Fitness level for body fat scale

October 8, 2009 12:30 PM

My body fat measuring scale requires me to give it parameters: Age, Height, Gender, and Fitness Level (1, 2, or 3). What should I enter for fitness level? The instructions just say something like "enter your fitness level on a scale from 1 to 3". Does anyone have a similar product and have a rule of thumb for this?
posted by jclovebrew to Health & Fitness (5 answers total)

It's probably trying to get a baseline for muscle mass more than anything - so I'd a) assume that 1 is low and 3 is high and b) go for 1 if you're a total couch potato, 3 if you work out regularly and aren't particularly tubby, and 2 otherwise. (Note: Don't base it on what you *plan* to do, base it one what you *have been* doing.)

Honestly, these scales aren't all that accurate and it probably won't matter much - change over time is way more important than the actual number. But the above are the assumptions I'd make based on that phrasing.
posted by restless_nomad at 12:34 PM on October 8, 2009

Best answer: "Most people should initially set the scale to fitness level 1".... pdf
posted by iconomy at 12:38 PM on October 8, 2009

I wouldn't worry about getting too precise a reading because I doubt most at home scales would be particularly accurate. Just use it the same way every time and be aware of the changes to track your progress, rather than what the particular number it.
posted by ghharr at 12:41 PM on October 8, 2009

There is so much variation in body fat percentage for a given BMI -- which is what the scale is apparently calculating -- that they are using some arbitrary unscaled "fitness level" to correct for error.

It doesn't honestly sound like it is measuring body fat at all. I'm not even sure if you can, electronically, without calipers...
posted by rr at 2:19 PM on October 8, 2009

My nutritionist uses one of these..... and as others have said, just like using a scale - what's more important is that you use the machine consistently over time to track your progress - it's not scientific enough to be basing medical diagnosis on, it's just a tool to track your progress at the gym.

She's the same with the scale - you don't have to be naked and take off your shoes to remove excess weight - just make sure you are wearing similar clothing each time you check your weight - it's the change that matters, not the absolute.
posted by TravellingDen at 3:14 PM on October 8, 2009