These "high dollar" tanita scales...

[Sassy69]

I asked my trainer to do my bodyfat tonite at the gym. As much as I hate getting my fat quantified, I need a baseline. I'm expecting something like a 7 point caliper check, do 3 times, avg it. Nope. They have a tanita scale that is more than the thing you hold and see what number it comes up w/. This thing they have looks like an old weight scale that you stand on and it comes up w/ a bf % via bio-impedence. This differs from a caliper measurement by also accounting for the visceral bodyfat (fat around the organs) as well as what you get w/ just the skin fold measurement. Apparently they can also include age, sex, height, etc. into the measurement on this thing.

Anyone have any comments on this machine? I guess as long as I get the measurement done on the same machine roughly at consistent times of day I can get the relative measurements. I'm keeping in mind the caliper measurements I had done during the ol' "competition days" to give an idea of where I am compared to that - but the measurements are sort of going to be meaningless w/ this completely different measurement method.

 

[The Shadow]

its heavily dependant on electrolyte levels

 

[velvett]

its heavily dependant on electrolyte levels

yup.

My father had purchased one for me YEARS ago.


Only worthy as a guide to see weight gain or loss.
It finally died completely about a year ago.

 

[ashley2212]

We have one where I work, since we're not allowed to do caliper measurements. I was extremely skeptical about it for a LONG time until I started tracking myself on it and decided to get my bf% done with calipers. Much to my surprise, it is actually accurate - for me anyway.

The only problem with it is the "fitness level" that you have to put in for the individual. (This may just be on the newer ones, I'm not sure). It says that if you do over 10 hours of cardio per week, you are considered an "athlete" and if not, you're "normal". First of all, who the hell does 10 hours of cardio a week on a regular basis? Second of all, we did this on a man who was an avid road biker and runner as both an athlete and "normal" - he came up as 7% as an athlete and 14% as "normal" - to which my response was, "WTF?!" Bodyfat is bodyfat, is it not?

I definitely don't do 10 hours of cardio a week, but I do work out more than the "average" person. If I put myself in as an "athlete," my reading is accurate to the calipers (as well as a hand-held bio-impedence machine).

What's the point of this story? It's fricken hard to tell whether or not the person you're testing is an "athlete" or not. It seems that you need to measure your bodyfat other ways to figure out how you should be categorized on the machine.

 

[jenscats5]

I read somewhere that the hand-held Tanita type scales only measure upper bpdy body-fat & the ones you stand on only measure lower body body-fat..... Don't know if that's true or not....

I pretty much stopped using mine when, no matter what time of day, etc it pretty much always said 34% bf% and I knew it was waaay off!

 

[velvett]

We have one where I work, since we're not allowed to do caliper measurements. I was extremely skeptical about it for a LONG time until I started tracking myself on it and decided to get my bf% done with calipers. Much to my surprise, it is actually accurate - for me anyway.

The only problem with it is the "fitness level" that you have to put in for the individual. (This may just be on the newer ones, I'm not sure). It says that if you do over 10 hours of cardio per week, you are considered an "athlete" and if not, you're "normal". First of all, who the hell does 10 hours of cardio a week on a regular basis? Second of all, we did this on a man who was an avid road biker and runner as both an athlete and "normal" - he came up as 7% as an athlete and 14% as "normal" - to which my response was, "WTF?!" Bodyfat is bodyfat, is it not?

I definitely don't do 10 hours of cardio a week, but I do work out more than the "average" person. If I put myself in as an "athlete," my reading is accurate to the calipers (as well as a hand-held bio-impedence machine).

What's the point of this story? It's fricken hard to tell whether or not the person you're testing is an "athlete" or not. It seems that you need to measure your bodyfat other ways to figure out how you should be categorized on the machine.

oh wow
mine only had male/female options and height input

 

[jenscats5]

Yeah, mine has male/female, height & athlete/normal too....... still told me 34% -- first thing in the am too.....

 

[velvett]

Yeah, mine has male/female, height & athlete/normal too....... still told me 34% -- first thing in the am too.....

is there anything left of it?
i would have run it over.

you're not no stinkin' 34%

 

[jenscats5]

is there anything left of it?
i would have run it over.

you're not no stinkin' 34%

I swear, I thought about throwing it out the window..... Grrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[superqt4u2nv]

IMHO opnion they are a piece of crap. If you retain any water at all it puts your fat measurment through the roof hence Jen getting that BS reading.