Body fat percentages - eek!

[threeeggsontoast]

I’ve been on MJ since Feb 2025 and have lost 3 stone. Gained 5lbs over Christmas but I’ve just lost that so I’m now back on track. I still have a fair few lbs to lose - I’m 13.7 and 5ft 1. I bought some body fat measuring scales last night and my body fat is 44.9% and my muscle mass is 17.9%.

Does anyone else record these measurements, along with weight? I’ve never paid much attention to this before but this has given me extra motivation to start exercising in a concerted way. I eat lots of protein (at least 90g a day) and I’m reasonably active in the sense that I do around 10k steps a day just from usual running about but I don’t do any strength or dedicated exercise. That’s going to change from today.

Seeing these numbers has definitely given me a kick up the bum to not dawdle on my weight loss (I got a bit complacent over Christmas) but to finish the job.

I’m similar got Renpho scales last week and was rather shocked by the results. I’ve lost 3.5 stone and have been in maintenance for about 6 months, I have put on 3kg since October but my BMI was still under 23.
I’ve been exercising and using weights for the last 10 months so I was feeling pretty good about myself, but the scales tell me my body fat is obese at 33.9%.
I have read that they are not very accurate so I’m not getting too worked up by the results but it makes me wonder what they would have said at the start of my journey when I was so much bigger?
I’m 63 so don’t really want to go below BMI 21 as I know I look too thin at that weight.
I’ve lost 1.5 pounds this week and my numbers have gone down so I don’t know if losing is the only way to change the numbers on the scales or if it can tell if you’re exercised more?
Not sure yet if they will motivate me or just depress me.

I wouldn't worry too much - mine used to say I was high 20s minimum, even when I was doing weights 5 hours a week and had a BMI of 20 and was visually very lean.

I have a theory if you store weight on your bum/thighs it's higher, as I understand it's measured by an electrical impulse that will surely use the shortest route and go no higher than your waist. Not a scientist though!

Women’s healthy body fat % is 20-30% so being high 20s was perfectly normal

Which scales it is? With mine the muscle bone and fat add up to 100%. I’m quite muscular, 163cm at 60kg.

Re the scales not being accurate. I had a dexa done in July 2024 and I found that the scales significantly under estimated my bodyfat. Ie scales said 19% and dexa said 25%.

Oh great… 🤪
well I shall just keep on doing my exercising and trying to stay fit, I feel so much healthier so I just need to focus on how far I’ve come, I certainly don’t feel as fat as my scales say I am, I’m 63 so my focus is now on keeping mobile and able to make the most of the next 10 years, DH is just retiring so we’ve got travel plans, hoping to buy a camper van and do some long trips, lots of walking, I think I’ve made enough changes to make it all possible, I certainly try to eat well most of the time as I use Zoe to track my food and don’t like getting bad score days.

I think the home scales are a bit rubbish/guesswork. My home scales put me as about 33% body fat.

Using the Boditrax machine at the gym has me at 23.7% which is quite a difference!

the stats from home scales other than weight are just best fit calculations based on electrical signals travelling up one leg, across your groin and right back down the other one. Like all things they will make assumptions and estimates. I’m a pear shape and I’m convinced they extrapolate the higher % fat they pass through in my lower body, across my whole body so will always read high. I don’t place too much emphasis on those numbers but it’s very obvious when we are lacking in muscle and tone.

The bodytrax ones are saying I am 7% - they are miles off.

@MeridaBrave Blimey! But of a waste of space really... Although I guess even if not accurate, you get a sense of it moving down.

My visceral fat rating is 4 on Boditrax! I have a very slim waist but I doubt the reliability of this measure 🤣

Yes I think if you use the same machine over time at the same time of day you see progress unless they change the algorithm!

I did a dexa in 2024 so that gives me a base line of muscle mass.

Re: visceral fat mine is 3 on bodytrax and that’s with a visible 6 pack! Either way, I’ll totally dedicated to weight lifting to maintain muscle mass as I age.

The bodytrax machine at my gym told me I was 5’4. I am 3 inches taller than that. It also told me I weighed 11 stone 2 when at the time I weighed around 12 stone 13. Apparently the machines have to be recalibrated daily so I guess that wasn’t happening.