Quality bodyfat scale?

[zill]

Can anyone recommend a high quality scale that measures body fat as well?

[Calvin27]

Learn to use callipers. The scale ones are all rubbish.

[matagi]

No, all the scales that claim to measure body fat do so very inaccurately.

[CKinnard]

They are all rubbish. they bastardize the science which requires 3 to 4 electrodes placed on feet and hands when lying on your back, and hydrated to the same level, done at same time of day.
http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-te ... mpare.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

don't rely on calipers either. they are all over the place, even when sports dietitians measure you repeatedly.

just rely on waist circumference and how you look in the mirror.

[wombatK]

NSW Health clinical dietitians use Tanita scales, higher end models with print-out options to give patients.

They get within 5% of DEXA scan results, and are a whole lot cheaper. As for accuracy, the only 100%
accurate measure is dissection ... a pretty painful and fatal option.

BF scales measurements are repeatable ... the accuracy doesn't matter that much, its the trend over time that you'll
be most interested in. But you need to be consistent about the time of day and your level of hydration when you
measure with them.

[zill]

They are all rubbish. they bastardize the science which requires 3 to 4 electrodes placed on feet and hands when lying on your back, and hydrated to the same level, done at same time of day.
http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-te ... mpare.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

don't rely on calipers either. they are all over the place, even when sports dietitians measure you repeatedly.

just rely on waist circumference and how you look in the mirror.

Assuming the person eats normally, does body fat levels vary depending on the time of the day and usually by how much?

I was thinking of doing a DEXA scan and at the same time weigh myself on a high quality body fat scale (Tanita scale). If the scan says I have 9kg of body fat and the scale says I have 10kg of fat then in the future whatever amount of fat the scale says I have, just subtract 1 kg from that to get a 'true' body fat mass. Would this method work? Or is it usually not linear like that?

From your suggestion, I could do a DEXA scan (x kilos) and simultaneously measure my waist circumference (y cm). Then get a ratio x/y (kilos/cm). In the future I can then measure my waist and then multiply by that ratio to get amount of body fat. But this would vary too much depending on how much I have had to eat beforehand?

[CKinnard]

All these scales do is measure subtle variation in resistance between two capacitance pads, one under each foot.
The great majority of resistance is in your skin; the rest in bone, fat, muscle etc.
The BF scales have regression equations based on large tables of data from thousands of other people of varying weight, sex, age, height and confirmed bodyfat. Your resistance reading is compared to theirs, and a best BF estimate returned.

The unreliability of BF scales is due to the significant variation in hydration state (of the tissue within 7mm of your skin) caused by hydration state, emotional state, women's menstrual cycle, time of day, etc. If you want to experiment, measure yourself on these scales after every glass of water for 8 glasses of water....over 30 minutes...and see what diff it makes. or measure yourself pre and post 5 minutes of skipping or pushups.

For the intended purpose, BF scales are a waste of time in the view of physiologists who understand this science, as is skinfold measuring with calipers.
Waist circumference measurement is much better for tracking fat gain/loss over the long term....and by default the tightness of your belts!

Spend the money you were going to put on scales and dexxa scans on a good sports dietitian, and cycle coach.

[Aussiebullet]

When you get your body fat % then what? Will you change your eating habbits or your training plan? if you don't like the number regardless of how you look, feel or are training? Honest question here, as I don't see the relevance.

[zill]

When you get your body fat % then what? Will you change your eating habbits or your training plan? if you don't like the number regardless of how you look, feel or are training? Honest question here, as I don't see the relevance.

I'm working on my eating habits. I guess knowing body fat levels would motivate me more to stay on track.

[tcdev]

just rely on waist circumference and how you look in the mirror.

This. At the end of the day, if you're happy/not happy with the way you look, then the BF% is irrelevant!

[zill]

All these scales do is measure subtle variation in resistance between two capacitance pads, one under each foot.
The great majority of resistance is in your skin; the rest in bone, fat, muscle etc.
The BF scales have regression equations based on large tables of data from thousands of other people of varying weight, sex, age, height and confirmed bodyfat. Your resistance reading is compared to theirs, and a best BF estimate returned.

The unreliability of BF scales is due to the significant variation in hydration state (of the tissue within 7mm of your skin) caused by hydration state, emotional state, women's menstrual cycle, time of day, etc. If you want to experiment, measure yourself on these scales after every glass of water for 8 glasses of water....over 30 minutes...and see what diff it makes. or measure yourself pre and post 5 minutes of skipping or pushups.

For the intended purpose, BF scales are a waste of time in the view of physiologists who understand this science, as is skinfold measuring with calipers.
Waist circumference measurement is much better for tracking fat gain/loss over the long term....and by default the tightness of your belts!

Spend the money you were going to put on scales and dexxa scans on a good sports dietitian, and cycle coach.

You've convinced me not to buy a BF scale.

But I would still be interested to get approximate body fat levels. Assuming moderate exercise and moderate food consumption for the day, is it true that body fat levels shouldn't vary much during that day?

