Bob in CT wrote:
On Wed, 1 Sep 2004 11:12:56 -0400, Roger Zoul
wrote:

Cinnamn112 wrote:
I just got one of the Tanita scales that includes a body fat
percentage monitor. I'm having fun with it. Its display reads to
0.2 pounds and 0.5% bodyfat, which is far more precise than is
really necessary, but if you are the kind of person who isn't
driven insane by daily fluctuations that should not be a problem
for you. I don't know what "reasonably priced" means to you - the
Tanita scales start at $35-40, I think, which is a bit more than a
no-frills scale, but is not stratospheric.


Oooh, I want a scale that measures body fat! I have no clue what
I'm at, so this would be a good investment. Where do you find
Tanita scales?

They are mostly useless. don't waste your money. Just look in the
mirror.



They're good for telling you hydration level, though.

Well now, since I brought up the Tanita scales, let me try to defend my
purchase here.

I certainly see both of your points, Roger and Bob. To address Bob's point,
every measurement I take is taken when I wake up, before breakfast. That
means I am a bit dehydrated, which tends to elevate the body fat percentage
measurement. So that tells me two things: first, I know an approximate
upper limit on my body fat percentage, which is a nice thing to know since
it is now too high and I am trying to bring it down to a healthy level.
Sceond, I can observe long-term trends - the change in the reading over
time. Even if the reading itself is not terribly accurate due to systematic
errors like fluctuations in hydration levels, the delta over, say, a month
is still a useful piece of information. I would add one thing more, which
is that in the short time I have had the scale (a little over a week now,
admittedly a small sample) I have seen only very tiny fluctuations in the
measurement taken at that same time every morning - +/- 1%. This supports
my belief that measurements done at the same time of day can be useful for
comparing long-term changes in body fat percentage, if not absolute values.
(A nighttime measurement I did last night for curiosity differed from my
typical morning measurements by about 5% - so the important thing is for me
to be careful only to compare morning to morning.)

To address Roger's point: I think there are people who like to have
numbers, and people who are comfortable without them. I am a person who
likes to have them. There is nothing wrong with that so long as the
limitations of those numbers are understood. Your "just look in the mirror"
comment could apply equally well to weight measurements as to body fat
measurements - indeed, you may have intended it to - but for me, the
measurements provide a fun and motivating routine, as well as a satisfying
record of my progress. Looking in the mirror (which I also do, probably too
much - I can be quite vain!) does not have the same effect.

Here's how I am using my body fat scale: I get on it every morning - that's
just part of my routine - after peeing but before breakfast. I note the
weight (I might record it if I am in journaling mode, as I am right now) but
basically ignore the body fat measurement. Once a week I am recording the
weight and bodyfat measurements. After six or eight weeks I'm going to take
a look at that record and see how it looks. What I hope to get from this is
a rough look at the distribution of weight that I have lost in that period,
fat vs. LBM. This may be no more than a one significant digit
measurement - doesn't matter. I still expect it will be useful and
interesting, at that level. I will report back.

--
carla
http://geekofalltrades.typepad.com/geek