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On Wed, 01 Sep 2004 19:44:41 GMT, sprudil wrote:
"Roger Zoul" wrote in message ... 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 work well for showing trends over time. Sid... They do, but you should definitely not get one if you'll be freaked out by one-two percent bf variation per day. Also, if you have 3-4% variation in one day, you're likely dehydrated. -- Bob in CT Remove ".x" to reply |
#22
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Bob in CT wrote:
They do, but you should definitely not get one if you'll be freaked out by one-two percent bf variation per day. Also, if you have 3-4% variation in one day, you're likely dehydrated. They will vary that much in a day because your reading does depend on things like how hydrated you are, and people are generally more dehydrated in the morning. Choose a time of day that you are going to do the reading and then be consistent. And then don't get too worked up about it. As someone else said, it's good for seeing trends, but not terribly accurate objectively. That said, I have a Tanita and I like it, and I think it does me some good to be able to monitor my body fat. Have fun, Rebecca |
#23
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Bob in CT wrote:
They do, but you should definitely not get one if you'll be freaked out by one-two percent bf variation per day. Also, if you have 3-4% variation in one day, you're likely dehydrated. They will vary that much in a day because your reading does depend on things like how hydrated you are, and people are generally more dehydrated in the morning. Choose a time of day that you are going to do the reading and then be consistent. And then don't get too worked up about it. As someone else said, it's good for seeing trends, but not terribly accurate objectively. That said, I have a Tanita and I like it, and I think it does me some good to be able to monitor my body fat. Have fun, Rebecca |
#24
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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 |
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