% Body Water

[djSlvt]

I got one of those fat analyzer scales by home medics (tony little). So it shows weight, body fat, bady water, muscle mass, bone bass.

My body water level is 50 to 51 % depending on the time of day I measure. In the morning it is 50.4 to 50.9, in the evening it is 51 to 52, especially after I drink 8 cups of green tea.


The scale show my % BW to be on the low side, need one more bar for it to be on the low side of optimum.


Is my BW% normal?





P.S. if you thinking about buying a scale, make sure the one you buy has a flat surface, i.e. you stand on the flat surface. When scale has angeled surface, weight measurement depends on how far your feet are apart.

 

[Omen]

To give you a little more BW% or TBW info, read the below. There are many people who end up having that function on their scale, then aren't really sure what it means. Also know too, that we are talking about Intra/Extra cellular water and not just the word water. Hope this helps!

Total Body Water

About 50-60% of our body is water. In the body, water is the fluid in which all life processes occur. Every body cell, tissue and organ needs water to function. Total body water makes up approximately 55-60% of body weight in adult males and around 50-55% in adult females. Within both sexes, there is considerable variability in water content, largely related to differences in lean body mass. This is because fat cells contain much less water than other cells.
Body water is divided into that located inside cells (intracellular water) and that located outside cells (extracellular water). Approximately 36% of body weight is intracellular water, and approximately 24% of body weight is extracellular water. The amount of water coming into the body each day must equal the amount of water eliminated from the body over the same period of time. If not, the body will have either a net water gain or a net water loss. Too much or too little water can have a profound effect on our health.

Total Body Water = Extracellular Water + Intracellular Water

 

[Throttle]

if you're getting anywhere near a gallon of water through the course of the day (the green tea gets you halfway there), then you should probably blame the scale (they're notoriously unreliable on all functions except weight--and in some cases even with that, as you've noted) rather than accept that you have a 'problem'. as omen noted, it also varies with your bf%, so it's possible that the scale is either ignoring that, or is calculating based on its bf% measurement, which may itself be way off.

 

[Omen]

Truth be told, those scales are just an estimate, and I mean estimate. bf% on a Bioelectrial Impedance scale can be off +/-3%

So as Throttle said, they are notoriously unreliable. I tested some people once in a class with 2 hand held ones, and myself, and the variance of the two hand held ones were like 7% or so. I couldn't believe it was off that much from one to another.

And on the scale too, go drink 8oz water, then get your bf%, go drink another 8oz and test again, and your bf% will be different.

If you want a TRUE read-out of bf%, you need either a DEXA scan or the Bod Pod. These will cost you to get the test done, but they are the most accurate.

For your majority of people, the scale will work. I've had DEXA, BIA, Hydrostatic Weighing, and calipers done. Pretty much all of it, and the closest is the DEXA.

If you are in college, see if your school has one. If not, still call the local college and check and get a price as most will do them for the public, assuming your school has one, and not too many do.

 

[Throttle]

in my experience, calipers are inaccurate but consistent, so long as you get someone to take the reading who knows what they're doing (that is, the number itself may be way off, but you can track changes, as long as you have the same reliable person administer a 3-site test).

the scales & other impedence based instruments on the other hand are so sensitive to salt & hydration levels that they tend to give many individuals such patently absurd results that they're useless. my evidence is strictly anecdotal, but i'm piling up lots of anecdotes at this point.....

 

[Omen]

in my experience, calipers are inaccurate but consistent, so long as you get someone to take the reading who knows what they're doing (that is, the number itself may be way off, but you can track changes, as long as you have the same reliable person administer a 3-site test).

the scales & other impedence based instruments on the other hand are so sensitive to salt & hydration levels that they tend to give many individuals such patently absurd results that they're useless. my evidence is strictly anecdotal, but i'm piling up lots of anecdotes at this point.....

That's the thing about calipers is that its the consistency. Some do 3 site, some more depending on who says what. But again, i'm not a fan of the calipers. Used them, have to know about them, but dont really suggest them unless like you said you have the same person do it. And if I had someone do mine, I only have one person in mind.

On the other hand, you can do the scale and at least +/-3% and get kind of close, or a good estimate.

BUT, unless you really have to worry about it, just use the mirror as your source of how you LOOK. No one will care as long as you look good. And no one will know 7%-10% as long as you look GOOD.

I tested a guy once who had 5% but he was a walking skeleton. Looked like crap. NO muscle. Just a skinny ass dude.

 

[djSlvt]

Well, I have 30% body fat, so perhaps that explains my low body water percent. In no way I think I need more water, I take piss all the time as it is right now.

Truth be told, I dont look like I have 30% body fat. 30% body fat is some fat a55 guy with large belley, someone youd picture washing a car and smoking a cigar while belley is out. Im not slim either, but whatever. I measure my results by people's responses. I lost 15 lbs and 3% body fat in a month, and thus far results been pretty good.


I just switched to 50 lb dumbbells for my FMS work out (all the dumbbell exercises on a bench you can picture). And can run longer and faster than a month ago, ran today in light rain, feels great. My friend havent' seen me for a month, and when he saw me he said I lost weight, like before my face was big, and now its normal, the way he showed it to me with his hands, mahn, a month ago Id get offended. Plus females, Ill be needing bug spray to keep them off me, soon. Im shooting for 210 to 220 lbs, and less than 10% body fat.

 

[Omen]

Well, I have 30% body fat, so perhaps that explains my low body water percent. In no way I think I need more water, I take piss all the time as it is right now.

Truth be told, I dont look like I have 30% body fat. 30% body fat is some fat a55 guy with large belley, someone youd picture washing a car and smoking a cigar while belley is out. Im not slim either, but whatever. I measure my results by people's responses. I lost 15 lbs and 3% body fat in a month, and thus far results been pretty good.


I just switched to 50 lb dumbbells for my FMS work out (all the dumbbell exercises on a bench you can picture). And can run longer and faster than a month ago, ran today in light rain, feels great. My friend havent' seen me for a month, and when he saw me he said I lost weight, like before my face was big, and now its normal, the way he showed it to me with his hands, mahn, a month ago Id get offended. Plus females, Ill be needing bug spray to keep them off me, soon. Im shooting for 210 to 220 lbs, and less than 10% body fat.

Just make sure you are losing the fat in a HEALTHY way. People who lose too much weight per month are losing more than fat most of the time.

Normal range is 1-2lbs per WEEK. So 8-10lbs MAX in a good way per month. Anything else is either water, and some people even lose muscle when they do things the WRONG way. I've seen people lose muscle before because they restrict calories TOO MUCH.

 

[djSlvt]

I heard all about that. I started with 80 lbs of muscle, scale is now measuring 78.5 lbs of muscle. Given that I lost that much weight in that little time, its normal. Plus I stuck with same weights throughout. I now have bigger weights, so I expect more muscle. But sure, loosing muscle is part of the game, Im aware of that, as long as I dont loose too much muscle and thus decrease my metabolism Im fine with it.

 

[Call_Me_Daddy]

Is my BW% normal?

No. Its too high.

You need to dehydrate yourself. You obviously have too much water. Around the brain especially. You need to drain some of it out.

P.S. if you thinking about buying a scale, make sure the one you buy has a flat surface, i.e. you stand on the flat surface.

Thanks for the advice. I was just at the store yesterday and I though to myself "Damn! This torus shaped scale doesn't look like it could work." Now I know why. Thanks for pointing out that you have to stand on it. I was thinking it can make accurate predictions. Like the guy at the Carnival.