Someone tell me my body fat monitor is not accurate …pleeeaseee
yeah I got one of those BIA body fat monitors for like under $10. that’s a good sign it’s not that accurate right?
here goes the entire story…hubby’s stick thin and got a reading of 16% or so. me…on the other hand, couldn’t even get it to work until a friend told me i should be damp on my hands. once i did that i got a 27.9-28-28.9% reading on different times of the day. now, seriously…based on measurements i’m somewhere around 19-22% but this thing is making me crazy…
if that darn thing is accurate -unless it loves to mock me!!! - i need to work out a lot more…at least school is over but i still work full time and love what i do. i do work out more lately but still not enough. can’t wait for better weather to go out and play tennis.
on another note, we -me and hubby- are going to Vienna in May..so i’ll walk a lot again and take photos. I’d kill to lose some weight by then but i don’t think that’s going to happen
i just got some new clothes…all pants and jeans were 36 Romanian size. I was 48 at my HW of 165.4 lbs 2 yrs ago. So that’s a HUGE change. My tops are all M 
March 19, 2008 at 1:33 pm
While I am not sure exactly what kind of monitor you got for under $10, I can tell you that Bio Electrical Impedance monitors are effected by your level of hydration, most people are not hydrated to the level they should be and are oblivious to it, many factors/variables come into play here.
A lot of time people fall into the skinny fat category, IE they appear as average size but their body composition is lopsided it is quite possible that someone cane be close to 30% BF yet appear avaerage size this has to do with the ratio of lean mass as compared to the adipose tissue.
March 19, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Those machines send an electrical current from one side and times how long it takes to get back to the other. The more hydrated you are, the lower the body fat percentage and visa versa. So no, they aren’t accurate. Here’s a link for more info.
http://fitness.suite101.com/article.cfm/body_fat_percentage
March 19, 2008 at 1:34 pm
BIA is very flawed. I have one on my scale that says I have 39% bodyfat. I have another which is handheld which told me 5%. The U.S. Navy chart says I have 9%. At my current weight I’m actually around 15.5%. I wouldn’t place much faith in it as it also depends on your hydration levels.
March 19, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Those electronic bodyfat monitors and scales are NOT accurate. I bought a Tanita Scale awhile back and….I took that piece of crap back the next day! *lol* If you want to track your progress - Just take pictures (front, side, back) once per week, take your measurements, and weigh yourself. Last but not least….stay consistent! *you can do it*