Hi everyone!

Do you have a Body Fat Monitor? Do you have one you recommend? (Scale included or not, doesn't matter to me.)

I'm becoming more concerned with making sure that the weight I'm taking off is more fat than it is muscle etc. And I believe owning a reliable body fat monitor would help me to achieve this. I certainly don't want to get down to a healthier weight only to be told that I still have 30%+ body fat or something. I know many other people are concerned about the same thing, and I certainly trust peoples' opinions about equipment on 3FC. Just looking for a few that I should check out more seriously.

Thanks!

I look forward to what responses you get from this post. I have never used one of those before. I didn't even know that was really a concern

I have a Tanita digital scale that measures weight in increments of 0.2 pounds, and percent body fat in increments of 0.2 percent. I have been using it for about three years, so newer models may have different capabilities. I have to admit that I have never had my body fat analysed in any other way, so my ability to compare is limited! Measurement of my percent body fat DOES change with the water content of my body (TOM is a horror!), but for me usually falls within a 2% range on this scale. Not perfect, but it gives me general trends over the course of the month. I range from about 20.6-22.6%, and I find that if my weight is a bit higher that day (I fluctuate about 2-3 pounds routinely), that the percent body fat will read as on the low end. Not perfect, but it helps keep me in line!

My gym uses a Tanita scale with a crap load of buttons. I'm getting my BF tested in an hour and I'm starving because here are the guidelines I have to follow to get the most accurate reading:

No eating/drinking within 3-4 hours

No exercise within 12 hours

Urinate within 30 min of test

No alcohol consumption

NO diuretics

I'm huuuuuuungry!!!!

I have one of the handheld jobbies, but it really isn't much of a help right now since the weight limit is 300 , so I can't get a good reading

Thanks everyone! I've heard Tanita mentioned a few times before. I think I'll check into their stuff closer.

Hi Faerie. I have a Tanita scale with BF and water measurement included. I simply love the scale for my weight. I find it to be very precise. It measures in increments of .02 lbs and I get the same reading time after time, though now that I know this I only have to step on the scale once every morning.

Anyway, I went by its body fat % for a long time. And then I realized something was up. It was telling me ridiculously low numbers. So, yeah it's definitely NOT accurate for BF%. I now go by one of those hand held things at the gym. Don't know how accurate that is either, but it's WAAAAAAAY more accurate then my Tanita scale.

We had a high end (I think it cost around $300) Tanita scale with BF in our office (for weighing anorexic teenagers on) and I would use it from time to time and it wasn't consistant or accurate. There were so many variables for using it.

My gym has a water tank truck parked outside of it right now. I'm just not interested in knowing my numbers right now. Maybe when I'm closer to goal!