Aria body fat percentage questions

[CarrieV]

Hi, I have a question on whether it is really possible I'm made up of 33% body fat (according to the aria scale).  Here are my stats:

51 year old woman

5' 6"

132 lbs.

currently wearing a size 6

33% body fat according to the charts means I'm obese.  I don't feel obese.  I know I need to lose 8 more lbs. to be at my ideal weight that I feel best at, but this 33% body fat has been pretty consistent the whole time I've been dieting.  Even after I lose 8 more lbs., I do not think it will be much less than 33% body fat on the aria scale.  I'm definitely not lean, so I know selecting the "lean" category in the settings would not apply to me.

I'm fine with just ignoring this and feeling good about the lbs. I've already lost, but every morning it's still a little depressing to weigh yourself and think how is it possible that 33% of my body is pure fat.

I weigh myself bare foot, dry feet every morning before I shower.  I do not move the scale.  It is sitting on the floor in my bedroom, same spot as always.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[ashes2ashes]

I too am 5'6" (almost) and 132 lbs.  From the time I was in the mid 150s to now, it has always said I my body fat was 34 - 36%.  Even yesterday at 132.9 it said 36.1% body fat.  No way that's right.  Just the fact that over a year or two, having lost over 20lbs and body fat ranges haven't changed tells me this technology is flawed. 

[jboyle1115]

It is flawed on that particular device but there are numerous ways to measure body fat now that are quite inexpensive. And we are running into a lot of women that are called “skinny fats “. They are really struggling with weight loss because they have less muscle mass

Sent from my iPhone

[JuanJoFitbit]

@ashes2ashes Thank you for joining us in this thread! I'm sorry to hear that your Aria scale is not providing accurate body fat readings either. In order to correct this issue, please follow these troubleshooting steps if you haven't done so:

Restart and re-calibrate your scale by taking out the batteries for 15 seconds and weigh yourself 5 consecutive times. This will also re-fresh your scale internally. Finally, make sure that your scale is placed on an even surface and you step on it still and barefoot. Let me know how it goes.

Thank you so much for your feedback @jboyle1115.

[ashes2ashes]

Did that.

No joy.

[LottieD]

How many times does the Aria team need to be told? Your scales for BF don’t work and no amount of fiddling changes this. I should not need to change my age to get a more realistic reading. Change your algorithms and stop posting these “fixes” to me or anyone else as they don’t work. Fix your scales.

The body fat percentage on Aria scales is just wrong. None of the things they suggest work, unless you change your age or sex, which makes a nonsense of them. They just need to change their settings but seem incapable of doing this.

Sent from my iPhone

Moderator edit: merged reply

[JuanJoFitbit]

@ashes2ashes Thank you for taking the time to try the troubleshooting steps mentioned above. I sent your case to our Support team so they can follow up and assist you accordingly. Please keep an eye on your email account.

@LottieD Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

[EKG]

@barretime I am 5’3” and 142.  My BF is coming in at 33%. It’s been fluctuating between 35% and 33%.  I am a runner and recently started lifting weights again.  Size 8 that is now almost to big.  I work for a health insurance company.  I used one of their recommenced sites to calculate BF and then used the one  provided by Active.  Both calculated my BF to be about 27% when using weight, height, waist, wrist and forearm measurements.  I agree that the basic calculation programmed in the Aria is not quite right.  Hoping for an update since it is supposed to be a smart scale.

[fitbutt1000]

Matthew, I really think the Aria % Body Fat calculator is just not very accurate.5 months ago I was 215 lb 6'3" and Aria said I had 13.8% body fat. Now I am at 202 and Aria says 23.3 % body fat. fat has visibly fallen off. I have to believe the % body fat feature on Aria is not worth looking at. And I think it's only fair to your serious customers for Fitbit to be transparent about its limitations.

---

@MatthewFitbit wrote:

@IAD In addition to what I mentioned above, remember that the Aria takes a unique reading with every measurement (unlike most consumer scales, which round their results to appear more consistent). This means that minor factors like the way you stand on the scale or the positioning of your feet can slightly affect the readings. The ranges you mentioned sound pretty normal, and shouldn't affect your ability to use the scale to achieve your goals.

---

[LottieD]

Sadly the BF measurements just do not work on Aria scales.
--

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[kbunsb]

I've been having the same issue with mine! I got it last summer and used to through my success of losing 30 lbs. I'm 5'7, 155 lbs and am still getting a reading for 38% bfp!! 😞 It started around 40% when I first got it (180 lbs).

[LottieD]

Well done!!! Change your sex or age and the BF readings will be more realistic!

Sent from my iPhone

[Courtney14]

Change your settings in to your app to athletic.

[JuanJoFitbit]

@EKG It's great to see you here and welcome aboard @fitbutt1000 @kbunsb! I'm sorry to hear that your Aria scales are not providing accurate body fat readings. I'd like you to take a look at this help article, under the subject "How can I get the most accurate reading from my scale?"

If the issue persists, please restart and re-calibrate your scales by taking out the batteries for 15 seconds and put them back in. After this, weigh yourselves 5 times in a row. Make sure that your scales are on a hard surface you are stepping on them barefoot.

@LottieD I was able to get in touch with our Support team and was told that they will reach you via email soon. Please keep an eye on your email account.

@Courtney14 Thank you so much for your suggestion. I'm pretty sure that this will also help users that experience the same issue.

See you guys around! 

[LottieD]

The Aria body fat measurement is not calibrated correctly and no amount of fiddling with the scales will change this.

Sent from my iPhone

[JuanJoFitbit]

@LottieD Thank you for your reply. Since the issue persists, please reply to the last email that our Support team sent to you and they'll be happy to follow up and provide a solution.

Let me know if you have any questions!

[LottieD]

There is no solution my end. Only with Fitbit changing their calculation assumptions. I’ve tried everything suggested over several years. Nothing works.

Sent from my iPhone

[JuanJoFitbit]

@LottieD I'm sorry to hear that the troubleshooting steps that our Support team provided didn't fix the issue, please let them know by replying to the last email you received from them so they can assist you accordingly.

[Juicyjason]

How do you change to athletic in the app?  

[jboyle1115]

I believe you do it on the phone app part. I’m on to Apple Watch and other body scans not up to date

Sent from my iPhone

[LottieD]

Hi, I can only change my age and sex in the app. Perhaps there is another setting on the computer app? I gave up and changed myself to a man to get a sensible percentage!

Sent from my iPhone