Are Body Fat Scales Useless?

I’ve been using a Taylor body fat scale and I always do what you said, first thing in the morning before eating and drinking. I’ve been using it mostly to track my progress, not really counting on the actual number. I like to weigh every day just for fun, especially since starting the XFLD but my “official” weigh in is just once per week (or for right now, once in the morning on my cheat day, the start of every 5 day cycle).

Hi, Joel. I have been taking measurements and using fat calipers for the past 6 months. I have found it to be mostly accurate but a little frustrating at times too. I always wonder if I am doing it right. But right now, I feel good about what I am doing and I know things are going to change.

I weigh myself every morning before eating and drinking as I want to know if my weight fluctuates. I only use the body fat feature once weekly, however, as I have to get my feet damp to do it, and it’s a bit messy! I use a tape measure once a week tooo, and my waist has gone down a couple of inches. I’m in my 50s, and gained weight after having a stroke about 6 months ago. I was inactive in the hospital and at home for a while as my leg and arm on one siode were weak, and I ended up about 10 lb over weight for my height. I am now 6 lb overweight, so I’m getting there, thanks to the treadmill. Whatever works, eh?

Joel, your take is absolutely correct. The only thing to measure weight and body fat is first thing in the morning. Otherwise, your measurements will be all over the place.

I’ve used the Tanita scales to pretty good benefit. Morning readings seem most consistent, and I agree with other comments, hydration and body fat relate to each other. Some Tanita scales also have ability to note “athletic” male/female vs none. Those of us Type A athletic types working out 10hrs+ per week should use “athletic” setting. Big change in body fat (on the correct side), since it cannot measure muscle weight accurately.

Best measures are the mirror, significant other, tape measure, and especially how your clothes fit. The body fat scale is another tool in the tool box.

Hey Joel,

First let me say to the folks, I just started on your Extreme Fat Loss Diet Program and it is totally fantastic! I only wanted/needed to lose 10 to 15 pounds as much body fat as possible, and with one week down I am well on my way to being in the best shape of my life. I use an old Omron Bodylogic tester which is about 10-12 years old. Man, you are so right about being dehydrated, if your body is down on fluid in the least it will register high on the %! As far as accuracy, I’m not real sure so I just make sure the % is moving in the correct direction which is lower! When I start seeing my abs I will know I’m getting close!

Thanks Joel, you Rock!

Rick

I totally agree with Konrad; those scales are useless. I use a handheld body fat analyzer first thing in the morning and have some pretty bizzare variances, but at least it gives me a bench mark to see if I am moving up, down, or remaining the same.
I bought a body fat scale and took it back two days later when it measured me 10% and 12% higher than my hand held device, which I am sure measures me too high. I have water dunked and been measured by the dexa method sereral times in the past and have a pretty good idea of where my body fat lies.
Bottom line: DON’T WAST YOUR MONEY ON THE SCALES!

How about Omron Body Fat/BMI Monitor?

Thanks for the info, just bought a electronic scale :D

I actually own two Tanita scales. The one that shows % water stopped working. Currentlly my other one says I am 28% BF which I disagree with, but at least it gives me a reference to see if I’m decreasing BF or not. I always weigh naked in the morning. We’ll see what it says Friday after the first cycle of the XFLD.

I think even once a week for body fat is too often. Once a month makes more sense. I don’t have a lot of faith in the readings from impedence monitors to begin with so I use them as a loose guage of progress (a steady decline downward is what I’m looking at – not trusting the actual PERCENTAGE to be accruate) – but measuring body fat once a week is kind of a setup for disappointment IMHO. The changes, if accurate, will likely be small to nonexistent for most folks.

I weigh myself weekly but only check BF changes on a monthly basis. It’s more motivating (or should I say less demotivating).

@ Steve:
Hey Steve,

The handhelds are not much better than the scales. I know, because I started out with a Tanita-scale in my gym, wanted to have one myself but found it too expensive (3000+ euro’s) so I got myself a handheld (Omron) instead.
Using both methods I noticed that my values were all over the place.
So I really recommend you have a look at the Bia Compendium to get an understanding of Bio-electrical Impedance Analysis.
For more or less the same reasons that the scales do not work, the handhelds do not work: no even distribution of body water, musscle-tension, measurement of only the arms (if at all…). My advise: do not waste your money on handhelds either. I’ve done it allready for you…
There are some very basal biometrical methods that are far more reliable: Take your height in centimeters, subtract 100. If you are muscular add 5, if you are slim, subtract 5. You have now your baseline weight in kilograms. For men multiply your weight with .8 (zero point eight). This is your Lean Body Mass. Subtract this from your current weight. This leaves you your current Body Fat. Devide this by your current weight (in kilograms) and you will have a rather close estimate of your actual Body Fat percentage. My height is 194 cm, my weight is 113 kg, I’m rather muscular (thanks to Joel’s work-out programs!!), so my baseline is 194 – 100 + 5 = 99. My lean Body Mass = .8 * 99 = 80 kg. I carry 113 – 80 = 33 kg bodyfat = 33/113 * 100 = 29.2 percent Body Fat. Less than 1 percent difference with the result from my very advanced, and rather expensive Maltron BF-916…

1 question. i know you implied something like i should take care of other clues, not just depending on scales alone. here is my problem. its been 2 weeks since i bought the scale. and since then, im feeling buffer- more muscular than usual( im still an intermideate) but then my readings doesnt change! its between 19 -18%. which should i take account? is it possible to gain muscle but not lose fat, at the same time you really watch your diet? is there ppl who has very high muscle mass but high body fat? of course there is..

