banerjek

My wife constantly complains about being too fat (that doesn't get old after 17 years). But I digress....

As an experiment, I reconfigured our scale which includes impedance based body fat monitor to think I was a woman. All other values were left identical. My body fat shot up by more than 10% (weight reported the same). I told it I was a guy again and the values returned to what I normally see.

What gives? I know impedance is not accurate but other factors are obviously part of the number if your body fat doubles and then some just for changing your sex.

I wonder if she'd notice if I told the scale she were a guy....

Lew.

According to studies, women have 10% more body fat than men naturally.
I'm not saying those studies are correct, just that it makes sense with your situation and may factor in how the scales work out body fat based on the gender setting.


If I remember rightly, the actual figures were 20% for men and 30% for women. These sound RIDICULOUS to me, I don't believe the average women has 30%, it's just what I recall.

DaveWC

Decrease the age (assuming it has that) and your body fat % will magically shrink.

Brian Ratliff

The scale uses a very rough correlation to determine body fat. A correlation is a fancy word for an average. Among men, you body weight and whatever other measurements it obtains correlates to x% body fat as measured by more accurate means. Among women, your measurements correlate to a woman with y% body fat as measured by more accurate methods. That is all you are seeing. A 150lb woman is more likely to have a much higher body fat percentage than a man if the same weight.

hamster

Yes, the average woman has 30% of her body mass as fat. (Actually, in the U.S., the average is closer to 35%.) In an average non-athletic woman, the vertical section between the navel and the "leg cleavage" is 50% to 60% fat by volume.

The scale tries to make its best guess as to your body fat based on your weight, height and a single other number (conductivity between your left sole and your right sole). It has to make assumptions about your body geometry. For example, at the same conductivity, wider hips correspond to higher body fat percentage.

Scale-based body fat monitors are pretty inaccurate in general. When this whole concept was developed by scientists, they used gel electrodes on hands and feet. Your scale works only with feet, so it essentially measures the conductivity of your legs and your hips (which is where most of your fat isn't.) And no one knows what formula it uses or who came up with that formula.

banerjek

I was wondering about that. Over the years, I've noticed a gradual drift upwards.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact I exercise less

cyclezen

I'd say very inaccurate.
my scale keeps tellin me i'm 10.5% butterfat, but I know I haven't been there since the late 80's...
not just me - we have the same scale at work - and everyone luvs it cause it always tells everyone they're fat is in the teens...

waste a dough, could bought some nice tahrs instead...

Standalone 

... about both the seventeen years part AND that the scale's % number means bupkis.

Dudelsack 

Does this scale make my butt look big?

MDfive21

no, your butt makes your butt look big.

thump55

This reminds me of my last E-Harmony date.

Dudelsack 

Wrong answer. You're not married, are you?