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I wanted to get a body composition test done before starting RFFL to track the progress, so I asked about it at the gym. They said they didn't do calipers because none of the trainers was trained well enough for that. Fair enough, it's better to admit they can't do it right than do it wrong and then have people wonder why their results are so inconsistent. So the only option was the Tanita scale. I decided to go ahead and do it. The guy put me in as "athletic", it back as 10.8% body fat. I laughed and asked him to try again. Put me in as "standard", results came back as ... 10.8% body fat. Very funny.
Anyway, I had a pretty long discussion/argument with a couple of trainers there who were trying to convince me that the machine was pretty accurate. Yeah, well, that certainly makes me feel better. It tells me I have bf% of almost an elite female bodybuilder, so I guess I'll just sign up for the next Figure competition right away. Oh, and who cares that the mirror shows something "slightly" different? The scale doesn't lie. You know, it's like shopping at Walmart or some other place where a woman of size 12 can fit into a size 4. I bet it makes her feel great, but it's a lie nonetheless.
Thankfully there was one trainer (female) who didn't argue and said that no, 10.8 couldn't be right for me.
Anyway, I am determined to find a way to get an accurate test done. DEXA or water displacement - something that does take into account bone density. Now the question is - WHERE and HOW do I sign up for that?
Has anyone done that?
I know what you mean. I have a taylor scale. What a waste of money. If I set it as male, I get around a 12% bf. If I set is a 43 yr old female, which I am, I get 18% bf. If I set it for a 35 yr old female, I get 17%. If I set it for a 25 yr old female, I get 15%. I don't think it is measuring anything. It is strictly an algorithm using weight, gender and age.
I've been wondering if I made an appointment with a nutritionist if they would have the equipment to do it? Anyone know?
I met with a nutritionist a while ago and she used a hand-held bioimpedance thing. I think it works similarly to the home scales. While these techniques are not 100% accurate, they can be used as a starting point to measure progress against. Alternatviely, a knowledgable trainer can come close with a set of calipers.
I was a party (fellow runners/walkers) and we got on the Tanita. These guys were much more muscular than me and it said I had 18% body fat and they had 26% or so body fat. It made the guys really upset and I couldn't convince them that it was wrong. this was before I really leaned out so I know I was more likely in the 20-21% body fat range.
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