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Fat% on the FitBit scale

I've lost 20 pounds and have 5 to go. I bought the FitBit scale but am confused by the percent body fat number.. I've lost 2 pounds since buying the scale. The percent body fat number keeps going up as my weight goes down. This seems odd to me. I weigh 139 and the body fat is registering at 38%. That just seems too high. Am I missing something here? 

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@DebrahT,

 

It's impossible to say without your height or BMI. 

 

In the short term, it's not unusual for body fat to go up as body weight goes down. Watch what happens for a month or so. You can see a better graph by going to www.trendweight.com and linking the site to your Fitbit account.

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@DebrahT wrote:

... I've lost 2 pounds since buying the scale. The percent body fat number keeps going up as my weight goes down. This seems odd to me. 


It depends on whether you 2 lb loss is fat or water.  If you weigh yourself throughout the day you will notice that you tend to have a lower BF% later in the day after you have eaten than you do first thing in the morning after using the bathroom.  That’s because as you eat and drink, a larger portion of your body weight is something other than your body fat.

Like weight loss on in general, it is better to look at your change in fat percentage over a period of time.  If you weigh in daily, Fitbit will show a weekly average in the weight chart that will average out the daily variation and will be more accurate.  The same is true for the BF%.  

 

As to the BF% being higher in general than you thought, have you compared it to any other BF% estimates? Here is a measurement formula you can use for comparison.  (In my case the Aria 2 scale reads about the same as my Withings BF scale, and both read a few percent higher than tape measure formulas).

Scott | Baltimore MD

Charge 6; Inspire 3; Luxe; iPhone 13 Pro

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 Thank you for replying. I'm 65 years old, 5'5" and 139 pounds. I went to the link you gave me and calculated my BF%. The result was 29.7% which is 10% lower than what I get on the scale and is more like what I've always gotten before. I just don't feel this feature works properly on the scale mo matter what time of day I weigh myself. 

Thank you though for taking the time to respond to my question.

 

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@DebrahT,

 

There are some other things you can try to improve accuracy. Read the directions and see if your feet are supposed to be dry or damp from a shower when you step on the scale. The old Aria was dry. Another scale I have is damp. 

 

Make sure the scale is on a level surface. If you have to move it, slide it gently. Never turn the scale vertically to store it. If you do, it may take several weighings to get an accurate reading.

 

The scales seem to work better if a person only weighs themselves once. 

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