Soooo depressed!! I just stepped on one of those fancy scales at the chemist and I am shorter and fatter than I thought!!

I am a whole inch shorter - either I am shrinking or crap at using a tape measure. I am about the same weight (when I allow for clothes and time of day) but my body fat is ten percent higher than the 28% my personal trainer measured - a month ago - before I spend hours working out!!!

While I know body fat things can vary - but by that much?!?

How did you trainer measure you? With the callipers? If so and you've been eating/working out consistently since then, I'd trust that way more than one of those scales! I've always heard they are highly inaccurate and can really only show you a difference over time, not your actual body fat percentage.

As for your height, can you have a friend measure you? The scale could've been off....

Trainer used scales as well!!

Thanks - will get hieght remeasures!! Bmi below 25 just got harder!

Yes, definitely remeasure. I'd only use the trainer's scale then (and even then take it with a BIG grain of salt) because you're really only going to see the difference in your body fat percentage, not the actual number. If you're looking at two different scales you can't really compare. Try to see if your trainer will use the callipers on you!

This happened to me at the doctor's office with regard to my height. My friend is 5'5 and was JUST measured too about a month ago. I am taller than her, which we've both observed. But the doctor measured me at 5'4.5. I might have not been standing up straight, I do slouch a lot.

BMI and body fat percentage are 2 different things. For example, a very muscular athlete and an obese person may have the same BMI (since it's based only on weight and height) but they clearly won't have the same body fat percentage. And, like Running said, take those scales with a gigantic grain of salt. I've heard and read that they can have an accuracy range of something like 25% in either direction, yikes!! The only way to get a true body fat percentage test is in a hydro tank... everything else is wildly variable.

Good luck!

One of those fancy scales pegged me as 9 lbs heavier than I actually was, sooooo....

My Gyn Doc's office had me shrinking 1/2" at my yearly exam 2 years in a row. That put me at 5'5" down from 5'6". I just figured I was hitting menopause and shrinking like my mom has as she has aged. Then my doctor moved to a new office, with new equipment, and I'm back to my original 5'6". I tell you what, that made my day! They said their old measuring stick was getting loose. So, I wouldn't take the measurement at 100% unless you can verify it.

Thanks everyone!! Good advice - I won't abandon all hope yet!