[JennieLovesKisses]

A few years back when I had joined my YMCA's Biggest Loser Challenge (came in 2ND!) Our personal trainers had used a hand help body fat monitor. I have been reading into some of these and they don't seem too bad, not dead on accurate, but close enough to get a good idea about where you are at.

Does anyone own one of these? How would you rate it? I had been going back and forth on whether to buy one of these or buy a plain old Body Fat Caliper.

I am just getting to the point where perhaps basing goals off Body Fat % would be the more logical path to take than weight loss alone. I do take body measurements a couple times a month, but I think it would be really rewarding to have a rough idea of where I'm at REALLY.

[JohnP]

Bodyfat monitors are highly inaccurate. The only thing they are good for is your relative progress over time.

If you want to know where you're "really at" you can

A) Spend some money on getting your BF measured by a professional. (I'd suggest a bodpod for best bang for buck)
B) Post your picture someplace where people gawk at your body and provide somewhat accurate estimates. Like here

Another good but slightly less accurate way is to buy a decent pair of calipers and enlist the help of a friend. By far these are the best you can buy without spending over $100.

My favorite website for caliper measurements

[QuilterInVA]

They are about useless. Save your money.

[Sindaena]

If you live in an area where they go http://www.bodyfattest.com/ does hydrostatic weighing somewhat reasonably. when they visit my dojang we get a member price of $25 but I think it is more if you aren't a member of wherever they are stationed for the day.

[JennieLovesKisses]

Thanks for the input you guys! I will save my money and I'll have to look around my area for places that can properly do the measurements.

[fatmad]

I don't have a hand held device, but do have a body fat scale. I can just weigh on it, or do weight and body fat. Works by pulsing a small electric charge through the body to measure. I agree it isn't truly accurate. But over time, I have gone from 38 % to 32%. So it is useful to me personally, as a reference to my personal progess. I don't know if either measurement was anywhere near my actual body fat percentage, but it has consistently gone down with weight loss and exercise, so it is reflective of change.