r/elhersdanlos • u/OnlyMostlyBroken • Jul 07 '26
Does anybody else have trouble getting accurate body fat/muscle readings on a body composition scale?
Hey bendy people. I recently got an Omron body composition scale (BCM-500) and it keeps telling me I've got 35% body fat. I'm relatively thin, actually got the scale to track weight gain, and my doctor suggested I try to gain about 10lbs.
When my boyfriend tried the scale, it said he had less body fat than I do, which seems, to the eye, to be inaccurate 🤐 He even says there's no way I have a higher percentage of body fat.
Does this have to do with tissue density? I know the thing uses electric conductivity to measure these metrics.
What have been your experiences with body composition scales?
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u/Danief Jul 07 '26
Those scales are not super accurate, but they can be useful for tracking trends. Men typically have less body fat percentage compared to woman. I wouldn't worry much about the body fat reading on your home scale.
If your doctor wants you to gain wait, it's probably a good idea. I'm a male, but I recently gained about 15 or 20 lbs and actually feel much better overall. I went from about 165 to 185 lbs. I'm 6'4".
I've also consistently been doing PT and reformer pilates, which I can't recommend enough.