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H
heatherrae
Guest
Does anyone know if the scales that measure body fat are very accurate. It seems from lurking that everyone uses calipers. How accurate are the body fat scales?
I once stepped on a tanita (the gym one) that said I was 25% ... for comparision purposes the caliper pinch said I was in the 12's ...
Capliers have a 2-4 % inaccuracy rate as well ... depending on who's doing the pinch.
Use for tracking purposes only to help with your progress ... but never let those #'s define you ...
Capliers have a 2-4 % inaccuracy rate as well ... depending on who's doing the pinch.
Use for tracking purposes only to help with your progress ... but never let those #'s define you ...
S
scorpiogirl
Guest
Don't waste your money. They aren't accurate and will put you upwards of 10% OVER what your bf actually is! Just get a regular digital scale and use callipers for the bf measurement.
H
heatherrae
Guest
Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me! I was going to get one of these, and I would have really thought I was fat if it read 10% over!
Few different opinions on BF %'s
1. Body Fat Guidelines from American Council on Exercise
Classification..........Women (% Fat)..........Men (% Fat)
Essential Fat..........10-12 percent............2-4 percent
Athletes................14-20 percent ...........6-13 percent
Fitness..................21-24 percent ...........14-17 percent
Acceptable ............25-31 percent ...........18-25 percent
2. Body Fat Guidelines from American Dietetics Association
.....................Women...................................Men
Normal............15-25 percent........................10-20 percent
Overweight......25.1-29.9 percent...................20.1-24.4 percent
Obese ............Over 30 percent.....................Over 25 percent
3. Age-Related Healthy Body Fat Guidelines
Age........................Women..........................Men
18-39 years.............21-32 percent.................8-19 percent
40-59 years.............23-33 percent................11-21 percent
60-79 years.............24-35 percent.... ...........13-24 percent
1. Body Fat Guidelines from American Council on Exercise
Classification..........Women (% Fat)..........Men (% Fat)
Essential Fat..........10-12 percent............2-4 percent
Athletes................14-20 percent ...........6-13 percent
Fitness..................21-24 percent ...........14-17 percent
Acceptable ............25-31 percent ...........18-25 percent
2. Body Fat Guidelines from American Dietetics Association
.....................Women...................................Men
Normal............15-25 percent........................10-20 percent
Overweight......25.1-29.9 percent...................20.1-24.4 percent
Obese ............Over 30 percent.....................Over 25 percent
3. Age-Related Healthy Body Fat Guidelines
Age........................Women..........................Men
18-39 years.............21-32 percent.................8-19 percent
40-59 years.............23-33 percent................11-21 percent
60-79 years.............24-35 percent.... ...........13-24 percent
Sassy69
New member
Tanita scales measure bodyfat by a completely different method that calipers so its not that they are "inaccurate" on the order of 10% when compared to a caliper measurement. Tanita scales & other bioimpedence measuring devices are measuring your body's resistance and deriving a bodyfat measure from that whereas calipers are measuring a skinfold thickness. Because the bioimpedence devices are measuring something that has a dependence on the water in your body, the conditions under which you are taking the measurement need to be very consistent - such as urinating within 30 minutes of test, no diuretics, not during menstration for women, no caffeine for 24-48 hours, etc. I imagine you could use them to measure relative changes from day to day, but the water dependence introduces more uncertainty.
When we talk about what our bodyfat is, particularly in the context of fitness competition or "gym talk", we are referring to skinfold measurements. As long as you have someone who is skilled at doing it and is consistent, you measure relative changes over time, but they are still subject to error of +/- 2-4%, making them not good for determining an "abosolute" measurement.
The only accurate way to get a real absolute measurement would be to go somewhere & get a "Bod Pod" measurement -- i.e. how much water do you displace. You can often find these facilities at universities.
When we talk about what our bodyfat is, particularly in the context of fitness competition or "gym talk", we are referring to skinfold measurements. As long as you have someone who is skilled at doing it and is consistent, you measure relative changes over time, but they are still subject to error of +/- 2-4%, making them not good for determining an "abosolute" measurement.
The only accurate way to get a real absolute measurement would be to go somewhere & get a "Bod Pod" measurement -- i.e. how much water do you displace. You can often find these facilities at universities.
