I'm totally discouraged! I am just 4 pounds away from being in the "normal" BMI range, that's coming from being in the "obese" range when I started (YAY). My body fat % just doesn't seem like it's coming down all that much. According to different body fat % scales I have a long way to go body fat % wise before I won't be considered OBESE anymore.

I know that my scale can't be the most accurate thing in the world (I know that hydrostatic weighing is the most accurate, and any other way can be of 2-3% typically and maybe more), but it couldn't be off by that much. I got the scale when I was 173.5 and as of today I am 158.5, that's a 15 pound loss and that would workout to be almost a 9% loss in body weight mathematically. According to the scale, using the same time of day readings I am only down at MOST 3%. It reads different depending on the time of day because of hydration of course. The highest % I saw was 44% (right in the morning before any water) and the lowest I have seen is 38% (after a full day of water and a shower). Today for example I saw 42% this morning, and 38% this evening. Sorry to rant, but I just feel like such crap about this. There's no way that I am losing muscle mass at such a rate that it is negating my fat loss by reducing my lean body mass by that much. Am I being irrational? I just feel horrible that I'm almost normal, but yet still obese. I honestly don't feel like I am that fat anymore. According to my math, I would have to lose at least 20 more pounds of fat to be at 25% body fat. I'm not against being in the 130's, I mean I can already tell that when I get to my goal of 149 that I will make a new goal, but I don't want to feel like I have to do that just so I won't be fat anymore.

I am sorry this is so long and dumb, I just feel like just when I think I've come a long way there's something there to remind me that it's not good enough.

Oh dear! I just bought a body fat % scale on Saturday, and it was quite the eye opener. I guess I've been lying to myself about how much muscle I actually have. I did read in the instructions that you should wait at least three hours after waking, as well as three hours after a meal to get the most accurate reading. So perhaps if you were weighing first thing, your fluid levels in your body were still "puffy" from sleeping? I don't know if this is helpful, but its an idea

I've actually read that the morning is the most INaccurate time for body fat % but that is always when I do it. Mine is pretty inconsistent too ranging from 15% at the lowest to 25% on a "high" day.

Did you end up getting that job at the gym? They should do caliper testing right? Just an option....I know my gym doesn't do anything that fancy.

Those scales are horribly inaccurate - even the handheld things are closer! My tanita is about 5% higher than the handheld, which is 3% higher than calipers. Take the readings with a big grain of salt.

I've found my tanita scales are quite good and consistent if I take the readings at the same time of day every week/month. There is about 5% error in EVERY body fat % measurement method. The most accurate body fat measurement technique is a dunk tank, where you submerse yourself in water and they take measurements from that. Better than that is an autopsy! I guess what I'm trying to say, is just chill out BF% is just another measurement to get hung up about! Go by how you feel, how you look, how your clothes hang.

They had this big bus with a dunk tank come to our gym last week! I wanted to get it done but the manager at our gym is hot and he was out there. I didn't want to do it in front of him! It's bad enough he sees me all sweaty with no makeup. hehe.

Hi Steph!

My trainer uses calipers to do my body fat percentage. I've known her for 3 years, and she's very careful about being sure she does the measurements in the same places every time (LOL, she uses my freckles, etc. as "landmarks.) BUT every time she does it she says, "This isn't going to be 100% accurate. Take it with a grain of salt."

So I guess other than the dunk-tank thing, no method is 100% effective. I've kinda given up on it and use the way my clothing fits as the primary guide. YOU know you've lost fat, and that's the most important thing!

Thanks everyone. I should dig out my calipers and have my fiance measure me that way. I guess I am just looking for ways to be hard on myself now. I am so used to being down on myself, now that I have lost 30 pounds and I am not as fat the habit of self-mean-ness (hehe) has just not gone away.

Lizz-Ahhh the job at the gym. They called to hire me (part time mind you) and I told them after 1/17 I couldn't work Mon & Tues b/c of night classes that couldn't be helped (ones my hip hop dance class and I am NOT dropping it for a stupid job) and she seemed really put off about it. She said that she didn't know if they could use me then, even though she told me the job would only be 3 days a week for a few hours at a time. She said she'd call back and let me know, but I haven't heard from her. It's kinda like what happened at the Nutrition store, the guy said I was like perfect for the job and that he'd call the next day and I'd probably start the next monday, but he never called. Grrr, more discouragement!

Have you followed up with them?
I find that when I do that they either let me know if I got it or not.
Just something I do.

After reading this thread, last night I had a dream that I got my body fat percentage checked, and it was 2.8%, and I was like, that's impossible! I really have no idea what mine is though.