THIS STORY is exactly WHY:
We use an OMRON body comp here to assess body comp for most clients. It is used in the medical community and widely accepted as accurate within 2% body fat. Perhaps you’ve used one before? (We also use calipers, which are MUCH more cumbersome, and have larger human error, and use much less frequently.)
When I was training for a fitness competition before my second child, my body fat was ready 16.0% before I found I was pregnant and bailed on the last 4 weeks of prep.
My second child is now 2.5 years old. I’ve never FORCED weight loss, just worked towards improving fitness, and training towards higher health. My weight seemed to be settling around 130-135 and body comp about 19-20%.
I am aware of where I am carrying some “extra” bodyfat from pre second baby til now, but it doesn’t feel like 3%.
THEN IT GOT INTERESTING. The other day, working with a client, we did all measurements (which ALL changed in the desired directions), scale weight, and body comp. I entered the WRONG AGE, and the body comp came back 5% down. Which would be great but I know that is inaccurate. I adjusted the age (several times actually), and turns out, the body fat % on the screen increases with age. WTF?!?!?
So I ran my own body comp again this am with my PRE-2nd BABY age, and this image shows you what it said.
I no longer trust the Omron. I will be reaching out to customer service for answers.
This post is long enough, but I had a similar experience with a Taylor scale reading 140.1, then using a different scale, which read a more expected 133.1
THE POINT IS – numbers can make you feel like $h!t. Let the numbers guide you. Let them inform you. Let them make you FEEL GOOD when you drive change in them. But never let them make you feel bad. There are TOO MANY FACTORS that can artificially manipulate numbers – water, inflammation, ELECTRONIC ERROR, to name a few …
…and YOU – who YOU are as a PERSON – are SO much MORE than a number anyway. 🙂
Larah Kornfeind, MA, CPT, co-owner of Lift and Live Fitness, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist with her Masters in Education and BA in Biology has utilized diet and exercise to help over hundred of others and herself to overcome severe digestive issues post stomach surgery at 18 years old, depression and anxiety in early 20’s, PCOS diagnosed at 23, pre-diabetes at 31, nail biting (since I was a little kid, I stopped when I was 31 as a nice side effect to correcting nutritional deficits), and to create two beautiful boys (currently ages 2 and 4) and nurse each of them until 11+ months of age.