Throwing Electronic bodyfat scales out the window!

[crimson coal]

Man..I hate those damned things!! I have been on a killer cycle the last 5 weeks and have gained 10 pounds so far. My muscles are bigger, my waist is down and I am getting vascularity where I have never had it before. So feeling really good I get on my electronic bodyfat scale and it says I'm up to 23%!!! I was at 18% before I even started!! WTF!!!! I look leaner but yet am fatter??!! Just in these past 5 weeks I have increased some base lifts by over 100 pounds. So the question is my friends....Should I throw this fuckin scale off a building?!! God It has brought my ego down a load of notches. Maybe I'm better off judging myself by the way I look instead of by what my bodyfat says?? Man I'm depressed.

 

[Nimrod25]

If U have a Tanita throw it off a bridge, mine says im 18%, I had it done with advanced calipers a few months back and it was 10% Fuck those scales.

 

[diamonddiceclay]

those things are not accurate

 

[crimson coal]

Tanita! Thats what I got. Som bitch is goin off a bridge!!

 

[Lift or Die]

I bought one last year and got rid of it. Its completely inaccurate. A crystal ball would work better than one of those Tanita scales for guessing bodyweight.

 

[Dutch windmill]

They are good for weighing, but to use it as a fat monitor==> useless!

 

[crimson coal]

K guys you saved my day. Would have been a long one without your posts...thanks much!

 

[strengthmonster]

Yes, they are shit. I just use mine for weight now. They do state in the instructions they are no good for bodybuilders or athletes due to our big variance in hydration / de-hydration.

 

[TPH]

I have a tanita weight/bf scale. As far as absolute measures they are useless, and usually much higher than caliper readings. BUt as far as the bodyfat, my experience is that they are good measure if you are trending up or down. Obviously you always have to measure at the same time thruout the day and with an empty stomach/bladder.

crimson, the thing is way off in your case since all other measures are down, could it be the batteries are low???

 

[Andy13]

Don't fucking throw it away... It's really sensitive to body water. The highest reading you will get is first thing in the morning.. The lowest you will get is after you have been on your feet for a while and haven't had anything to eat.

Mine is really precise. I say precise because it will give me extremely precise readings.. I mean, in the morning, it's always the highest.. At night, always the lowest. And it's pretty consistant day in and day out as long as you do your reading after you have been on your feet for a while and not had anything to eat..

Mine reads high too.. I think i have the original version. ANd it would range between 19% and 15% throughout the day.. But it was consistant at the end of the day. I like mine... I'll never give it up. I find that the % bodyfat it gives is not accurate for everybody.. But is IS consistant. So it will show a trend for you.

Don't throw it away.. I mean, I know i'm not 15% bodyfat.. But when I step on it at the end of the day and it says i'm 14%, I know I've lost some fat.

 

[Andy13]

Also, I might add.. It seems that the fatter someone is, the more accurate the reading..

The lowest mine has ever read was 12%.. And that guy was probably 5%.. Seems the leaner you are, the least accurate it gets.

 

[crimson coal]

Andy, It's the bridge or my sanity. I understand what your saying but it is to easy for me to feel really good and KNOW that I have lost only to get on it and wanna explode. I'm gonna start gettin calipered weekly. Plus I always wanted to throw somthing off a bridge...lol..

 

[DTOX]

There are a lot of problems with those Tanita bf scales, the biggest annoyance to me is that the results vary greatly on how hydrated you are, the odd thing being that the more dehydrated you are (like in the morning) that the scale will say you're FAT!!!

While they're totally inaccurate with the numbers they give I think it's still a useful tool for noticing trends in bodyfat as long as you measure with the same amount of hydration/time of day everyday.

 

[mlomker]

I wouldn't buy one if you haven't, but the higher end ones with an "athlete mode" are quite accurate. You're actually supposed to be dehydrated when you do the reading. You're not supposed to eat/drink for 6 hours prior to using it and you're supposed to urinate within 1/2 hour of you reading.

Following that protocol it is dead on for me in the morning as compared to a 3-site caliper reading -- 8.6%. In "standard" mode it tells me that I'm 17%.

 

[Citruscide]

I try not to pay attention to those scales... weight, body fat... If I look good, that's all I really care about. If it says you're 20%bodyfat, and you have abs... do you care about the numbers?

Throw the shit off the bridge, go with how you look and feel. It works for me.

C

 

[Country Boy]

CC
Looking at youreself in the mirror is the best way to judge. I have one of those bf scales and think it's way off as well. Now, I just use it to weight myslef, and let the pro's measure my bf.
later,
CB

 

[momwarndu]

This way works ! ! !

bIO-ELECTRICAL IMPDENCE TESTERS CAN VARY SOOO MUCCH DO TO WATER. Those are normaly used in health clubs for a "close" to get people on a program "this is your B/F, we can do this for you, sign here"

The inaccuracies will really vary in our group for a few reasons, 2 of them being that we do things that alter water retention, ie; AS, ECA, etc. the other is that we require a more precise reading due to our overall athletic makeup & goals

Now, people may talk shit about calipers..and they do vary in %

HOWEVER.... this is a good way to chart your progress.
Use calipers.
Use the exact same testing sites each time.
have the same person administer the test each time.
Try and do the test the same time of the day each time
Take 3 measurements each time you test and average them.

While this maybe be +/- 2-3 %, it will be consistent per the individual and will give you a bench mark for progress or lack off.
Lean body mass, is also a very important factor in determining daily protein requirements.

If you need technical data on the workings of bio-electrical impedence, Infrared, hydrostatic, or skinfold. let me know.

I hope this makes sense, any qusetions, feel free

 

[Super Girl 22]

i measured myself on one of those...32%...did it with the calipers quickly (i dont think it was too accurate either) but it said 17%...thats a big difference

 

[hard]

Hey coal - i got an electronic one and it's full of shit too. Months after i bought it I noticed a line in the manual that basically said that this unit was for the average person not accurate for highly trained athelets. I guess they are calibrated on joe shmo public.


Hydrostatic weighting ( underwater) is the only true BF% data. Check out a local physical rehab centre or high end gym.

 

[crimson coal]

electro scale goes......"Glug, Glug, Glug"

 

[HardasRock]

Scales, bodyfat %@#%#, calipers--throw all that shit in the fucking garbage, My scale and shit is the fucking mirror. If you look awesome in the mirror who gives a shit what the scale says. Want to know for sure? Go to a packed bar on a Friday night in a tank top and when you walk by people and you hear them say "Holy shit that guys fucking huge" That's all I need to hear. Fuck the scales!

 

[crimson coal]

That's a good way to look at it. They usually run.