Body fat measurements/percentage

Mrs.Greg · July 2013

I'm a dirty lurker, I've never posted here. But I have a question.

I've been using a Fitbit scale since May. It supposedly measures my body fat percentage when I step on it with bare feet. Since I've started using it, my body fat has gone down 3.1 percent, my BMI has gone down 2.1 and I've lost 10 pounds. Just wondering how accurate the body fat percentage and BMI could be? I mean, can it really measure that from the bottoms of my feet?

Arcadia1114 · July 2013

I love my fitbit one but haven't bought the scale. Some of the amazon reviews mention the body fat percentage being off. I find that, even on my regular scale, my weight fluctuates throughout the day or week, especially on hot days that I up my water intake.

rondosa · July 2013

I have a similar scale at home and it is terribly inaccurate. It used to read me as 31%bf when in reality at the time I was closer to 16%.

The best diy method of calculating bf is by using accu-measure calipers and using an online calculator. You can buy them on Amazon or sometimes a local fitness or GNC type store will sell the calipers, they are like $5-15 or so.

I'll find the link for the online calculator that I've used in the past, its very good. Other then doing an expensive water displacement test at a medical facility, calipers are your most accurate bf measuring tool. Don't bother with the fancy electronic ones, the white plastic ones are perfect.

rondosa · July 2013

Okay here is the site.

https://www.linear-software.com/online.html

Make sure you select the female tab, and I would suggest using the Jackson Pollock 7 site method. The more sites you test the better the results. There are videos to show you how to use the calipers too. Its pretty quick once you get the hang of it.

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Body fat measurements/percentage

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