Experience with Fit3D body scans for measuring body fat % and progress

[andres]

Hello Robert, curious if you have any experience with Fit3D body scans for measuring body fat % and have any input on their accuracy?
Seems quite useful for tracking changes to individual body parts when they overlay before/after 3D representations. Just not sure of the accuracy of their body fat % estimations

[Robert Santana]

Can't say that I have. Sounds interesting though. Do you have any papers on it?

[andres]

Found this one. Seems to conclude they're very accurate?

[Robert Santana]

Looks like it is correlated with DXA. Still unclear on the technology. Looks like they have you stand on a platform and take use an instrument to collect images at different angles. Need to find a methods paper on this.

[andres]

Yes that's exactly how it works. I had one done as a baseline when I started my NLP, looking forward to another when I'm done as it seems most of the value in it is the 3D overlay to see changes.
You stand on a platform while a camera spins around you and takes a ton of pictures which then get turned into a 3D render of you. They give you a report with estimated body fat and detailed measurements of each body part.

[Robert Santana]

So are they taking digital photographs and using software to make some sort of conversion?

[andres]

Yep, that's all I have it. Height, age, and a bunch of photographs. That's why I wonder about the accuracy of the algorithm to figure out bodyfat based on that.

[Robert Santana]

I'm generally skeptical of something like this. I'd have to read how exactly it does this but it sounds like it has many assumptions, like most body composition assessment instruments.

[jfsully]

I'm generally skeptical of something like this. I'd have to read how exactly it does this but it sounds like it has many assumptions, like most body composition assessment instruments.

Do you think those BF%-measuring electric impedance bathroom scales have any use? I have one, I like it because it sends my weight to my phone for tracking, but I am skeptical of its BF% measurement. It has kept me just under 30% for over a year, as my weight hasn't changed and my lifts have gone up. And my waist circ has come down. By the navy measurement equation I'm around 25% at most, which seems about right to my eyeball test.

For home tracking of BF%, do you recommend scales, calipers, tape measurement, or just ignoring the whole thing and focusing on other metrics?

[Robert Santana]

I think all of them are useful for tracking trends so long as the methods are replicated identically. Calipers are the most practical to keep track of regional changes (e.g. if your stomach skinfold gets thicker you likely gained body fat). I have everyone that I work with measure waist and/or hips and it works pretty well.