Anyone else got those scales that work out your body fat percentage based on your height?

I'm 5'7" and at the moment 181 pounds (12 st 13lbs). My body fat percentage seems terribly high - 43%. I'm hourglass shaped - big boobs, bum and hips, and that's where I store a lot of my fat I guess, but no matter how much weight I've lost previously, it doesn't change my basic shape. Not that I want it to -I have no real desire to be 'straight up and down', just a bit lighter.

Am I ever going to get near the ridiculous figure of 25% or whatever it is that I'm 'meant' to be?! Should I be worried?

I don't have a scale but I do have a hand held FDA approved one I don't really know how much faith I have in these things and i'm certainly not worried about it

Don 't panic! There is very little published material on the accuracy of these machines, but one academic piece of work indicates they may have as little as up to 20% accuracy rate - that is they are WRONG more than 80% of the time!!!!

The only true measure of body fat% is a big expensive machine that few hospitals and universities have, so panic ye not.

My professional advice is to use the only known 100% accurate measure of fat loss and gain - that pair of jeans or skirt you have tucked away at the back of your wardrobe that you swear you'll be in next summer (or the one after that!).

Simply put - if the waist band gets a little closer to fastened then you have lost body fat - regardless of whether you have lost weight or not. This also applies to weight gain - if the waistband gapes even wider then you have gained body fat, even if you have NOT gained any weight!

Happy weight loss and even happier body fat% reduction!!! Finger's crossed I can start to follow my own advice again this month!

My mum won some body fat scales. Mine is 27.3% which is poor for a 19 year old but on Saturday it will be in the normal range as I turn 20 then!

So there is something to be said for getting older after all

btw, Hope you had a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY DILL

im 19 and mine says 38.9

Mine's currently 24.7% which is better...

YUesterday mone was 41% today it is 44% - the Tanita's I have are always swinging wildly - from minute to moinute (see previous post on innacuracy).

BUT my skirts - inlcuding my favourite Per Una one - are getting loser. I may have to give them away!!! And my weight hasn't changed at all!

So I have lost body fat buthave yet to see a weight loss. This is probably because I am (at last) able to be more active.

I use one that was on offer with Special K, at the moment it's putting me at about 35%, fairly consistently. I don't know whether it's accurate, but it doesn't fluctuate much more than about 0.3% which is a start.

Note to self: cut nails = typing in English!!!!

This type of weight is really a huge problem .But I think this is only our thinking .If we thought i am fat then fat .But body must be in some good shape which is necessary. Most of the people are facing this problem of overweight and feeling shame on this due to their fat. Xenical's precautions are some better as other medication .I am telling you as i got .I am not a medical proffessional.But very much interested in this topic .Actually I am also some overweight.

Hey dilleight,

I hope you had a good birthday - and does it feel good now to be 'normal' weight??

I have my body fat measured at my gym using the electrical impedence method, and mine was 51% at the beginning of the year, and is now 41%. It's still way too high, but we're getting there!!!!