at numbers than I Wink

Then, back to the original question, I still think it's another fun number to know about one's self. Like my bazillion PIN numbers, my cholesterol, Social Security, weight, age, etc etc. If the scale ain't too costly, what the hey. The body water weight is also fun. That's on my scale anyway.

DWARP
Marathon Madness Mob

Mandy Simpson

posted: 1/19/2008 at 11:09 PM

Quote from dnephin on 1/19/2008 at 10:50 PM:

Thanks Mandy - Since you're an accountant, you're obviously better at numbers than I Then, back to the original question, I still think it's another fun number to know about one's self. Like my bazillion PIN numbers, my cholesterol, Social Security, weight, age, etc etc. If the scale ain't too costly, what the hey. The body water weight is also fun. That's on my scale anyway.

sorry - i'm a real numbers geek (an accountant with a bit of a thing for pure mathematics) and sometimes it really shows (hangs head in shame)

dgb2n

Dave

posted: 1/20/2008 at 7:12 AM

I'll vote for getting it, only because it gives something to focus on other than just weight. We bought one about a year ago and although my weight varies dramatically (lost 2.5 pounds yesterday on a 6 mile run??), the body fat reading does allow me to track progress even though my weight hasn't moved and maybe increased a pound or two. I went under 20% body fat for the first time ever yesterday. Of course, just for fun, I weight mysefl before and after my shower and it was back up to 20.1. Big grin

I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it.

dgb2n@yahoo.com

RunB

posted: 1/20/2008 at 7:53 AM
modified: 1/20/2008 at 8:03 AM

I researched body fat scales last year. I'm a number addict and I thought it would be great to track my fat % over time. I was deceived to find out that many independent reviews mentioned that they were very inaccurate and very dependent on other factors, such as your hydration level, the temperature of your skin, the moisture level of your skin, how recently you had a workout, ... Most user reviews on Amazon and other sites said they were having very broad fluctuations from one day to to the next even whent they tried to duplicate their condition (measurement taken at the same time, etc) making this feature not very useful. Instead I got a set of Accu-Measure body fat calipers for less than $20. I find these too consistent Undecided

since thy body fat % has not changed much over time but I think this is quite accurate to what I see in the mirror and on the scale. - R

dnephin

posted: 1/20/2008 at 8:49 AM

Quote from Mandy Simpson on 1/19/2008 at 11:09 PM:

sorry - i'm a real numbers geek (an accountant with a bit of a thing for pure mathematics) and sometimes it really shows (hangs head in shame)

Don't be sorry. You helped me understand that two things I thought were the same, aren't. On math: It's so not my thing, I joke that I just need to do addition and subtaction: 26 paychecks (addition) and a bunch more subtraction (bills.)

DWARP
Marathon Madness Mob

finney

Resident pinniped

posted: 1/21/2008 at 11:05 PM

I wouldn't freak out about 5 pounds, body fat scale or no body fat scale. 5 pounds spread out over your entire body is next to nothing, even if it is fat. I don't believe much in evaluting health, fitness, etc by any one parameter alone anyway. I'm fit, but no matter WHAT I do I always have a bit of extra belly fat. My stomach is flat, but I can sure pinch more than an inch. That's just my body type. I had a doctor tell me once that I'm overweight at 5' 4" and 126#. I don't see how that's even remotely possible when I'm consistently fitting into size 5 pants. If it were me, I'd not have ANY scale in the house and just go by how you look and feel rather than obsessing over numbers.

jsobo119

posted: 1/22/2008 at 5:28 PM

I got mine several years ago and about 60 pounds ago. I will say that in general you cannot trust it day to day but week to week and month to month trends will show up. I weight myself most every morning and most nights with a body fat scale. It does vary. Mine goes currently from 14% up to 16% depending on a bunch of factors... but after a few years of using it I can pretty much guess what it will be and be correct. Same with weight. My weight fluctuates about 4 pounds a day. I like it. When I was loosing weight I was able to decern real weight loss from water fluctuations. How to fool your BF scale. Take a hot shower. After your shower it will go down. Take a hot bath with epsom salts... and it will go down even more! want some usefull data then you will have to take your weight and BF first thing in the morning after you use the bathroom. BTW I had my BF measured at the gym and it came out at between 15-16.5 depending on which method of measuring used. at the time my scale was saying 16% most of the time. I would say that right now a move outside of my normal weight fluctuation 160-164 is an indication I have gained or lost weight. Or if the bf % moves outside of my normal 14-16% range.

Should I get a scale with a body fat calculator? (Read 960 times)