bf% function will be accurate if you use it for consistency, the actual number is not as accurate as skinfold caliper measurements or better yet hydrostatic weighing. But if you do weight/bf once a week and watch trends you should be able to see where you're at.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

For gosh sake, throw the scales away. You can't get accurate bf unless you weigh yourself in/out of water and subtract the difference any ways.

a couple of years ago I worked at the Tanita Booth at the Kona Expo. the BF scales are good for just what TC says. I have one and typically weigh myself in the morning after going to the bathroom. You can see trends this way. There are about 10 different models of the Tanita scales and they vary a lot in functionality. When i got it I weighed myself every morning for two weeks just to see the trend, now i'm down to 1-2 times a week (well, when I'm training and have a goal of losing weight) and the information it provides is good enough for me.

I have a Tanita with BF, but I have to admit I don't use the BF part of it. I love the fact that the digital scale gives me the exact same weight if I weigh myself multiple times in a row. So, I feel like I'm getting an accurate weight with it. I highly recommend Tanita scales, but I don't think the BF is really useful.

CG - a scale is a very useful thing for someone trying to watch their weight or someone trying to lose weight. I agree with you that the BF indicator isn't accurate, but a scale is a very useful tool with weight management. With all due respect, you sound like someone who has never had to deal with weight issues before if you're telling her to throw out her scale.

do you mean you could bring a scale to the pool to the deep end and weigh yourself there and then get out, weigh yourself again and figure it out? :)

I have weight issues and I have stopped using my scale. I have limitations, and one of them is I live and die by the weight on the scale when I am using it and trying to lose weight. That stupid number in the morning will make or break my day. I stopped weighing myself about 6 months ago, and I am sure I gained weight, but I wasn't very worried about it. Recently I started losing weight because I started running again after a stress fracture, and suddenly all the clothes in my closet fit me again and that is a GREAT feeling, but I got there without once looking at a scale or counting calories or restricting myself. I just try to eat healthy, that's all. For my mental health, it is the proper way for me to approach weight. Other people who aren't crazy like me can weigh themselves and not take it personally. :) I do find it pretty funny that once I stopped obsessing over weight, I starting losing it again. This is the first time I have lost weight training for an Ironman.
Anyway, I do have a Tanita scale and I never paid attention to BF because it seemed so inaccurate.
Jessica

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Jessica

That works for you and that's great. For me, I have to keep a close eye on my weight or it's very easy to let it get out of control. I don't obsess about it. I know that I go up and down regularly in the week (I often have 2 - 3 lb increases in a day that then go away again), but the overall trend is what I like to keep tabs on. Sometimes I weigh myself every day, but I always weigh myself at least a couple of times a week. It's a personal thing, I think. Just because I use my scale a lot doesn't mean I'm obsessing about it. I think CG's assumption that you would be better without a scale is well-intentioned, but wrong for many people.

There was a recent study that showed that people that weigh every day lose and maintain their weight more effectively than those that do not.

I weigh every day for weight control and to insure I am not fooling myself. Your weight does not lie and its the one piece of data that you can get that is accurate.

I totally agree! It is very personal, just like a million other things. I wish I had a healthier attitude towards weight, for my own sake. But at least I have found a way to deal with it that works with my personal limitations. I don't think AT ALL that other people that use scales are obsessing. In fact, I think just the opposite..that they DON'T obsess so they CAN use a scale, which is a great tool for maintaining weight loss. Didn't mean to give the impression that my way was better. I think it's worse, actually.
Jess

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Jessica

I'm like Dawn...check on it a few times a week. I use the doctor's scale at the gym/pool, so I weigh when I go there, not daily.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

"That stupid number in the morning will make or break my day. "

Scales only have the power which we bestow upon them.

In reality, a scale is just a small household item made of metal & springs & dials.

A scale is a toaster is a blender is an electric toothbrush is a weed whacker.

Imagine if I said, "My self-worth is determined by the toaster."

Sounds pretty weird, eh?

Or "I'm fat, the lawnmower said so!"

Or "I have to check with the blender to see if I like myself today."

The power only comes in when we choose to hand all of ours
over to an inanimate object.

--the SomethingFishy website :-) hard advice to FOLLOW for sure but is good.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

"I think CG's assumption that you would be better without a scale is well-intentioned, but wrong for many people. "

I should have said keep the scale but it's inaccurate to weigh every single day because of normal fluctuations. Variables such as how much food is in your stomach, urine in your bladder or faeces in your bowell can add up to a few lbs. If you're trying to lose weight then maybe it's best to only look at it once a week or so at a consistant time of the day.

I might weigh myself once a month or less, but as you suggested, I've been blessed even at my age with never having a weight issue, but still, with a weight challenge people should not become overly obsessive about how often they weigh themselves. As you work out your weight may not even change as you lose fat and develop more muscle - muscle is heavier than fat.

I'm in the same boat as Jessica... if I weigh myself I am then a slave to that number until I weigh in again.

I just wasn't put together to be able to watch my weight that way.

I pay attention to how I feel and how my clothes fit.

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Come crawling faster

"As you work out your weight may not even change as you lose fat and develop more muscle - muscle is heavier than fat. "



no it's not. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat are equally as heavy.

What you meant was muscle is DENSER.

:-)

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD