Quick Question about Scales

J

jacketfan89

0
Okay, I've read that during the first few weeks of working out and dieting, you may not lose as much weight because the newly acquired muscle is basically taking the place of the fat.

Well I purchased a Taylor scale that is supposed to tell you your body fat percentage. I was just wondering exactly how accurate it is, and how much your body fat % may change throughout a day.

I'm just curious because 5 days ago I was at 185.5 lb and it said 26.5% bf. Well I've done a full body workout twice since then and now I'm at 184...but my bf % is only 21% which doesn't make sense because 5% of 185 lb is almost 9 pounds. So basically my two questions are:

1) How accurate is the scale with measuring the body fat % (and yes you do have to enter information such as height weight age and gender into the scale)

and

2) Is my muscle really replacing my fat this quickly?

P.S I did do the first measurement during the morning and the second one at night which may have made a difference. Well anyways thanks for the answers.

:-D
 
I don't think it's realistic to measure your bf% with any real degree of accuracy, especially not from just your weight, height, age and gender. Generally, you need to take measurements of many different areas of your body as well, and plug all the information into a formula.

But even then it's not accurate, because there's no way to tell how much of you is fat and how much is muscle. Your arms may be 15" because they're fat or muscley, but only you can tell that, no machine can determine that.

Actually, the EU is working on one, but it probably won't happen for another decade....

Anyway, my point is, this measurement probably isn't accurate enough to go by.

You should be able to tell yourself, by looking at how much fat is on your forearms, arms, shoulders, upper body, lower body, legs, face, etc.

You know how you look now, so have a look at yourself in a months time, and see if anything is different.


Me, I just generally go by how visible my abs are, as to how much fat I have. And of course, that's something you shouldn't do when you've just eaten.
 
Most home type products use Bioelectrical Impedance (BI) which includes electric resistance. No, they are not generally going to be as accurate as a very experienced person using calipers, or other more scientific measures.

The vast majority of home scales are equally not as accurate as say, a perfectly calibrated doctor scale. However, they can provide a decent idea of how much weight you have gained or lost, provided you minimize the variables (such as time of day, what have you eaten, clothing, etc).

IMO, a decent bf monitor can be the same idea. If you minimize the variables (except of course, clothing doesn't really matter here) - you can get a somewhat decent idea of how much bodyfat you are losing/gaining.

The thing to keep in mind is the word estimate. Some people couldn't care less what their bf% is, if they can't get it perfectly accurate, they would just assume not do it at all. Where some people like to see the changes for tracking and motivation purposes. Just like some people rarely weigh themselves, and some people are motivated by weighing more often. If it helps you to have an estimate of bf lost, then go for it.

Oh, and no you didn't gain 9 lbs of muscle that fast (wouldn't that be cool though?) - This is where minimizing the variables as much as possible comes into play.
 
To add to deschain's excellent post, the best thing to do is to keep everything the same when using the bf% measure, meaning the same time of day, same amount of sleep, etc, etc. That will help to minimize the variables. In general, I find them to be reasonably accurate if used this way, meaning that it's probably close, but there's no way that it's going to be 100% accurate. Maybe within 90-95% for the better scales with good usage (nothing scientific there, just personal observation). Use it to track progress, but don't take the numbers to heart.
 
If you're not sure about the scale

You can always use a tape measure at the same spots and see how your progress is coming along. Granted, you won't know your body fat percentage, but if you know you've lost an inch off your waist and grown a half inch around your bicep, chances are you like the way you look much better. You'll also know you're headed in the right direction.
 
That is true...and its funny because I work at a mens clothing store (men's wearhouse) so I have to put on the whole shirt and tie dress pants belt blah blah. I've noticed that I have to go to the last whole on my belt and my neck has shrunk down to a 16 instead of a 16 and a half. Also my chest and arms are filling the shirts a little better. Woo!
 
Way to go man. Also something that people have not mentioned (correct me if I am wrong) is that sometimes it can be counter productive to your training if you are constantly stepping onto the scales. It is good to get a feel for your body and how it reacts so that in future you can know exactly how your body is reacting to training.
 
It can be counterproductive, depending on the person.

Weight naturally fluctuates, depending on time of day, what you have eaten, what you are wearing, hydration levels. Women, in particular, usually see a larger fluctuation than men, as women tend to hold more fluid at different times during their cycle. So, some people end up getting all screwed up if they are constantly weighing and seeing those natural fluctuations.
 
Weight fluctuation

Weight fluctuation depends on a lot of things, a sharp increase in temperature could cause water retention. It can be useful to weigh yourself everyday if you know this and keep track over a period of time. If you see a general downward trend, despite daily fluctuations, you know you're on the right track. Some people prefer to be weighed only periodically instead of looking at a moving average. I used to weigh and measure myself once every two weeks. For me, it is more effective if I weigh myself every day and can watch my overall progress, despite the daily fluctuation of a few pounds. It is important to remember that weight isn't the final answer. It is how you look and feel that truly matters.
 
BwayBaby said:
It is important to remember that weight isn't the final answer. It is how you look and feel that truly matters.
Click to expand...

Funny you say that, i feel that i look fatter now at 80kgs then i thought i was at 105kgs.

Its the mind. Scales dont lie.... Neither do pant sizes and other quantitative measurements.
 
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