Body fat calculation on digital scales

jfk

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Hey, first time post here but have been reading for while. I beleive this is the best category to post in since it deal with health. I recently bought a digital scale and it measures body fat % via some kind of electronic impedence pulse. I measured mine and it came back pretty high at 22%...I'm pretty lean and have an ectomorph body type at 6'3'' and 205 lbs. I really have no visible fat except for a little on my mid section. I've been bulking so I do have slightly more more fat than usual, but I just wanted to get information on the accuracy of these types of scales so I have a basis to go off. What is your take on these scales accuracy in determing body fat % ?
 
Steveoph

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Terribly inaccurate. Was really annoyed with the scale at my gym last week when I went in and it told me the 4 lbs I had gained was 100% fat, despite having improved on all my lifts, having visibly more muscle definition and size.

Calipers are the way to go, I just wish I could have access to a pair right now. If that`s all you`ve got, make do. Try and get the reading done the same time & conditions. Don`t eat 2 hours beforehand and don`t exercise, have 2 glasses of water when you wake up.
 

jfk

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Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I found this from way back in 2005:
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplements/26716-body-fat-scales.html

I've put on 20 pounds in the past 4 months (all natural), so I'm sure a little bit is fat...but just looking at myself in the mirror I'm still really lean by all standards. I've gotten waaayyy stronger and bigger and feel harder than before, so I'm sure most of my gains have been muscle. I was thinking that the amount of water I've been drinking may have made it give a false reading cause it's been up over a gallon a day for some time now...along with the creatine. Who knows. I honestly don't care about body fat % per se....but 22% is pretty frickin' high and I just wanted to see what peoples take was on these scales. Thanks.
 
sportsfan4110

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Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I found this from way back in 2005:
http://anabolicminds.com/forum/supplements/26716-body-fat-scales.html

I've put on 20 pounds in the past 4 months (all natural), so I'm sure a little bit is fat...but just looking at myself in the mirror I'm still really lean by all standards. I've gotten waaayyy stronger and bigger and feel harder than before, so I'm sure most of my gains have been muscle. I was thinking that the amount of water I've been drinking may have made it give a false reading cause it's been up over a gallon a day for some time now...along with the creatine. Who knows. I honestly don't care about body fat % per se....but 22% is pretty frickin' high and I just wanted to see what peoples take was on these scales. Thanks.

If you are still getting bigger and stronger and still like the way you look then keep doing what your doing. If you begin to look like ur putting on to much fat and don't like it then you may want to scale back or even go on a cut. But until then keep going and keep improving your body.
 

Kalakbar

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Terribly inaccurate. Was really annoyed with the scale at my gym last week when I went in and it told me the 4 lbs I had gained was 100% fat, despite having improved on all my lifts, having visibly more muscle definition and size.

Calipers are the way to go, I just wish I could have access to a pair right now. If that`s all you`ve got, make do. Try and get the reading done the same time & conditions. Don`t eat 2 hours beforehand and don`t exercise, have 2 glasses of water when you wake up.
Agreed. Since they use your water as a huge part of the calculations, body fat scales tend to be off by huge amounts based off your water. There are mornings when I wake up at 17% (which is a lie) and go to bed at 29% (still a lie). I find the handheld ones are more accurate, but even still, nothing will compare to an actual body comp analysis.
 

GXbcmFTO

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Nutraplanet sells digi-calipers if I'm not mistaken. Was thinking about picking some up when I get home from Iraq.

~GX
 

MoTiV

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The digiscale I have seems to have an exact bodyfat% depending on how much I weigh. I swear it is correlated somehow to the BMI index. Needless to say I'm highly disappointed.

Note: I always weigh myself in the morning when I get up right after my business :dump:
 
MM11

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very inaccurate, i have pissed off 2% body fat (according to scales). im not an expert but i don't think that's possible .
 

jfk

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I spoke with a trainer at my gym last night who regularly does body fat assessments, and he said that they aren't even worth looking at to give you a ballpark of your body fat. For what it's worth he said that I'm nowhere near the 22% the scale said.....probably around 12% based on his personal opinion (granted, an opinion, not an official test). I'm just going to do what I did before I bought that scale and pay no attention to the % and use the mirror to determine how lean I am.
 

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