If true than on the morning before breakfast that I get a DEXA scan, I measure my waist circumference. Then after I get my Scan results later in the day will be able to get a body fat per waist size ratio which can then be used on any day when I measure my waist size first thing in the morning in order to get a measure of body fat?

[CKinnard]

waist circum doesn't scale with bodyfat in a straight line.
once you get up around a 27 BMI, you will deposit more fat around your thighs, bottom, chest, neck and arms, than around your waist.
and weight loss is a first on last off thing. waist circumference doesn't decrease significantly until you get down to around 25-26 BMI.

I'd suggest you pull back and see the forest rather than the trees. Focusing on BF% is like going on a holiday to Europe, and spending all of it obsessed with the navigation system of your hire car. Get on with life. Get out there and make a difference. Make the world a better place than when you arrived. Defy anyone who says you can't.

[toolonglegs]

Just post a nude selfie zill and we will let you know

[zill]

waist circum doesn't scale with bodyfat in a straight line.
once you get up around a 27 BMI, you will deposit more fat around your thighs, bottom, chest, neck and arms, than around your waist.
and weight loss is a first on last off thing. waist circumference doesn't decrease significantly until you get down to around 25-26 BMI.

I'd suggest you pull back and see the forest rather than the trees. Focusing on BF% is like going on a holiday to Europe, and spending all of it obsessed with the navigation system of your hire car. Get on with life. Get out there and make a difference. Make the world a better place than when you arrived. Defy anyone who says you can't.

My BMI is 23 on the dot. Would waist circumference vary linearly for BMI in the range from 21-24?

I'm trying to be a competitive cyclist. At this stage, weight is not that important but I just want to keep things motivated and on track.

[zill]

Just post a nude selfie zill and we will let you know

Happy with my body except for a little bulge (stomach) at my waist area.

[CKinnard]

My BMI is 23 on the dot. Would waist circumference vary linearly for BMI in the range from 21-24?

I'm trying to be a competitive cyclist. At this stage, weight is not that important but I just want to keep things motivated and on track.

more likely, but some people do vary from the mean more than others.
further,
- stress levels influence deposition of fat into visceral stores and utilization of fat as primary energy substrate.
- a high carb diet reduces use of fat for energy

[mikesbytes]

If you live in Sydney I can give you the caliper measurement

Like the others have stated, each measurement method has its accuracy limitations

[Nobody]

- a high carb diet reduces use of fat for energy

True, but it also reduces the amount of fat you ingest. I believe it was McDougall who said in one of his videos that a third of carbs' energy is required to convert it into fat, where it only takes 3% of the energy from ingested fat to convert it to bodily fat.

I'm on a high carb diet with a waist to height ratio of 0.45 and a BMI of 21.9 (I'm medium build). I generally eat < 28g of nuts & seeds a day to make sure I cover a basic requirement of healthy fat, other than what I get from grains etc.

[mikesbytes]

I use to be like you Nobody, eat tons of carbs and the waist line didn't become a waste line

I suspect that Zill's purpose in this thread is to determine how much fat he can loose to be at optimum race weight by first determining how much fat he has. Zill can correct me if I'm wrong

[fat and old]

just rely on waist circumference and how you look in the mirror.

I don't know if this is a joke....but if it's not, I like you

[zill]

I use to be like you Nobody, eat tons of carbs and the waist line didn't become a waste line

I suspect that Zill's purpose in this thread is to determine how much fat he can loose to be at optimum race weight by first determining how much fat he has. Zill can correct me if I'm wrong

Just got my DEXA scan results back. After 6 months of lots of cycling including competitions, lean mass remained virtually unchanged. Fat decreased a bit but still have a relatively long way to go. Moral of the story is that cycling lots doesn't increase nor decrease lean mass that much but does burn fat. My target (racing) weight is still the same 6 months ago as is today.

If only I watch my diet better, should be able to lose that last 7kg of fat. Would take a lot of dedication and many hungry days and nights though.

[zill]

just rely on waist circumference and how you look in the mirror.

I don't know if this is a joke....but if it's not, I like you

CKinnard is a wise guy. He is right on this one I think. I do feel a little bit leaner compared to when I last did the DEXA scan and the results showed that indeed I have lost a little (1kg) bit of fat.

[Nobody]

I use to be like you Nobody, eat tons of carbs and the waist line didn't become a waste line.

Yes, but I rarely eat processed carbs and I don't eat meat, dairy, oil, or eggs. Having said that, some who have a whole food plant based diet can still put on weight if they don't limit their fruit. We just need to find what works for us as individuals.

[Nobody]

If only I watch my diet better, should be able to lose that last 7kg of fat. Would take a lot of dedication and many hungry days and nights though.

I used to cycle easily enough to lose weight, but I still was a BMI of 27.4 and I wouldn't have called my diet bad. Many consider losing weight as 80% diet and 20% exercise. And you don't have to go hungry, in fact you could probably eat more. Also I now cycle less distance than I used to.

I may need a flame suit after posting the following videos, but the story needs to be told for those who may be struggling to lose the weight they want to lose.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/meat-an ... cea-study/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/chicken ... d-obesity/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mulger bill]

...can still put on weight if they don't limit their fruit.

Well, that's your Golden Banana award nomination out the window...