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Are body fat percentage scales accurate?
Posted by: Susan
A couple of weeks ago I bought a scale that gives body fat percentage in addition to weight. According to this scale, my body-fat fluctuates between 26-28%. Needless to say, I am very upset about this and need some advice. I am 26 year old female, 5'6" and weigh 127 lbs. I do about 45-60 minutes of cardio everyday (step aerobics or biking) and lift weights about 5 days a week with my bowflex. I am happy with my size and weight, I just need to get that % down! Help!!
Re: Are body fat percentage scales accurate?
Posted by: Anatomist1
Throw that damn thing away! Or, better yet, gift wrap it and send it to your arch enemy! If you do all that exercise, and think you look good, that's all you need. Worrying is worse for your health than a few bodyfat percentage points.
If you want to increase your muscle mass, you'll have to cut that exercise routine in half at least. Too much aerobics and weight repetitions inhibit your body's ability to build muscle.
Re: Are body fat percentage scales accurate?
Posted by: Cora
Don't worry too much about the reading. Those types of scales have a pretty high margin of error, and depending on water retention, can give skewed readings.
What you may want to try is having another method of bodyfat measurement, such as skinfold measurement, then use the scale as a relative measurement. What I mean is say the scale says 26% and the calipers say 20%, you at least know that you need to feel better about the number, then if you still want to lose some fat, know that say 24% on the scale is really more like 18% and you're dropping.
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