To think this 'body fat measurement' is bollocks?

[GallicosCats]

Just signed up for a programme at the local gym and was astounded to find that my fat mass is apparently 60%!!!

Now, I'm not in denial, I'm 11 stone and 5 foot 3 and need to lose a couple of stone. Working on it with no snacks and a hefty dose of sod's law (your favourites are mostly bad for you - I can live with that ). But am I right in thinking that this measurement doesn't add up?

I've been reading around these electrical impedance devices and that they can actually be really inaccurate. I tried one of those machines that do a heart trace at a science centre once and couldn't get a reading - I must have really low skin conductivity or something.

Anyone know anything about this? No diet tips please.

That doesn't even sound possible for someone of your weight and height. You're right, those devices are famously inaccurate and your reading can be affected by all sorts of variables.

I don't believe those measures are always wrong, but yours is not likely.
Sometimes they say "body fat" when they actually mean "not muscle or bone".

Those machines aren't great at all. We have one at work and it told my incredibly fit, lean marathon running colleague he had a Body Fat percentage of over 50%!
If you don't generally get on with the electrical measuring machines, how about trying another method of calculating body fat, there are some based on measuring different parts of your body, or perhaps you could ask at your gym if they have the callipers that they use to 'pinch' and measure belly fat.

Here's an example of the measurement calculator which uses neck, hip and waist measurements to work out a likely fat%. It's only a guideline ballpark figure but should be a lot closer to the real value than your 60%!

bmi-calories.com/body-fat-percentage-calculator.html

Only a dexa scan or bod pod will give you an accurate body fat reading. Any other way of measuring is too effected by hydration levels.

Ignore it and just work on eating less and moving more. Good luck with your goals.

Like PP said, body scan is the most accurate method, other than that caliper measurements with height and weight is apparently pretty accurate if done by a professional.

However, one thing I discovered is that whilst I carry most of my fat around my middle, and look fat, my actual body fat is only around 20% because I'm tall and have slim arms and legs so it assumes the fat is spread evenly across the body.

They aren't great but they aren't wildly off
I think they're a good adjunct to other measurements

So many not heavy people have pretty much no lean body mass. They might not be enormous, but they are unhealthy.

I've been bf 18% and 40% at the same weight and the difference was phenomenal.

I use one at the gym and think ita accurate. You can be thin but have too much fat. Im 5, 2 and 13 stone but come out solid on the machine with high muscle reading.
Im 55 but my strengh tests on the egym puts me at 37 with my legs are very strong and my arms my weakest.
Seens quite accurate for all my friends at the gym that use it

my fat % is 37.8% and muscle is 59%

How does that even make sense @bruffin?

Bone is 15%, up to 60% is water.

I think even pro athletes are about 20%.

Blacktea the fat itself contains water.

bone is 3%

and that is in the green zone

Sometimes mine goes off when I am dehydrated. Maybe that's the case?

I love those machines but the reading depends on your hydration levels, I'm sure your period can effect in, whether you measured before or after exercise. If you use them in the long run and are consistent with your timings etc they give a very good measurement of whether you lost/gained muscle/fat etc.
I'm not standing on mine at the moment as I know it wouldn't show what I'd like to see. :-)

At your BMI and Depending on your age and how much visceral fat you have, it is very possible especially if you don’t have much muscle mass. My body fat percentage was nearly 60 percent when I was a bmi of 30 at 5 7, then I started weight training and it dropped to 30 percent but my bmi was approx 27.

Boditrax machines are around 97% accurate if used correctly. The less modern ones much, much less so. They can be thrown out massively by recently exercising, drinking lots of water, having recently had a meal etc.