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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2021-03-01, 17:10

I think most of the scales that claim to estimate body fat % are no better than your eyeballs. The ones that have metal plates under your feet apply a small voltage and attempt to measure the impedance between the two and project an estimate based on that. We've had one for years too, and its numbers never seem right, even across long spans of weight gain and loss. The consumer-grade scales are very influenced by water weight (which can fluctuate a lot daily), the condition of your feet (dry, sweaty, calloused all can affect the contacts), and only potentially measure the fat in your legs and below your pelvis since that's where the current flows. If your body fat composition isn't extremely even, then even the best measurements could be wildly off. The more expensive/professional devices have you stand on plates and hold contacts in your hands to measure all across your body.

For about ten bucks on Amazon, though, you could just get a set of manual calipers like this. When used correctly, these simple devices are supposed to be way better than the smart scales. You do need someone else to measure you, though, so you can hold a neutral position and not bend or stretch as you take measurements.

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