Advice on choosing Body Fat Scales & appropriate BF levels

[cappuccino]

Hola!
I've been thinking about getting a body fat scale to routinely track progress. From what I understand, some of the variation that occurs from the BIA (bioelectric impedance analysis) type monitors is from hydration levels. While browsing I see Tanita has a new scale that measures the %body water as well.

Will seeing the %water help with understanding the differences in the readings or just simply give you another number to report?

Here's a picture and brief specs:


UM026 Scale plus Body Fat Monitor with Body Water %

• Elegant contemporary styling
• Large 2-line LCD display
• New Body Water feature

Capacity Weight Increments Body Fat Increments Modes Memory Power Supply
330 lb
(149 kg) 0.2 lb
(0.1 kg) 0.1%
Adult
Child
Athlete 4 People AA batteries x 4 (included)

Also, any advice on a generally accepted chart of acceptable body fat ranges? I've seen numbers all across the board. I'm 33 and female with bf right at or just below 20%, according to a hand-held BIA. Trying to figure out if I should set a lower BF goal, maybe 18% or with my age, does that put me in the underfat range, as I've seen on these charts. I don't want to go to any "extreme" measures to reach a BF goal, but am curious to know if it would be healthy for me, an "average athletic" person (with a mirror test that indicates room for improvement [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ), to shoot for a lower %age.

Here are pictures of some of the charts & tables I've seen:


FEMALE
Age RISKY EXCELLENT GOOD FAIR POOR VERY
POOR
19-24 <9% 18.9% 22.1% 25.0% 29.6% >29.6%
25-29 18.9% 22.0% 25.4% 29.8%
30-34 19.7% 22.7% 26.4% 30.5%
35-39 21.0% 24.0% 27.7% 31.5%
40-44 22.6% 25.6% 29.3% 32.8%
45-49 24.3% 27.3% 30.9% 34.1%
50-54 26.6% 29.7% 33.1% 36.2%
55-59 27.4% 30.7% 34.0% 37.3%
60+ 27.6% 31.0% 34.4% 38.0%

*American Council on Exercise
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% plus 25% plus

Any & all advice appreciated! The last one shows 14% is ok for female athletes, but it leaves out the age [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[cappuccino]

Just checking back...surely someone uses a scale to track BF% and has some ideas on whether seeing the %body water explains part of the variation?

Is the mirror and the "I feel good" the best test of bf levels (instead of charts??)??

Comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[cward76]

I'm not sure about the scales but I know the hand held devices are not accurate, or least the one that the Gym used to test my body fat was not accurate.

It said that my body fat was 5%. At 5% I should be ripped but in reality I am not, I have a little bit of a gut and no six pack as of yet. I would guess that I'm between 10% and 12%.

I have heard that being properly hydrated makes a difference the electronic test. I consumed plenty of water before I had the test done.

[yunion]

If you are worried about whether a scale is right or not mybodycomp.com is free and you can calculate your BF% within 3% accuracy...most gyms are about +/-7% accuracy.

PS I have only heard good things about the Tanita scales.

[cappuccino]

I didn't like what mybodycomp.com told me. I must not have the "build" of the profile person [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

On vacation a few weeks back I had a splurge moment when I popped into Sharper Image and bought their version. I'm really only trying to track a rate of change, not too concerned about the number. However, the one at the gym (hand held) gives me a number I like better [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] .

Which I wonder, if the one that I stand on has a higher % because it gets more of my "opportunity" areas such as hips and belly, while the handheld focuses more on upper body.
Thanks!

[Kevin T.]

i've heard that the accutrack digital bodyfat calipers are very accurate and reliable. and they're only $30 on Amazon and come with the mylotape.

[DKing]

I have a tanita and I hate the thing. It works great for taking my weight but thats about it. Maybe I am kind of dumb but I get a 3-4% variation day to day regardless of how close I try to make the conditions surounding it.

A caliper will only be as accurate as the person taking the reading. Getting the right spot and using the right pressure are huge.

Danny

[cappuccino]

My scale is pretty consistent. I use it first thing in the morning.

It has the 3 fitness levels and the hydration levels. I'm not so sure the hydration levels help, since I think it's calculated as a % of BF. The lower the bf the higher the water %. I've never seen it work the other way. I think if you're dehydrated your BF is higher. Not sure it was worth it, but it's still fun to track, although I'm not seeing much movement.

[galya]

So far it seems that investing in a good body fat caliper and measuring tape is the best combination. Scales do vary a lot, depending on hydration and how can you know exactly how much you have pro/re/gressed if you cannot possibly manipulate hydration since it depends on so many factors.
Most good calipers have a constant pressure on them, just make sure the same person measures you every time taking the measurements on the right side of the body, and that the 7/14 sites are accurately determined.
I have my bf measured by my training partner once every month and changes are logical and not different than what the mirror says.

[Anna Kubit]

I recently tried 2 BF% measurement scales and both were off in the sense that they both gave me different numbers. One had more variation than the other when measuring during consistent times, etc. So, I returned both and bought $20 calipers from accu-measure (see http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/acc/accu.html). I now measure my BF% on the basis that I don't actually calculate the number; I just look at the calipers' measure scale (millimeters?). So, if that goes down, great. If not, ouch. This is how I keep track. Once in a while I go through the calculations. My weight is steady/constant, so I don't have to worry about calculating in weight with the measurements. I think that the calipers are much more accurate! I would not waste my money on a scale... Too many people don't like them. If you are so serious about your BF% (which in my opinion should not be such an issue; look at how your clothes fit and at how you look, etc.), then buy calipers or get measured in a water tank once in a while.

