Philip Pape 0:00

I can't tell you how many times somebody said but my body fat scale says I'm 22% body fat. If you are relying on gadgets, on devices, to measure body fat, it might be time for a reality check. We're going to explore the accuracy of these devices and what you should be doing instead on today's QuickWits. Welcome to the Whits and Weights podcast. I'm your host, philip Pape, and this twice a week podcast is dedicated to helping you achieve physical self-mastery by getting stronger, optimizing your nutrition and upgrading your body composition. We'll uncover science-backed strategies for movement, metabolism, muscle and mindset, with a skeptical eye on the fitness industry, so you can look and feel your absolute best. Let's dive right in. Welcome to another QuickWits, your go-to mini-episode for cutting through the fluff.

Philip Pape 0:55

I'm Philip Pape, and today we're diving into a pretty hot topic that comes up all the time the accuracy of body fat measuring devices such as BIA Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis these are like the in-body or the smart scales that have the metal contacts and also other ways to measure body fat and why you might want to think twice before you trust these numbers completely or really at all. A lot of these devices and other body fat measuring tools, including the more expensive ones, you would have to pay for and go to, like the DEXA, the BOD-POD WaterDunkTank and so on. They've become very well known. The ones that you have at home and the in-body in the gym have become quite popular, especially for personal trainers and gyms, who use them to show you how out of shape you are, to get you to sign up for their gym. If I'm going to be a little cynical about it, they promised this very easy, seemingly objective way to track body composition changes. I'm all about data, I'm all about numbers I really am but the accuracy of these devices is highly questionable, not only because you, as an individual, change every time you use them, your hydration levels, how much food you ate, what time of day you take it, what you're wearing, your inflammation, the list goes on and on. The devices themselves even have just an inherent accuracy in them. What happens is somebody will take one of these measurements and they'll either get very discouraged because the quote-unquote number is high and they're like oh, I didn't know I was so fat, now what? It just seems hopeless. Or they take it and it looks great. They're like whoa, I didn't know I was doing such a great job. Both are misleading and can lead you to make poor choices going forward.

Philip Pape 2:42

I like to be more objective. First, I'm going to say this If you want to use one of those devices, at least do it under the exact same conditions, from measurement to measurement, over several weeks, let's say, or months, whatever it is, and the same clothes, the same water and food intake, the same time of day. All of that, then still, I don't want you to put too much stock into the number, but rather into the change in the number. Is it going up or is it going down? That's a pretty good indicator of what's happening. But let's just make life easier for all of us.

Philip Pape 3:17

Use circumference measurements. These are very straightforward, very cost effective, almost foolproof way to monitor changes in your body composition over time. You measure your waist and your neck, and then women also measure your hips, and you can plug those into the Navy formula, which anybody could Google, and it will give you a number. Now again, don't worry about the number. Look at the change in the number over time. There are other measurements that help you understand body composition, like your biceps, chest, hips, which tell you if you're gaining or losing muscle mass. That's the other side of the equation, that complements the fat side, but just from the body fat perspective.

Philip Pape 3:58

If you want numbers, use circumference measurements and also just pay attention to how you close fit, how you feel, are you happy with your physique? Simple things like that will let you know pretty quickly what's happening and give you indicators and change in your body composition. Then you don't require any fancy gadgets or anything like that. That probably aren't that accurate anyway. All right, that's my two cents on that.

Philip Pape 4:24

This is a shout out to Veronica, who gave me this question in the Whits and Weights Facebook community. Honestly, it's a question I get every single day and when I work with clients from day one I'm like nope, we're not even going to trust that. Like you can send me that data, I'm not even going to pay attention to it because we have a nice simple approach here that we can take with the other methods. All right, until next time, I want you to focus on the real indicators of your progress. Don't let fancy gadgets or measurements dictate your sense of achievement. Let's look at objective data that actually makes sense. Thank you for tuning in to another episode of Whits and Weights. If you found value in today's episode and know someone else who's looking to level up their Whits or Weights. Please take a moment to share this episode with them and make sure to hit the follow button in your podcast platform right now to catch the next episode. Until then, stay strong.