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

[SunsetRunner]

I agree. The overall trend is significant. Thanks for your comments. 

[dan801]

Same here. Aria consistently showing around 30 per cent. I had a DEXA MRI scan done which tests for body fat etc and showing me at 15 per cent. So what gives????

[ShootRideLift]

I suspect the body fat % reading is off on my Fitbit Aria. Based on other user's issues, I tried to re-calibrate the scale by removing and re-inserting the batteries. When I stepped on the scale again, it didn't require 5 calibration measurements as I understand it's supposed to. It took one measurement and that was it. I'm wondering if there's something wrong with how it's calibrating itself. I keep the scale on a level, tile surface and I don't move it around at all. Any help is appreciated!

[rapocn]

My body fat hovers between 30 and 33% and I too feel that the flucuations in the body fat seem excessive.  When I put scale in lean it shows 18%.  I can cut the lawn and lose 4 pounds in the 2 hours it takes according to the scale and two hours later I'm back up 4 pounds or more.  All the changes without a lot of water or food consumption.

[DWRiley]

I have the same problem.  My body mass number nearly doubled after changing the wireless configuration. Was thinking I adjusted something other than the wireless, or the new bathroom flooring was the culprit.  Have moved the Aria to a cement floor, but result is the same.

[Seanwww]

---

@LoriBee wrote:

I finally moved mine to the doorstop position, the only place it works well.

Very expensive for a doorstop, but you live and learn which companies you can trust to stand behind their products.

---

I dropped ALL my fitbit products.

[ith]

this is not a solution at all!!! the problem is not that we don't accept our body fat % the problem is to see the % going up by 10% after changing network i didn't gain 10% of fat over a DAY !!!!

[PolleV]

We have the opposite problem.
I have 13% and my wife 20% while our older (different brand) scale measures 20 and 30%, respectively.
Perhaps I should return the scale.
We are not athletes and use "regular" settings, not lean

[Cassady]

My problem happened after changing the batteries. For 18 months my body fat percentage was in the 22-24% range. One day later, and in the two weeks since then, it's been 38-39%. Nothing else changed other than new batteries.

Any thoughts or solutions would be welcome.

[SadH]

Same problem here.  My body fat % was 20% before changing the network settings and removing batteries.  Now it's 34%.  I'm 6' and weigh 177.  This is obviously wrong.  What's going on Fitbit?

[Joe_NC]

My body fat doubled over night,  15 to 30 percent. Obvious bug that did not remedy itself.  Came to the forum looking for answers but only found many other customers with the same issue.  Unfortunately appears to be a poor response from the manufacturer.  

Good luck,

joe

[Skoots]

Try contacting support. The forums aren't the right place to seek technical answers from any company. It's why tech support teams exist. (They are typically kept plenty busy with incoming cases and such. They usually don't have time to browse forums and search for issues there. It's best to contact them directly.) Not that I can speak for Fitbit directly, but I've done tech support before. Most issues were discussed on forums, and unless someone from community management brought them to our attention, we never knew they existed. 

[Joe_NC]

Sorry to have wasted your time.

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

[Skoots]

If my comment came across as sharp, I didn't intend for that! Just trying to make a suggestion, as a lot of people in this thread are struggling and it seems that Fitbit has been pretty responsive to those that reach out directly. 

[Itssteffers]

Well you may not have a lot of muscle that's why your body fat is so high. Doesn't mean you're fat just means that you have more fat than muscle. 

[DWRiley]

You're missing the issue.  Numerous users have found their Aria scales provided a consistent measurement of weight and BMI for a significant period of time.  After some physical change (device batteries, wireless network, location, etc.) the unit reported weight measurements consistent with past readings, but 2X the BMI values.  There has been no notification of device or software upgrade and the problem seems to be wide spread.

[Joe_NC]

I had a Dexfit scan done and know to a 1/10 of a pound exactly my body composition.

Joe

Sent from my iPhone

[jdc115]

Skoots wrote: Try contacting support. The forums aren't the right place to seek technical answers from any company. It's why tech support teams exist. (They are typically kept plenty busy with incoming cases and such. They usually don't have time to browse forums and search for issues there. It's best to contact them directly.) 

Forums are often a way to have companies help people while at the same time being able to limit the number actual inbound cases directly to their staff.  If you go to Fitbit and look for help, this is the quickest place you will find. 

If you call support directly and your scale is under warranty, you might have luck getting it replaced.  If it is past warranty, there isn't any real help other than what has been suggested here (I know, I tried).  But it does seem regardless of warranty or not, there is an issue with the scale that they don't have an easy fix and it usually happens when you change networks. If they had a fix, they could release a new firmware that would fix everybody instead of having to replace those in warranty and leaving those out of warranty with no fix other than to buy a new scale.

After many attempts of changing my settings (lean vs normal) and dropping it from the network and adding it again, mine came back to normal. But I can't say what exactly fixed it.  I can't say if 17.3% body fat is really correct or no, but I think is it within +/- 15% vs the 34% it jumped to for no other reason then I moved and changed networks

They do monitor and respond on the forum when they can but they may have stopped responded here as I am not sure there is an easy answer.  

[Joe_NC]

On May 22 my body fat was 16.0 on May 23 body fat 30.7. My fix is to divide number by 2 and never buy another Fitbit product.

Sent from my iPhone

[Skoots]

@jdc115 I agree with what you said. I was replying more to people saying they weren't getting a response here. When responses aren't being made on the forums a support case is the best bet.

I just hope my Aria continues to work so I don't have to go through the same mess. Haha.