Hope this helps!

Anna

[oravita]

I had a look at some online tests where you give your height, weight and measurements of different parts of your body. They vary way too much to be accurate: 13 - 21% for me!

I thought those scales would be more accurate, but now it looks like calipers might be the way to go.

Like many others, I'm curious to know, not so much from an absolute point of view, but just to see relative improvement.

[oravita]

Has anyone compared any of the cheaper methods to a method that is accepted as reference level accuracy?

[Lost Dog]

My Tanita seems to get less accurate, the leaner I get. It was going down steadily, 17%, 16, 15, 14, 13. Now it pops up to 14 or 15 sometimes, despite the fact that I'm still the same weight and have a smaller belly...

I've heard others report that they tend to be more accurate for fatter and "average" people, unless you get one that has an Athletic Mode.

[oravita]

Then when you have one with Athlete mode, you have to wonder at which point you can switch to it ...

Regarding calipers, I hear now that you can't actually do it yourself, and the person has to be trained!

[Matthew]

I don't understand why everyone is having such a bad time with their scales. My tanita scale works fine. It's consistent, it is always within 1% of what it read last time I used it (I am bulking and not trying to lose or gain bodyfat, so that is a good thing). I wake up, use the washroom and then step on the scale before anything else.

Hey I guess all those smartasses that say "ok, everyone else is wrong and you're right" weren't just being smartasses afterall! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Ogedei]

My scale is from EKS, and it sucks ass BF wise. Although it had me down at 24% the other night, the lowest I have ever seen it.

I was at 19% at the gym via calipers and a bio impedance machine at the beginning of the year. Not sure now, but I guess around 17% based on how I look.

Og.

[R.B.B.]

you mentioned that you want to "to routinely track progress"....please just be aware the pitfalls of this as per the following study

"People, who weigh themselves in an attempt to gauge how well their diet is working, set themselves up for failure as it may damage self esteem. Any attempt for healthy eating and exercise should be rewarded regardless of the short term outcome." Jenny O’Dea of Sydney University in the Medical Journal of Austrailia.

www.researchbasedbodybuilding. com

[R.B.B.]

also, one other thing....in your picture that you post beside your messages, you appear to be in very good shape and you should be happy with such a great accomplishment.

please realize that at some point you must reach a goal and then switch to a maintainance program

there exists a danger in a relentless pursuit of weight loss.

please consider this.... it is estimated that seven percent of 12th grade boys have reported using anabolic steroids to increase their body size. (Buckley, W.E., Yesalis, C.E., Friedl, K.E., Anderson, W.A., Streith, A.L., & Wright, J.E. (1988). Estimated prevalence of anabolic steroid use among male high school seniors. Journal of the American Medical Association, 260, 3441-3445.)

Is it reasonable to think that seven percent of twelve graders used steroids in the previous generation? Absolutely not.

So why the shift to steroids now? Becuase the media constantly pushes these "ideal" bodytypes.

Even action figures-the little plastic heroes used by young boys in play-now sport huge muscles in comparison to their counterparts of a generation earlier (Pope HG Jr, Olivardia R, Gruber A, Borowiecki J (1999), Evolving ideals of male body image as seen through action toys. Int J Eat Disord 26(1):65-72.)

It is commendable to have such passion for training, but remember, it should always make you stronger and healthier. If you are becoming weaker do to excessive training, this may be a sign of something else.

www.researchbasedbodybuilding. com

[Chris Correia]

[ QUOTE ]
I have a tanita and I hate the thing. It works great for taking my weight but thats about it. Maybe I am kind of dumb but I get a 3-4% variation day to day regardless of how close I try to make the conditions surounding it.

A caliper will only be as accurate as the person taking the reading. Getting the right spot and using the right pressure are huge.

Danny

[/ QUOTE ]

I've wondered how accurate mine is, but even with less that constant conditions, my % usually varies by only about a point. But I still think it's too high. Unfortunately, it pretty closely matches mybodycomp. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img]

Lostdog: I think at those lower levels, you have to switch to the Athlete mode to get good readings. I'm too fat to use the athlete mode, but if I do, my % drops way down. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Kind of like Cappy: I can do what I like better, rather than what is right/accurate. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[BFG]

Cappy I find the only true way to get an accurate reading is a professional using calipers on you. All the monitors I have been on so far are so finger in the air its ridiulous. Having said that if its a downward trend at least it gives you an indication. They rely on too many variables based on assumptive body types within the calculations.

By all means use them but would reccomend you get JP or someone at the gym to give you a true measure once every 4 weeks using calipers and a tape measure.

From discussions I have had with various trainers and gym users alike so many people use calipers incorrectly anyway so if you buy them get someone who is used to using them to show you.

To get consistancy as well using both methods use them the same time of day same frequency all the while as is can vary wildly throughout the day

[Cynic]

I didn't realize at first how old this thread was, but I picked up the accu-measure digital calipers and myotape and I'm happy with it so far, even though I've been told calipers can be up to 8% off the actual.

[ehinkley]

Where are the 7/14 sites to do skinfold testing with a caliper?

[Cynic]

http://www.exrx.net/Testing.html

On the left side column, under Body Composition, there are three subsections.

NOTE: If you're doing this alone, you'll need to do the 3-pt site testing as the 7 and 9 require measurements taken on the back.