I use a scale with a body composition indicator (it tells, theoretically at least, my weight, lean mass percentage, water percentage, and body fat percentage). I don’t live and die by the measurements, but they’re handy to chart things as a pattern over time. Since the percentages can fluctuate over night, and even over the course of a day, I make a habit of just weighing in the night before each Cheat Day (so I get a feeling for how much I lost, and don’t disgust myself by weighing in right /after/ that Cheat Day), and then keep it on a chart so that I’m tracking trends, rather than fussing over one day’s readings.

Also, it only cost, like, $20 at K-Mart, so I didn’t exactly have to invest heavily in it. Even if I had decided the BF% thing was a bust, it’s still a perfectly serviceable bathroom scale, and that’s how I tend to look at it. The %’s are a nice toy, mostly I just want an idea of how much mass I’ve gained or lost.

I have one of the BIA (Bio Impedance Analysis) scales from one of the major manufacturers, and I generally use it every day. I use it first thing in the morning AFTER I have emptied my bladder. In general, the BF% doesn’t vary all that much–usually much less than .5% from day to day.

I’ve had this scale for awhile, so it looks rather beat up. My wife purchased a new one that DID give me fits. For one, its reading was about 10% off from my first scale, and the readings seemed to vary 5% or more from day to day. So I took it back!

While the BIA method may not be spot-on “accurate”, I feel that it is useful for trending purposes, and that helps me a lot.

@ TW:
The reason that I use the BIA scale is convenience and cost savings. While I’m quite sure that the measurement isn’t exactly “accurate”, it does allow me to trend my progress. As others have said, the mirror is perhaps the best “tool” for that purpose… but if I see BF% trending upwards, then I know that I have to be more serious about my program.

I use a tanita scale only, once a week. want to start measuring cm or bodyparts in the next weeks. Fat % is great but in the end less precise than measuring whats physical since there is less distortion (no such thing as bodywater issue etc)… what u guys think..

btw any idea how much it costs to do this fancy bodyfat measurements in a hospital (bod pop or however they are called…) ??

Thanks Joel good stuff. I have a quick question about the work outs for XFLD. I have read all the info for the diet and my wife and I are starting tomorrow. The work outs don’t discuss what body parts to work since we are working out every day. We can’t do a full body workout each, so please help. The videos are great. Thanks

I agree, that the consistent progress is the key. On a side note, I tend to find most body fat scales I have used are just not particularly accurate. I use mainly calipers, but when I get on the scale, it would not be out of the ordinary to see a measurement 50% or more higher than generated by the caliper measurements (e.g., 10% versus 16-18%). One you can see abs (10%), the other . . . just not going to happen at a 16 or 18% bf result, so fairly easy to determine which is more accurate. A smaller variance is obviously harder to tell, so then more important to focus on the progress over time using the same conditions as Joel notes. @ Joel Marion:

I use a tape measure to track progress, however I still prefer the old school butt naked in front of the mirror approach and the how do my clothes fit approach. No need to get into rocket science unless I am training competitors. By the way, your new program is killer. I am getting so shredded!!!!

My feeling is that most BEIs are not at all accurate. They supposedly make the calculation based on a lot of factors (e.g. height, age, gender, level of physical activity) but this is almost laughable. My reading is about 17% which I think is probably accurate but if I change the height in my profile – I made myself 6 inches shorter – my bodyfat goes up to 45%. Ha!! Another non-scientific demonstration… my nephew is clearly ripped and the scale says he is 28% bodyfat – so something is definitely up! And I don’t think it’s hydration levels. Perhaps the scale (a Tanita) is simply basing the bodyfat on a pre-determined “average person” height/weight calculation? In all, I would agree with Joel and Will let your clothes and/or your measurements be your guide… Peace!

Joel, thanks for the post.

I’ve had one of those scales for years and have noticed the body fat readings vary by as much as 5 percentage points from one day to the next- yet I measure first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking anything and after using the bathroom. So I seem to be using the scale as you suggest, yet the readings are still so variable as to be useless.

What about the idea of taking several readings over the course of a day and averaging them together?

Thanks for the post Joel. I have always been looking for an accurate way to measure BF. I bought a Weight Watcher’s scale @ a year ago and weigh myself in the morning after I shower. You don’t get a true reading if you weigh yourself immediately when you get out of bed. I know it’s not exact, but it keeps me on track. I am guilty of weighing every day, and can’t shake 19%.

Has anyone got the Tanita scales? It’s got a setting for ‘athletic’ and also when you program in your details you put in if you are male of female. The BF% changes depending which setting you are and which gender it thinks you are. The best I can do with it is make sure the number goes down..