[tommyrhodes]

Ok. So yesterday I bought a scale that measures bodyfat as well as hydration and obviously weight. I know the issues regarding this method of body fat measurement and I'm ok with it not being 100% accurate all the time. Its already thrown some wacky readings at me.
I'm a little confused with how to incorporate this into my training however. I plan on making weight loss a number one priority going into this weight season and would like to gave a goal. Number of a weight I should be at.
Let's say there was a guy with the following readings. He weighed 100 poiunds with a 10% body fat measurement. Does that mean he has 10 pounds of fat? So if his goal is to have 5%bf he needs to lose 5 pounds?
I've got some nutrition books coming in the male and my girlfriendss gonna give me her nutrition textbook from nursing school. But I'm curious NOW damnit.
Thanks in advance

 

[RagbraiNewB]

Well, only if the 5 pounds he lost were fat and only fat, but that's not how it usually works. When you start reducing your food intake, the first thing you'll be losing is water weight. Then you'll also have less material in your intestines, too, so you might lose 5 pounds in the first week without losing any fat at all, and your body fat %ge would actually have increased.

I'd say if you weigh 100 pounds you shouldn't look to be losing weight at all, and 10% body fat also is not high. Anorexia is not sexy.

 

[tommyrhodes]

I'm pretty sure you are joking. But, for the record. I'm pretty far from anorexic lol. I weigh 185 with an 18% bf reading according to my scale. Which puts me above averaged in our society but a fat lump in the world of cycling lol. I am competitive on flat courses but when the road turns up I'm busting my aggots to stay with the pack. So I'm just trying to figure out what an ideal goal weight would be....

Then again. Lance dated mary-kate, so maybe if I looked like a skeleton he'd court me......
I apologize for mentioning LA. Please do not move this to the &£¤«ing forum

 

[ericm979]

Those scales are not accurate. For example, mine says that I'm 6%. The one at my doctor's office says 11% on the same day. If you set your goal based on the scale, you would get different results depending on the scale you're using.

Using a scale that reads like my doctor's to set my body fat would be bad for me as I'm already pretty lean. But while the scales are not accurate they are consistent if you weigh yourself under the same conditions. Now that I know from experience what level of body fat I am comfortable with I can use the scale to monitor my progress.

 

[sdeeer]

I'm a little confused with how to incorporate this into my training however. I plan on making weight loss a number one priority going into this weight season and would like to gave a goal. Number of a weight I should be at.
Let's say there was a guy with the following readings. He weighed 100 poiunds with a 10% body fat measurement. Does that mean he has 10 pounds of fat? So if his goal is to have 5%bf he needs to lose 5 pounds?
I've got some nutrition books coming in the male and my girlfriendss gonna give me her nutrition textbook from nursing school. But I'm curious NOW damnit.
Thanks in advance

Multiple girlfriends, coming in the male? Lol

but anyway....

The best way to use that scale as a tool would be to weigh and record your weight and % BF every morning after voiding your bladder. Only once per day, at the same time. This way you can figure out how variable the scale is (for BF%) by minimizing extraneous variables.

But, I personally would not use the BF% scale from tracking body comp as it is not that reliable. An associate of mine has a study comparing Bioelectrical impedance (like your scale uses) to dexa for reliability in different hydrate states. I don't have any data to give you, but the hypothesis is that the BI is not even close to DEXA, especially with differing hydration status.

Your explanation of the 5lb fat loss is correct, but weight loss typically does not come from fat only. I don't think the scale you have is sensitive enough to determine the composition of 5lbs of weight loss.

Do you have a power meter? One of the best ways to keep track of weight loss and performance is to track changes in power (using validated testing) while losing weight. Ideally you lose body fat and not power.

Losing weight gradually tends to reduce lean tissue loss. So less negative energy balance and adequate protein intake per day over time, tends to maintain skeletal msucle and power.

I was in the same boat with weight loss and hill climbing. But I started at 11.5% by dexa, and got down to 6.5% in the peak of the season. But I still have upper body mass from bodybuilding that I am trying to lose/trying not to keep, to help with climbing. It is hard to maintain power and lose muscle selectively.

 

[CHT]

Those scales are not accurate. For example, mine says that I'm 6%. The one at my doctor's office says 11% on the same day. If you set your goal based on the scale, you would get different results depending on the scale you're using.

Using a scale that reads like my doctor's to set my body fat would be bad for me as I'm already pretty lean. But while the scales are not accurate they are consistent if you weigh yourself under the same conditions. Now that I know from experience what level of body fat I am comfortable with I can use the scale to monitor my progress.

I would not use those scales for anything other than a baseline or as tool to mark your weight loss (and where it's coming from). The scale I have even recommends this.

Plus, the cheaper ones do not have an athletic profile calculation which takes into consideration someone who is lean and fit. I've read there are much better algorithims in the "athletic build" scales which are accurate (accurate being a relative term).

I have one of the cheaper ones, and in race form weigh around 136-138, close to 5'9", with enough muscle you wouldn't call me a twig (yeah, it's all relative compared to non-cyclist). You would think my body fat % would be very low, but the scale consistently has me in the 14-15% range. It's not rocket science to look in the mirror and figure out this is way off, but I use it as baseline and look for material variations. I'm very conscious about losing more weight and the how the weight is lost (fat/muscle) as it affects my racing and this is at the edge of where my performance can hurt. The scale helps if I see any big variations and as I go from off season to racing form. Just make sure (as noted above) you weigh yourself at the same time...usually in the a.m.

 

[tommyrhodes]

This scale has athlete mode which I'm using. I know its not deadly accurate but so far it seems pretty damn consistent. And when it is wrong its been WAY wrong. it just seems much easier than any other method of bf measurement. Plus, as an added benefit, this scale measures hydration levels. Which I have no clue how to use in training really but I'm sure will prove useful. But hey, for 25 bucks how much can I really ask for?

 

[Killroy]

Ok. So yesterday I bought a scale that measures bodyfat as well as hydration and obviously weight. I know the issues regarding this method of body fat measurement and I'm ok with it not being 100% accurate all the time. Its already thrown some wacky readings at me.
I'm a little confused with how to incorporate this into my training however. I plan on making weight loss a number one priority going into this weight season and would like to gave a goal. Number of a weight I should be at.
Let's say there was a guy with the following readings. He weighed 100 poiunds with a 10% body fat measurement. Does that mean he has 10 pounds of fat? So if his goal is to have 5%bf he needs to lose 5 pounds?
I've got some nutrition books coming in the male and my girlfriendss gonna give me her nutrition textbook from nursing school. But I'm curious NOW damnit.
Thanks in advance

Unfortunately, you should return the scale for a standard scale and get one of theses:

I think they are only $15 in a kit that comes with a handy measuring tape.

If you lost 5 lb of fat only you would be 5.3% body fat if your lean muscle stayed the same at 90lb.

 

[Kram]

I have a Tanita and while it may not be deadly accurate, it's consistent. I make sure that I do my BF% in exactly the same circumstances each time; that is, on my rest day, right before I eat lunch. I've had BF% done by calipers by a certified trainer and they match fairly closely. If you keep it consistent you'll at least know that you are losing or gaining.