Bodyfat percentage - surely this is a mistake

[-0-]

Hi there,

So I joined a gym recently. After being in the states for a year I've piled on the pounds and luckily there's a great gym near me (Golds gym).

I have a personal trainer and I've been training with him twice a week, and also doing my own training as well, along with boxing.

To be fair, I've been doing a lot and while it's only been around 3 or 4 weeks I'm visibly looking better. Diet etc is way better as well.

When I first joined, they measured my body fat & BMI. My body fat reading was 25%.

I had another reading yesterday and it said 19.6%

Surely this is wrong, I can't have possibly dropped that much, considering after week one I had only dropped .52%

I don't know much about BMI & body fat readings. Can someone help shed some light on this? I'm guessing the equipment the guy is using is dodgy or something.

cmyk

How did they measure it?

[-0-]

They used my weight, age, and they got me to hold this electronic device in my hands (arms straight out) for 30 seconds.

The reading came up on it then.

[-0-]

It looked like this yolk: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Omron-Portable-Body-Fat-Analyzer/3342463?ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=3342463&sourceid=1500000000000003260370&veh=dat

cmyk

Its a bioelectric impedance device, they have always had questionable accuracy. It uses a small electrical pulse and results can be thrown off by hydration levels.

[-0-]

That explains it - I wasn't sure how (in)accurate they were, thanks!

iCosmopolis

I believe that calipers thingy in the hands of a professional is the best reading..my brother likes to torment us with them

im invisible

scientology, stay away OP, have they got much money off you yet? they'll be wanting more soon enough

entropi

A steel calipers with a 9 or 13 site reading will be the most accurate you can get, without needing a water displacement test (which is something usually reserved for elite athletes and the like, specialised). Those devices as said, are not usually accurate.