CamaleoEvery way to measure body fat, and what each is worth
No method gives you your real body fat percentage. They give estimates with different error bars — and knowing the size of the bar is what makes a method useful.
Updated · 3 min
DEXA — the reference, with a caveat
A low-dose X-ray scan, and the closest thing to a standard. Typical error against cadaver dissection is around 2 to 3 percentage points.
The caveat: hydration and the time since your last meal shift the result. Two DEXA scans on the same person in the same week can differ by more than a percentage point, which matters if you are using it to judge four weeks of work.
Bioimpedance — the one in your bathroom
A scale that sends a small current through you and infers composition from resistance. Cheap, instant, and heavily dependent on your water balance — which is exactly what changes most from day to day.
Errors of 4 to 8 percentage points against DEXA are common, and hand-to-hand or foot-to-foot devices only actually measure part of you and extrapolate the rest. Its trend can still be informative if you always measure under identical conditions. Its absolute number should not be taken seriously.
Calipers — good in trained hands
Pinching skinfolds at set sites and running the numbers through an equation. In experienced hands, error lands around 3 to 4 points; in inexperienced hands it is far worse, because the result depends on finding the same spot and pinching the same way every time.
It also cannot see visceral fat, which sits behind the abdominal wall and is the part with the clearest health consequences.
Photo estimates — what {app} does, and its honest limits
A model estimates composition from a photograph. It never touches you, so it is blind to what is under the surface, and it depends on pose, lighting and framing.
That is why Camaleo reports ranges rather than false precision, refuses photos it cannot read rather than guessing, and recomputes its overall score only from the muscle groups actually visible. A number the framing invented would corrupt the curve, which is the part that matters.
Which to use
For a trustworthy absolute number, once: DEXA. For a trend over weeks, any method used consistently — same conditions, same time, same tool.
The mistake is mixing them. A DEXA in January and a bathroom scale in March do not measure the same thing, and the difference between them says nothing about you. Pick one instrument and keep it.
General, informational benchmarks based on common sports nutrition guidelines. They don’t replace a doctor or dietitian, especially with a medical condition.