Hello folks,

I recently started going to a gym and one of the things done during my introduction was measuring how much body fat I have. This was done using an electronic device held between my hands, with my arms outstretched. According to the trainer the device sends an impulse through the body and measures how long it takes to get back. It said my % body fat was 34.8. I am a male, 28 years old, 5' 10" and weighed 284 pounds that day - almost 99 pounds fat, then. That would mean that 185 pounds of me is bones, muscles, skin and other things that aren't fat.

He told me that the ideal body fat for men in my age group and height was a range ending at 17% on the upper end. A reasonable goal for me might be to reach that number, which would put my "ideal" weight somewhere in the 215-220 range. That seemed too high, and checking through various net sites on what an "ideal body weight" might be for me confirmed that. Most suggested something under 190. But since I already have 185# that can't/shouldn't be lost, that suggests something is wrong.

Am I missing something? I'm guessing that the device he used must not be too accurate. Has anyone heard of these things before?

Thanks!